The Jewish Roots Of Nablus - Shechem

By F. M. Loewenberg for jewishmag.com

Today no one thinks of Nablus () or Shechem (as it is known in Hebrew) as a Jewish city. In fact, many consider that it is the most hostile of all Arab cities on the West Bank. But this has not always been so. In the past, especially in Biblical times, it played a vital role in Jewish history and many important events took place in this city.

Shechem is a very old city whose origins can be dated back to a period before the arrival of the Israelites. It is mentioned in two Egyptian inscriptions that are dated to the 19th century BCE. Rashbam postulated that it was named after the king of the city, that is, it is the city of Shechem. (Genesis 33:18). It was only after the Romans rebuilt the city that they called it Neapolis, the Greek name for New City, which the Arabs corrupted to Nablus.

Shechem in the days of the Patriarchs

Shechem was the first city that Abraham encountered when he travelled from Horon to the Promised Land. The Lord appeared to him at the Tree (or Plain) of Moreh and said to him, "To your seed I will give this land." In response to this promise he built an altar and offered sacrifices to the Lord (Genesis 12:5-7).

When Abraham's grandson Jacob returned from twenty years of exile in Padan Aram, Shechem was also the first city that he encountered in Canaan. Since he did not wish to stay with the local idol worshippers, Jacob bought a homestead in the city and pitched his tent there. Like his grandfather, Jacob also built an altar to worship the Lord who had protected him all along his travels (Genesis 33:18-20).

During the time that Jacob and his family lived in Shechem, his daughter Dinah was raped by Shechem son of Hamor, the son of the local tribal chief. The young man liked Dinah so much that he persuaded his father to obtain Jacob's consent to marry her. Jacob's sons agreed to this marriage on condition that all the men of Shechem circumcise themselves. Dinah's brothers Shimon and Levi took advantage of their temporary disability after the circumcision to kill all of them (Genesis 34:1-31). Since Jacob feared the reaction of the other Canaanite tribe, he hurriedly left Shechem for Beth-El (Genesis 35:1-5). But his attachment to Shechem continued in later years.

Years later, while living in far-away Hebron, Jacob sent his sons to graze his sheep in Shechem - presumably because he still owned pasture land there. Subsequently he sent his beloved son Joseph to check on the brothers. Joseph obeyed his father, but once he found his brothers he became the victim of their hatred and found himself sold as a slave to Egypt (Genesis 37:12-28).

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