Atomic Bible

Capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel; Samaritan inhabitants

Samaria

Named in 124 verses across 16 books, first in 1 Kings 13:32.

שֹׁמְרוֹןSamaria

שׇֽׁמְרָ֑יִןSamaria

שֹׁמרֹנִיSamaritan

ΣαμάρειαSamaria

ΣαμαρείτηςSamaritan

ΣαμαρεῖτιςSamaria

Also called Samaritan.

The name means “watch-mountain.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869

About Samaria Written by AI

Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel, was built by King Omri around 880 BC (1Ki. 16:24). The city served as the royal residence and the center of political power for the northern kingdom until its fall to the Assyrians in 722 BC (2Ki. 17:5-6). After the Assyrian conquest, the region of Samaria was repopulated with people from various parts of the Assyrian Empire (2Ki. 17:24), who intermarried with the remaining Israelites and became known as Samaritans. The Samaritans developed their own religious practices, which combined elements of Israelite tradition with foreign customs (2Ki. 17:26-28). They worshipped at Mount Gerizim instead of Jerusalem (Jhn. 4:20) and accepted only the first five books of the Bible as authoritative. In the New Testament, Jesus encountered a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (Jhn. 4:7-26) and used a Samaritan as an example of compassion in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luk. 10:33). The early church spread to Samaria through the ministry of Philip (Act.8.5-25), and the apostles Peter and John later visited the region (Act.8.14-17). Throughout the Bible, Samaria and the Samaritans are often portrayed as being in tension with the Jews due to religious and cultural differences (Jhn. 4:9; 8:48). However, Jesus and the early church demonstrated that the gospel was meant for all people, including the Samaritans.

Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.

Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897

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 (20:28-34), whose army, as compared with that of Benhadad, was no more than “two little flocks of kids.”

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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.

M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.

32.280, 35.198 See it on a map

GenesisMatthewRevelation

Where the Bible names it

  1. 1 Kings 13:32

    for the message that he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria will surely come to pass.”

  2. 1 Kings 16:24

    He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city there, calling it Samaria after the name of Shemer, who had owned the hill.

  3. 1 Kings 16:28

    And Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab reigned in his place.

  4. 1 Kings 16:29

    In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twenty-two years.

  5. 1 Kings 16:32

    First, Ahab set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria.

  6. 1 Kings 18:2

    So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria,

  7. 1 Kings 20:1

    Now Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he marched up, besieged Samaria, and waged war against it.

  8. 1 Kings 20:10

    Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a handful.”

  9. 1 Kings 20:17

    And the young officers of the district governors marched out first. Now Ben-hadad had sent out scouts, who reported to him, “Men are marching out of Samaria.”

  10. 1 Kings 20:34

    Ben-hadad said to him, “I will restore the cities my father took from your father; you may set up your own marketplaces in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” “By this treaty I release you,” Ahab replied. So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.

  11. 1 Kings 20:43

    Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went home to Samaria.

  12. 1 Kings 21:1

    Some time after these events, Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

  13. 1 Kings 21:18

    “Get up and go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria. See, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession of it.

  14. 1 Kings 22:10

    Dressed in royal attire, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them.

  15. 1 Kings 22:37

    So the king died and was brought to Samaria, where they buried him.

  16. 1 Kings 22:38

    And the chariot was washed at the pool of Samaria where the prostitutes bathed, and the dogs licked up Ahab’s blood, according to the word that the LORD had spoken.

  17. 1 Kings 22:51

    In the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria two years.

  18. 2 Kings 1:2

    Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers and instructed them: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury.”

  19. 2 Kings 1:3

    But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are on your way to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’

  20. 2 Kings 2:25

    And Elisha went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

  21. 2 Kings 3:1

    In the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Jehoram son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twelve years.

  22. 2 Kings 3:6

    So at that time King Jehoram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel.

  23. 2 Kings 5:3

    She said to her mistress, “If only my master would go to the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy.”

  24. 2 Kings 6:19

    And Elisha told them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are seeking.” And he led them to Samaria.

  25. 2 Kings 6:20

    When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men that they may see.” Then the LORD opened their eyes, and they looked around and discovered that they were in Samaria.

  26. 2 Kings 6:24

    Some time later, Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army and marched up to besiege Samaria.

  27. 2 Kings 6:25

    So there was a great famine in Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver.

  28. 2 Kings 7:1

    Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the LORD says: ‘About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel, and two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel.’”

  29. 2 Kings 7:18

    It happened just as the man of God had told the king: “About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel.”

  30. 2 Kings 10:1

    Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders, and to the guardians of the sons of Ahab, saying:

  31. 2 Kings 10:12

    Then Jehu set out toward Samaria. At Beth-eked of the Shepherds,

  32. 2 Kings 10:17

    When Jehu came to Samaria, he struck down everyone belonging to Ahab who remained there, until he had destroyed them, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to Elijah.

  33. 2 Kings 10:35

    And Jehu rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz reigned in his place.

  34. 2 Kings 10:36

    So the duration of Jehu’s reign over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

  35. 2 Kings 13:1

    In the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash son of Ahaziah over Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria seventeen years.

  36. 2 Kings 13:6

    Nevertheless, they did not turn away from the sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, but they continued to walk in them. The Asherah pole even remained standing in Samaria.

  37. 2 Kings 13:9

    And Jehoahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. And his son Jehoash reigned in his place.

  38. 2 Kings 13:10

    In the thirty-seventh year of the reign of Joash over Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years.

  39. 2 Kings 13:13

    And Jehoash rested with his fathers, and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

  40. 2 Kings 14:14

    He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace, as well as some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.

And 84 more

2 Kings 14:16, 14:23, 15:8, 15:13, 15:14, 15:17, 15:23, 15:25, 15:27, 17:1, 17:5, 17:6, 17:24, 17:26, 17:28, 17:29, 18:9, 18:10, 18:34, 21:13, 23:18, 23:19

2 Chronicles 18:2, 18:9, 22:9, 25:13, 25:24, 28:8, 28:9, 28:15

Ezra 4:10, 4:17

Nehemiah 4:2

Isaiah 7:9, 8:4, 9:9, 10:9, 10:10, 10:11, 36:19

Jeremiah 23:13, 31:5, 41:5

Ezekiel 16:46, 16:51, 16:53, 16:55, 23:4, 23:33

Hosea 7:1, 8:5, 8:6, 10:5, 10:7, 13:16

Amos 3:9, 3:12, 4:1, 6:1, 8:14

Obadiah 1:19

Micah 1:1, 1:5, 1:6

Matthew 10:5

Luke 9:52, 10:33, 17:11, 17:16

John 4:4, 4:5, 4:7, 4:9, 4:39, 4:40, 8:48

Acts 1:8, 8:1, 8:5, 8:9, 8:14, 8:25, 9:31, 15:3

From STEPBible's TIPNR, Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0): names, family, references and the AI written article. Verse text is the BSB.