It was evidently the center, especially for the northern tribes; and hither Rehoboam came in the hope of getting his succession to the throne confirmed (1 Kings 12:1 2 Chronicles 10:1). God used this sad turn of events to eventually take the entire family of Israel to Egypt, protecting and multiplying them. Camels can travel at up to 50 miles per hour. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth (1 Cor. of God, a favorite name for Abraham; compare Jas 2:23). Ewing. Roman Empire Map - Even if we are consciously trying to be a proper Christian, it is still possible for us to . How old was Abram when he traveled from Haran to Canaan? 2. Later Jacob settled here, and dug a well. 7. Near Hebron was the cave of Machpelah, where he and Sarah were buried. Here in Succoth Jacob built a house for himself and booths for his cattle to rest from their long journey (Gen. 33:17). 12. Augustine once said: Idolatry is worshipping anything that ought to be used, or using anything that is meant to be worshiped., Jonathan Edwards resolved: that all men should live for the glory of God. When Judah returned from exile to the southern portion of the nation, the Samaritans requested to help rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Ur. Ramban (R. Moses Nahmanides, 1194-1270) takes a similar approach, but avoids ibn Ezra's geographical error: 24:27). Built seven years before Zoan in Egypt (Numbers 13:22). This is where Jacob builds his first altar, (just as Grandpa Abraham had done when entering Canaan). 14:15; 15:3). It made a good choice for a capital. His descendants are called Shechemites. "Arba was a great man among the Anakims, father of Anak." The existence of "bears," two, near the town, implies that Bethel was then less frequented (2 Kings 2:23- 25). The larger of the two, which lies to the east, is, according to Dr. Robinson, 12 1/2 feet in diameter, and at the time of his visit (April 12) was 44 1/2 feet to the surface of the water. At the close of the fourteen years of service, Jacob desired to return to his parents, but at the entreaty of Laban he tarried yet six years with him, tending his flocks (31:41). 18 And Jacob came safely 4 to the city of c Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram, and he camped before the city. This is a straight line distance and so most of the time the actual travel distance between Ur and Canaan may be higher or vary due to curvature of the road . Bethel remained an abode of priests even after the kingdom of Israel was desolated by the king of Assyria (2 Kings 17:28, 29). and Zebul his officer? Bethel. 19:28).Hebron in Fausset's Bible Dictionary 1. Historical:This place is first mentioned in connection with Abraham's journey from Haran. If we are to accept the precise definition of Ge 12:8 the name of Bethel would appear to have existed at this spot even before the arrival of Abram in Canaan. Located in the Hill Country of Ephraim, the city of Shechem played a vital role in the history of Israel. The areas in Canaan which Abram spent most of his life were along the Route of the Patriarchs, namely in Shechem (Gen 12:6), Bethel and Ai (12:8; 13:2), Hebron (13:18; 14:13), and in the Negev (13:1; 20:1, notably Gerar). The third road from Shechem led northeast along the Wadi Beidan to Tirzah, where it descended east to the Jordan Valley via the Wadi Faria. And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did these great signs in our sight and preserved us through all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. Joshua 24:25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. Calm our fears and strengthen our faith that we may never doubt his presence among us but proclaim that he is your Son, risen from the dead, living for ever and ever. It was at Mahanaim that a host of angels came to comfort Jacob. His dealing with Esau, however, showed much mean selfishness and cunning (Gen. 25:29-34). Three times in the Old Testament, it is stated that seventy people from the house of Jacob went down into Egypt. Hither he had come after his meeting with Esau (Genesis 33:18). The name seems to occur in Travels of a Mohar (Max Muller, Asien u. Europa, 394), "Mountain of Sahama" probably referring to Ebal or Gerizim. HARAN TO SHECHEM n About 400 miles distance n Crossing Jordan at Succoth Genesis 12:1-7 n 1st altar built n Abram worships God SHECHEM TO BETHEL n About 20 miles distance n Genesis 12:8 n 2nd altar built n Prayer offered n Famine in Canaan BETHEL TO EGYPT n About 225 miles southwest n Genesis 12:9-13 n Abraham denies that Sarah is his wife . We should remember how God, in His grace, has taken care of us since then in spite of our continued disobedience. When Abram entered Canaan he formed his second encampment between Bethel and Hai (Gen. 12:8); and on his return from Egypt he came back to it, and again "called upon the name of the Lord" (13:4). In Jdg 1:22 ff it is represented as held by Canaanites, from whom the house of Joseph took it by treachery (compare 1 Ch 7:28). Jacob and his sons were offered a home in the land of Goshen (Gen. 46:1-5). The Holy Land Satellite Atlas, Vol. From Dan to Beersheba (2 Sam 17:11, etc.) Laban was outraged and pursued them to Mizpah, the Lord intervened for Jacob and in Mizpah Laban made a treaty of peace with Jacob (Gen. 31:1-55). Resolved second: That whether others do or not, I will. Joshua says that regardless of what they chose, as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.. At about the center point of the land of Canaan was the place called Shechem. Later a troubling situation came about, the slaughter of the Shechemites by Jacob's sons, and this forced Jacob to move southward (Gen. 34:1-30) 9. 