David G. Hansen<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cIf the full meaning of a passage [in the Bible] is to be grasped, the context of the passage needs to be appropriately developed\u201d (Greenwold 2004: 72). In his pithy study of Luke\u2019s Gospel account of Elizabeth and Zachariah, Greenwold gives an example of what he means: \u201cAll too often in our church lifetime, we end up being given many theological and doctrinal factual ornaments, but seldom are we shown the tree upon which to hang them. It\u2019s as if we have been handed dozens of pieces to a puzzle, but have never seen what the finished picture on the top of the puzzle box looks like\u201d (2004: 73). I think that Greenwold has it right.<\/p>\n
Jesus and the woman at Jacob\u2019s well in John 4 is an excellent case in point. The story takes place near the Old Testament city of Shechem. Shechem is mentioned 60 times in the Old Testament. The city had been abandoned by New Testament times, but Stephen reiterates its importance in his speech in Acts 7:16. A small village, Sychar, was near the ruins of Shechem in New Testament times and is mentioned in the John 4 account (Jn 4:5). Unfortunately, most Bible studies of events at or near Shechem, and commentaries on the Book of John, omit Shechem\u2019s pivotal role in Bible history and how it fit into God\u2019s salvation plan.<\/p>\n
The narrow pass where ancient Shechem is located at the modern city of Nablus, view west. Mt. Gerizim is on the left and Mt. Ebal on the right.<\/b><\/p>\n
BSpade<\/i> 18:2 (Spring 2005) p. 34<\/p>\n
Map of Shechem area showing the location of Tell Balata (ancient Shechem), Joseph\u2019s tomb and Jacob\u2019s Well.<\/b><\/p>\n
BSpade<\/i> 18:2 (Spring 2005) p. 35<\/p>\n
Archaeological investigations have corroborated much of what the Bible has to say about Shechem\u2019s physical and cultural aspects. Archaeology has confirmed Shechem\u2019s location, its history, and many Biblical details. In this article I will integrate what archaeology has illuminated about this important place and its geographical importance with a macro look at Shechem\u2019s place in revealing God\u2019s promise and plan to restore believers to Him.1 <\/p>\n
Location and Exploration<\/b><\/p>\n
About 30 mi (49 km) north of Jerusalem is a low, 15-acre mound, known as Tell Balata. This nondescript ruin covers what was ancient Shechem. The tell rests in a long, narrow, east-west valley with the two highest mountains in central Palestine towering over it, Mt. Ebal on the north and Mt. Gerizim on the south. The Hebrew word shekem<\/i> means \u201cback\u201d or \u201cshoulder,\u201d which probably refers to Shechem\u2019s placement between the two mountains. Coming from the south, the major road from Beersheba, Hebron and Jerusalem splits here. One branch goes east, around Mt. Ebal, and provides access to the Jordan Valley and cities like Beth Shan. The western arm leads to the coastal plain and cities to the north such as Samaria and Dothan. Thus, ancient Shechem and its modern counterpart, Nablus, are in a very strategic location along the watershed road between Judah, the Jordan Valley, Transjordan, and the Galilee.2 <\/p>\n
In 1903, a group of German scholars under the direction of H. Tiersch examined Tell Balata and concluded it was ancient Shechem. Until that time there had been controversy over whether Tell Balata, or the modern city of Nablus nearby, was the location of ancient Shechem. Tiersch\u2019s identification has never been seriously questioned.<\/p>\n
E. Sellin led an Austro-German excavation team to Tell Balata in 1913 and 1914. His work was interrupted by World War I. Sellin began work again in 1926 and continued until 1936. Work was resumed in 1956 by an American team under the direction of G. E. Wright and B. W. Anderson. The latest season of excavations at Tell Balata was in 1973 under the direction of W. G. Dever (Campbell 1993: 1347; Seger 1997: 21).<\/p>\n
Aerial view of the ruins of Shechem. On the right is the Middle Bronze fortification wall and in the upper center the \u201cMigdal,\u201d or fortress, temple.<\/b><\/p>\n
BSpade<\/i> 18:2 (Spring 2005) p. 36<\/p>\n
Abram at Shechem<\/b><\/p>\n
The first mention of Shechem in the Bible is Genesis 12:6, when Abram first entered Canaan. It is succinctly described: \u201cAbram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem.\u201d At that time, God promised Abram, \u201cTo your offspring I will give this land\u201d (Gn 12:7). The next mention of Shechem is 11 chapters, and about 200 years, later, when the Bible records that Jacob, Abram\u2019s grandson, \u201ccamped within sight of the city\u201d (Gn 33:18).<\/p>\n
