Lexical Definition

‎שְׁכֶם‎ Shᵉkem (shek-em') Shechem ^N:N--L
the same as ‎שְׁכֶם‎; ridge

Shechem.

• § Shechem = "back" or "shoulder"
• Shekem, a place in Palestine

n pr m
1) son of Hamor, the chieftain of the Hivites at Shechem at the time of Jacob's arrival
n pr loc
2) a city in Manasseh; located in a valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, 34 miles (54 km) north of Jerusalem and 7 miles (10.5 km) south- east of Samaria

See Greek: Συχέμ

Extended Information

• Shechem = "back" or "shoulder"
• a city in Manasseh; located in a valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, 34 miles (54 km) north of Jerusalem and 7 miles (10.5 km) south- east of Samaria
• Also named: Suchem (Συχέμ "Shechem" Συχέμ)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

II. ‎שְׁכֶם‎ proper name, of a location₄₉ and masculine₁₄ (Συξεμ; ᵐ5^L often Σίκιμα Lag BN 57):

1. district in Northern Palestine (probably shoulder (saddle ?) of mountain); — ‎׳‎‎מְקוֺם שׁ‎ Gen 12:6, ‎שְׁכֶ֑מָךְ‎ Gen 37:14 = city (‎שְׁכֶ֑מָה שְֶׁכֶם‎, Hos 6:9 ‎שֶׁ֑כְמָךְ‎) Josh 24:1 ‎׳‎‎עִיר שׁ‎ Gen 33:18 + 20 t. Judg 9 (‎׳‎‎בַּעֲלֵי שׁ‎ vGen 33:2 + 12 t., ‎׳‎‎מִגְדַּלשֿׁ‎ ‎׳‎‎ב‎ vGen 33:46 vGen 33:47), Hos 6:9 + 21 t. (‎׳‎‎עִיר שׁ‎ Gen 33:18); city of refuge Josh 20:7; Josh 21:21; 1Chr 6:52*. — WMM^As.u.Eur.394, compare Egyptian Sa-ka-ma; (compare Jen^{ZA x (1895) 356}); modern Nablûs (from Roman name Neapolis); see Buhl^{G 200 f.} GASm^{G 332 ff. 345} Wilsons^{Hast. DB SHECHEM.}

2. proper name, masculine (on connection with 1 compare Judg 9:28), 'son' of Hamor, also Gen 33:19; Gen 34:2 + 10 t. 34, Josh 24:3.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Shechem • City in Canaan, later allotted to Ephraim

Shechem was a prominent city in Canaan, later allotted to the tribe of Ephraim, and the site of important events in Israel's history (Gen. 12:6; 33:18-20; Josh. 20:7; 24:1, 25-26; Judg. 9; 1 Ki. 12:1, 25; Ps. 60:6; 108:7; Acts 7:16).

• A location first mentioned at Gen.12.6;
• referred to as Shechem שְׁכֶם, or Shechem Συχέμ.
  

Shechem was an important city in central Canaan, located in the hill country between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. It is mentioned numerous times throughout the Bible, often in connection with significant events in Israel's history.

Shechem first appears in the account of Abraham's journey to Canaan, where he built an altar to the Lord (Gen. 12:6-7). Later, Israel (or 'Jacob') settled near Shechem and purchased a piece of land, setting up an altar there (Gen. 33:18-20). However, the city also became the site of violence when Jacob's daughter Dinah was violated by Shechem, the son of Hamor, leading to the massacre of the city's male inhabitants by Jacob's sons Simeon and Levi (Gen. 34).

During the conquest of Canaan, Shechem was allotted to the tribe of Ephraim and designated as a city of refuge (Josh. 20:7; 21:21). Joshua gathered the tribes at Shechem to renew the covenant and set up a stone of remembrance (Josh. 24:1, 25-26). The city later became the site of Abimelech's short-lived kingdom (Judg. 9) and was rebuilt by Jeroboam as the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel (1 Ki. 12:25).

Shechem held religious significance, as evidenced by the blessings and curses pronounced from Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal (Deut. 11:29; 27:12; Josh. 8:33). The city is also mentioned in the Psalms as a symbol of God's dominion over Israel (Ps. 60:6; 108:7).

In the New Testament, Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin mentions Shechem as the burial place of Jacob and his sons (Acts 7:16), although this differs from the Old Testament account of their burial at Hebron (Gen. 49:29-33; 50:13).

Shechem's location at the crossroads of major trade routes contributed to its strategic and economic importance. The city's history, marked by both sacred events and periods of violence, reflects the complex dynamics of Israelite settlement and inter-tribal relations in Canaan.

All entries for Shechem: שְׁכֶם ☩ Συχέμ