Bible Geography · Hill Country of Ephraim · c. 1400–1050 BC
Shiloh
Description
Shiloh was located in the hill country of Ephraim, centrally positioned among the tribes of Israel. After the conquest of Canaan, the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant were set up there, making it the religious capital of the nation. It was the site of the annual pilgrimage feasts and the place where lots were cast to distribute the land among the tribes.
Significance
Shiloh prefigures Jerusalem as the place God chose for His name to dwell before the permanent temple. Its later destruction by the Philistines and the capture of the Ark served as a divine warning, later invoked by Jeremiah as a precedent for God's willingness to abandon even His own sanctuary when His people sin.
Key Events
The setting up of the tabernacle at Shiloh under Joshua, the distribution of the land by lot, Hannah's prayer for a son and Samuel's birth, Samuel's call by God in the tabernacle at night, the capture of the Ark by the Philistines, and the destruction of Shiloh.
Modern Context
The archaeological site of ancient Shiloh (Tel Shiloh) is located in the West Bank near the modern Israeli settlement of Shilo. Excavations have uncovered significant Iron Age remains. The site is open to visitors and includes a visitor center and a reconstructed tabernacle model.