Shunem

In the Bible

• A town of the tribe of Issachar: Joshua 19:18 lists Shunem, along with Jezreel and Chesulloth, in the territory allotted to the tribe of Issachar. This list of land allotments to the twelve tribes of Israel is where Shunem first appears by name.
• Saul's last battle: According to 1 Samuel 28:4, the Philistine army encamped at Shunem, while Saul encamped at Gilboa. Saul then sought out the woman at Endor who had a familiar spirit (a medium believed to summon the spirits of the dead), and he died in the battle of Gilboa that followed (1 Samuel 31).
• Abishag the Shunammite: In 1 Kings 1:3-4, a search was made throughout all the land of Israel for a young woman to attend the aged David, and the one chosen was "Abishag a Shunammite." After David's death, Adonijah asked to be given Abishag as his wife; Solomon regarded this as a bid for the throne and had Adonijah put to death (1 Kings 2:13-25).
• Elisha and the Shunammite woman: In 2 Kings 4:8-37, whenever Elisha passed through Shunem, he ate at the house of a certain woman. After consulting with her husband, the woman prepared a small room for Elisha to stay in, and she bore a son, as Elisha had foretold. When the son died, the woman went to Elisha at Mount Carmel, and Elisha restored the child to life. In 2 Kings 8:1-6, this woman, on Elisha's advice, went to live in the land of the Philistines during a seven-year famine; when she returned, the king ordered that her house and fields be restored to her. For further details, see the article Shunammite Woman.

Background

Shunem is thought to have been located south of Galilee, on the northern edge of the Jezreel Valley (the Plain of Esdraelon). It is commonly identified with the area of the village of Sulam in present-day Israel, on the southwestern slope of the Hill of Moreh. To the south, across the valley, lies Mount Gilboa. Because the valley was both a corridor linking the coastal plain with the Jordan Valley and a broad, fertile grain-producing region, armies frequently encamped there. The name Shunem is also reported to appear in ancient Egyptian texts outside the Bible.

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

The name Shunem does not appear in the New Testament. However, the raising of the Shunammite woman's son is read, together with Elijah's raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17, as one of the principal Old Testament accounts of the dead being restored to life. Hebrews 11:35, "Women received their dead raised to life again," is commonly interpreted as referring to these two events. Many hold that Nain, the town where Jesus raised a widow's only son in Luke 7:11-17, was located on the northern slope of the Hill of Moreh. For this reason, some interpreters read that miracle alongside Elisha's miracle, which took place on the same hillside.

Interpretation and Issues

• Identification of the site: The identification with the Sulam area is widely accepted, but it has not been confirmed archaeologically.
• Relationship to the Shulamite: Some interpreters take "the Shulamite" in Song of Solomon 6:13 to mean a woman from Shunem and connect her with Abishag. However, there are many other views on the form and meaning of the word, and no consensus exists.
• Inferences beyond the text: Because the Shunammite woman went in person to reclaim her land in 2 Kings 8, many interpreters conclude that her husband had already died. This is an inference; the text does not state it directly.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, Shunem is treated mainly through the story of the Shunammite woman. Her preparation of a room for Elisha is frequently presented as a model of hospitality and of serving God's servants. Her going to Elisha even after losing her son is often cited as an example of faith in the midst of suffering.