Bible Encyclopedia: Sharon

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

SHARON

shar'-un (ha-sharon, with the definite article possibly meaning "the plain"; to pedion, ho drumos, ho Saron):

(1) This name is attached to the strip of fairly level land which runs between the mountains and the shore of the Mediterranean, stretching from Nahr Ruben in the South to Mt. Carmel in the North. There are considerable rolling hills; but, compared with the mountains to the East, it is quite properly described as a plain. The soil is a deep rich loam, which is favorable to the growth of cereals. The orange, the vine and the olive grow to great perfection. When the many-colored flowers are in bloom it is a scene of rare beauty.

Of the streams in the plain four carry the bulk of the water from the western slopes of the mountains to the sea. They are also perennial, being fed by fountains. Nahr el-`Aujeh enters the sea to the North of Jaffa; Nahr Iskanderuneh 7 miles, and Nahr el-Mefjir fully 2 miles South of Caesarea; and Nahr ez-Zerqa, the "Crocodile River," 2 1/2 miles North of Caesarea. Nahr el-Falik runs its short course about 12 miles North of Nahr el-`Aujeh. Water is plentiful, and at almost any point it may be obtained by digging. Deep, finely built wells near some of the villages are among the most precious legacies left by the Crusaders. The breadth of the plain varies from 8 to 12 miles, being broadest in the Sharon. There are traces of a great forest in the northern part, which accounts for the use of the term drumos. Josephus (Ant., XIV, xiii, 3) speaks of "the woods" (hoi drumoi) and Strabo (xvi) of "a great wood." There is still a considerable oak wood in this district. The "excellency" of Carmel and Sharon (Isaiah 35:2) is probably an allusion to the luxuriant oak forests. As in ancient times, great breadths are given up to the pasturing of cattle. Over David's herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite (1 Chronicles 27:29). In the day of Israel's restoration "Sharon shall be a fold of flocks" (Isaiah 65:10). Jerome speaks of the fine cattle fed in the pastures of Sharon, and also sings the praises of its wine (Comm. on Isaiah 33 and 65). Toward the Sharon no doubt there was more cultivation then than there is at the present day. The German colony to the North of Jaffa, preserving in its name, Sarona, the old Greek name of the plain, and several Jewish colonies are proving the wonderful productiveness of the soil. The orange groves of Jaffa are far-famed.

"The rose of Sharon" (Songs 2:1) is a mistranslation: chabhatstseleth is not a "rose," but the white narcissus, which in season abounds in the plain.

Sharon is mentioned in the New Testament only in Acts 9:35.

(2) A district East of the Jordan, occupied by the tribe of Gad (1 Chronicles 5:16; here the name is without the article). Kittel ("Ch," SBOT) suggests that this is a corruption from "Sirion," which again is synonymous with Hermon. He would therefore identify Sharon with the pasture lands of Hermon. Others think that the mishor or table-land of Gilead is intended.

(3) In Joshua 12:18 we should perhaps read "the king of Aphek in Sharon." See LASSHARON. The order seems to point to some place Northeast of Tabor. Perhaps this is to be identified with the Sarona of Eusebius, Onomasticon, in the district between Tabor and Tiberias. If so, the name may be preserved in that of Sarona on the plateau to the Southwest of Tiberias.

W. Ewing

Greek

4565. Saron -- Sharon, a plain in Palestine
... Sharon, a plain in Palestine. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: Saron
Phonetic Spelling: (sar'-one) Short Definition: Sharon Definition: Sharon ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4565.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

8289. Sharon -- a plain on the Mediterranean Sea, perhaps also a ...
... 8288, 8289. Sharon. 8290 . a plain on the Mediterranean Sea, perhaps
also a region East of the Jordan. Transliteration: Sharon ...
/hebrew/8289.htm - 6k

8290. Sharoni -- inhab. of Sharon
... inhab. of Sharon. Transliteration: Sharoni Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-ro-nee') Short
Definition: Sharonite. Word Origin from Sharon Definition inhab. ...
/hebrew/8290.htm - 6k

Library

Sharon. Caphar Lodim. The Village of those of Lydda.
... A Chorographical Century. Chapters 11-20 Chapter 17 Sharon. Caphar Lodim.
The Village of those of Lydda. Between Lydda and the sea ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 17 sharon caphar lodim.htm

