Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989. Hebron is one of the Palestine city. 20:7; 21:21; 1 Chr. Built seven years before Zoan in Egypt (Numbers 13:22). It was about 12 miles N. of Jerusalem. 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. Jacob and his sons were offered a home in the land of Goshen (Gen. 46:1-5). 24:1). Seven (sheba' which also may explain the name) wells are at the place, so that a different one may have been named by Isaac from that named by Abraham. in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her. Judges 9:28 Gaal the son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? 2Ki 2:2,3 But after the destruction of Baal worship by Jehu Bethel comes once more into view. It also conveniently lay along a major road to Shechem. Bethel belonged by lot to Benjamin, but was falcon by Ephraim (Bethel being on his southern border) through the treachery of an inhabitant (Judges 1:22-26). What made the difference? After Jacob's death his body was embalmed and he was carried back to Hebron, where he was buried in the family tomb, the Cave of Machpelah (Gen. 50:1-13). Genesis 23:19 After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the . Then he erected there an altar, and called it El-Elohe . Douglas, J. D., and Merrill C. Tenney, eds. We have to take a personal ownership and responsibility with our relationship with God. 24:32). 2. Gods grace. In old times the slopes of Ebal were covered with vineyards; but these formed a source of temptation to the "faithful." Jehovah testified His acceptance of David's sacrifice there by sending down fire to consume it (Leviticus 9:24; 1 Kings 18:24; 1 Kings 18:38; 2 Chronicles 7:1). Here also he raised an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel, "God, the God of Israel" (Genesis 33:20). 24:2), became the usual way of designating the whole Promised Land, and passed into a proverb. A city in the south end of the valley of Eshcol, about midway between Jerusalem and Beersheba, from which it is distant about 20 miles in a straight line. Come, and I will send you to them." . 1 Chr. Jacob left Hebron and set out for Egypt. A Sacred Shrine: Beersheba was a sacred shrine. The average milk yield was 2.5 L per day; the price of camel's milk was higher than that of cow's milk at US$0.5. The distance between the above mentioned places is 500 miles approximately. 1. The family of Hebronites sprang from him. (Enlarge) (PDF for Print) (Freely Distributed for Personal or Church use). After the return from the Captivity the phrase is narrowed into "from Beersheba unto the valley of Hinnom" (Neh. In Gen 21:31 Abraham and Abimelech took an oath of witness that the former had dug the well and seven ewe lambs were offered in sacrifice, "Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they sware both of them." Shechem first steps on the pages of Scripture as Abram enters the land of Canaan. Bethel. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Some contend that Mount Gerizim is meant, but most probably we are to regard this as one of the hills of Jerusalem. Abraham was born in Ur of the Chaldees when his father, Terah, was 130 years old. of Zion. Terah dies in Haran five years later. (See BETHAVEN.) 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). On the round mount S.E. Bethuel, 1 Chronicles 4:30. [See MOUNT MORIAH] 2. These people did not know the Lord (2 Kings 17:24-41) and thus they continually struggled with idolatry. Some 50 years later Hadrian reportedly restored the Samaritan temple of . Evidently the threshing floor on Moriah was near the real Mount Zion, the city of David (on the eastern not the western half of Jerusalem).Mount Moriah in Hitchcock's Bible Names bitterness of the LordMount Moriah in Smiths Bible Dictionary (chosen by Jehovah). When All Seems Lost/Broken Relationships. Near Hebron was the cave of Machpelah, where he and Sarah were buried. But Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon, escaped by hiding. God confirmed the covenant he had first made with Abraham in Harran, regarding the possession of the land of Canaan. We still need to come to a place where Jesus is our God, not just the God of our parents. 11. Here in Egypt Jacob met Joseph and there were great tears and rejoicing among them. The son of Hamor the Hivite ( Genesis 33:19; 34). Soap is manufactured in large quantities, oil for this purpose being plentifully supplied by the olive groves. Jacob finally arrived in Haran at the home of his uncle Laban and dwelt there for 14 years. The surrounding country is bleak and barren, the hills being marked by a succession of stony terraces, which may have suggested the form of the ladder in Jacob's famous dream. To the South of the vale is the traditional Well of Jacob; see JACOB'S WELL. He had twelve sons and several daughters, by his two wives, Leah and Rachel, and their maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah. So thenceforth David sacrificed