Shamir in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE

sha'-mer (shamir; Sameir): (1) Mentioned along with Jattir and Socoh (Josh 15:48) as one of the cities of Judah in the hill country. Possibly it is Khirbet (or Umm) Somerah, 2,000 ft. above sea-level, a site with ancient walls, caves, cisterns and tombs not far West of Debir (edh Dhatheriyeh) and 2 miles North of Anab (`Anab) (Israel Exploration Fund, III, 262, 286, Sh XX). (2) A place in the hill country of Ephraim (Jdg 10:1) from which came "Tola, the son of Pual, a man of Issachar," who judged Israel 23 years; he died and was buried there. It is an attractive theory (Schwartz) which would identify the place with the semi-fortified and strongly-placed town of Sanur on the road from Nablus to Jenin. A local chieftain in the early part of the last century fortified Sanur and from there dominated the whole district. That Sanur could hardly have been within the bounds of Issachar is an objection, but not necessarily a fatal one. It is noticeable that the Septuagint's Codex Alexandrinus has Samareia, for Shamir (Israel Exploration Fund, II, Sh XI). E. W. G. Masterman