10:36, 37; 12:10; 14:13). Genesis 35:26 The sons of Zilpah (Leah's handmaid): Gad and Asher. Bethel became the king's chapel" (sanctuary) "the king's court" ("house of the kingdom") (Amos 7:13; Amos 3:14-15). 12:2-4), the second born of the twin sons of Isaac by Rebekah. It retained this name till it came into the possession of Caleb, when the Israelites restored the original name Hebron" (Keil, Com.). Shechem. 4. Jacob's Well in Shechem (Sychar) is the place where Jesus met the Samaritan woman. Years later, Jacob sent his 17 year-old son, Joseph, from Hebron to check on his brothers as they kept the flocks in Shechem (Gen 37:12-14). A city of the tribe of Judah, south of Jerusalem When built Nu 13:22 Fortified 2Ch 11:10 Called KIRJATH-ARBA Ge 23:2 ARBA Ge 35:27; Jos 15:13 Abraham lived there and Sarah died at Ge 23:2 Hoham, king of, confederated with other kings of the Canaanites against Joshua Jos 10:3-39 Descendants of the Anakim live at Nu 13:22; Jos 11:21 Conquest of, by Caleb Jos 14:6-15; Jud 1:10,20 A city of refuge Jos 20:7; 21:11,13 David crowned king of Judah at 2Sa 2:1-11; 3 David crowned king of Israel at 2Sa 5:1-5 The burial place of Sarah Ge 23:2 The burial place of Abner 2Sa 3:32 The burial place of Ish-bosheth 2Sa 4:12 The conspirators against Ish-bosheth hanged at 2Sa 4:12 Absalom made king at 2Sa 15:9,10 Jews of the Babylonian captivity lived at Ne 11:25 Pool of 2Sa 4:12 -3. The land of Moriah --On "one of the mountains" in this district took place the sacrifice of Isaac. saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,Jeremiah 46:28 - Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I [am] with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.Ezekiel 20:5 - And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I [am] the LORD your God;Genesis 27:46 - And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these [which are] of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?Isaiah 60:16 - Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD [am] thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.Genesis 30:31 - And he said, What shall I give thee? The Tabernacle of Ancient Israel - Brief Overview of the Tabernacle of Moses in the Wilderness and the Ark of the Covenant. Jotham's parable was spoken from the cliff of Gerizim overhanging the town (Judges 9:7). Ironically, this idolatrous center was just south of Shechem, where their forefathers and Joshua made the covenant to worship God alone (1 Kings 12:25-33). Here the ark of the covenant was kept for a long time under the care of Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron (20:26-28). may be proved genuine. 4:15; 5:8; 10:5, 8) calls it in contempt Beth-aven, i.e., "house of idols." Abraham planted here a" grove" ('eshel) (distinct from the idol grove, Asheerah, or Astarte Baal), or tree, the tamarisk, long living, of hard wood, with long, clustering, evergreenBeersheba in Hitchcock's Bible Names the well of an oath; the seventh wellBeersheba in Naves Topical Bible 1. It was the extreme border of the cultivated land. Rasmussem, Carl G. Zondervan NIV Atlas of the Bible. Joshua also says to serve the Lord in truth; the Hebrew word for truth is `Emet, which refers to a truth that has proven itself reliable. 6:2, 18). God revealed to Jacob His plan of redemption through offering His only son as a substitute for the sins of the whole world. Jacob served in Laban's house for 20 years before fleeing back to Canaan (Genesis 31:1-21). Joshua 24:1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. In the morning Jacob set up "for a pillar" the stone which had served as his pillow (Gen 28:18; see PILLAR, matstsebhah), poured oil upon it and called the name of the place Bethel, "house of God"; that is, of God whose epiphany was for him associated with the pillar. The people traveled more than 25 miles from Ai to the beautiful valley of Shechem surrounded by mountains, two of which were Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. Joshua 24:32 They buried the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, in Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. Judges 9:6 All the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem. Some 50 years later Hadrian reportedly restored the Samaritan temple of . or from Beersheba to. 19:2; 1 Chr. The family of Hebronites sprang from him. After looking for them at Shechem, he found them a short distance north at Dothan. Shechem is also where Abraham camped when first arriving in Canaan after God called him to enter the land of promise (Genesis 12:6). Gods grace shows that none of that matters if you put your faith in Him. 3. [Was] not Esau Jacob's brother? The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Shechem. God called Abram from Haran to Canaan (Genesis 12:1). Deborah and Rachel died before he reached Hebron; Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob, was sold into Egypt eleven years before the death of Isaac; and Jacob had probably exceeded his 130th year when he went tither. Chart of the chosen line of the Messiah in Genesis. 