Shechem was in an important location at the entrance to the passage between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. It could control several important roads through the central hill country. Jacob bought land near Shechem (Genesis 33:18–19).
While there, the local prince named Shechem raped Jacob's daughter, Dinah. In response, Dinah's brothers, Simeon and Levi, killed all the men in the area (Genesis 34). Later, Shechem became part of Joseph's inheritance (Joshua 24:32). It was also one of the special cities where people could go to find protection if they accidentally killed someone (see Deuteronomy 19:1–13; Joshua 20:7).
During the time of the judges, Gideon's son Abimelech ruled from Shechem (Judges 9). King Solomon later strengthened Shechem as a provincial capital. But Shishak of Egypt probably destroyed it when he invaded Israel in 926 BC (see 1 Kings 14:25). Jeroboam I then rebuilt the city and made it the capital of the kingdom of Israel (1 Kings 12:25). The Assyrian king Shalmaneser V destroyed Shechem again in 724 BC. This was shortly before Samaria's destruction. The ruins remained mostly uninhabited for about four hundred years.
Passages for Further Study
Genesis 33:18–19; Joshua 8:30–35; 20:7; 24:1–32; Judges 9:1–56; 1 Kings 12:1, 25; John 4:5