Brian63

Greetings,

On page 65 of Friedman's book, he writes:

However, his own map at the end of the book appears to show otherwise. Shechem is located in Manasseh, which is just north of Ephraim.

Can anyone help with this? Is it a matter of a place being called different names, or something else?

Thanks,

Brian

WishboneDawn

My Oxford Bible Atlas from the 60's has Shechem between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim in the hills of Ephraim. I'm guessing his map has a mistake?

mens_sana

Ditto with my Macmillan Bible Atlas (rev.3rd ed., 1993).

Brian63

I checked my Zondervan Bible (it's all I have) and one map lists Schechem among the "hills of Ephraim" but does not show any political boundaries of any of the tribes. Another map that does show the political boundaries shows it just north of Ephraim, again in Manasseh.

Brian

Ben C Smith

I have that book on my shelf, and I cannot rightly explain why the map is how it is.

The only source the cartographers have for the political or tribal boundaries of that period AFAIK is the OT (though I believe the site of the city itself is known from archaeology), and Shechem as residing in the hill country of Ephraim with its pasturelands is almost a cliché. Refer for instance to Joshua 20.7; 21.21; 1 Chronicles 6.67. And there are other verses as well.

Ben.

Brian63

Since it appears like this in so many places, it is more likely not just a Friedman error (and probably not an error at all, but just a matter of unclear political boundaries).

Brian