Assuming a conservative dating for the Patriarchal events in the Bible,3 note that Abram camped in Canaan about 2090 BC and there is no mention of a city. However, when Jacob arrived 200 hundred years later, around 1890 BC, the Bible notes that he \u201ccamped within sight of the city [Shechem].\u201d In the original Hebrew, the word translated in our English Bible as \u201ccity\u201d meant a permanent, walled settlement (Hansen 2003:81, Wood 1999:23). Genesis 34:20 and 24 report that Shechem had a city gate; therefore it was fortified.<\/p>\n
Can archaeology clarify if there was or was not a city? Yes. The absence of a \u201ccity\u201d and walls at Tell Balata when Abram came through and the existence of a city in the time of Jacob is in complete agreement with what the Bible indicates is Shechem\u2019s early history.<\/p>\n
Excavations have revealed that the earliest urbanization at Tell Balata was in MB I (Levels XXII-XXI), about 1900\u20131750 BC. MB I was when Jacob lived by the city of Shechem. Prior to MB I, in the time of Abram\u2019s visit, archaeology has demonstrated that there was a gap in settlement and an absence of fortification walls. Thus, there was no \u201ccity\u201d for Abram to reference, as the Bible correctly infers (Campbell 1993: 1347).<\/p>\n
Jacob and Joseph at Shechem<\/b><\/p>\n
What was the city like when Jacob settled there? Archaeologists have revealed that Tell Balata in MB I had structures with mudbrick walls on stone foundations and they have found an abundance of artifacts typical of domestic living (Toombs 1992: 1179). The Bible records that during Jacob\u2019s stay he purchased land near Shechem. This parcel would become the place where his son, Joseph, would later be entombed (Jos 24:32). The tumultuous Dinah affair also occurred during Jacob\u2019s stay at Shechem. Its aftermath resulted in the murder of Shechem\u2019s male population by two of Jacob\u2019s sons (Gn 33\u201334). Subsequently, God told Jacob to move to Bethel (Gn 35:1) and then on to Hebron (Gn 35:7).<\/p>\n
The next Biblical mention of Shechem is in connection with the story of 17-year-old Joseph, Jacob\u2019s son, who was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers (Gn 37). In the account, Joseph\u2019s brothers were grazing the family\u2019s flocks near Shechem when Jacob sent Joseph to inquire of them. After looking for them at Shechem, he found them a short distance north at Dothan. There, the brothers conspired to sell Joseph into slavery, setting the stage for the subsequent accounts of Joseph\u2019s rise to power, Jacob and his family moving to Egypt and, later, Israel\u2019s oppression by Egyptian Pharaohs.<\/p>\n
The earliest known extra-Biblical written record of Shechem comes from the Middle Bronze period. It is an inscription on a stele (an upright standing stone) of an Egyptian, Khu-Sebek, who was a nobleman in the court of Sesostris III (ca. 1880\u20131840 BC). It was found in 1901 by the renowned archaeologist J. Garstang at Abydos, Egypt. King Sesostris III became ruler shortly after Jacob was at Shechem, and he was probably the king when Jacob died in Egypt. Khu-Sebek\u2019s stele describes how the king\u2019s army campaigned in a foreign country named Sekmem<\/i> (Shechem) and how \u201cSekmem fell\u201d (Toombs 1992: 1179). W. Shea believes that the campaign on Khu-Sebek\u2019s stele is none other than the Egyptians\u2019 account of the military encounters experienced by the entourage accompanying Joseph when Jacob\u2019s embalmed body was brought to Canaan for entombment at Machpelah (Gn 50:12\u201314) (Shea 1992: 38 ff.).<\/p>\n
Khu-Sebek\u2019s stele reveals that as early as the 19th century BC, Shechem was an important strategic location and a place worthy of mention in a notable Egyptian\u2019s biography.<\/p>\n
Stela of Khu-Sebek. He is shown seated, accompanied by members of his family, his nurse, and the superintendent of the cabinet. Discovered by British archaeologist John Garstang at Abydos, Egypt, in 1901, the stela is now on display in the museum of the University of Manchester, England.<\/b><\/p>\n
BSpade<\/i> 18:2 (Spring 2005) p. 37<\/p>\n
Joshua at Shechem<\/b><\/p>\n
