Shunammite (Hastings' Dictionary)

See next article. SHUNEM (cri? ; in Joshua B :S,ovi>ip, A ^owdfi, Luc. —wij/i ; in I Sam. I! ami Luc. Zmi-idf, A Vufajxif ; in 2 Kinf;s B -ovfiai', B" ""» Luc. Xuiyudp, A"" SiuKi/i, A' -iw/id/t). — A place-name men- tioned three times in the OT (Jos 19'^ 1 S 28S 2 K 4). In Jo.shua it is named in the enumeration of the towns and villages belonging to I.ssachar. Eusebius-Jerome identify it with a village 5 Koman miles south of Tabor, in their time called ZouMti (Lag. 0710111.' pp. 183, 284).

There is still a hamlet in this same locality named Siilc7H or Sulam. It lies on the slopes of Jebel Dalii, the hill which faces Jezreel from the north. It looks across to Gilboa, which bounds the southern side of the valley that lies at the foot of Jebel Dahi. It has therefore been identihed with the camping- ground of the Philistines before their victory over Saul (1 .S 28''). Saul's army is supposed to have occupied the ground at the foot of Gilboa.

If so, the valley laj- between the hostile armies. It runs eastward from Jezreel (Zer'in) to the Jordan. Shunem is almost at its N.W. extremity. The district is described in Robinson, BllP iii. 168 ff. There il precedent for distinf^ishing the Shunem of 2 K 4^ from that already identified. Kusebius-Jerome eay it was a place in the territorj'of Sebaste (Samaria), i. iptoK 5., within the district of Akrabatta (Lag. Onom.^ pp. 184, 24i.5). They give Sanim as the later name.

If Akrabatta is the 'toparchy' earlier known as part of Judiea, lying considerably south-east of Samaria, it is too far from Cxrmel to be very probable. But even Sdlam is not within the easy reach of Cannel implied by v.22ir.. The statement that Elisha frequently passed Shunem (v.9) gives more help than any other in determining its situa- tion. It seems to nnply that Shunem was a place near his home or on the direct road to a locality which he frequented.

Now Samaria was Elisha's home (6^5^-9, cf. t'^), and Carmel appears to have been a favourite resort and the destination of his journeys when he passed through Shunem (4^^, cf. 2^5). But Sulam is 8 or 9 hours from Samaria, and decidedl.v off the road from there to Carmel. The claim of Sanira should there- fore perhaps be left open. Whether it was near Samaria or not, if it lay on the way to Carmel the situation would be more appropriate than that of Solam.

Near Taaiiach a place Salim is marked on the maps. It is not far from the eastern ex- tremity of Carmel, and might be made a stopping-place on the way from Samaria. An inhabitant of Shunem is a Shunammite (n-SK' n'EjiB' ; B ZufiapelTis, A (in Kings generallj') -ovfxai'- (t7)5, Luc. Zu^a^irij), jjcrhaps .also called a Shnlam- mite (see SoNG OF SoNGS, p. 532*'). The vowel of the second syllable is in both cases a, as it is in the oldest spellings of the place-n.ime also (LXX and the Egyptian tr.'

iiiscri|)tion Sbanama [Shanmii] given by W. M. Miiller, Asieti u. Eiiropa, p. 170). The interchange of the / and the n is further ex- emplified in the modern name SOlam compared with Shunem. The former may be a variant which existed even in biblical times. Two women are designated Shunammites in the Old Testament. One is AbisiiaG (1 K !»• " on. 21. 22) xhe other is simply named ' the Shunammite ' (2 K 4'" "• *"). She is one of those who play a part in the history of Elisha (2 K 4'" 8'").

Her own history is interesting as a picture of domestic and social life, and particularly as an example of the position a Hebrew woman might occupy at the head of a household. Her power of initiative and freedom to act are prominent features in the narrative. It would almost appear as if she were proprietor of the land which belonged to the family, or perhaps rather an heiress who had brought wealth to her husband (4' 'a great woman,' cf. 1 S '2'>-, 2 K 4'" 8').

It has been supposed that by the date of the events recorded in ch. 8 she was a widow. Even in these circumstances her in- dependence is notable. W. B. Stevexson. SHUNI Cjic').— A son of Gad, Gn 46" (A Zawlt. I) and Luc. Za.n-Ws), Nu 2G'»<"> (B Zomd, AF 2oi/»(, Luc. "Zuvvl). Tlie gentilic name Shunites (•)'»■!) also occurs in the latter passage.