Shiloh

Shiloh is a Hebrew name of Biblical origin. It refers to a geographical place, an ancient city and assembly place for the Israelites before Judah. In fact, Shiloh was the dwelling place for the Ark of the Covenant for several centuries before it was ultimately housed in the Temple of Solomon on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. For those who don’t know, The Ark of the Covenant was basically a fancy chest which contained the two stone tablets upon which were written the 10 Commandments (which God had given Moses atop Mt. Sanai). The Ark and its Tabernacle (sacred tent) were brought to Shiloh in the time of Joshua (c. 1400 B.C.) after the Israelites crossed the River Jordan into the Promised Land. “Shiloh” comes from the Hebrew language meaning “tranquil, peaceful” so what better place to establish the Ark and feel confident in its safety? Shiloh is also the place where Hannah dedicated her son Samuel to the Lord and where Samuel was raised by the priest Eli. Shiloh was, for all intents and purposes, the first ancient capital of Israel; it’s where the Hebrews lived “tranquilly” amidst God and followed His law. That is, until the Philistines came to Shiloh and captured the Ark (1 Samuel 4). God basically allowed the Philstines to do a little Israelite ass-licking because His people had become complacent over the word of God. Even though the Ark was ultimately returned to Israel, it never again went back to Shiloh. The Bible doesn’t say exactly when the ancient city of Shiloh ceased to exist, but we do know of its destruction. Even today only scant ruins are left. Shiloh remains an important symbolic and spiritual reminder to the Jews as the place where the Ark was first established in the Promise Land, but where God forsook them when they were disobedient. Jeremiah 7:12 reminds the Israelites: “Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel.” In other words, Shiloh was a “peaceful” place until its inhabitants took it for granted. We should also mention that there’s an ancient and obscure passage in Genesis 49:10 when Jacob is blessing his son Judah and says: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” This is often taken in reference to the coming of the Messiah so many people (probably erroneously) believe that Shiloh means “Messiah”. Messiah is a different name of Hebrew origin and means “anointed one”.