20 There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe . Judges 9:18 and you have risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, seventy persons, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother); Judges 9:20 but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.". The copious springs which supply abundance of water rise at the base of Gerizim. S hechem is the name of 2 biblical men and a city where important Biblical events took place.. People. 2. Biblical Archaeology - Significant Discoveries from Ancient Empires. He sent gifts ahead of his caravan to determine the situation with Esau, if he rejected the gifts then Jacob knew there would be trouble (Gen. 32:13-20). Eastward the valley opens upon the plain of Makhneh. It was afterwards known as Mamre. Genesis 35:4 They gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. It lay, like all threshing floors, outside the city, upon Mount Moriah, N.E. Bethel still abounds in stones such as Jacob used for his pillow and afterward for a sanctuary. On the return from Babylon some of the children of Judah dwelt in Kirjath Arba (Nehemiah 11:25). 10. And he bought an allotment of the field where he had spread his tent, at the hands of Hamor's sons, father of Shechem, for a hundred kesitahs (lambs). Interestingly, Jesus said the same thing in this same spot when He told the woman at Jacobs well that the worshippers God seeks are those who worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24)worship with ones inside, the spirit, not just the outside. 1. When the procession reached the border of Canaan, thirty-one kings turned out to pay . Weekly Prayer. Aharoni, Yohanan, and Micheal Avi-Yonah. Again, from the like oath between Abimelech (with Phichol, his captain) and Isaac, it being not uncommon for an event to be recorded as occurring apparently for the first time, which has been recorded as occurring earlier before: so Bethel (Genesis 26:31-33). 23). There are some 700 or 800 Christians, chiefly belonging to the Greek Orthodox church. Beersheba. A descendant of Manasseh ( Numbers 26:31; Joshua 17:2). Here the name is ascribed to the Hebrew root shabha`, "to swear," but this same root is connected with the idea of seven, seven victims being offered and to take an oath, meaning "to come under the influence of seven." Jacob finally arrived in Haran at the home of his uncle Laban and dwelt there for 14 years. A city of the territory of the tribe of Asher Jos 19:28 -2. . For another Bible chapter related to Shechem, see Joshua 24.. Shechem. Laban caught up with Jacob in the hill country of Gilead. And there on Mount Ebal, Joshua built an altar to God, and on a pillar of stones he wrote a copy of the law (Josh. Although Laban proved to be more deceitful than Jacob, God was with Jacob and blessed him greatly. Twice in this verse Joshua gives the command: serve the LORD. In fact it is the main command of the whole chapter. to his uncle Laban's home where he married and gave birth to many children. Again Jacob journeyed southward, and at Bethlehem Rachel gave birth to Benjamin, but she died in giving childbirth and was buried there (Gen. 35:16-20). 1. Through the storms of life, O God, you are with your people in the person of Jesus your Son. In old times the slopes of Ebal were covered with vineyards; but these formed a source of temptation to the "faithful." New York: Macmillan. However Zerubbabel refused, and the Samaritans developed almost a cultdevoted only to the Pentateuch. Bethel nevertheless remains a sacred place in the collective memory of both Jews and Christians. ABRAHAM'S EARLY LIFE. According to the first, the well was dug by Abraham, and the name given to Judah, Jos 15:28 and then to Simeon, Jos 19:2; 1Ch 4:28 In the often-quoted "from Dan even unto Beersheba," Jud 20:1 it represents the southern boundary of Canaan, as Dan the northern. Bethel in Joshua 19:4 answers to Chesil in Joshua 15:30. It is often easy for us as believers to get proud at what marvelous people we have become. And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant (vv. (2) Joseph was buried at Shechem (Jos. Do not do something just because mommy and daddy did it; mommy and daddy could have been wrong. For a spiritual lesson from Shechems history, we look back at Joshuas challenge to the nation in Joshua 24. Abraham was born in Ur of the Chaldees when his father, Terah, was 130 years old. A city in the hill country of Judah, originally Kirjath (the city of) Arba (Joshua 15:13; Joshua 14:15). Shechem is also where Abraham lived, Jacob lived, Joshua rallied the nation of Israel together and gave the curses and blessings on Mt. In the New Testament Paul writes: Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Jacob secretly left Haran because his father-in-law was envious of Jacob's wealth and was planning to take revenge. 