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Bible Dictionaries
Shiloh
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
or SHILOH . 1 . Here the Israelites assembled at the completion of the conquest, and erected the Tent of Meeting; portions were assigned to the still landless tribes, and cities to the Levites ( Joshua 18:1 etc. Joshua 21:1 etc.). At Shiloh the congregation deliberated regarding the altar built by the men of the eastern tribes in the Jordan Valley ( Joshua 22:12 ff.). During the period of the Judges, it was the central sanctuary ( Judges 18:31 ), the scene of great religious festivals and pilgrimages ( Judges 21:19 , 1 Samuel 1:2 ). On one of these occasions the Benjamites captured as wives the women who danced among the vineyards ( Judges 21:18 ff.). Here the youth of Samuel was spent, and from this narrative we gather that the ‘tent’ had given place to a permanent structure, a ‘ temple ’ ( hçkâl ), under the care of the high priest Eli and his family. The loss of the ark and the disaster to his sons proved fatal to Eli ( 1 Samuel 4:12 ff.), and Shiloh apparently ceased to rank as a sanctuary. The destruction of its temple, possibly by the Philistines, is alluded to in Jeremiah 7:12; Jeremiah 7:14; Jeremiah 26:6; Jeremiah 26:9 (cf. Psalms 78:60 ). Eli’s descendants are afterwards found at Nob ( 1 Samuel 14:3; 1 Samuel 22:11 ). The prophet Ahijah was a native of Shiloh ( 1 Kings 11:29; 1 Kings 14:2; 1 Kings 14:4 ).
The original name, as shown by the gentilic Shilonite , was Shiôn . This form survives in the mod. Seilûn , a ruined site on a hill E. of the road to Shechem, about 9 miles N. of Bethel, and 3 miles S.W. of Khân el-Lubbân (Lebonah, Judges 21:19 ). A terrace on the N. of the hill, with a rock-hewn quadrangle, c. 400 ft. × 80 ft., may have been the site of the ancient temple. There is an excellent spring in the valley to the east. There are also numerous rock-hewn tombs. The terraced slopes tell of vineyards, long since disappeared.
2 . The real meaning of the clause ‘ until Shiloh come’ ( Genesis 49:10 EV [Note: English Version.] ) is doubtful. If ‘Shiloh’ were a name applied to the Messiah, it would have a special significance; but this cannot be discovered. No ancient version so reads it. The Targg. (Onk., Jerus., and pseud.-Jon.) all interpret it of the Messiah. The Peshitta, on the other hand, reads ‘until he shall come whose it [ i.e. the kingdom] is.’ Three possible readings are given in RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] . (1) ‘Till he come to Shiloh’; grammatically correct, and supported by many scholars. Elsewhere in Scripture, Shiloh means the Ephraimite town. This is taken to refer to Judah’s laying down the leadership he had exercised, when, the conquest finished, Israel assembled at Shiloh. Apart from other objections, however, shçbet , ‘sceptre,’ seems to denote something more than a mere tribal supremacy, and it is not certain that Judah possessed even that pre-eminence. (2) ‘Until that which is his shall come’; so LXX [Note: Septuagint.] ‘till the things reserved for him come.’ (3) ‘Until he shall come whose it is’ (Pesh., Targg. as above). While no certain decision as to the exact meaning is possible, the Messianic character of the verse is clear. It contemplates the ultimate passing of the power of Judah into the bands of an ideal ruler.
Shilonite = ‘native of Shiloh’ is used of 1 . Ahijah ( 1 Kings 11:29 etc.). 2 . A family dwelling in Jerusalem ( 1 Chronicles 9:5 etc.). In the latter passage the true reading is prob. ‘the Shelanite ’ (cf. Numbers 26:20 ).
W. Ewing.
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Hastings, James. Entry for 'Shiloh'. Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdb/s/shiloh.html. 1909.
