Samaria: A watch-mountain or a watch-tower. In the heart of the mountains of
Israel, a few miles north-west of Shechem, stands the "hill of
Shomeron," a solitary mountain, a great "mamelon." It is an oblong
hill, with steep but not inaccessible sides, and a long flat top.
Omri, the king of Israel, purchased this hill from Shemer its owner
for two talents of silver, and built on its broad summit the city to
which he gave the name of "Shomeron", i.e., Samaria, as the new
capital of his kingdom instead of Tirzah
(1 Kings 16:24) As such it
possessed many advantages. Here Omri resided during the last six
years of his reign. As the result of an unsuccessful war with Syria,
he appears to have been obliged to grant to the Syrians the right to
"make streets in Samaria", i.e., probably permission to the Syrian
merchants to carry on their trade in the Israelite capital. This
would imply the existence of a considerable Syrian population. "It
was the only great city of Palestine created by the sovereign. All
the others had been already consecrated by patriarchal tradition or
previous possession. But Samaria was the choice of Omri alone. He,
indeed, gave to the city which he had built the name of its former
owner, but its especial connection with himself as its founder is
proved by the designation which it seems Samaria bears in Assyrian
inscriptions, Beth-khumri ('the house or palace of Omri').", Stanley.
Samaria was frequently besieged. In the days of Ahab, Benhadad II.
came up against it with thirty-two vassal kings, but was defeated
with a great slaughter
(1 Kings 20:1-21) A second time, next year, he
assailed it; but was again utterly routed, and was compelled to
surrender to Ahab
(1 Kings 20:28-34) whose army, as compared with that of
Benhadad, was no more than "two little flocks of kids." In the days
of Jehoram this Benhadad again laid siege to Samaria, during which
the city was reduced to the direst extremities. But just when success
seemed to be within their reach, they suddenly broke up the seige,
alarmed by a mysterious noise of chariots and horses and a great
army, and fled, leaving their camp with all its contents behind them.
The famishing inhabitants of the city were soon relieved with the
abundance of the spoil of the Syrian camp; and it came to pass,
according to the word of Elisha, that "a measure of fine flour was
sold for a shekel, and two measures of barely for a shekel, in the
gates of Samaria"
(2 Kings 7:1-20) Shalmaneser invaded Israel in the days
of Hoshea, and reduced it to vassalage. He laid siege to Samaria
(B.C. 723) which held out for three years, and was at length
captured by Sargon, who completed the conquest Shalmaneser had begun
(2 Kings 18:9-12; 17:3) and removed vast numbers of the tribes into
captivity.
(See SARGON)
This city, after passing through various vicissitudes, was given by
the emperor Augustus to Herod the Great, who rebuilt it, and called it
Sebaste (Gr. form of Augustus) in honour of the emperor. In the New
Testament the only mention of it is in
(Acts 8:5-14) where it is
recorded that Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached
there. It is now represented by the hamlet of Sebustieh, containing
about three hundred inhabitants. The ruins of the ancient town are all
scattered over the hill, down the sides of which they have rolled. The
shafts of about one hundred of what must have been grand Corinthian
columns are still standing, and attract much attention, although
nothing definite is known regarding them. (Comp.)
(Micah 1:6) In the
time of Christ, Western Palestine was divided into three provinces,
Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. Samaria occupied the centre of Palestine
(John 4:4) It is called in the Talmud the "land of the Cuthim," and
is not regarded as a part of the Holy Land at all. It may be noticed
that the distance between Samaria and Jerusalem, the respective
capitals of the two kingdoms, is only 35 miles in a direct line.
