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The Sea of Galilee: Exploring the Lake of Jesus

The Sea of Galilee: Exploring the Lake of Jesus

Last updated on: August 28, 2026 at 7:10 pm by Alice H. Murray

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The Sea of Galilee: Exploring the Lake of Jesus 2026-08-28T19:10:21-04:00 Alice H. Murray

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Galilee – The Lake of Jesus

The Sea of Galilee, also known as the Lake of Jesus [Image by dozemode from Pixabay]

In Jesus’ time, Galileans could have sung “By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea.” But to what body of water did they refer? It is a most familiar one, the Sea of Galilee, the Lake of Jesus. Learning more about this lake can only enhance appreciation of biblical stories, especially ones involving the ministry of Jesus.

Is The Lake of Jesus A Sea?

Despite the name, the Sea of Galilee is not a sea, but a freshwater lake. In fact, this water body holds the distinction of being the lowest freshwater lake on Earth. Additionally, it is the second-lowest lake in the world after the Dead Sea, a salt lake. Traditionally, the lake’s surface elevation was 686 feet below sea level, but in recent decades the level has dropped several feet below that level.

Underground springs partially feed the Sea of Galilee. Nevertheless, the Jordan River, which flows through the lake from north to south, serves as its main water source. Mineral deposits in rivers connected to the water body, as well as those at the bottom of the lake, combined with strong evaporation make the freshwater lake relatively salty.

The presence of some salt in the lake and the size of the water body likely provide a basis for calling it a “sea.” The pear-shaped lake’s surface area covers 64 square miles. Further, it extends 13 miles from north to south and 7 miles from east to west.

Color atellite image showing Sea of Galilee's location with Mediterranean Sea to the west

Satellite image shows the location of the Sea of Galilee [Image from Wikimedia Commons, public domain]

Location and Names of The Lake of Jesus

Located in northeastern Israel, the Sea of Galilee or Lake of Jesus sits in the great depression of Jordan. The Mediterranean Sea, as seen in the satellite image above, lies to the west. Higher geographical features appear on the lake’s edges. The hills of Lower Galilee drop abruptly down to the lake on its west and southwest sides. The Golan Heights’ cliffs overlook the water body on its mid-eastern sections.

Over the course of history, the lake has been known by various names. Name changes usually depended on the dominant settlement on the water body’s shores. In the Old Testament, Numbers 34:11 and Joshua 13:27 referred to it as the Sea of Chinnereth. Later names include the Lake of Gennesaret, Lake Tiberias, and Kinneret. And, due to the significance of the lake in the biblical accounts of Jesus’ ministry, it has also been called the “Lake of Jesus.”

Side view of ancient fishing boat on display

The 1st century boat found on the shore of the Lake of Jesus [Image from Wikimedia Commons, public domain]

Local Settlements and Economy

Sites familiar to Bible readers, such as Tiberias and Capernaum, still exist in some form or fashion in the area of the Sea of Galilee today. All four gospels refer to Capernaum, located on the lake’s northern shore, hometown of Matthew, the tax collector turned disciple. Now the once-thriving fishing village, called Kfar Nahum in Hebrew, is maintained by religious communities such as the Franciscans. It serves as an important Christian pilgrimage site with archaeological remains offering visitors insight into the biblical past.

Tiberias, mentioned in John 6:23 in connection with the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, sits on the lake’s western shore. In 2024, its population stood at just over 52,000. The city is an important tourist center because of its proximity to the Sea of Galilee and religious signifcance to Jews and Christians. The city also serves as a regional industrial and commercial center.

Two industries specifically thrive in the economy around the Sea of Galilee, tourism and fishing. Local and foreign tourists come to visit historical and religious sites. In particular, Christians visit the area to see the places where Jesus performed miracles and taught as recounted in the New Testament. These include stories include the Sermon on the Mount, walking on the water, and calming the storm. Christian pilgrims may also hike the 40-mile “Jesus Trail” which ends at Capernaum.