2 Chronicles 10:2 It happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, (for he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of king Solomon), that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt. ; the King James Version gives "Sichem" in Genesis 12:6; and "Sychem" in Acts 7:16):1. Remember how you yourselves shouted the blessings and the curses in this spot? Samuel visited Bethel on circuit, judging Israel (1 Sam 7:16). A considerable trade is done in cotton and wool. 9. Copy. Shechem (Nablus) (Jewish Virtual Library) A lengthy article describing the archaeology and history of the ancient city. (Jacob did not obtain the blessing because of his deceit, but in spite of it. of God, and this is the modern name of Hebron. 16-18). 6. Map Store - Download High-Res Maps and Images, 2023, Bible History | All rights reserved, Beersheba in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE, Mount Moriah in Easton's Bible Dictionary, Mount Moriah in Fausset's Bible Dictionary, Mount Moriah Scripture - 2 Chronicles 3:1. On the round mount S.E. Soap is manufactured in large quantities, oil for this purpose being plentifully supplied by the olive groves. )-bu(-u), like Aq-bi-ili alongside of A-qa- bi-ili; all of which may be associated with the same root `aqabh, as appears in Jacob (see H. Ranke, Early Babylonian Personal Names, 1905, with annotations by Professor Hilprecht as editor, especially pp. To this second occasion of God's speaking with Jacob at Bethel, Hosea (12:4,5) makes reference. We too, as we live the lives God has given us, should remember from where God, in His grace, took usfrom a down-hill slide to destruction into a relationship with His Son. Ex 6:18; Nu 3:19; 1Ch 6:2,18; 23:12 He was the founder of a family of Hebronites, Nu 3:27; 26:58; 1Ch 26:23,30,31, or Bene-Hebron. The crossroads Shechem offered led in three directions. There are two accounts of the origin of the name. (Gottwald, 1979: 563-564). The distance between the above mentioned places is 500 miles approximately. So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his inheritance (vv. The town was situated in a narrow valley - the "Valley of the Eschol; " whose sides are clothed with vineyards, groves of olives, and other fruit trees. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989. 2Ki 10:29 After the desolation of the northern kingdom by the king of Assyria, Bethel still remained an abode of priests. The most southern city of Israel Jud 20:1 Named by Abraham, who lived there Ge 21:31-33; 22:19 The place where Isaac lived Ge 26:23 Jacob went out from, toward Haran Ge 28:10 Sacrifices offered at, by Jacob; when journeying to Egypt Ge 46:1 In the inheritance of Judah Jos 15:20,28; 2Sa 24:7 Afterward assigned to Simeon Jos 19:2,9; 1Ch 4:28 Two sons of Samuel were judges at 1Sa 8:2 Became a seat of idolatrous worship Am 5:5; 8:14 -2. So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 8:30-35). Judges 9:7 When they told it to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said to them, "Listen to me, you men of Shechem, that God may listen to you. Eusebius, in Onomasticon, here identifies Shechem with Shalem; but see SHALEM. Judges 9:34 Abimelech rose up, and all the people who were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies. In Judges 20:26 translate for "the house of God" Bethel. From Mount Ebal, they shouted the curses if they disobeyed the law, and from Mount Gerizim, they shouted the blessings if they obeyed. And you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the citizens of Jericho fought against you, and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Girgashite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. In Hebron, David reigned over Judah first for seven and a half years (2 Samuel 5:5). Its Position: Geographically Beersheba marked the southern limit of Judah, though theoretically this extended to the "river of Egypt" (Gen 15:18)--the modern Wady el`Avish--60 miles farther south. Here was the ark of the covenant. Abram pitched his tent on a mountain E. of Bethel, abounding in pasture (Genesis 12:8; Genesis 13:3). This was "the land of Moriah" to which Abraham went to offer up his son Isaac (Gen. 22:2). Nicosia: Rohr Productions, 1999. Mount Moriah in Easton's Bible Dictionary the chosen of Jehovah. But there are a number of independent indications that Jacob belongs to that large class of names consisting of a verb with some Divine name or title (in this case 'El) as the subject, from which the common abbreviated form is derived by omitting the subject. The son of Hamor the Hivite ( Genesis 33:19; 34). Bible Book: Genesis. When the land of Canaan was conquered and divided among the Israelites, Shechem was allotted to Ephraim, and finally . God would later tell King David: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be ruler over My people Israel (2 Sam. But when Abimelech went to Thebez and stormed the tower, a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull (Judges 9:53). Jacob arose and returned to Bethel where he . 24:24, 25; 2 Chr. After the overthrow of Israel, the king of Assyria sent one of the Israelite priests to settle at Bethel, and teach the new settlers from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, "the manner of the god of the land," and "how they should fear Jehovah" (2 Kings 17:27- 28). Mutton was preferred to camel meat, which came second in popularity, costing US$2/kg. In Jewish tradition, the old name was understood in . His messengers told him the news of Esau's coming (Gen. 32:6-8) and Jacob became troubled and prayed for help and deliverance (Gen. 32:9-12).