Shechem (Hastings' Dictionary)

1. (tj^ti) Gn S^'» 34>-« etc. See Hamor. 2. (05^, 2i<xfMl the name of a Manassite clan, Nu 20^' W (the Shechemites 'o?;rr, Stj/uoj i ZyxeiJi{ee)i}, Jos 17", 1 Ch 7'". The various con- flicting schemes by which these three passages (P, J, and the Chronicler) connect Shechem with Manasseh are discussed in art. Manasseh, vol. iii. p. 231 f. • Cheyne (ExpoHtor, ix. [189D] p. 464) would read this word •Uo in 2 3 8" 202«, 1 K 4» (1 Oh ISIT), but see art Pribsts and Lbvitkh, p. 73b. t Quoted and to translated by Wmckler, Ot$chioht« Itraelt, 1. 120. SHECHEM (DD-.f' ' -slioulder • ; ^vxi/i, i) Sxijita (1 K l-i, '), Td ZlKiiia (Jos 24^-), 2i)Ki/xa, 2^Xw (Joa 241. 25)_ ^iKtiiov, ZlKi/xa (Josepii.) ; Sichem, Sirima (Jerome, Onom.)). — There are two views with regard to the name. One, held by Eusebius {Onuin. s. :ivx^f-), is that Shechem, the son of Hamor, ' the Hivite, tlie prince of the land ' (Gn 33'' "), gave liis name to the town. In this case the name is used in Gn 12" by anticipation. The other view ia that Sliechem received his name from the to\vn, which was so called from the shechim, ' saddle,' or ' shoulder ' (cf. Gn 48', ), between Ebal and Gerizim, which separates the waters of the Mediterranean from those of the De.ad Sea. The latter supposi- tion is the more probable. The name occurs in the ' Travels of a RIohar,' if Max Miiller's reading, ' Mountain of Sakaraa,' — the mountain of Sichem, i.e. Ebal or Gerizim, — be correct {Asien u. Europ. p. 394). Eusebiusand Jerome (0»io;«.) held the view tliat Shechem was formerly called Salem ; but this opinion is apparently based on a wrong interpre- tation of Gn 33" (see Shalem). The position of Shechem is clearly indicated in the Bible. It was west of Jordan ; in the territory allotted to Joseph (see Gn 48-^, where ' portion ' is the translation of shSch(ni) ; in the hill-country of Ephraim (AV Mount Ephraim), within the limits of the tribe of Ephraim (Jos 20' 21^, I K 12'", 1 Ch G^ T^, cf. Jos 17'), and immedi- ately below Gerizim (J^ 9'). It was beyond Shiloh on the high road from Jerus. to the north (Jg 21'"), to the west of Michmethath (Jos 17'), and not very far from Dothan (Gn 37"""). The evidence outside the Bible is decisive : Josephus distinctly says (Ant. IV. viii. 44) that Shechem was between Ebal and Gerizim. Eusebius {Onom. s. 2ux^^, Aoufd, 'tepi^ifffos) places it in the suburbs of, or close to, Neapolis; whilst Jerome (jBp.PdM. xvi.), Epiphanius [adv. Hcvr. iii. 1055), and later writers identify it with Neapolis, the present Niibliis. Shechem is supposed to have been destroyed during the Jewish War, and to have been rebuilt by Vespasian, who named it Flavia Neapolis. It is so called on coins (Eckhel, Doc. Num. iii. 433), and by Justin Martyr, who was a native. Joseplius says {B.I IV. viii. 1) that Neapolis was anciently called Mabortha, or Mabartha — a name which Pliny gives {HN v. 13) in the form Mamortha. This word has been variously explained. Reland conjectures (Z)ti. Mis. i. 138-140) that the readings should be corrected from coins which have Morthia — the classical form, according to his view, of Moreh. Tomkins (^Aro- /11m and his Aqe, p. 90) connects Mabortha, Morthia, with Rlartu, the Sumerian form of the name Amorite, and takes it as evidence of a pre- Semitic occupation of the site. He quotes the view of Sayce, wlio sees Martu in ' the terebinth of Morel).' Ritter {Pal. 646) considers that the name refers to the 'pass' or valley in which the town is situated. Olshausen, Hitter (as above), Gu^rin {Samarie., i. 420), and Riehm {HWB) take it to mean a ' thoroughfare,' or place of ' passage ' or 'crossing' (Hn-iji'p mndbartd) — a name very applicable to a town situated in the natural pas- sage or valley from the Mediterranean to the Jordan, or on the caravan road from Judaea to Galilee. Neubauer {Gfog. du Talm. 169) sees in the word a corruption of the Aram.Tan unsiia {mabarakhta), ' blessed town,' .and supports his view by the statement in the Talmud that the Samaritans called their mountains ' the mountains of blessing.' When Abram entered the land of Canaan, he camped by the oak (AV plain,' RVm 'terebinth") of Moreh, at or near ' the place of Shechem ' (AV Sichem), and there built ' an altar unto the LoriD (Gn 12«-'). Some authorities maintain, from the expression 'place of Shechem,' that the city did SHECHEil SHECHEM 4S.j act then exist ; but the word ' place ' (Gesen. Lex.) is applied to inhabited towns in Gn IS'-" 19'- and 29-. It is also most unlikely that the Cananiiites, who were ' then in the land,' would have overlooked or neglected to occupy a well-watered site which possessed so many natural advantages. The oak of Moreh, or a successor, is apparently mentioned aa ' the oak which was by Shecheni ' (Gn SS), ' the oak that was in the sanctuary of the Lord' (Jos 24'-), ' the oak of the pillar that was in Shecheni ' (Jf; 9"). 