Shiloh was an important Israelite sanctuary and assembly point during the period of the judges, where the tabernacle was set up and the land was allotted to the tribes (Josh. 18:1, 8-10; 1Sam. 1:3, 9, 24; 2:14; 3:21; Jer. 7:12, 14).
Also known as Shilonite
Shiloh was an important religious center and assembly point for the Israelites during the period of the judges. After the conquest of Canaan, the tabernacle was set up at Shiloh, and it served as the central place of worship for the nation (Josh. 18:1; 19:51). It was at Shiloh that the land was allotted to the tribes of Israel (Josh. 18:8-10; 21:2) and where the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh were dismissed to their territories east of the Jordan (Josh. 22:9, 12).
During the time of the judges, Shiloh continued to be a significant religious site. The tabernacle remained at Shiloh throughout this period (Judg. 18:31), and annual festivals were held there (Judg. 21:19, 21). It was at Shiloh that Hannah prayed for a son and dedicated Samuel to the Lord's service (1Sam. 1:3, 9, 24). The priest Eli and his sons ministered at the tabernacle in Shiloh (1Sam. 2:14; 3:21; 4:3, 4, 12), and the Ark of the Covenant was kept there until it was captured by the Philistines (1Sam. 4:3, 4).
Shiloh's importance declined after the Ark was taken and the tabernacle was destroyed (Ps. 78:60; Jer. 7:12, 14; 26:6, 9). The prophet Ahijah, who prophesied the division of the kingdom, was from Shiloh (1Ki. 11:29; 14:2, 4). The town was eventually destroyed, and its ruins served as a warning against disobedience to God (Jer. 7:12, 14; 26:6, 9).
Shiloh's significance in the biblical narrative lies in its role as a religious and political center during the formative years of Israel's history. Its central location in the hill country of Ephraim made it a convenient meeting place for the tribes and a symbol of their unity under the worship of the Lord.
Approximate location: 32.056, 35.290 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
Generally understood as denoting the Messiah, “the peaceful one,” as the word signifies (Gen. 49:10). The Vulgate Version translates the word, “he who is to be sent,” in allusion to the Messiah; the Revised Version, margin, “till he come to Shiloh;” and the LXX., “until that which is his shall come to Shiloh.” It is most simple and natural to render the expression, as in the Authorized Version, “till Shiloh come,” interpreting it as a proper name (comp. Isa. 9:6). Shiloh, a place of rest, a city of Ephraim, “on the north side of Bethel,” from which it is distant 10 miles (Judg. 21:19); the modern Seilun (the Arabic for Shiloh), a “mass of shapeless ruins.” Here the tabernacle was set up after the Conquest (Josh. 18:1-10), where it remained during all the period of the judges till the ark fell into the hands of the Philistines. “No spot in Central Palestine could be more secluded than this early sanctuary, nothing more featureless than the landscape around; so featureless, indeed, the landscape and so secluded the spot that from the time of St. Jerome till its re-discovery by Dr. Robinson in 1838 the very site was forgotten and unknown.” It is referred to by Jeremiah (7:12, 14; 26:4-9) five hundred years after its destruction.
SHI'LOH (place of rest), a city north of Bethel, south of Lebonah, on the east of the road from Bethel to Shechem. Jud 21:19. It is now called Seilun, and is 17 miles north of Jerusalem and very nearly midway between Bethel and Shechem, being about 9 or 10 miles from each. Scripture History. - Joshua selected Shiloh as the site of the tabernacle, and there made the allotments of the Promised Land. Josh 18:1, Josh 18:8-10. During the period of the Judges, for three hundred years, the tabernacle remained here, and in its honor a festival was annually celebrated, on which occasion the daughters of Shiloh danced, and thus gave an opportunity for the Benjamites to carry off two hundred of them as wives. Jud 21:19-23. Shiloh was the residence of Eli and of Samuel, 1 Sam 3-4, and thither tidings were brought to the old man of the capture of the ark by the Philistines. The ark was never brought back to Shiloh, and the tabernacle was removed to Nob and thence to Jerusalem. 2 Chr 1:3-4. The prophet Ahijah lived there. 1 Kgs 14:1-17. Shiloh seems to have been desolate in Jeremiah's day. Jer 7:12, 2 Kgs 22:14; Gen 26:6, Num 26:9. In the time of Jerome the place was a ruin. In the Middle Ages it was erroneously supposed to have lain near Neby Samwil. Present Appearance. - It has been identified without doubt with Seilun, a ruined village on a low hill, showing traces of ancient building-material and early foundations. The most interesting feature is a sort of level open court, 412 feet long and 77 feet wide, partly hewn out of the rock, "which might have been the actual spot where the ark rested, for its custodians would naturally select a place sheltered from the bleak winds that prevail in these highlands." (See Recovery of Jerusalem, p. 364.) In a little valley about half a mile…
SHI'LOH (place of rest), a city north of Bethel, south of Lebonah, on the east of the road from Bethel to Shechem. Jud 21:19. It is now called Seilun, and is 17 miles north of Jerusalem and very nearly midway between Bethel and Shechem, being about 9 or 10 miles from each. Scripture History. - Joshua selected Shiloh as the site of the tabernacle, and there made the allotments of the Promised Land. Josh 18:1, Josh 18:8-10. During the period of the Judges, for three hundred years, the tabernacle remained here, and in its honor a festival was annually celebrated, on which occasion the daughters of Shiloh danced, and thus gave an opportunity for the Benjamites to carry off two hundred of them as wives. Jud 21:19-23. Shiloh was the residence of Eli and of Samuel, 1 Sam 3-4, and thither tidings were brought to the old man of the capture of the ark by the Philistines. The ark was never brought back to Shiloh, and the tabernacle was removed to Nob and thence to Jerusalem. 2 Chr 1:3-4. The prophet Ahijah lived there. 1 Kgs 14:1-17. Shiloh seems to have been desolate in Jeremiah's day. Jer 7:12, 2 Kgs 22:14; Gen 26:6, Num 26:9. In the time of Jerome the place was a ruin. In the Middle Ages it was erroneously supposed to have lain near Neby Samwil. Present Appearance. - It has been identified without doubt with Seilun, a ruined village on a low hill, showing traces of ancient building-material and early foundations. The most interesting feature is a sort of level open court, 412 feet long and 77 feet wide, partly hewn out of the rock, "which might have been the actual spot where the ark rested, for its custodians would naturally select a place sheltered from the bleak winds that prevail in these highlands." (See Recovery of Jerusalem, p. 364.) In a little valley about half a mile…
