Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel after the division of the united monarchy. It was established by King Omri and became synonymous with the apostasy and idolatry of the ten northern tribes. 1 Kings 16:24 records that Omri “bought the hill of Samaria… and he built on the hill and called the name of the city which he built, Samaria.”
Throughout the Old Testament, Samaria is often associated with rebellion against God. The prophets repeatedly condemned its idolatry and injustice. Micah 1:6 says, “Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the field.” The city fell to the Assyrians in 722 B.C., and many Israelites were taken into captivity. The Assyrians repopulated the area with foreigners, who intermarried with the remaining Israelites, creating a mixed people known as Samaritans.
By the time of Jesus, there was deep hostility between Jews and Samaritans. Yet Jesus intentionally reached out to them. In John 4, He spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well, revealing Himself as the Messiah. She believed, and many Samaritans came to faith through her testimony and His word (John 4:39-42).
Jesus used a Samaritan as the example of true neighborly love in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), overturning Jewish prejudice. In Acts 1:8, He said the gospel would go to “Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Samaria represents a people once estranged, but not beyond the reach of God’s grace. It reminds us that the gospel is for all, and that true worship is in spirit and truth.
