SHAMIR

(Shaʹmir) [thorn].

1. A Levite who was the son of Micah.—1 Chron. 24:20, 24.

2. A city in the mountainous region of Judah. (Josh. 15:20, 48) The ancient name appears to be preserved at Khirbet Somerah, though the actual site is thought to have been at nearby el-Bireh, some twelve and a half miles (c. 20 kilometers) SW of Hebron.

3. Residence and burial site of Judge Tola in the mountainous region of Ephraim. (Judg. 10:1, 2) Shamir may have been situated at or near the later location of Samaria. This view is supported somewhat by the Codex Alexandrinus (LXX), which reads Sa·ma·reiʹa (Samaria) in Judges 10:1.