Tel Shimron.
Part of Israel’s Tel Shimron overlooking the Jezreel Valley

Who and what is…
Shimron

This is the name of a city and a grandson of Jabob.

Shimron, the city

also known as: Shimron-meron, Simonias (Hebrew: סימונייה), Semmunieh , Semmoune, Simonias (Greek), Simonia, Tel Shimron

Meaning: watch-post

Shimron is an ancient city of the Canaanites. At the time of Joshua, it and its nearby villages were allotted to the Tribe of Zebulun (Joshua 19:15). Zebulon’s inheritance is listed in Joshua 19:10-16.

Map of the ancient Israelite tribal territories in the Promised Land. CC BY-SA 3.0
The territory of the Tribe of Zebulun is small and shaded in purple, to the left of the red Tribe of Isaachar.

The city had a king (Joshua 11:1; 12:20) who is mentioned along with Jabin king of Hazor, Jobab king of Madon, and the king of Achshaph.

The city of Shimron is mentioned in these Old Testament verses (Joshua 11:1; 12:20; 19:15; 1 Chronicles 7:1).

It became a major city of northern Israel.1 The Amarna Letters confirm that it was an important royal city.

Aerial view of Tel Shimron, Israel—satellite view

This place was on the Via Maris trade route connecting Egypt to Syria.

Its ruins have been identified by archaeologists and many antiquities have been discovered, including an acropolis, a massive ashlar wall, a massive 3,800-year-old monument with vaulted ceilings (13,000 square feet / 1,200 square meters), domestic buildings, tombs, various walls and fortifications, a corbelled arched roof, Nahariya bowls, a monumental structure, an administrative building of its Persian-period, a hematite cylinder seal, silo, ancient Canaanite cultic objects, pottery including a Minoan jug and thousands of potsherds, bracelet, many coins, electrum sheeting, various evidences of international trade, and thousands of charred bones (mainly sheep, cattle and goats). The site site holds discoveries from virtually every ancient period.

Bronze bull figurines discovered here are believed to be representations of either El, the chief Canaanite god or the storm god Baal.

“Digging in Tel Shimron - Tales from an untouched archaeological gold mine”
Excavation report from Wheaton College (Illinois) archaeologists / Tel Shimron is one of the largest sites in one of the most important and fertile regions for biblical archaeology—the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel. With a history that stretches from the late Neolithic period (c. 5500 B.C.E.) up to the modern day, the city of Shimron was extremely influential in antiquity, as evidenced by its mention within ancient records as diverse as the Egyptian execration texts, the Amarna Letters, the Hebrew Bible (Joshua 11:1), and the Jerusalem Talmud.
Length: 4 minutes

The city is on the western edge of the Nazareth mountain range, on the intersection of the Lower Galilee and the Jezreel Valley (plain) (aka Plain of Esdraelon).

At its largest, the city reportedly stretched to over 48 acres (19.5 hectacres), not including its villages.

Location of ancient Shimron, east of Nazareth—satellite view

The official excavations Web site is at TelShimronExcavations.com

Q & A

Shimron, the man

Shimron is a son of Issachar (Genesis 46:12; 1 Chronicles 7:1), and grandson of Jacob/Israel. His grandmother is Leah (Gen. 35:23). His brothers are Tola, Puvvah, and Iob. His descendants are called Shimronites (Numbers 26:24).

Q & A
  1. Anson F. Rainey, “Review of Tabula imperii romani: Iudaea-Palaestina, Eretz Israel in the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Periods,” Journal of the American Oriental Society, 1998, 118 (1): pp. 71–73.
Article Version: October 8, 2025