Nebi Samwil, was called Gibeon in the Old Testament and is where the 5 kings of the Amorites came to kill the people of Gibeon, who had made peace with Joshua. (Joshua 10:1-14) God promised Joshua that he would be victorious, and he was. It was then that Joshua said "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon,...and the sun stood still". This is also the place referred to as the "high place" of Gibeon, in 1 Kings 3:4. Here Solomon made sacrifices and God said "Ask what I shall give thee". Because Solomon asked for an understanding heart so he could judge the people correctly, God gave him that and added to that lands, riches, and honor. One of the students said, "God still asks us what we want--He tells us to ask, seek and knock.
The hill provides a good view of and controls the roads leading to the city from the north: the road from the Coastal Plain in the west and that from Samaria to the north of . This area overlooks the land that the house of Benjamin was given, and is still a strategic place, being the area where the 6 Days War led to the triumph of the Jews over the Arabs in 1967.
Excavation of the area shows buildings from the the 1st Temple period, 2nd Temple period, time of Persians, Byzantine period, Crusader times, and Muslims, who built a mosque, after destroying the Crusader fortress.
While it is called the burial place of Samuel, it most likely is not, yet both Jews and Muslims come here to worship.
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