The Best of the Best
... Newington. On Thursday Evening, May 19th, 1881. "I am the rose of Sharon,
and the lily of the valleys.""Song of Solomon 2:1. THE ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 42 1896/the best of the best.htm

In Judaea
... Travelling southward from Caesarea we are in the plain of Sharon, whose beauty and
richness are so celebrated in Holy Scripture (Cant 2:1; Isaiah 35:2). This ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 5 in judaea.htm

On Fruit Bearing.
... In the garden of the Lord blooms the rose of Sharon and the lily-of-the-valley.
These are beautiful emblems of the Christ-life in the Christian soul. ...
/.../orr/food for the lambs or helps for young christians/on fruit bearing.htm

What the Flowers Say.
... Our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, and it is for that reason, I think, that He
is called in the Bible a Rose,"the Rose of Sharon. Whenever ...
/.../the life of duty a years plain sermons v 2/sermon lxi what the flowers.htm

Elucidations.
... millions. The following tabular view of the Christian population of the world
from the beginning has been attributed to Sharon Turner. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/de fuga in persecutione/elucidations.htm

The Parable of the Lost Sheep
... only a sheep that they would go after, but in his case it was something infinitely
more precious than all the flocks of sheep that ever fed on Sharon or Carmel ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 30 1884/the parable of the lost.htm

Receiving Agents.
... Rutland, Charles Walker. St. Albans, Horace Janes, PM Sharon, Chester Baxter. PM
Bennington, Stephen Hinsdale. Brattleboro, Holbrook & Fessenden. ...
/.../leland/the national preacher vol 2 no 7 dec 1827/receiving agents.htm

Home Dedication.
... CHAPTER X. HOME DEDICATION. "The rose was rich in bloom on Sharon's plain, When
a young mother with her first born thence Went up to Zion, for the boy was ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/philips/the christian home/chapter x home dedication.htm

From Megiddo to Carchemish, 608-605.
... Marching by the coast he first took Gaza, and crossing by one of the usual passes
from Sharon to Esdraelon,(304) found himself opposed near Megiddo by a Jewish ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/jeremiah/1 from megiddo to carchemish.htm

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Sharon

his plain; his song

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Sharon

(a plain), a district of the holy land occasionally referred to in the Bible. (1 Chronicles 5:16; Isaiah 33:9) In (Acts 9:35) called SARON. The name has on each occurrence with one exception only, (1 Chronicles 5:16) the definite article; it would therefore appear that "the Sharon" was some well-defined region familiar to the Israelites. It is that broad, rich tract of land which lies between the mountains of the central part of the holy land and the Mediterranean --the northern continuation of the Shefelah. [PALESTINA AND PALESTINE] The Sharon of (2 Chronicles 5:16) to which allusion has already been made, is distinguished front the western plain by not having the article attached to its name, as the other invariably has. It is also apparent from the passage itself that it was some district on the east of the Jordan, in the neighborhood of Gilead and Bashan. The name has not been met with in that direction.

ATS Bible Dictionary

Sharon

1. A plain adjoining the seacoast of Palestine between Carmel and Joppa, about sixty miles in length and of variable width, expanding inland as it stretches from the promontory of Carmel towards the south. It contains some sandy tracts, but the soil is in general highly productive, and the plain was of old famous for its beauty and fertility, 1 Chronicles 27:29 So 2:1 Isa 33:9 35:2:65:10. It contained a town of the same name, called Saron in Acts 9:35.

The whole plain was once thickly populated, but is now comparatively uninhabited. The heat of summer is excessive, and the climate somewhat unhealthy. All travellers describe the view of the plain from the tower of Ramleh as one of surpassing richness and beauty.

The frowning hills of Judah on the east confront the glittering waters of the Mediterranean on the west. Towards the north and south far as the eye can reach spreads the beautiful plain, covered in many parts with fields of green or golden grain. Near by are the immense olive-groves of Ramleh and Lydda and amid them the picturesque towers, minarets, and domes of these villages; while the hillsides towards the northeast are thickly studded with native hamlets. The uncultivated parts of the plain are covered in spring and the early summer with a rich profusion of flowers.