A little over 400 years later, God rescued the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and led them through the desert wilderness for 40 years. Near the end of this sojourn, their leader Moses said that once they entered the land God had promised them (at Shechem, see Gn 12:7!), they were to erect an altar on Mt. Ebal (Dt 27:4) and read portions of the Law while the people were assembled before Mounts Ebal and Gerizim (Dt 11:26\u201330; 27:12, 13).<\/p>\n
As I noted above, the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim overlook the valley wherein lay Shechem. The mountains form a natural amphitheater in which the recitation of the Law could easily be heard. Despite the mountains\u2019 heights (Ebal is 3,083 ft [940 m] and Gerizim is 2,890 ft [881 m]), there are many contemporary accounts of people speaking from the slopes of the mountains and being heard in the valley below. Even with the noise of the busy modern city of Nablus, I myself have been in the park at the top of Gerizim and clearly heard the voices of children playing in the Balata refugee camp at Gerizim\u2019s base.<\/p>\n
Joshua fulfilled Moses\u2019 instructions and led the people directly to Gerizim and Ebal after defeating the stronghold at Ai (Jos 7\u20138). Assuming an \u201cearly Exodus\u201d date (1446 BC), the Israelite entry into Canaan, after 40 years in the wilderness, was approximately 1406 BC, in the Late Bronze (LB) IB period.4 LB IB corresponds with Tell Balata\u2019s Level XIV (Campbell 1993: 1347; Toombs 1992: 1178). During the 350 years of the previous MB period, the city had been fortified with earthen embankments and cyclopean wall fortifications. However, Shechem was destroyed around 1540 BC. The ferocity of the destruction resulted in debris covering the city up to a depth of 5.25 ft (1.6 m). It is surmised that the Egyptian armies of Ahmose I or Amenhotep I were the aggressors (Toombs 1992: 1182).<\/p>\n
About 90 years after that catastrophe the city was rebuilt early in the LB I period, around 1450 BC. Level XIV corresponds to this date and is noted for the reconstruction of the city\u2019s defensive walls, homes, and a well built, fortress-type, temple. This Level XIV occupation was the city at which Joshua and the Israelites arrived to fulfill Moses\u2019 orders to read the Law before Ebal and Gerizim around 1406 BC.<\/p>\n
The Book of Joshua makes an interesting observation about that visit:<\/p>\n
All Israel, aliens and citizens alike…. were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing those who carried it…. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the aliens who lived among them (Jos 8:33, 35).<\/p>\n
Entrance to the traditional site of Joseph\u2019s tomb, prior to its destruction in 2000. The tomb is located about 120 yd (110 m) east of the ancient site of Shechem.<\/b><\/p>\n
It appears that the crowd who heard the words of the Law that day was composed of both Israelites and native Shechemites (aliens)! The Bible implies that both Shechemites and Israelites co-existed at Shechem. This unusual situation can be further confirmed by the fact that Shechem became one of only three Israelite Cities of Refuge on the west side of the Jordan River, as well as being a city of the Levitical priesthood (Jos 20:7; 21:21). All this occurred even though there is no record in the Bible of it being taken in battle.5 <\/p>\n
Years later, Joshua again gathered the Israelites at Shechem (Jos 24). He reminded them of God\u2019s promises and how He had fulfilled those promises and delivered them from diversities. Joshua then challenged the people to say whom they would serve and they promised to serve God (Jos 24:14\u201320). The renewal ceremony between the Israelites and God recognized the promises God made to Abraham (Gn 12:7; 17:7, 8), Jacob, and the people at Sinai through Moses (Ex 24:8).<\/p>\n
The next event at Shechem in the Bible was the fulfillment of another promise: the burial of the Patriarch Joseph. Just before his death in Egypt, Joseph asked his brothers to bring his body back to the land \u201cpromised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob\u201d when God delivered them from Egypt (Gn 50:24\u201325).<\/p>\n
And Joseph\u2019s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph\u2019s descendants (Jos 24:32).<\/p>\n
