Who were the Samaritans in the Bible?

Historical Roots and Ancestry

The Samaritans first emerge in the biblical narrative following the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. After the Assyrians captured Samaria in 722 BC (2 Kings 17:6), they deported many Israelites and brought in foreign settlers. According to 2 Kings 17:24, “Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria…” Over time, these foreign colonists intermarried with the remaining Israelites, forming a distinct population that came to be identified as “Samaritans.”

Some archaeological work in the region of ancient Samaria reveals a cultural mixture, consistent with the scriptural account. The writings of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews 11.8) also note friction between the Samaritans and Jewish communities after the exile, corroborating the biblical description of how these groups related to one another in subsequent centuries.

Geographical Setting in the Land of Israel

Samaria lies between Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. Its centrality often made it a region through which travelers passed. In the Gospels, Jesus’s journeys took Him directly through Samaria. In John 4:4, it succinctly says, “Now He had to pass through Samaria.” The territory’s hilly landscape included Mt. Gerizim, a location the Samaritans held in special religious esteem.

Religious Beliefs and Practices

The Samaritans developed their own form of worship centered on Mt. Gerizim rather than on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. They appealed to passages in the Pentateuch to emphasize Mt. Gerizim’s significance and had their own version of the Five Books of Moses, referred to as the Samaritan Pentateuch. One key difference from Jewish practice was the Samaritans’ rejection of the authority of the prophets and the writings beyond the Pentateuch in the Hebrew Scriptures.

The conflict regarding the proper place of worship features prominently in the New Testament. In John 4:20, the Samaritan woman says to Jesus, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem.” This statement highlights the centuries-old disagreement over the central sanctuary.

Relationship with the Jewish People

Intense controversy arose between the inhabitants of Judah and Samaria during and after the return of Jewish exiles from Babylon (ca. 6th–5th century BC). Later, during the Second Temple period, conflicts persisted as documented in Ezra 4:1–5, where Samaritans opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s temple. By the time of Jesus, many Jews viewed Samaritans with deep suspicion, and the Samaritans likewise held antagonistic attitudes toward the Jewish community centered in Jerusalem.

Despite the tension, Scripture notes God’s concern for the Samaritans. As early as 2 Kings 17:28, an exiled priest from Israel was sent back to teach the new inhabitants “how to worship the LORD.” This event illustrates that divine revelation continued to be extended even to those outside the official community of Judah, foreshadowing a more inclusive vision.

Jesus’s Interactions with the Samaritans

In the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly ministered among and spoke positively about Samaritans, surprising many of His own people. The most notable examples include:

• The Samaritan Woman at the Well (John 4:1–42)

Jesus spoke at length with a woman drawing water from Jacob’s well in Sychar. In John 4:9, the woman expresses surprise that Jesus, a Jewish man, would ask anything of a Samaritan woman. Yet, this conversation leads her to recognize the Messiah. The narrative shows a Samaritan village coming to believe in Jesus, exclaiming, “This man truly is the Savior of the world” (John 4:42).

• The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37)

Jesus used a Samaritan traveler as the model of compassion, contrasting him with individuals of religious standing who passed by a robbery victim without offering help. This parable underlines that loving one’s neighbor transcends ethnic boundaries, highlighting the important lesson that mercy is a defining quality of sincere faith.

• The Thankful Samaritan Leper (Luke 17:11–19)

Out of ten lepers healed by Jesus, only one returned to give thanks—and he was a Samaritan. This account shows that genuine gratitude and recognition of God’s power can come from unexpected quarters.

Archaeological and Historical Corroborations

Archaeologists working near Mt. Gerizim have discovered ruins that many associate with a Samaritan temple constructed during the Persian or Hellenistic period, indicating that the community maintained a sacred site there. Josephus also records that the Samaritans built a temple on Mt. Gerizim, rivaling the Jerusalem Temple (Antiquities of the Jews 13.9).

Samaritan communities exist to this day, still venerating Mt. Gerizim as their holy place and preserving their unique religious traditions and scriptural texts. These modern expressions further support the continuity of identity from the ancient Samaritans described in the Bible.

Significance in the Biblical Narrative

Throughout Scripture, Samaritans serve as a reminder that God’s concern extends beyond traditional boundaries and that He can use unexpected people to illustrate faith, compassion, and gratitude. From their origin in 2 Kings 17, through the tensions chronicled in Ezra and Nehemiah, to their New Testament encounters with Jesus, the Samaritans exemplify themes of both division and reconciliation.

In Jesus’s ministry, Samaritans become an important demonstration of the message that salvation is not limited by ethnicity, custom, or the animosity of the past. John 4:21 expresses this concisely: “Believe Me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” The emphasis is placed on true worshipers who worship “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

Conclusion

The Samaritans’ background, beliefs, and relationships with the Jewish people underscore significant themes of the biblical account—faith, reconciliation, and God’s redemptive plan for all who seek Him. Their story highlights the far-reaching scope of divine grace, showing that even those considered outsiders are cherished in the scriptural narrative of redemption. It also sets a clear historical context for many of the interactions Jesus had, demonstrating how salvation extends beyond human social divisions to unite people in worship and truth.