The Jews and Samaritans hated each other in biblical times primarily because of historical, religious, cultural, and political divisions that arose after the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. This event led to population exile and resettlement, resulting in a mixed community in Samaria that practiced a composite religion deemed impure by the returning Jews. These deep differences in lineage, worship, and identity fostered long-lasting hostility.
The Assyrian exile around 740 BC dramatically reshaped the region’s demographics. Most Israelites from the Northern Kingdom were deported to Assyria. Those who remained intermarried with foreign peoples relocated by Assyria, creating the Samaritan community. This group adopted a mixed religious system, combining elements of Jewish worship with pagan practices. Jews from the Southern Kingdom, who maintained pure lineage and worship in Jerusalem, viewed the Samaritans as religiously corrupt.
Geography intensified their conflict. The Samaritans settled around Samaria, the historical capital of the Northern Kingdom, geographically separating Jewish populations in the north near the Sea of Galilee and in the south around Jerusalem and Jericho. This division forced Jews to engage with Samaritans, increasing tensions. The Samaritans’ location obstructed Jewish unity and religious centralization.
Religious and cultural factors caused further estrangement. Jewish law strictly forbade intermarriage with foreigners and social contact like sharing meals. Because Samaritans descended partly from foreigners and had assimilated foreign customs, Jews considered them impure and illegitimate worshippers. The Samaritans’ version of the Torah differed from that used by the Jews—though both recognized the Pentateuch, textual variations and divergent oral traditions entrenched mistrust.
Political rivalry played a major role. During the Northern Kingdom’s existence, King Jeroboam established alternative worship centers at Dan and Bethel to rival the Jerusalem Temple. This splintered religious authority and created competing centers for worship and identity. After the Babylonian exile, approximately 43,000 Jews returned to rebuild Jerusalem and re-establish proper worship. They faced opposition from people who had remained, including Samaritans, who challenged their legitimacy and religious strictness.
The Biblical narrative also rationalizes the division. It depicts the Assyrian resettlement policy as a divine punishment for Israel’s disobedience. Foreigners introduced into Samaria mixed religious practices, which God disfavored. This theological framework cast Samaritans as a mixed and corrupt people who failed even when provided a local priest to guide their worship. The story leverages theology to explain and justify Jewish hostility.
The friction centered on competing claims to religious purity, right practice, and covenantal faithfulness. Despite shared ancestry, Jews impeached Samaritan claims to authentic Israelite religion because of their syncretistic practices and alternative worship sites. This religious and cultural exclusion turned into animosity and suspicion over centuries.
Today, a small Samaritan community still exists, numbering about 1,700 individuals split between Israel and the West Bank. They retain monotheistic beliefs closely related to Judaism. Their strict endogamy helps preserve identity, but historical tensions have largely faded outside religious history studies.
| Cause | Effect on Jewish-Samaritan Relations |
|---|---|
| Assyrian exile and repopulation | Creation of mixed Samaritan population seen as impure |
| Geographic separation | Jews divided North-South; tension with Samaritans in center |
| Religious law forbidding intermarriage | Jews viewed Samaritans as religious outsiders |
| Different Torah versions and worship sites | Distrust and religious rivalry deepened |
| Return from Babylonian exile | Opposition to Samaritan legitimacy and community leadership |
- Assyrian conquest led to Israelite exile and Samaritan formation.
- Religious syncretism by Samaritans violated Jewish purity laws.
- Geography caused unavoidable friction and division.
- Different sacred texts and worship sites fueled rivalry.
- Returnees from Babylon opposed Samaritan status and practices.