Today, there is a place near Tell Balata venerated by the Jewish and Samaritan faiths as the traditional location of Joseph\u2019s tomb. The shrine marking the tomb, and an associated Jewish school, were reduced to rubble in October 2000 in the wake of the most recent hostilities between the Palestinian Arabs and the State of Israel. Conflicting views have abounded as to whether this was, in fact, Joseph\u2019s final resting place. Unfortunately, no archaeological excavations are known to have taken place at this site that could verify that this was the true location of the tomb of Joseph. Several ancient texts mention the site, but the exact location of Joseph\u2019s tomb is still in question.<\/p>\n
BSpade<\/i> 18:2 (Spring 2005) p. 38<\/p>\n
The discovery of a LB Egyptian library at Amarna has provided additional insights on the LB period. Letters in the library reveal Egypt\u2019s relationship with Canaan\u2019s rulers in the mid-14th century BC. Some of the letters disclose that the kings of Shechem were independent of Egypt. Further, Shechem\u2019s rulers were criticized by other Canaanite rulers for cooperating with an invading group of desert people called the Habiru.<\/i> Many conservative evangelical scholars (e.g., Wood 1997; 2003: 269\u201371) believe the Habiru<\/i> were the Israelites of the early Judges period.6 <\/p>\n
Letter from Labayu, king of Shechem, to the king of Egypt, probably Amenhotep III. It is defiant in tone, suggesting Labayu had a measure of independence from Egypt (Hess 1993). The letter, numbered El Amarna 252, is written in Akkadian cuneiform, albeit with Canaanite grammar and syntax, and is on display in the British Museum.<\/b><\/p>\n
Abimelech at Shechem<\/b><\/p>\n
Later in Bible history, Abimelech, the son of Gideon\u2019s Shechemite concubine (Jgs 8:31), colluded with some Shechemites to kill 70 of Abimelech\u2019s brothers (Jgs 8:30\u201331; 9). However, Abimelech\u2019s youngest brother Jotham survived (Jgs 9:5). Jotham climbed to the top of Mt. Gerizim and shouted to the Shechemites below. He foretold the destruction of the men of Shechem by fire (Jgs 9:7\u201321). Later in the same chapter we read that the people of Shechem rose against Abimelech\u2019s leadership. In response, Abimelech fought against the city and razed it. During the attack the leaders of Shechem tried to save themselves in \u201cthe stronghold of the temple of El-berith\u201d (Jgs 9:46). The story continues:<\/p>\n
He [Abimelech] took an ax and cut off some branches, which he lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, \u201cQuick! Do what you have seen me do!\u201d So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire over the people inside. So all the people in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died (Jgs 9:48\u201349).<\/p>\n
Archaeologists (e.g., E. Campbell, B. Mazar, G. E. Wright and L. Stager) refer to the \u201ctower of Shechem\u201d as \u201cthe Tower (migdal<\/i>) Temple or Fortress-Temple\u201d of Shechem (Campbell 1993: 1348, Stager 2003: 26 and 68 note 1). Stager recently reexamined the work of Wright who, in 1926, excavated a large building that has been reported to be this Fortress-Temple (Stager 2003). Stager\u2019s conclusions are that this Temple, \u201cTemple 1, \u201d was, in fact, the migdal<\/i> referred to in Judges 9. It is the largest such Canaanite structure found in Israel and was 70 ft (21 m) wide, 86 ft (26 m) long with stone foundation walls 17 ft (5.1 m) thick. The foundation supported a multistory mudbrick and timber temple with an entrance flanked by two large towers. Stager hypothesized that the courtyard of this temple could have been where Joshua \u201ctook a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the LORD\u201d (Jos 24:26).<\/p>\n
Stager (2003: 68) places the destruction of the Fortress-Temple around 1100 BC. So does Seger (1997: 22), who correlates the destruction debris found at Level XI as being from the Iron IA period. Campbell (1993: 1347) states that there was a \u201csignificant\u201d destruction \u201caround 1100 BCE\u201d and guardedly concludes, \u201cconnecting Level XI with the story underlying Judges 9 is plausible\u201d (1993: 1352).<\/p>\n
Dating Shechem\u2019s destruction to 1100 BC helps confirm the Biblical date of 1406 BC as the beginning of the Conquest in Canaan. To do this, it is necessary to know that immediately after we read in the Bible of Abimelech\u2019s destruction of Shechem, Jephthah, the ninth Judge, appears (Jgs 11, 12). Jephthah was hired by Israelites who lived in Gilead, east of the Jordan River, to confront the Ammonites who had made war on them for 18 years. Jephthah first attempted diplomacy with the Ammonite king. He reminded the Ammonite king that the Israelites had been in the land east of the Jordan River for \u201c300 years\u201d (Jgs 11:21\u201326). Jephthah, of course, was referring to the time when Moses led the Israelites through that region and defeated numerous kings (Nm 21:21\u201331).<\/p>\n