2. A town in the tribe of Gad, in the district of Bashan beyond the Jordan, 1 Chronicles 5:16.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

A plain, a level tract extending from the Mediterranean to the hill country to the west of Jerusalem, about 30 miles long and from 8 to 15 miles broad, celebrated for its beauty and fertility (1 Chronicles 27:29; Isaiah 33:9; 35:2; 65:10). The "rose of Sharon" is celebrated (Cant. 2:1). It is called Lasharon (the article la being here a part of the word) in Joshua 12:18.

Thesaurus

Sharon (9 Occurrences)
... The "rose of Sharon" is celebrated (Cant. 2:1). It is called Lasharon (the article
la being here a part of the word) in Joshua 12:18. Int. ...SHARON. ...
/s/sharon.htm - 13k

Lassharon (1 Occurrence)
... la-sha'-ron, la-shar'-on (lashsharon or la-sharon, the King James Version Sharon):
A royal city of the Canaanites taken by Joshua, named with Aphek (Joshua 12 ...
/l/lassharon.htm - 7k

Lasharon (1 Occurrence)
... la-sha'-ron, la-shar'-on (lashsharon or la-sharon, the King James Version Sharon):
A royal city of the Canaanites taken by Joshua, named with Aphek (Joshua 12 ...
/l/lasharon.htm - 7k

Valleys (38 Occurrences)
... 1 Chronicles 27:29 and over the herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite:
and over the herds that were in the valleys was Shaphat the son of Adlai ...
/v/valleys.htm - 18k

Cattle (277 Occurrences)
... The finest herds were found in Bashan, beyond Jordan (Numbers 32:4). Large
herds also pastured on the wide fertile plains of Sharon. ...
/c/cattle.htm - 52k

Aphek (9 Occurrences)
... a'-fek ('apheq, "fortress"; Aphek): (1) In Joshua 12:18 we should probably read
with the Septuagint "the king of Aphek in Sharon." This may correspond to Aphek ...
/a/aphek.htm - 11k

Achor (5 Occurrences)
... In Isaiah 65:10 it is a region on the east side of the mountain ridge which
is in some sense balanced with Sharon on the west side. ...
/a/achor.htm - 11k

Sharonite (1 Occurrence)
... SHARONITE. shar'-un-it (ha-sharoni; ho Saroneites): Applied in Scripture only to
Shitrai (1 Chronicles 27:29). See SHARON. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/s/sharonite.htm - 7k

Saron (1 Occurrence)
... The "rose of Sharon" is celebrated (Cant. ... SARON. sa'-ron, (Saron): the King James
Version; Greek form of Sharon (Acts 9:35). Multi-Version Concordance ...
/s/saron.htm - 7k

Shephelah (2 Occurrences)
... "North of Ajalon the low hills which run out on Sharon are connected with
the high mountains behind them. You ascend to the latter ...
/s/shephelah.htm - 15k

Bible Concordance

Sharon (9 Occurrences)

Acts 9:35 All who lived at Lydda and in Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
(WEB WEY ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Joshua 12:18 the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lassharon, one;
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Chronicles 5:16 They lived in Gilead in Bashan, and in its towns, and in all the suburbs of Sharon, as far as their borders.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 27:29 and over the herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite: and over the herds that were in the valleys was Shaphat the son of Adlai:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Song of Songs 1:17 The beams of our houses 'are' cedars, Our rafters 'are' firs, I 'am' a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys!
(YLT)

Song of Songs 2:1 I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 33:9 The land mourns and languishes. Lebanon is confounded and withers away. Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 35:2 It will blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing. Lebanon's glory Lebanon will be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They will see Yahweh's glory, the excellence of our God.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 65:10 Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down in, for my people who have sought me.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Sharon

Sharon: A Place That Has not been Ascertained

Sharon: The Maritime Slope of Palestine North of the City of Joppa: Called Saron

Sharon: The Maritime Slope of Palestine North of the City of Joppa: David's Herds In

Sharon: The Maritime Slope of Palestine North of the City of Joppa: Roses and Beauty of

Related Terms

Lassharon (1 Occurrence)

Lasharon (1 Occurrence)

Valleys (38 Occurrences)

Cattle (277 Occurrences)

Aphek (9 Occurrences)