The City of Shiloh, Shiloh in the Bible

After the conquest of Canaan, Joshua assembled the Israelites at Shiloh and erected the Tabernacle (Joshua 18:1). Shiloh was established as the religious center of Israel , a position it held throughout the period of the judges. Its location is described in the Bible as “Shiloh, to the north of Bethel , and east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and to the south of Lebonah” (Judges 21:19).

In the days of Eli and Samuel, the Ark of the Covenant was taken from Shiloh to Ebenezer, where Israel battled the Philistines (1 Samuel 4:1–4). Israel was defeated, and the Philistines captured the Ark. It was displayed in a tour of Philistine cities, unleashing a plague at each. When the Philistines returned the Ark to Israel , it ended up at Kiriath-Jearim (1 Samuel 7:1–2). It was never returned to Shiloh . No explanation is given as to why it was not returned to the religious center, though many conclude from 1 Samuel 4:1-22 that Shiloh must have been destroyed at this time.

The site of Shiloh was still known in the Middle Ages; in the nineteenth century it was identified as Khirbet Seilun, 20 miles north of Jerusalem . The mound covers 12 acres, and contains the remains of Shiloh . The later towns were situated on the southern slope of the mound.[1]

Shiloh (modern Seilun) was excavated by Danish archaeologists in four stages, during the period 1926–1963. In the early 1980s, Israel Finkelstein returned to excavate and reevaluate their findings. His excavation confirmed an earlier conclusion of the Danes, that Shiloh had been destroyed by fire perhaps in 1050 BC. Though the Bible does not record the event, Israel ’s religious center was destroyed apparently when the Ark had been taken from it, making the return of the Ark not possible.[2]