Thus, if Abimelech destroyed Shechem ca. 1125\u20131100 BC (Jgs 9), and Abimelech was a contemporary of Jephthah, the Conquest would have occurred about 300 years earlier, in ca. 1400 BC (1100 BC + 300 years = 1400 BC).<\/p>\n
BSpade<\/i> 18:2 (Spring 2005) p. 39<\/p>\n
Shechem in the Time of the Divided Monarchy<\/b><\/p>\n
The Bible sheds little light on Shechem\u2019s role during the reigns of Saul, David or Solomon. Rehoboam, Solomon\u2019s son, was next in line for the throne. All the Israelites assembled at Shechem to anoint Rehoboam king. Rehoboam, however, acted foolishly by chiding the northern tribes and telling them he would tax them heavily. In defense, the northern tribes retaliated by separating themselves from Rehoboam and the southern kingdom. The northern tribes made Jeroboam I king of their region. The country, formerly unified under David and Solomon, became divided. The northern region and tribes, led by Jeroboam I, was known as Israel. The southern area and tribes, first led by Rehoboam, is referred to as Judah in the Bible.<\/p>\n
Levels X and IX at Tell Balata represent the Jeroboam I period and are noted for carefully built houses of selected stones. The discovery of stone foundations for stairs suggests two-story, four-room houses, typical homes of that period (Dever 1994: 80\u201381). Campbell concludes that Level IX (920\u2013810 BC) has \u201ctangible evidence of Jeroboam I\u2019s rebuilding (1 Kg 12:25) and a return to city status\u201d (1993: 1352\u201353).<\/p>\n
The Assyrian invasion of Israel in 724 BC (2 Kgs 17:5\u20136) brought another destruction to Shechem. The evidence is in Level VII. Toombs noted that in Level VII the city was \u201creduced to a heap of ruins, completely covered by debris of fallen brickwork, burned beams and tumbled building stones,\u201d typical examples of Assyrian thoroughness (1992: 1185). In addition to the destruction, the Assyrians placed exiled peoples from other nations into the region around Shechem, a common Assyrian practice (2 Kgs 17:23\u201324).<\/p>\n
These new peoples added Yahweh<\/i> to their own beliefs (2 Kgs 17:25\u201330). The new religion mimicked Judaism in many respects and Mt. Gerizim was made the center of its worship. New Testament practitioners of the cult are called \u201cSamaritans,\u201d which also referred to the people who lived in the vicinity (Mt 10:5; Lk 9:52, 10:53; 17:16; Jn 4:7, 9, 22, 39, 40; 8:48; Acts 8:25). A remnant of the ancient Samaritans still lives on Mt. Gerizim and they practice sacrifices there just as they did 2, 700 years ago.7 <\/p>\n
Shechem in the Intertestamental Period<\/b><\/p>\n
Between the Old and New Testaments, Shechem had a modest recovery and there is an abundance of evidence that excellent buildings were constructed in this, the Hellenistic, period (ca. 330\u2013107 BC). It was during this time that the Samaritans built a large temple and sacrificial platform on Mt. Gerizim, the remains of which were still visible in Jesus\u2019 day (Jn 4:20).<\/p>\n
As fighting between the Ptolemies and Seleucids swirled around the country in the intertestamental period, physical decline again took place at Shechem. This decline culminated when the Jewish leader, John Hyrcanus, took advantage of the temporary absence of outside armies and destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mt. Gerizim (ca. 126 BC). He leveled the city in 107 BC. Shechem never recovered from this destruction and lay in ruins until identified by Tierschin 1901.<\/p>\n
Mt. Gerizim (left peak) as seen from Jacob\u2019s well. When the Samaritan woman said to Jesus, \u201cOur fathers worshipped on this mountain,\u201d she was no doubt referring to the ruins of the Samaritan temple on top of Mt. Gerizim. The small structure on the peak marks the location of the ruins of the Samaritan temple that easily could have been seen from Jacob\u2019s well in Jesus\u2019 day.<\/b><\/p>\n
BSpade<\/i> 18:2 (Spring 2005) p. 40<\/p>\n