'The oak of Meonenim' (Jg 9"' 'the diviners' tree ') is possibly also the tree of Gn 12", but, Moore thinks, not of Jg 9". When Jacob ' came from Paddan-aram,' Shechem was a Hivite city under the rule of Hamor the father of Shechem. The patriarch pitched his t€nt to the cast of the city on ground wliidi he afterwards purchased from Hamor, and bequeathed to the children of Joseph. Here Jacob erected an altar, and sunk a well for his family and cattle; and here Joseph wa-s buried (Gn 33'"-" 34= 48-, Jos 24", Jn 4»- «■ '■■', Ac 7'"). The size of the ' parcel ' is unknown, but it possibly included the oak beneath which Jacob concealed the gods and trinkets of his household before moving to Bethel (Gn 35). From the account of the capture and pillage of Shechem, perhaps alluded to in Gn 4S-, and of tlie events which followed the defilement of Dinah, it would appear that the Shecliemites were a peaceful, un- circumcised people, who possessed sheep, oxen, and other wealth (Gn 3410. ^i • »■ as-as ; Jos. Ajit. 1. \\i. 1). The mas.sacre of the Shecheinites (if indeed it belongs to the patriarchal period, but see arts. Ha.Mor, Simeon) does not seem to have aroused the ill-will of the surrounding tribes, for, whilst Jacob lived at Hebron, his sons pastured his flocks at Shechem in peace (Gn 37'=''). Shechem acquired additional importance and sanctity from the promulgation of the Law in its immediate neighbourhood (Dt 27'"', Jos 8^"') ; and from the renewal of the covenant with God when Joshua, towards the close of his life, gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and set up a ^eat stone, as a witness, under ' the oak th.at was in ( AV by) the sanctuary of the Lord ' (Jos 24'- "■^, '']. Joshua made Shechem a city of refuge, and gave it to the Levites (Jos 20' 21-', 1 Ch (i'" ; cf. Hos 6" (RV); Jos. Ant. v. i. 24). Yet under the Judges we find a temple of Baal-berith in or near the town (Jg '.)■'}, and the population is plainly Canaanite. After Gideon's death, the men of Shechem made Abimclccli, his son by a Shechemite concubine, king by the oak (IIV ' plain ') of ' the pillar that was in Shechem ' ; and it was during, or immedi- ately after, the ceremony that Jotham delivered his parable of (he trees from Mount Gerizim (Jg 8^' yi-3. «-Mj When Abimelech had reigned three years the Shechemites rose against him, but he soon re- took the city, and, after destroying it, sowed the iite with s.ilt. He also set lire to and burned the temple of 15aal-berith, in which a portion of the garrison had taken refuge (Jg 9^"°'^; Jos. Ant. v. vii. 4). In consequence of its central position and ■acred associations, all Israel assembled at Shechem to make Rehoboam king (1 K 12', 2 Ch 10'); but the LTuat disruption followed, and the ten tribes revolted, and made Jeroboam their king. Jeroboam rebuilt or fortiticd the town, and built himself a palace there (1 K 12'"; Jos. Ant. vill. viii. 4). The position, however, wn.s not a strong one, and the cajiital of the new kingdom wa.s first moved to Tirzah and then to Samaria— sites more capable of defence against the attack of an enemy. \Vlien Samaria became the political and religious centre of the Northern Kingdom, Shechem lost its import- ance, and it is not once mentioned during the monarchy. The town wa.s, however, inhabited after the fall of Jerusalem (Jer 4P), and became the chief town of the Samaritans (Sir 50-'; Jos. Ant. XI. viii. 6). About u.C. 132 it was taken by John Hyreanus, and the temple on Mt. Gerizim destroyed (Jos. Ant. XIII. ix. 1 ; BJ I. ii. 6). Shechem was probably destroyed during the Jewish War, and its place taken by Flavia Nea- polis, built by Vespasian a short distance to ihe west of the ancient