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
36 verses in 8 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H7887
Then the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. And though the land was subdued before them,
As the men got up to go out, Joshua commanded them to map out the land, saying, “Go and survey the land, map it out, and return to me. Then I will cast lots for you here in Shiloh in the presence of the LORD.”
So the men departed and went throughout the land, mapping it city by city into seven portions. Then they returned with the document to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh.
And Joshua cast lots for them in the presence of the LORD at Shiloh, where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.
These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the families distributed by lot to the tribes of Israel at Shiloh before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing up the land.
at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said to them, “The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given cities in which to live, together with pasturelands for our livestock.”
So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to return to their own land of Gilead, which they had acquired according to the command of the LORD through Moses.
And when they heard this, the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh to go to war against them.
So they set up for themselves Micahʼs graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of God was in Shiloh.
So they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had not had relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
“But look,” they said, “there is a yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”
and watch. When you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, each of you is to come out of the vineyards, catch for himself a wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
Year after year Elkanah would go up from his city to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of Hosts at Shiloh, where Eliʼs two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the LORD.
So after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.
Once she had weaned him, Hannah took the boy with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. Though the boy was still young, she brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh.
and plunge it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or cooking pot. And the priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.
And the LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, because there He revealed Himself to Samuel by His word.
When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought defeat on us before the Philistines today? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so that it may go with us to save us from the hand of our enemies.”
So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line all the way to Shiloh, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
including Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was the son of Ichabodʼs brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli the priest of the LORD in Shiloh. But the troops did not know that Jonathan had left.
So Solomon banished Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD and thus fulfilled the word that the LORD had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.
During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field.
So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word He had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
and Jeroboam said to his wife, “Now get up, disguise yourself so they will not recognize you as my wife, and go to Shiloh. For Ahijah the prophet is there; it was he who spoke about my kingship over this people.
Jeroboamʼs wife did as instructed; she arose and went to Shiloh and arrived at Ahijahʼs house. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age.
As soon as Baasha became king, he struck down the entire household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone who breathed, but destroyed them all according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the Shilonite,
From the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons.
As for the rest of the acts of Solomon, from beginning to end, are they not written in the Records of Nathan the Prophet, in the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the Visions of Iddo the Seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?
So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from God, in order that the LORD might fulfill the word that He had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had pitched among men.
But go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for My Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.
therefore what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears My Name, the house in which you trust, the place that I gave to you and your fathers.
then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city an object of cursing among all the nations of the earth.’”
How dare you prophesy in the name of the LORD that this house will become like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted!” And all the people assembled against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their garments, and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria, carrying grain offerings and frankincense for the house of the LORD.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.