Ruins of a fifth century AD octagonal church on Mt. Gerizim, view north. The church, dedicated to Mary, was built on top of a temple built by the Samaritans in the late fifth century BC. John Hyrcanus destroyed the temple in the late second century BC. The small domed building at the northeast corner, the tomb of an Arab sheikh, is the structure visible from Jacob\u2019s well in the valley below.<\/b><\/p>\n
BSpade<\/i> 18:2 (Spring 2005) p. 41<\/p>\n
Shechem in the New Testament Period<\/b><\/p>\n
Samaritans continued to live in the area during the following years, the Roman period. This is confirmed by the discovery of human burials from the period on the lower slopes of Mt. Ebal (Magen 1993: 1358\u201359). It is known that Samaritans also made several attempts to renew their cult worship on Mt. Gerizim. The Romans suppressed their efforts and in AD 72 constructed a new city, Flavia-Neapolis, about 1 mi (1.6 km) west of Tell Balata (Magen 2001: 40). This new city is now Nablus, a modern Arab city of about 120,000 people8 whose name is probably a corruption of Roman city, Neapolis.<\/p>\n
About 500 yd (460 m) southeast of Tell Balata is an ancient well, venerated to be a well that Jacob, the Patriarch, dug when he lived there. Such a well is not mentioned in the Old Testament. There is a small Arab village, Askar, just north of the well. Most scholars associate Askar with Sychar, the village in John 4 near \u201cJacob\u2019s well\u201d (Jn 4:6). The authenticity of the well is not only based on its physical identification in John 4, but also on \u201cthe fact that all traditions-\u2014Jewish, Samaritan, Christian and Muslim-\u2014support it\u201d (Stefanovic 1992: 608). Several churches in Christian history have been built on the site of the well and today it is located under a recently constructed Greek Orthodox church. Access to the well is gained by going down steps from the apse of the new church.<\/p>\n
Jacob\u2019s well, at the base of Mt. Gerizim, is at the junction of the main road leading from Jerusalem in the south. Here, the road splits with the eastern branch going toward the Jordan Valley and the western branch leading to Nablus, and in NT times, Samaria and the Galilee. It is an excellent setting for one of the most important passages in the Bible-\u2014the account of Jesus\u2019 verbal Messianic announcement in the fourth chapter of John. In this passage Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at Jacob\u2019s well, dialogues with her, and tells her He is the long-awaited Messiah.<\/p>\n
Significance of Shechem in Understanding John 4<\/b><\/p>\n
This article began by stating that context in reading the Bible was important to full understanding of what the original writers wanted the original hearers\/listeners to know. In the case of Shechem, it is clear that the writer of John\u2019s Gospel was appealing to the hearer\/reader\u2019s understanding of Shechem\u2019s unique historical and theological context.<\/p>\n
First, the author established that the event took place at Sychar (Jn 4:6). By making reference to Jacob he reminded his readers\/hearers that this is where Jacob first settled when he returned to the Promised Land from Paddan Aram (Gn 33:18). At this spot Abram received God\u2019s promise that \u201cTo your offspring I will give this land\u201d (Gn 12:7). In addition to God\u2019s promise given here to Abram, the writer wanted the hearer\/reader to remember that many human agreements were made at Shechem in Bible history. Unfortunately, most were corrupted because of man\u2019s sin. For example, Jacob made a promise to spare Hamor and the Shechemites after Dinah was sexually violated. Jacob\u2019s use of circumcision to confirm the agreement with the Shechemites was the same symbol God had ordained as \u201cthe sign of the covenant between Me and you\u201d (Gn 17:11). To seal a human agreement in this manner and have it subsequently abrogated as Jacob\u2019s sons had done (Gn 34), could not have escaped the attention of the original hearers\/readers.<\/p>\n
Newly-built Greek Orthodox church above Jacob\u2019s well. At this site Jesus revealed to the Samaritan woman that He was the Messiah (Jn 4:25\u201326).<\/b><\/p>\n
BSpade<\/i> 18:2 (Spring 2005) p. 42<\/p>\n
Jacob\u2019s well as it appeared in the 1870s. In the right background is Mt. Gerizim with the tomb of the Arab sheikh, where the ruins of the Samaritan temple were located in New Testament times, visible at the peak.<\/b><\/p>\n