there, and no longer on the altar at Gibeon where the tabernacle was, separate from the ark, which was at Zion; for he could not go to Gibeon on account of the sword of the Angel, i.e. It is mentioned as lying to the West of Michmethath (el-Makhneh) on the boundary of Manasseh (Joshua 17:7). See Map of Old Testament IsraelThe land of Canaan would become the inheritance of the descendants of Abraham, and Jacob his grandson would become the father of the twelve tribes who would inherit the land promised by God. 2. They all pour their streams into the wady es Seba, and are called Bir es seba, the largest 12 ft. diameter, and masonry round reaching 28 ft. down, and 44 from bottom to surface of the water. A city in Samaria ( Genesis 33:18), called also Sichem ( 12:6), Sychem ( Acts 7:16).It stood in the narrow sheltered valley between Ebal on the north and Gerizim on the south, these mountains at their base being only some 500 yards apart. 3. When the land of Canaan was conquered and divided among the Israelites, Shechem was allotted to Ephraim, and finally . The distance between Hebron and Shechem is 78 km. Ebal. And in light of Gods faithful past in our own lives, we should personally renew a whole-hearted commitment to the Lord today. Still farther to the East and near the base of Ebal is the traditional tomb of Joseph, a little white-domed building beside a luxuriant orchard. Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons because he was born to him in his old age. One of the largest oaks in Israel is found in the valley of Eshcol, about 3 miles north of the town. He set up a pillar, and anointed it with oil, to mark the place where God spoke with him. Andersen, H. G. Shechem, The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol. But the Torah continues by telling us that Joseph's "brothers went - to pasture their father's flock in Shechem" (Genesis 37:12), which was why "[Jacob] sent [Joseph] from the valley . Paddan Aram or Padan-aram (Hebrew: , Padan rm) was a region referring to the northern plain of the former kingdom Aram-Naharaim. 13:22). 8. Jacob (Heb. Beersheba. Then follows the story of Dinah's defilement by Shechem, son of the city's chief; and of the treacherous and terrible vengeance exacted by Simeon and Levi (Genesis 34). Historical:This place is first mentioned in connection with Abraham's journey from Haran. Jacob purchased a parcel of a field which contained the well that he had dug there. A 'ziggurat' (a stepped temple platform) about 70 feet / 21 metres high, surmounted by a temple and shrine to the Akkadian moon god Sin, was built by King Ur . There he met with Rachel (29). In the time of Jerome it was still a considerable place, and still retains its ancient name --Bir es-Seba. His bothers were envious of the preferential treatment Joseph received from Isaac. cult) of Beersheba liveth." 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. A few years after this, a new city, Flavia Neapolis, was built by Vespasian a short distance to the west of the old one. The city, near the place, then bore the Canaanite name Luz. 13:2). Genesis 37:14 He said to him, "Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers, and well with the flock; and bring me word again." Genesis 12:6-8 Jacob also came to Shechem and found Hivites living in the area. He found Canaan ites living there. (2.) Ephraim, Ebal and Gerizim, guarding it on the North and South respectively. He gave birth to twelve sons who became the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow. [Was] not Esau Jacob's brother? Jacob, now called Israel, sends Joseph to meet his brothers. 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). Genesis 11:17-28 reads, "Terah Begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran begot Lot. Later History: Probably during the captivity Hebron came into the hands of Edom, though it appears to have been colonized by returning Jews (Neh 11:25); it was recovered from Edom by Simon Maccabeus (1 Macc 5:65; Josephus, Ant, XII, viii, 6). 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. 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. Copy. On re-opening it, Isaac gave it the same name (Gen. 26:31-33). The total straight line distance between Ur and Canaan is 5570 KM (kilometers) and 217.72 meters. This location is quite a distance from Seir, in Edom, which is where Jacob's twin brother, Esau, currently lives (Genesis 32:3). 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. The survival rate of the newborn calves was 50%. Those three verses included God's call to Abram and the covenantal promises that God gave to Abram Remember that God's call was to leave the world that . 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. Choose for yourself. 1Ki 16:34 3. As Wood suggests, the military outpost there, visible . The example of Jacob is quoted by the first and the last of the minor prophets. 