Jacob meets Esau after 20 years away, moves to Schechem, then flees to Bethel: Genesis 32–35

Schechem is now an archeological site in the West Bank area of Israel. It is biblically significant for many reasons. At a practical level, it was the second piece of land purchased by Abraham’s family in the region:

^{Genesis 33:18–19} Later, having traveled all the way from Paddan-aram, Jacob arrived safely at the town of Shechem, in the land of Canaan. There he set up camp outside the town. 19 Jacob bought the plot of land where he camped from the family of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of silver.

(The first purchase was Sarah’s tomb near Mamre, see Genesis 23.)

But the importance of the place doesn’t end (or start) with Jacob. It was an important stop for Abraham after leaving Ur of the Chaldeans because this is where:

^{Genesis 12:7} … the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’

Over the years, Schechem was where:

• the Lord made a promise to Abraham and later to Moses/Joshua (as part of the promised land)
• the people made a commitment when the covenant was renewed in Joshua 24;1, 14-15
• people worshipped the Lord – Abraham and Jacob both built an altar to the Lord to worship Him (Genesis 12:7 and 33:18-20 respectively), and it was still (or again) a holy place in Joshua 24:26
• men rebelled against God, through rape (of Dinah by Schechem), murder (Abimilek’s murder of Gideon’s sons in Judges 9), retaliation, (Dinah’s brothers’ retaliation), and betrayal (by Schechem himself in raping the daughter of a respected family, and later in the power struggle between Abimilek and Jothan, Gideon’s sole surviving son).

Finally, as with many of the cities recorded in the Bible, it was in a strategically important location. It was one of the few passes between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.