Smith's Bible Dictionary (1863)
(a plain), a district of the holy land occasionally referred to in the Bible. (1 Chronicles 5:16; Isaiah 33:9) In (Acts 9:35) called Saron. The name has on each occurrence with one exception only, (1 Chronicles 5:16) the definite article; it would therefore appear that “the Sharon” was some well-defined region familiar to the Israelites. It is that broad, rich tract of land which lies between the mountains of the central part of the holy land
and the Mediterranean—the northern continuation of the Shefelah. [Palestina And Palestine] The Sharon of (2 Chronicles 5:16) to which allusion has already been made, is distinguished front the western plain by not having the article attached to its name, as the other invariably has. It is also apparent from the passage itself that it was some district on the east of the Jordan, in the neighborhood of Gilead and Bashan. The name has not been met
with in that direction.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898) & Schaff's Bible Dictionary
SHAR'ON (the plain), a level tract along the Mediterranean, between Caesarea and Joppa; called also Saron. Acts 9:35. It is 25 or 30 miles in length, and from 8 to 15 miles in width. Scripture History. - Sharon is first noticed in the Bible as Lasharon, the Hebrew article being taken as part of the word. Josh 12:18. It was renowned for its fertility. The flocks of David fed there, and Isaiah praised its excellency and uses it both in promise and
in threatening. 1 Chr 27:29; Isa 35:2; Isa 65:10; Ex 33:9. The Rose of Sharon is celebrated in Solomon's Song 2:1. Present Condition. - The luxuriance and fertility of the plain of Sharon are noted to this day, although the frequent raids of the Bedouin make its cultivation difficult. The plain has on the north a range of inland cliffs. A portion of the plain is composed of marl and alluvial soil, another portion of red sandstone and shelly
breccias of blown sand in large patches. The hills are of softest chalk, gently sloping, partly covered by woods of oak, the trees standing at intervals like a park, the ground being sandy in some places and of a loam or limestone character in others. Sharon is mentioned in connection with Gilead in Bashan in 1 Chr 5:16. Stanley, noting the difficulty of supposing that the pasture-lands of Gad could have been so far from the home of the tribe
east of the Jordan as Sharon would have been, thinks that "Sharon" - which has in the Hebrew exactly the same meaning as Mishor - may signify the Mishor, or "upland downs," of Gilead and Bashan.
Hitchcock's Bible Names (1869)
his plain; his song