Samaria Part Two

When the northern kingdom of Israel first began, Jeroboam established Shechem as his capital, later moving it to Tirzah. King Omri of Israel reigned in Tirzah for six years before moving the capital to Samaria. 1 Kings 16:24 states, “He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria, after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill.” Samaria Hill is located about 11 kilometers northwest of Shechem and has abundant water sources. The city of Samaria was strongly fortified and easy to defend. The two main north-south roads of the central highlands were nearby, providing easy access to the Jezreel Valley in the north, Shechem in the southeast, and the coastal plain to the west. Samaria subsequently served as the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel until its capture by Assyria. The name “Samaria” also came to be used as a designation for the entire northern kingdom of Israel.