site. Coins struck at Neapolis during the reign of Antoninus Pius represent Geri- zim with a large temple on its summit, approached by many steps cut or built in the side of the moun- tain. This temple, according to the Samaritan Chronicle, Dion Cassius (xv. 12), and Damascius (Phot. Bihl. p. 1055), was built by Hadrian, and dedicated to Jupiter. In the reign of Zeno the .Samaritans attacked (A.D. 474) the Christians at Pentecost, and wounded the bishop, Terebinthus, whose name was perhaps taken from the terebinth or oak of Moreh. In consequence of this, the emperor deprived the Samaritans of Gerizim and gave the mountain to the Christians, who built a church on it which they dedicated to the Virgin. Justinian afterivards surrounded the church with a strong wall, and rebuilt five churches in Neapolis which the Samaritans had destroyed (Procop. De .£iUf. v. 7). The only known bishops of Neapolis areGermanus, who attended the Councils of Ancyra and Nicjea, Terebinthus, Procopius, Ammonas, and Joannes, who was present at the Council of Jerusalem (A.D. 536). In 1184 Ndblus was pill.aged by Saladin, and in 1834 by the soldiers of Ibrahim Pasha. In 12U2 and again in 1837 the town sutlered greatly from severe earthquakes. Near the centre of Palestine the range of hills which traverses the country from north to south is pierced by a remarkable pass — the only one conspicuous irom the sea. The pass, w Inch lies between Ebal and Gerizim, is the Vale of Shechem. The valley rises gradually eastward to a grand natural amphitheatre, with its southern end re- cessed in Gerizim and its northern in Ebal. Here the gently swelling ground of the arena separates the waters of the >Iediterranean from those of the Dead Sea ; and here, in all probability, was held ' the great inaugural service of all Israel on taking possession of the country.' Eastward of the water- parting, the ground falls gradually between Ebal and Gerizim to the rich level plain of el-Mukhna ; and near the spot where the valley merges into the plain are the traditional sites of ^Jacob's Well and Joseph's Tomb. The beauty of the Vale of Shecliem and its exuberant fertility have often been described. The soft colouring of the land- scape, the fresh green of the gardens that slope down on either side, the gi'ey olive trees, the joyous notes of the numerous birds of song, and the ' mighty burst of waters from the flank of (iirizim,' make the vale the most beautiful spot in (.^cntral and Southern Palestine. Amidst tliis wealth of verdure, clinging as it were to the lower slopes of Gerizim, lies Nablus [Ncnpulis), the ' little Da- mascus' of the old Arab writers, and a little to the east, between the modern town and the water- parting, probably lay Shechem. The natural attractiveness of the locality, its central position on the highland road from north to south, and the facilities for communication on tlie one hand with Sharon and the Mediterranean, and on the other with the Jordan Valley and the trans-.lordanio regions, marked it out as a place of importance from the remotest period. A trade route, to which allusion is made in Hos 6°, and which the Psalmist may have had in his mind when he connected Shechem with the valley of Succoth (Ps OH" 108'), ran at a very early date from the coast districts, Sast Shechem to Gilead. The connexion with the istricts east of Jordan remained almost to the present day, for, until recently, Gilead was gov 486 SHECHEM SHEEP erned from Ndblus, which is still the connecting link between the telegraph system east and west of Jordan. The modem town contains three churclies built by the Crusaders which are now mosques, the synagogue of the Samaritans, and a few fragments of the Roman city. Immediately outside the to\\Ti, on the S.W., there is a small mosque on the traditional site of Jacob's mouraing when Joseph's coat w;vs brought to him. In the minaret close by there is a stone with a Samaritan inscription containing the Ten Commandments. Envirnns. — There are three spots in the neigh- bourhood of Shechem which require some notice : the Well of Jacob, the Tomb of Joseph, and the site of the ' oak ' of Moreh. A tradition that goes back to the early part of the 4th cent., and in which Jews, Samaritans, Christians, and Moslems agree, identihes Jacob's Well with Bir