Sharon

In the Bible

The New Korean Revised Version and the Korean Revised Version render this place name as Saron (사론). "Sharon" (샤론) is a spelling closer to the Hebrew pronunciation.

• 1 Chronicles 27:29: Among the possessions of King David, "over the herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite." This verse indicates that Sharon was used as grazing land.
• 1 Chronicles 5:16: The tribe of Gad is said to have dwelt "in all the suburbs of Sharon."
• Song of Solomon 2:1: Contains the declaration "I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys." (The Korean versions render the flower as "narcissus.")
• Isaiah: Sharon appears three times as a representative of the land's fertility. In 33:9, under judgment, "Sharon is like a wilderness"; in 35:2, the restored land receives "the excellency of Carmel and Sharon"; and in 65:10, "Sharon shall be a fold of flocks."
• Acts 9:35: After Peter healed the paralytic Aeneas at Lydda, "all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord."

Background

The Hebrew word Sharon is generally interpreted to mean "level ground" or "plain." It refers to the coastal plain stretching along the Mediterranean from Mount Carmel in the north to the vicinity of Joppa in the south. Its boundaries and extent vary somewhat among sources.

In antiquity the region is known to have contained a mixture of marshes, sand dunes, and oak forests. For this reason it was used more as pastureland than as extensive farmland. The coastal road linking Egypt and Mesopotamia passed through this plain. In the New Testament period, the port city of Caesarea, where the Roman governor resided, was located in this region.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

In the Old Testament prophets, Sharon, together with Lebanon, Carmel, and Bashan, symbolizes a fertile and beautiful land. Accordingly, the withering of Sharon serves as an image of God's judgment, and its renewed flourishing as an image of restoration.

In the New Testament, Sharon appears once, in Acts 9:35. This verse belongs to the account of the gospel spreading through the coastal region of Judea. It is immediately followed by the narratives set in Joppa and the story of Cornelius in Caesarea.

Interpretation and Debated Questions

• The identity of the "rose of Sharon": It is uncertain exactly which plant the Hebrew word for the flower in Song of Solomon 2:1 denotes. Various views have been proposed, including the narcissus, the crocus, and the lily. English Bibles have commonly rendered it "rose of Sharon." Because the English name of the mugunghwa (Hibiscus syriacus) is also "Rose of Sharon," some have identified the biblical flower with the mugunghwa, but there is no basis for regarding the flower in the text and the mugunghwa as the same plant.
• The speaker: In the flow of the text, the speaker of Song of Solomon 2:1 is often understood to be the woman. At the same time, there is a long-standing tradition of Christian devotion that reads this verse as a figure of Christ. Depending on the denomination and the scholar, an allegorical interpretation, which reads the Song of Solomon as depicting the love between God and His people or between Christ and the church, coexists with a literal interpretation, which reads it as a love song between a man and a woman.
• Sharon in 1 Chronicles 5:16: The tribe of Gad lived east of the Jordan River. Some scholars therefore hold that Sharon in this verse refers not to the coastal plain but to a different area east of the Jordan.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, "Sharon" is frequently used, on the basis of Song of Solomon 2:1, as a figure for Jesus Christ. A representative example is hymn no. 89 in the New Hymnal, "Jesus, Rose of Sharon." The name "Sharon" is also sometimes given to churches, Christian institutions, and choirs.