Salem (Hebrew:שָׁלֵם,Šālēm;Ancient Greek:Σαλήμ,Salḗm) is an ancientMiddle Eastern town mentioned in theBible. Salem is Hebrew for "peace" (similar roots to the more familiar Hebrew word "shalom", Hebrew being the original language of the Old Testament).[1] Traditionally, Salem is identified with Jerusalem; however, recent scholarship challenges this association.[2]
Salem is referenced in the following biblical passages:
ThedeuterocanonicalBook of Judith mentions the "valley of Salem".[5]
Possibly a different place is mentioned in Genesis 33:18: "And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city." The town ofSalim corresponds to that location. It is also mentioned in theGospel of John 3:23: "And John also was baptizing inAenon near to Saleím [Σαλείμ], because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized."
Various towns have been named after Biblical Salem.
Salem is traditionally identified withJerusalem.[6] This view is based on linguistic similarities between “Shalem” and the latter part of the name “Jerusalem” (Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם,Yerushalayim). The association also derives from theconnection between Melchizedek, the king of Salem, and later biblical references to Jerusalem as a holy city[citation needed].
Recent scholarship, particularly by Robert Cargill inMelchizedek, King of Sodom: How Scribes Invented the Biblical Priest-King, has challenged the identification of Salem with Jerusalem. Cargill argues that early texts such as Egyptianexecration texts (c. 1800 BCE) and Amarna letters (c. 1400 BCE) consistently refer to Jerusalem by longer names like “Ru-ša-li-mum” and “U-ru-sa-lim,” suggesting that Jerusalem was never called “Salem” in antiquity.[7]
Additionally, in his analysis ofPsalm 76:2, Cargill interprets Salem and Zion as distinct locations, with Salem referring to anorthern Samaritan city near Shechem. Similarly, Cargill argues that Genesis 33:18 clearly places Shalem near Shechem, not Jerusalem.[8]