Y'akiib. This well, sometimes called Bir es- Hamai-ieh, ' well of the Samaritan ' (woman), is situated in the level plain of el-Mukhna, about H m. from Ndblus on the road to Jerus., and a little beyond the vUlage of BaU'ita. The well is sunk to a great depth, partly through alluvial soil and partly through limestone, so as to secure, even in exceptionally dry seasons, a supply of water. By its construction in his own ' parcel ' of ground, the patriarch, with great prudence and forethought, made himself in- dependent of the springs which probably belonged to the Shechemite villagers, and avoided those quarrels about water which are so common in a country where the population is partly sedentary and partly nomadic. Eusebius (Onom.) and the Bordeaux Pilgrim (A.D. 333) mention the well in connexion with Sychar, a place which they distin- guish from Sicliem and Neapolis. Jerome (Onmn.) adds that there was a church at the well which was visited by St. Paula (i?;j. Paul. xvi.). Antoninus Martyr (A.D. 570), Arculfus (A.D. 670), and Willi- bald (A.D. 754), mention the well and church, and Arculfus adds that the church was cruciform, the well being in the centre. The church was appar- ently destroyed before the arrival of the Crusaders and rebuilt in the 12th cent. It was again destroyed after tlie battle of Hattin, and remained a heap of rubbisli until a few years ago, when it became the property of the Greek Church, and its foundations were uncovered by excavation. The stone on which our Lord sat is said to have been taken to Con- stantinople in the reign of Justinian (see Sychar). Jewish, Samaritan, and Christian tradition iden- tifies the Tomb of Joseph with a modem building, called Kabr YHsuf, situated in the plain about | m. north of Jacob's Well. Moslem traditions vary — one accepting the Kabr Ynsuf, another placing the tomb in the cemetery Eijal el- Amud aX, the foot of Gerizira. The latter place was apparently sho\vn to Maundrell (A.D. 1697). Eusebius, the Bordeaux Pilgrim, and Jerome {Onom.) place the tomb to the east of Neapolis and close to Sichem. Jerome elsewhere {Ep. Paul, xvi.) saj^s that St. Paula, after leaving Jacob's Well, visited the 'tombs of the twelve patriarchs.' The tradition that the twelve sons of Jacob were buried at Shechem rests on the words of St. Stephen (Ac 7"'- '"). Joseplius {Ant. II viii. 2) saj's they were buried at Hebron. Nearly all later writers refer to the tomb without distinctly indicating its position ; but all Jewish travellers place it in the immediate neighbourhood of tiie village of Baldta. Two sites have been suggested for the • oak ' of Moreh. At the foot of Gerizim, in the recess which forms part of the natural amphitheatre already described, there is a small, well-kept cemetery, with a mosque, a courtyard, a well, and several tombs of which one is the tomb of Sheikh YHsuf. The place is called Rijal el-'AmUd, 'the men of the 3olumn,' or simply el- Amud, 'the column.' Here, according to one tradition, Joseph and hia brethren were buried, or, according to another, several Jen-ish prophets. A tliird tradition finds in it the spot wnere Jacob buried the idols of his household, whilst the Samaritans believe it to be the place where Joshua set up a great stone under the ' oak ' that was in the sanctuary of the Lord (Jos 24^). The other site is Baldta, a small hamlet \vith a beautiful spring, not far from Jacob's \\'ell. The village is mentioned in the Samaritan Book of Joshua under its present name, which contains the radicals of the Aramaic word for 'oak.' The place is also, apparently, that mentioned by Eusebius and Jerome {Onom.) as Balanus (translated by them • oak ') near Joseph's Tomb, and identified by them with the oak of Shechem. LiTKRATCRB. — Descriptions of Ndblus and ita environs, and of the importance of Shechem in the history of the Jews, will bo found in PEF Mem. ii. 172-178, 203, etc. ; Stanley, ^P p. 233, etc ; Smith, HGIIL 332, etc ; Gutirin, Saviarie, L p. 372, etc ; Robinson, BRP iii p^ 96, etc. ; Wilson, PEF St. 1873, p. 06, etc. C. W. Wilson. SHEDEUR (nisnc' ; the first part of the word is probably ns Hhnddai, cf. Gray, BPN 169, 197). — The father of Elizur, the chief of Reuben, Nu 1' 2'° (B and Luc. in both Seoioi'p, A 'E5ioi)p) 7" (B 'E5i(7oup, B'^AF ZcSiaovp) 10'* (XfSioiJp).