Shunem (Heb. Shûnêm, perhaps “two resting places”). Canaanite city that appears in the Egyptian records of Thutmose III as Shnm, and in the Amarna Letters* 1120 as Shunama. It was assigned to Issachar (Jos 19:17, 18). The Philistines camped there before the battle of Gilboa, which ended in Saul’s death (1Sa 28:4). It was the city where the young woman who attended David during his last days came from (1Ki 1: 3), and the rich woman who offered hospitality to Elisha (2Ki 4: 8-37). That place is known today as Sôlem, and is 11 km east of Megiddo. Map VI, C-3. 479. The town of Sôlem, the ancient Sunem.
Source: Evangelical Bible Dictionary
town in the plain of Yizreel, in the territory of the tribe of Issachar, Jos 19, 18. In Saul’s war with the Philistines, they camped in S., and defeated the Israelites in the battle of Mount Gelboé, which closes the Yizreel plain south of S., 1 S 28, 4.
of s. it was Abisag the young and beautiful maiden who was brought to King David, already an old man, to give him warmth; but the king did not know her, 1 Kings 1, 1-4 and 15.
Dead David Adonías, his son, tried to take Abisag, the Shunammite, for his wife, and this cost him his death, 1 R 2, 17-25. The prophet Eliseo passed through S. and stayed in the house of a leading woman of the city, who had no children, because her husband was very old. Eliseo told her that she would have one of hers, and she gave birth to him the following year. This child died and Eliseo resurrected him, 2 Kings 4, 8-37. Superstition, deviation from religious feeling that makes believe in false things, fear things that can not hurt, or put confidence in others that are useless. The peoples with whom the Israelites had to relate were pagans, polytheists, practitioners of magic and trickery in all its forms, oneiromancy, astrology, divination, etc. All this is prohibited in the law, despite which many times the Israelites fell into these infidelities towards Yahweh. “You shall have no other gods besides me”, says Yahweh, and immediately forbids man to make any image of the beings of the heavens, of the earth or of those who are in the waters under the earth, Ex 20, 3-4 ; not even Yahweh himself, who made himself heard on Mount Horeb, but no one saw him, Dt 4, 15. It was the custom of many peoples to make incisions, cut oneself, on the occasion of duels, which was totally prohibited; the same as tattooing, tonsures, Lv 19, 28; 21, 5; Deut 14, 1; Jer 47, 5; Hos 7, 14. These practices were typical of the worship of Baal, 1 R 18, 28. Other superstitions of the gentile peoples are prohibited in the Scripture: “Keep my precepts. You will not cross your cattle of different species. Don’t sow your field with two different kinds of grain. Do not wear clothes made of fabrics of two kinds† , Lv 19, 19; these mixtures were typical of magic.
Digital Bible Dictionary, Grupo C Service & Design Ltda., Colombia, 2003
Source: Digital Bible Dictionary
A place that belonged to the tribe of Issachar (Jos 19:18; compare 1Sa 28:4; 2Ki 4:8-37). It is situated in a very wealthy section of Palestine, a short distance north of Jezreel at the foot of ‘little Hermon’.
Source: Hispanic World Bible Dictionary
Villa awarded to the tribe of Issachar in the division of the land (Jos 19:18). Before the battle in which they would defeat the Israelites under Saul, the Philistines camped at S. (1Sa 28:4). †¢Elisha visited that city (2Ki 4:8). He is identified with Solem, about 11 km S of Nazareth.
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
type, CITY
sit, a2, 380, 55
Vet, City of Taanak Canaan, of the territory of Issachar (Josh. 19:18). He was facing Gilboa (1 Sam. 28:4). The Philistines camped at Shunem before fighting Saul. Its location is Sõlem (which is also called Sûlam), on the western slope of a hill, and 5 km north-northeast of the western end of Mount Gilboa, about 26 km from Carmel, where the Shunammite to find Elisha (2 Kings 4:25).
Source: New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
It is located about 13 km from Nazareth, 5 km from Nain and 8 from Mount Tabor. From here you can see a fine view of the entire plain of Esdraelon and Mount Carmel, which is 15 miles away, and across the Jezreel Valley you can see the slopes of Mount Gilboa. The army and Saul on Gilboa, and that of the Philistines at Shunem, were in sight of each other, 1 Samuel 28:4.
Here was born Abisag, who was David’s wife when he was old, 1 Kings 1:1-4.
This was where the prophet Elisha had a chamber built for him, and he raised the son of the Shunammite woman, 2 Kings 4:8-37.
Source: Geographic Dictionary of the Bible
A city in the territory of Issachar (Jos 19:17, 18), not far from Jezreel and Mount Gilboa. (1Sa 28:4) It has been identified with modern Sulam (Shunem), situated on the southwestern slope of Jebel Dahi (Giv`at ha-More), overlooking the low plain of Jezreel. This place is located about 5 km N. from the abandoned town of Zer`in (Tel Yizre`el) and approximately 8 km N. from the western end of Mount Guilboa.
The Philistines camped at Shunem before the battle in which King Saul was killed. (1Sa 28:4) Beautiful Abisag (“the Shunammite”), who cared for old King David, came from this place (1Ki 1:3, 4), and later the prophet Elisha used to stay in the home of a hospitable couple from that city. (2Ki 4:8.)
Source: Dictionary of the Bible