the reign of Hoshea, but not till after a siege of three years.—(2 Kings xvii. 1—6.) Previous to its fall, it was given up to every species of sensuality, oppression and idolatry. It recovered its prosperity, however, and reached the height of its glory tin the time of Herod the Great, who enlarged and adorned it. The ruins attest its former magnificence, though it is now but an insignificant village. A modern traveller says, "The situation is extremely beautiful, and strong by nature—more so than Jerusalem. It stands on a fine large insulated hill, compassed all round by a broad deep valley; and when fortified, must have been, according to the ancient mode of fighting, almost impregnable."
Ashima, the god of the Hamathites, who settled in Samaria.
Shechem, (Gen. xxxiii. 18,) or Sychem, (Acts vii. 16,) or Sychar, (John iv. 5,) was one of the most ancient cities of Canaan.
Shalem. Jacob took his women and children, and flocks and herds, and came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, where he bought a parcel of ground of the children of Hamor, for a hundred pieces of money, and erected there an altar, and called it El-Elohe-Israel, that is "God, the God of Israel."—(Gen. xxxiii.) But although Jacob seems to have intended this as his place of permanent residence, yet events occurred which rendered it expedient for him to remove to another part of the country.—(Gen. xxxiv.) Jacob was greatly grieved at the cruel and treacherous conduct of his sons in the affair of Dinah, and foresaw that it would render him and his family odious to all the people in the neighborhood, so as to expose him to be slain with all his house.
Salem, (Gen. xv. 18,) has been generally supposed to be the place which was afterwards called Jerusalem. (Comp. Ps. lxxvi. 2.) But some think that the place of which Melchizedec was king was the Shalem of Gen. xxxiii. 18, or the Salim of the New Testament, [see Salim,] and that the Salem of the Psalmist is a contraction of Jerusalem.
Salim, (John hi. 23,) or Shalem, (Gen. xxxiii. 18,) or Shalim, (1 Sam. ix. 4,) was south of Bethshean, and west
