From the 7th year of Orari, Samaria was the capital ('the head of Ephraim ' Is 7", ' Samaria and her daughters 'Ezk 16°*), and residence of the kings of Israel (1 K IG-" 20^*211-18 22", 2 K 1" 3'-» 10»« IS'-i" 1414.13 i5». 13.14.17.23. 27 171^ jg 78 iQS, H08 10'); and
it was also their burial-place (1 K 16=" 22", 2 K Iff" J3». a 1418). Samaria is on this account mentioned
with or compared with the capital of the Southern kingdom (2 K 21", Is 10'"-", Kzk 16°' 2,3*, Am 6', Mic l''°), which was to sh.-ire its fate. Ezekiel calls it 'the sister' (16°° 23^), and the ' eldei sister' of Jerus. (16"). The city was surrounded with strong walls (Ant. VIII. xiv. I), and beautified by the kings of Israel. There w.as a fortified palace, ' the castle of the king's house ' (2 K 15* IIV), with a 'roof -chamber' (2 K 1'-). Tliis probably stood on the top of the hill, and near or connected with it may have been the ivory palace built by Ahab (1 K 22**). There was a Syrian (juarter in Samaria (1 K 20«) ; and a city gate (1 K 22'", 2 K 71. 18. 2o_ 2 Ch 18') and pool (1 K 22^«) are mentioned. At Samaria, Ahab received a visit from Jehosha- phat, and, at the entrance of the gate, the two kings sat to hear the propliecy of Micaiah (1 K 22'", 2 Ch 18^- »). There the 70 sons of Ahab were slam (2 K 10'-'); there Jehu destroyed all that remained unto Ahab (2 K 10'^- ") ; and there, according to one account (2 Ch 22', cf. 2 K O-"), Aliaziah was killed. It was to Samaria that Joash, after the capture of Jems., brought the vessels for the service of the temple, and the treasures of the king's house (2 K 14'*, 2 Ch 25^) ; and that Pekah, at least according to 2 Ch 28*- "• '°, returned at the head of his army, laden with the spoil of Judah, and accompanied by a long train of captive Jews, who were afterwards released.
Samaria became the religious as well as the political centre of the Northern kingdom. The marriage of Ahab with Jezebel, and the consequent close alliance between the usurping dynasties of Israel and Phoenicia, led to the establisliment of the Phcenician worship on a large scale in the capital. Aliab caused a temple and altar to be erected to Baal (1 K 16*-; Ant. IX. vi. 6), and made the Asherah (1 K 16^, 2 K 13" RV). The temple, which was probably of great size, contained ' pillars of Baal,' apparently of wood, which were torn down and burned, and a ' pillar of Baal,' pos- sibly a stone pillar with an efhgy of the god on one of its faces, which was broken down when Jeliu destroyed the tem])le after slaughtering the prophets of Baal (2 K 3= 10='- ^-■•" [in v.'^ read prob. with Klost. t;^ adytum for Ty 'city']). Tlie Phoe- nician rites were celebrated with great splendour, and Jezebel, who had slain tlie propliets of the Lord (1 K 18'*), fed 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah at her table (1 K 18'» RV). The idolatrous worship was strongly opposed by the prophets of J", some of whom worked and preached in the city. Elisha had a fixed residence in it (2 K 2^ 5* 6*-, cf. v."), and Hosea probably pro- phesied there. Isaiah (10'-" 36'») alludes to the idols, graven images, and gods of Samaria ; Hosea (7' 8°-' 10°), to its wickedness, and to the calf- worship which existed side by side with the worship of Baal ; Amos (8'*), to its sin ; and Isaiah (S* 0"), Hosea (13'"), Amos (3'2), Micah (1«) foretell the penalties that it would have to suU'er for the sins of its people. Jeremiah (23'*) mentions the pro- phets of Baal, and Ezekiel (23') can find no tittei symbol for the city than Oholah the harlot.
Soon after Samaria was built, it was probably besieged by Benhadad I., who forced Omri to make 'streets' in the city for the Syrians (1 K 20**). During Ahab's reign it successfully resisted a siege by Benhadad U. (1 K 20'-='; Ant. VIII. xiv. 1,2). In the reign of Jelioram, after a minor exi)editioD had been thwarted by Elisha (2 K 6"'-»'; Ant. IX iv. 3), the city was again besieged by Benhadad. On this occasion the garrison and townsmen were reduced to the last extremity (2 K 6-'-'- ^), when a panic seized the Syrian army and the siege waa raised (2 K 7'"-* ; Ant. IX. iv. 4, 5). In the 7th year of Hoshea, Samaria was besieged by Shalmaneser, but it was actually taken, B.C. 722, by his succes-
SAMARIA
SAMARIA, TERRITORY OF 375