Shechem (town)

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Shechem

Shechem , town, central ancient Palestine, the modern Tell Balatan, between Mts. Gerizim and Ebal, near Nablus . Excavations in the 20th cent. indicate a village there c.3500 BC Shechem's greatest period began c.1700 BC when the Hyksos rebuilt it. According to patriarchal narratives in the Book of Genesis, it was visited by Abraham, and Jacob built an altar to God there. Jacob pastured his flocks near Shechem; his well remains a landmark. The rape of Dinah, Jacob's daughter, by Shechemites provoked Jacob's sons to plunder the city. As related in the book of Joshua , after the Canaanite conquest, Hebrew tribes gathered at Shechem. Solomon's son Rehoboam was crowned (c.930 BC) there; Jeroboam I "built" Shechem. Thus it was the first northern capital, before Samaria. A small community of Samaritans still live in the area.

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"Shechem." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 24 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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"Shechem." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-ShechemWB.html

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The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible | 2001 | | Â© The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible 2001, originally published by Oxford University Press 2001. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

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BRUCE M. METZGER and MICHAEL D. COOGAN. "Shechem." The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 24 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

BRUCE M. METZGER and MICHAEL D. COOGAN. "Shechem." The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (November 24, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O97-Shechem.html

BRUCE M. METZGER and MICHAEL D. COOGAN. "Shechem." The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible. 2001. Retrieved November 24, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O97-Shechem.html

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