Shiloh (biblical city)

Shiloh (Hebrew שילה, Shiloh, Shiloh ) is in the Bible ( mainly in the Old Testament) mentioned geographical location of the old Northern Kingdom of Israel. It is with today's Khirbet Selun, 16 km north of Beit El in the West Bank, identified.

Biblical representation

As shown in the Tanakh was silo as it is taught in the Book of Joshua and the Book of Judges, in the first decades after the conquest, long time before Jerusalem, the capital and religious center of the Israelites. There stood the first central sanctuary of the Israelite tribes, the tabernacle with the ark. Its most important guardian was the prophet Samuel.

The village of Silo is first mentioned in the Book of Joshua. Here the supporters gathered from seven tribes of the Israelites (Benjamin, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, Dan ) to obtain the respective tribal areas of Joshua the son of Nun after the conquest of Canaan. It was also decided at Shiloh that the Levites should have no lands, as they should live among the other tribes as the root of the priests, and on the basis of their determination as a servant of YHWH so would not need land.

Many decades after the death of Joshua was educated at Shiloh, the prophet Samuel Eli. Here he learned from the Bible of God, that Eli's sons would die because of their wickedness, which is what happened in the fight against the Philistines.

One of Eli's descendants was practicing at Shiloh priest Abiathar, Solomon offended, after Abiathar with Solomon's rival and half-brother Adonijah maintained an alliance against him.

Shortly before the death of Solomon decided one of his servants, Jeroboam I, the new ruler of Israel to be taken as Solomon had many wives and worshiped their gods in particular. When Solomon tried to kill him for it, Jeroboam fled. He met Ahijah, a man of Shiloh, who assured him that he would govern ten tribes of Israel, Solomon's son Rehoboam, however, the remaining two tribes.

But Jeroboam began after the beginning of his reign, to worship idols. One day his son Abijah was ill, he asked his wife to Ahijah to go to Shiloh and to pray for him. This, for fear of Ahijah could recognize them, disguised himself, but Ahijah she realized. He assured her that her son would die because his father did not follow God's commandments. When they returned home in the city Tirzah the Advertised was true.

More reports of silo are in the Bible, with the exception of the prophetic books, Jeremiah, does not exist.

History

The town was destroyed about 1050 BC by the Philistines.

Archeology

Recent excavations have uncovered a large Getreidespreicher at the place of the silo. And the Philistine destruction caused by the horizon could be detected.

Naming

Numerous places were named after silo, especially by Puritans in the U.S., but there in the English version Shiloh, at the Conquest of the American West (see also the TV series " The Men from Shiloh " ), as well as the newer Jewish settlement in the West Bank Shiloh.