The Shechemites were the inhabitants of the ancient city of Shechem, a significant location in biblical history. Shechem is situated in the hill country of Ephraim, near Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, and it holds a prominent place in the narratives of the Old Testament.

Historical and Biblical Significance

Shechem first appears in the biblical narrative in Genesis 12:6, where Abram (later Abraham) travels through the land and stops at the oak of Moreh in Shechem. It is here that the LORD appears to Abram and promises to give the land to his descendants. This event marks Shechem as a place of divine promise and covenant.

In Genesis 33:18-19, Jacob, Abraham's grandson, arrives safely at the city of Shechem and purchases a plot of land from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This purchase establishes a legal claim to the land, which becomes significant in the later history of Israel.

The Shechemites are notably involved in the account of Dinah, Jacob's daughter, in Genesis 34. Shechem, the son of Hamor, defiles Dinah, leading to a violent retaliation by her brothers Simeon and Levi. They deceive the men of Shechem into circumcising themselves, and while they are incapacitated, Simeon and Levi attack the city, killing all the males and plundering it. This act of vengeance causes Jacob to fear retribution from the surrounding peoples.

Covenant Renewal and Division

Shechem is also the site of Joshua's covenant renewal ceremony. In Joshua 24, Joshua gathers all the tribes of Israel at Shechem and recounts the history of God's faithfulness to them. He challenges the people to serve the LORD faithfully, and they renew their covenant with God. Joshua sets up a stone as a witness to this covenant under the oak in Shechem (Joshua 24:25-27).

The city later becomes a center of division in Israel's history. After the death of Solomon, Rehoboam, Solomon's son, goes to Shechem to be made king over all Israel (1 Kings 12:1). However, due to his harsh policies, the ten northern tribes reject Rehoboam's rule, leading to the division of the kingdom. Jeroboam, the leader of the northern tribes, establishes Shechem as his initial capital (1 Kings 12:25).

The Shechemites in the Time of the Judges

In the period of the Judges, Shechem is again a focal point. Abimelech, the son of Gideon, seeks to become king and persuades the leaders of Shechem to support him by appealing to their kinship, as his mother was a Shechemite (Judges 9:1-3). With their backing, Abimelech kills his seventy brothers, except for Jotham, the youngest, who escapes. Abimelech's rule is marked by treachery and violence, and eventually, the Shechemites turn against him. In a dramatic turn of events, Abimelech is killed by a millstone thrown by a woman from a tower in Thebez, fulfilling Jotham's curse (Judges 9:50-57).

Religious and Cultural Context

Shechem's location and its association with significant biblical events made it a religious and cultural center. It was a city of refuge and a Levitical city, as designated in Joshua 21:21. The city's proximity to Mount Gerizim also made it significant for the Samaritans, who later built a temple on the mountain, further emphasizing Shechem's enduring religious importance.

Throughout the biblical narrative, the Shechemites and their city serve as a backdrop for themes of covenant, division, and the consequences of sin. Their interactions with the patriarchs, judges, and kings of Israel highlight the complex relationships between the Israelites and the peoples of Canaan.The Shechemites

the family of Shechem son of Gilead. (Numbers 26:31) comp. Josh 17:2

7930. Shikmi -- descendant of Shechem
... descendant of Shechem. Transliteration: Shikmi Phonetic Spelling: (shik-mee') Short
Definition: Shechemites. ... of Shechem NASB Word Usage Shechemites (1). ...
/hebrew/7930.htm - 6k

1170. Baal Berith -- "Baal of (the) covenant," a Shechemite god
... Baal-berith. From Ba'al and briyth; Baal of (the) covenant; Baal-Berith, a special
deity of the Shechemites -- Baal-berith. see HEBREW Ba'al. see HEBREW briyth. ...
/hebrew/1170.htm - 6k

That the Judges who Succeeded Gideon Made War with the Adjoining ...
... 3. A little while after this festival, the Shechemites, who had now repented themselves
of having slain the sons of Gideon, drove Abimelech away, both from ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 7 that the judges.htm

Concerning the violation of Dina's Chastity.
... Now as the Shechemites were keeping a festival Dina, who was the only daughter of
Jacob, went into the city to see the finery of the women of that country. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 21 concerning the violation.htm

Concerning Sanballat and Manasseh, and the Temple which they Built ...
... And when Alexander had commended them, the Shechemites approached to him, taking
with them the troops that Sanballat had sent him, and they desired that he ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 8 concerning sanballat and.htm

"It is I, be not Afraid. " Extracted from Knox's Admonition to ...
... he returned from Laban; and when he feared the inhabitants of the region of the
Canaanites and Perizzites for the slaughter of the Shechemites committed by his ...
/.../knox/the pulpit of the reformation nos 1 2 and 3 /it is i be not.htm

Of the Manifold Abuse of Speech.
... falsely, but insidiously, nay, hypocritically, abusing at once their proselytes,
and their religion, for the effecting their cruel designs upon the Shechemites ...
/.../allestree/the government of the tongue/section ii of the manifold.htm

But on the Death of Gideon, his Son Abimelech...
... having slain his brothers with the concurrence of a multitude of wicked men, and
especially by the help of the chief men among the Shechemites, took possession ...
/.../severus/life and writings of sulpitius severus /chapter xxvi but on the.htm

Israel, Therefore, Avoiding the House of his Brother, Sent Forward ...
... Israel, therefore, avoiding the house of his brother, sent forward his company to
Salem, a town of the Shechemites, and there he pitched his tent on a spot ...
/.../life and writings of sulpitius severus /chapter x israel therefore avoiding.htm

Celsus, Moreover, Sneers at the "Hatred" of Esau to Which...
... to the Scriptures, is acknowledged to have been wicked; and not clearly stating
the story of Simeon and Levi, who sallied out (on the Shechemites) on account ...
/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter xlvi celsus moreover sneers.htm

Saul's War with the Amalekites, and Conquest of Them.
... Amalekites that reached from Pelusium of Egypt to the Red Sea, he laid waste all
the rest of the enemy's country: but for the nation of the Shechemites, he did ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 7 sauls war with.htm

Book 1 Footnotes:
... [38] Of this slaughter of the Shechemites by Simeon and Levi, see Authent.
Rec. Part I. p.309, 418, 432-439. But why Josephus has ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 1 footnotes .htm

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