Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

SAMARIA

Capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, identified with the hill on which the village of Sebastieh is located.

The hill was purchased by King Omri from Shemer, the clan who had occupied it. He built his new capital there (1 Kgs 16:24). A village was evidently there, dating at least from the 10th or perhaps the 11th century BC. It became the center of the revived kingdom and enjoyed the new prestige of the Omride dynasty. But it was also subject to siege. Ben-hadad of Syria (Aram-Damascus) came up against it with an alliance of 32 kings (1 Kgs 20), but the Israelites succeeded in driving them off. During the reign of Ahab’s son Joram, Ben-hadad came again (2 Kgs 6:24–7:20) and almost conquered the city with a lengthy siege.

After a series of wars and the coup d’état by Jehu, which resulted in the slaughter of the priests of Baal in Samaria (2 Kgs 10:18-28), the city returned to the worship of Yahweh under Jehu’s descendants. Nevertheless, the Asherah cult remained in Samaria under Jehoahaz (13:6). Syria continued to have the upper hand militarily (v 7).

During the eighth century, the balance changed in Israel’s favor (2 Kgs 13:14-25), and under Jeroboam II, Samaria enjoyed great prosperity (2 Kgs 14:23-28; Am 3:10, 15; 4:1; 6:1, 4-6). In the late eighth century, the internal strife in Israel left the kingdom open to subjection by the Assyrians (2 Kgs 15). Finally, after Galilee, Transjordan, and perhaps the coastal plain were already detached, Samaria fell to Sargon II (18:9-12). During the ensuing decades, foreign exiles were transported there.

In the Persian period (sixth through fourth centuries BC), Samaria was the center of an administrative district governed by a dynasty of rulers whose names included several Sanballats (see Neh 2:10ff.), usually every other generation. The resultant Samaritan people considered themselves part of Israel but were rejected by the Judeans (Ezr 4:1-3). They were consulted, however, by the Jews of Elephantine when help was needed to rebuild the temple in Egypt.

When Alexander the Great came to the Levant in 331 BC, the Samaritans at first curried his favor (Josephus, Antiquities 11.8.4), but later they murdered his governor. Their leaders evidently took refuge in the Wadi Dalieh cave, where they were trapped with their personal documents (papyri) and suffocated.

Samaria was taken in 108–107 BC (Antiquities 13.10.2; War 1.2.7) by John Hyrcanus, who destroyed the city. It was rebuilt by Pompey and further restored by Gabinius. King Herod changed the name of the city to Sebaste in honor of Caesar Augustus (Sebastos) and built a large temple to him there. At Sebaste, Herod entertained Agrippa, killed his wife Mariamne, and strangled his sons. During the first Jewish war, the Sebastenes went over to the Romans.