Later, we read in the Bible that Jacob did not destroy family idols: rather he simply placed them under a tree near Shechem (Gn 35). This whole account is a testimony to the human condition and our willful tendency not to obey God. Jacob, who even had the privilege of a personal revelation from God, still could not totally eliminate idol worship; he played on the edge and placed the idols under a tree rather than destroying them.<\/p>\n
The reader\/hearer also should have been reminded that Shechem was near the place where Joseph\u2019s brothers sold him into slavery and then concocted a lie to explain Joseph\u2019s absence to their father Jacob (Gn 37)\u2014another example of man\u2019s deceit and deception.<\/p>\n
All of these accounts are, in themselves, mini-stories that illustrate the human condition and how incapable we are of making a lasting promise to God. As a result, we are in need of rescue and restoration and only God, with His patience, could develop and execute a plan, seen throughout Bible history, for accomplishing a restoration that did not rely on man\u2019s fallible nature.<\/p>\n
Juxtaposed against the human failings, lies and deceits, the hearer\/reader\u2019s attention was brought to the fact that Shechem was where God reminded the people that He is faithful. Having given Abram the promise of the land, the Israelites were to remember that promise by going to Shechem, building an altar worshipping and re-reading God\u2019s Law. This would refresh in the minds of the Israelites how God had led them out of bondage as He had promised and into a land He had promised. The rededication ceremony was accomplished and is described in Joshua 8. Following the conquest, Joshua again assembled the people at Shechem where he reviewed God\u2019s promises and Israel\u2019s obligations, eliciting from the people an agreement that they would \u201cserve the Lord our God and obey Him\u201d (Jos 24:24). This promise was another one that was repeatedly broken as revealed in the succeeding books of the Old Testament.<\/p>\n
Earlier in Israel\u2019s history Joseph, as he lay dying in Egypt, reminded the people that God would lead them to the land He had promised to Abraham, Isaac and his father Jacob. He asked that when they did return, they \u201ccarry my bones up from this place\u201d (Gn 50:25). This was fulfilled in Joshua 24:32 when the body of Joseph was placed in a tomb in Shechem.<\/p>\n
BSpade<\/i> 18:2 (Spring 2005) p. 43<\/p>\n
The Hebrew hearer\/reader would also remember that Shechem became the center for the idolatrous worship practices that occurred following Israel\u2019s capture by the Assyrians. Importing peoples from other lands and exporting Jewish believers, syncretism of pagan beliefs and Jewish practices resulted in a corrupted form of worship that became centered at Shechem and on Mt. Gerizim by people who were known as Samaritans. They chose to be worshippers of other gods despite their earlier promise in Joshua 24.<\/p>\n
I believe the author of John wanted the reader and hearer to recognize and associate Shechem with God\u2019s eternal unbroken promises, man\u2019s corrupted state, the need for a Rescuer and how a Rescuer had been promised throughout history. In John 4 the Rescuer is revealed. The Samaritan woman makes known the promise: \u201cI know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.\u201d And the Rescuer, Jesus, replied that the Messiah was at hand: \u201cI Who speak to you am He\u201d (Jn 4:26)!<\/p>\n
The Samaritan woman\u2019s response was to immediately run into the village, leaving her water jar behind, and tell everyone that the Rescuer was there. What glorious news! The Samaritans rushed to the well, welcomed Him and exclaimed that Jesus was the Rescuer, \u201cthe Savior of the world\u201d (Jn 4:42).<\/p>\n
It should challenge us to remember that shortly after Jesus\u2019 declaration that He was Messiah, He would complete the promise and achieve the rescue through His death, burial and ascension. As He prepared His disciples for their duties, He told them that they would be His \u201cwitnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth\u201d (Acts 1:8). The story of Shechem and the Samaritan region had come full circle\u2014from the promises to the Patriarchs to fulfillment of salvation as heard by the woman at the well and declared to the disciples.<\/p>\n
