Biblical city
Shechem
Nablus, West Bank · Samaria hill country
Set between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, Shechem is where the Lord first promised the land to Abram, where Joshua renewed the covenant, and where the northern tribes broke with Rehoboam. Tell Balata preserves its Bronze Age fortifications and temple.
History in Scripture
God promised the land to Abram at Shechem; Jacob bought a field there; Joseph was buried there; Joshua renewed the covenant between Gerizim and Ebal; and Rehoboam's folly at Shechem split the kingdom. Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well nearby.
The ancient city
Shechem sits in the pass between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, a natural crossroads of north–south and east–west routes through the hill country — which is why covenant ceremonies and coronations happened there.
The site today
Tell Balata lies within modern Nablus. The Samaritan community still keeps Passover on Mount Gerizim, and Jacob's Well is preserved inside an Orthodox church.
Key passages
Sources & notes
Description summarizes standard historical and archaeological reference works. Imagery is added separately and is labeled by type.