20 There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe . The meeting was of a painful kind. . 4. In Judges 20:26 translate for "the house of God" Bethel. The valley runs from north to south, and the main quarter of the town, surmounted by the lofty walls of the great mosque, lies partly on the eastern slope. In the cave of Machpelah all the patriarchs and their wives, except Rachel, were buried (49:30 f; 50:13). 2Ki 17:27,28 In later times Bethel is named only once under the scarcely-altered name of Beitin. Archaeology and Old Testament Study. At about the center point of the land of Canaan was the place called Shechem. Indeed it is not named again in the history of the monarchy. He bought a parcel of ground from Hamor, chief of Shechem, for a "hundred pieces of money." However, the site thought to be the biblical Shechem, called Tel Balata by archaeologists, is near a well. Jacob arose and returned to Bethel where he . He and his family traveled through the Jabbok Valley, crossed the Jordan, camped at Succoth, and ascended through the Wadis Faria and Beidan to Shechem. 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). The Ark of the Covenant was positioned in the valley between Mt Gerizim and Mt. Two million Jews would gather at Shiloh on the main festivals and would camp on the surrounding hills. At the oak of Moreh in the vicinity he reared his first altar to the Lord in Palestine (Genesis 12:6 f). Also Hashabiah and 1,700 Hebronites were officers "in all the Lord's business and the king's service" on the W. of Jordan. (3.) History: Bethel was a royal city of the Canaanites (Josh 12:16). Bethel in Joshua 19:4 answers to Chesil in Joshua 15:30. Modern Shechem:The modern town contains about 20,000 inhabitants, the great body of them being Moslems. Bible Book: Genesis. Jotham's parable was spoken from the cliff of Gerizim overhanging the town (Judges 9:7). of God, a favorite name for Abraham; compare Jas 2:23). Shiloh was the religious and military capital of Israel during the times of the Judges, and the tabernacle resided here for 369 years. These have come so that your faith. A mountain 1Sa 13:2Bethel in Smiths Bible Dictionary (the house of God) well known city and holy place of central Israel, about 12 mlles north of Jerusalem. That very night the Angel of the Lord wrestled with him in a dream (Gen. 32:24-32) and because Jacob strove with God and prevailed the Lord changed his name to Israel. Answer (1 of 8): Not all Bible scholars agree because the modern city of Harran,Turkey may not be the same settlement of Haran that Abraham's family stayed in, (c.2000 BCE) when his father Terah died there, according to Genesis 11:31--32. In one part of the modern city is a great mosque, which is built over the grave of Machpelah. In today's reading, the words of Moses (Deut. Rivaling Damascus in antiquity. --ED.) Shechem is also where Abraham camped when first arriving in Canaan after God called him to enter the land of promise (Genesis 12:6). And the LORD drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land. 2 Kings 23:8 - And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba, and brake down the high places of the gates that [were] in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which [were] on a man's left hand at the gate of the city.2 Samuel 24:2 - For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which [was] with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.Amos 5:5 - But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.Nehemiah 11:30 - Zanoah, Adullam, and [in] their villages, at Lachish, and the fields thereof, at Azekah, and [in] the villages thereof. The Sanctuary: The town was originally called Luz (Gen 28:19, etc.). 27:4). This is important because the Bible says Jacob bought land from Shechem and lived at that place for a long time (Genesis 33 . It is located at the longitude of 35.077655 and latitude of 31.527655. Samaria enjoyed much produce since the valleys and nearby Dothan Plain were very fertile. "Shechem," D. Winton Thomas, ed. The ancient city may have lain somewhat farther East than the modern Nablus, in which the Roman name Neapolis survives. Probably because of its ease of access in a time of possible flight, a manslayer could take refuge from his avenger in Shechem, one of the three cities of refuge on the west side of the Jordan (Josh. The tribes were divided into two groups, each standing in front of one . This route appears continuously in the Biblical text. 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. 