Now we have the contextual history of Shechem. It is apparent that the original hearer\/reader of John\u2019s Gospel fully understood how Shechem had been a focal point of God\u2019s unbroken promises and man\u2019s fallibility. Hopefully, for the reader of this essay, all pieces of the puzzle of Shechem can now be understood and assembled so one can see the finished picture. And what a wonderful picture it is!<\/p>\n
Bibliography<\/b><\/p>\n
Archer, Gleason L.<\/b><\/p>\n
1994 A Survey of Old Testament Introduction,<\/i> new and revised ed. Chicago: Moody.<\/p>\n
Bolen, Todd<\/b><\/p>\n
2001 Samaritan Passover. Bible and Spade<\/i> 14: 41\u201342.<\/p>\n
Campbell, Edward F.<\/b><\/p>\n
1993 Shechem. Pp. 1345\u201354 in The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land<\/i> 4, ed. Ephraim Stern. New York: Simon & Schuster.<\/p>\n
Davis, John J.<\/b><\/p>\n
1975 Paradise to Prison: Studies in Genesis.<\/i> Grand Rapids MI: Baker.<\/p>\n
Dever, William G.<\/b><\/p>\n
1994 Monumental Architecture in Ancient Israel in the Period of the United Monarchy. Bible and Spade<\/i> 7: 68\u201387.<\/p>\n
Greenwold, Douglas<\/b><\/p>\n
2004 Zechariah & Elizabeth: Persistent Faith in a Faithful God<\/i>. Rockville MD: Bible-in-Context Ministries.<\/p>\n
Hansen, David G.<\/b><\/p>\n
1991 The Case of Meggido [sic<\/i>]. Archaeology and Biblical Research<\/i> 4: 84\u201393.<\/p>\n
2003 Large Cities that Have Walls up to the Sky: Canaanite Fortifications in the Late Bronze I Period. Bible and Spade<\/i> 16: 78\u201388.<\/p>\n
Hess, Richard S.<\/b><\/p>\n
1993 Smitten Ant Bites Back: Rhetorical Forms in the Amarna Correspondence from Shechem. Pp. 95\u2013111 in Verses in Ancient Near Eastern Prose,<\/i> eds. Johannes C. de Moor and Wilfred G.E. Watson, Alter Orient und Altes Testament 42. Kevelaer, Germany: Butzon & Bercker.<\/p>\n
Magen, Itzhak<\/b><\/p>\n
1993 Neapolis. Pp. 1354\u201359 in The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land<\/i> 4, ed. Ephraim Stern. New York: Simon & Schuster.<\/p>\n
2001 The Sacred Precinct on Mount Gerizim. Bible and Spade<\/i> 14:37\u201340.<\/p>\n
Seger, Joe D.<\/b><\/p>\n
1997 Shechem. Pp. 19\u201323 in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East<\/i> 5, ed. Eric M. Myers. New York: Oxford University Press.<\/p>\n
Shea, William H.<\/b><\/p>\n
1992 The Burial of Jacob: A New Correlation Between Genesis 50 and an Egyptian Inscription. Archaeology and Biblical Research<\/i> 5:33\u201344.<\/p>\n
Stager, Lawrence E.<\/b><\/p>\n
2003 The Shechem Temple where Abimelech Massacred a Thousand. Biblical Archaeological Review<\/i> 28.4:26\u201335, 68\u201369.<\/p>\n
Stefanovic, Zdravko<\/b><\/p>\n
1992 Jacob\u2019s Well. Pp. 608\u2013609 in The Anchor Bible Dictionary<\/i> 3, ed. David N. Freedman. New York: Doubleday.<\/p>\n
Toombs, Lawrence E.<\/b><\/p>\n
1992 Shechem. Pp. 1174\u201386 in The Anchor Bible Dictionary<\/i> 5, ed, David N. Freedman. New York: Doubleday.<\/p>\n
Wood, Bryant G.<\/b><\/p>\n
1995 Reexamining The Late Bronze Era: An Interview with Bryant Wood by Gordon Govier. Bible and Spade<\/i> 8: 47\u201353.<\/p>\n
1997 The Role of Shechem in the Conquest of Canaan. Pp 245\u201356 in To Understand the Scriptures: Essays in Honor of William H. Shea,<\/i> ed. David Merling. Berrien Springs MI: Institute of Archaeology\/Siegfried H. Horn Archaeological Museum.<\/p>\n
1999 The Search for Joshua\u2019s Ai: Excavations at Kh. el-Maqatir. Bible and Spade<\/i> 12:21\u201330.<\/p>\n
2003 From Ramesses to Shiloh: Archaeological Discoveries Bearing on the Exodus-Judges Period. Pp. 256\u201382 in Giving the Sense: Understanding and Using Old Testament Historical Texts,<\/i> eds. David M. Howard, Jr., and Michael A. Grisanti. Grand Rapids MI: Kregel.<\/p>\n
David G. Hansen, Ph.D., is the former President of the Board of Directors of Associates for Biblical Research. A retired U.S. Army officer, he is the author of numerous articles, co-author of two books, and frequent lecturer on Bible geography and Old Testament warfare.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
David G. Hansen \u201cIf the full meaning of a passage [in the Bible] is to be grasped, the context of the passage needs to be appropriately developed\u201d (Greenwold 2004: 72). In his pithy study of Luke\u2019s Gospel account of Elizabeth and Zachariah, Greenwold gives an example of what he means: \u201cAll too often in our … Continue reading “SHECHEM:<\/p>\n ITS ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND CONTEXTUAL SIGNIFICANCE”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15410\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}