The warm waters of the lake have supported a commercial fishing industry for 2,000 years. In Jesus’ time, fishing offered a means of livelihood for lakeside residents. His disciples Peter, Andrew, James, and John worked as fishermen and were even engaged in such activity when they first encountered Jesus. The “Jesus Boat,” discovered in 1986 on the lake’s northwest shore when the water levels receded, offers a glimpse back into this occupation. The ancient boat from the 1st century AD exemplifies the kind of boat Jesus and his disciples may have used. Today, lakeside residents take to the lake to catch tons of fish.

View of two boats docked on the Sea of Galilee with mountains in the distance

Commercial fishing is a vibrant part of the economy around the Lake of Jesus. [Image by Jim Black from Pixabay]

Signature Dish Around The Lake of Jesus

Fisherman take in significant hauls of fish from the Sea of Galilee or Lake of Jesus. They catch tons of Sarotherodo galilaeus as the Galilean tilapia is scientifically known. However, locally, this tilapia bears the name of St. Peter’s fish, the most iconic fish from the Lake of Jesus. It bears not only economic importance to the fishing communities of the area but religious significance to Christians.

A Bible story of the Temple tax found in Matthew 17:24-27 provides the basis for the fish’s name. In these verses, Jesus tells Peter to go fishing because the first fish he’d catch would have a silver shekel in it. Following his rabbi’s instructions, Peter caught a fish with a coin in its mouth. He then, as directed by Jesus, used that money to pay the Temple tax. Legend holds that the fish Peter caught was a tilapia. Accordingly, numerous restaurants around the shore of the Sea of Galilee offer St. Peter’s fish on their menu. They either grill or fry the fish and serve it whole, head included, with a side of lemon. Christian tourists literally eat it up.

View down on a white plate holding a cooked whole fish accompanied by a slice of lemon, potatoes, and salad

St. Peter’s Fish is the signature dish of the Lake of Jesus [Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay]

Learning About Galilee – The Lake of Jesus

Knowing more about the location of some of the most famous stories involving Jesus adds depth and understanding to reading those passages in the Bible. The large size of Galilee, The Lake of Jesus, for example, explains the intense fear of the disciples on a boat in a storm there. Swimming to shore wasn’t a viable option. Seeing commercial fishing still occurring in the lake as it did 2,000 years ago gives a sense of the economic value of the lake. And knowing that the iconic fish of the lake is thought to be the type which Jesus used for miraculously providing a coin for the Temple tax stirs a Christian’s heart. Learning about this water body proves to be a geography lesson adding great context to biblical accounts in which it plays a part.

The Sea of Galilee Facts

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About Alice H. Murray

After 35 years as a Florida adoption attorney, Alice H. Murray now pursues a different path in the publishing industry. With a passion for writing, she is constantly creating with words. Her work includes contributions to several Short And Sweet books, The Upper Room, Chicken Soup For The Soul, Abba’s Lessons (from CrossRiver Media), and the Northwest Florida Literary Review. Alice is a regular contributor to GO!, a quarterly Christian magazine in the Florida Panhandle, and she has three devotions a month published online by Dynamic Women in Missions. Her devotions have also appeared in compilation devotionals such as Ordinary People Extraordinary God (July 2023) and Guideposts’ Pray A Word A Day, Vol. 2 (June 2023), pray a word for hope (September 2023), Too Amazing For Coincidence: Heavenly Interventions (August 2024), pray a word for strength (September 2024), and God’s Constant Presence: Held In His Hand, January 2025. Alice’s first book, The Secret of Chimneys, an annotated Agatha Christie mystery, was released in April 2023. Her adoption devotional, God Adopted Us First – Faith Lessons from an Adoption Attorney’s Adventures was published in October 2025. Winged Publications released Alice’s second Agatha Christie annotation, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, in December 2025. Alice’s latest book baby is Sightings: 52 Devotion For Spotting God In Daily Life, published in June 2026. On a weekly basis, Alice posts on her blog about current events with a humorous point of view at aliceinwonderingland.wordpress.com. You can read more about the author here.

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