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. After the lapse of twenty-one years he returned from Padan-aram with two wives, two concubines, eleven sons and a daughter, and large property. And he said, Unto Hebron.1 Chronicles 3:4 - [These] six were born unto him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years.Joshua 10:5 - Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.Joshua 10:3 - Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,Joshua 12:10 - The king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;2 Samuel 3:32 - And they buried Abner in Hebron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept.Exodus 6:18 - And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath [were] an hundred thirty and three years.1 Chronicles 2:42 - Now the sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel [were], Mesha his firstborn, which was the father of Ziph; and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron.Joshua 15:13 - And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, [even] the city of Arba the father of Anak, which [city is] Hebron.Joshua 21:11 - And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which [city is] Hebron, in the hill [country] of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it.Judges 16:3 - And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put [them] upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that [is] before Hebron.2 Samuel 3:22 - And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from [pursuing] a troop, and brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner [was] not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace.1 Chronicles 6:57 - And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of Judah, [namely], Hebron, [the city] of refuge, and Libnah with her suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa, with their suburbs,Joshua 20:7 - And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which [is] Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.Joshua 21:13 - Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron with her suburbs, [to be] a city of refuge for the slayer; and Libnah with her suburbs,Genesis 23:2 - And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same [is] Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.Genesis 35:27 - And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which [is] Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.2 Samuel 15:10 - But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron.2 Samuel 5:13 - And David took [him] more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.2 Samuel 3:27 - And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the fifth [rib], that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother. The distance between cities of Egypt is calculated . 8:17; 12:16).Bethel in Fausset's Bible Dictionary ("house of God".) It must have been a place of strength from antiquity. Jacob learned and realized for the first time God's intention to save the whole world through the sacrifice of His only Son who would be a descendant of his, the Jewish Messiah. It should be noted that the personal names `Aqqubh and Ya`aqobhah (accent on the penult) also occur in the Old Testament, the former borne by no less than 4 different persons; also that in the Palmyrene inscriptions we find a person named `ath`aqobh, a name in which this same verb `aqabh is preceded by the name of the god `Ate, just as in `Aqabhyah it is followed by the name YahuJacob in Wikipedia (pronounced /dekb/; Hebrew: , Standard Yaakov; Septuagint Greek: ; "heel" or "leg-puller", Arabic: Yaqb), also known as Israel (Hebrew: , Standard Yisrael, Isrl; Septuagint Greek: ; "persevere with God"[1]), as described in the Bible, was the third patriarch of the Jewish people, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, named after his descendants. Excavations, mainly in the 20th century, have unearthed the remains of many important Canaanite cities, including Bet Shean, Gezer, Hazor, Jericho, Jerusalem, Lachish, Megiddo, and Shechem.The most important literary sources for the region's history are the Old . Shechem is also where Abraham lived, Jacob lived, Joshua rallied the nation of Israel together and gave the curses and blessings on Mt. We still need to choose for ourselves. So he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his hand. While Jacob was in Haran he married Leah and Rachel and the Lord was with him and blessed him with great riches (Gen. 29:1-30: 43). Do not do something just because mommy and daddy did it; mommy and daddy could have been wrong. Egypt. 2Ki 10:29 After the desolation of the northern kingdom by the king of Assyria, Bethel still remained an abode of priests. The city is some 20 miles South of Jerusalem, situated in an open valley, 3,040 ft. above sea-level. And I think the principle should also apply even to those who grew up under parents who did a good jobparents who taught about Jesus and how He died for our sins. Bible Book Code: 0103702801a. Hebron was fortified by Rehoboam (2 Ch 11:10). This distance and driving directions will also be displayed on an interactive map labeled as Distance Map and Driving Directions Egypt. By Amos (5:5) it is classed with Bethel and Gilgal as one of the rival shrines to the pure worship of Yahweh, and in another place (8:14) he writes "They shall fall, and never rise up again," who sware, "As the way (i.e.