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Smith's Bible Dictionary
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Sabachthani, Or Sabachthani
(why hast thou forsaken me?), part of Christ's fourth cry on
the cross. (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34) This, with the other
words uttered with it, as given in Mark, is Aramaic
(Syro-Chaldaic), the common dialect of the people of palestine
in Christ's time and the whole is a translation of the Hebrew
(given in Matthew) of the first words of the 22d Psalm.--ED.
Sabaoth, The Lord Of
occurs in (Romans 9:29; James 5:4) but is more familiar through
its occurrence in the Sanctus of Te Deum--"Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God of Sabaoth." Sabaoth is the Greek form of the Hebrew
word tsebaoth "armies," and is translated in the Authorized
Version of the Old Testament by "Lord of hosts," "Lord God of
hosts." In the mouth and the mind of an ancient Hebrew,
Jehovah-tsebaoth was the leader and commander of the armies of
the nation, who "went forth with them" (Psalms 44:9) and led
them to certain victory over the worshippers of Baal Chemosh.
Molech, Ashtaroth and other false gods.
Sabbath
(shabbath), "a day of rest," from shabath "to cease to do to,"
"to rest"). The name is applied to divers great festivals, but
principally and usually to the seventh day of the week, the
strict observance of which is enforced not merely in the
general Mosaic code, but in the Decalogue itself. The
consecration of the Sabbath was coeval with the creation. The
first scriptural notice of it, though it is not mentioned by
name, is to be found in (Genesis 2:3) at the close of the
record of the six-days creation. There are not wanting indirect
evidences of its observance, as the intervals between Noah's
sending forth the birds out of the ark, an act naturally
associated with the weekly service, (Genesis 8:7-12) and in the
week of a wedding celebration, (Genesis 29:27,28) but when a
special occasion arises, in connection with the prohibition
against gathering manna on the Sabbath, the institution is
mentioned as one already known. (Exodus 16:22-30) And that this
(All this is confirmed by the great antiquity of the division
of time into weeks, and the naming the days after the sun, moon
and planets.) was especially one of the institutions adopted by
Moses from the ancient patriarchal usage is implied in the very
words of the law "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."
But even if such evidence were wanting, the reason of the
institution would be a sufficient proof. It was to be a joyful
celebration of God's completion of his creation. It has indeed
been said that Moses gives quite a different reason for the
institution of the Sabbath, as a memorial of the deliverance
front Egyptian bondage. (5:15) The words added in Deuteronomy
are a special motive for the joy with which the Sabbath should
be celebrated and for the kindness which extended its blessings
to the slave and the beast of burden as well as to the master:
"that thy man servant and thy maidservant may rest as well as
thought. (5:14) These attempts to limit the ordinance proceed
from an entire misconception of its spirit, as if it were a
season of stern privation rather than of special privilege. But
in truth, the prohibition of work is only subsidiary to the
positive idea of joyful rest and recreation in communion with
Jehovah, who himself "rested and was refreshed." (Exodus 31:17)
comp. (Exodus 23:12) It is in (Exodus 16:23-29) that we find
the first incontrovertible institution of the day, as one given
to and to be kept by the children of Israel. Shortly afterward
it was re-enacted in the Fourth Commandment. This beneficent
character of the Fourth Commandment is very apparent in the
version of it which we find in Deuteronomy. (5:12-15) The law
and the Sabbath are placed upon the same ground, and to give
rights to classes that would otherwise have been without
such--to the bondman and bondmaid may, to the beast of the
field-is viewed here as their main end. "The stranger," too is
comprehended in the benefit. But the original proclamation of
it in Exodus places it on a ground which, closely connected no
doubt with these others is yet higher and more comprehensive.
The divine method of working and rest is there propose to work
and to rest. Time then to man as the model after which
presented a perfect whole it is most important to remember that
the Fourth Commandment is not limited to a mere enactment
respecting one day, but prescribes the due distribution of a
week, and enforces the six days' work as much as the seventh
day's rest. This higher ground of observance was felt to invest
the Sabbath with a theological character, and rendered if the
great witness for faith in a personal and creating God. It was
to be a sacred pause in the ordinary labor which man earns his
bread the curse the fall was to be suspended for one and,
having spent that day in joyful remembrance of God's mercies,
man had a fresh start in his course of labor. A great snare,
too, has always been hidden in the word work, as if the
commandment forbade occupation and imposed idleness. The terms
in the commandment show plainly enough the sort of work which
is contemplated-servile work and business. The Pentateuch
presents us with but three applications of the general
principle-- (Exodus 16:29; 35:3; Numbers 15:32-36) The
reference of Isaiah to the Sabbath gives us no details. The
references in Jeremiah and Nehemiah show that carrying goods
for sale, and buying such, were equally profanations of the
day. A consideration of the spirit of the law and of Christ's
comments on it will show that it is work for worldly gain that
was to be suspended; and hence the restrictive clause is
prefaced with the restrictive command. "Six days shalt thou
labor, and do all thy work;" for so only could the sabbatic
rest be fairly earned. Hence, too, the stress constantly laid
on permitting the servant and beast of burden to share the rest
which selfishness would grudge to them. Thus the spirit of the
Sabbath was joy, refreshment and mercy, arising from
remembrance of God's goodness as Creator and as the Deliverer
from bondage. The Sabbath was a perpetual sign and covenant,
and the holiness of the day is collected with the holiness of
the people; "that ye may know that I am Jehovah that doth
sanctify you." (Exodus 31:12-17; Ezekiel 20:12) Joy was the
key-note Of their service. Nehemiah commanded the people, on a
day holy to Jehovah "Mourn not, nor weep: eat the fat, and
drink: the sweet, and send portions to them for whom nothing is
prepared." (Nehemiah 8:9-13) The Sabbath is named as a day of
special worship in the sanctuary. (Leviticus 19:30; 26:2) It
was proclaimed as a holy convocation. (Leviticus 23:3) In later
times the worship of the sanctuary was enlivened by sacred
music. (Psalms 68:25-27; 150:1)... etc. On this day the people
were accustomed to consult their prophets, (2 Kings 4:23) and
to give to their children that instruction in the truths
recalled to memory by the day which is so repeatedly enjoined
as the duty of parents; it was "the Sabbath of Jehovah" not
only in the sanctuary, but "in all their dwellings." (Leviticus
23:3) When we come to the New Testament we find the most marked
stress laid on the Sabbath. In whatever ways the Jew might err
respecting it, he had altogether ceased to neglect it. On the
contrary wherever he went its observance became the most
visible badge of his nationality. Our Lord's mode of observing
the Sabbath was one of the main features of his life, which his
Pharisaic adversaries meet eagerly watched and criticized. They
had invented many prohibitions respecting the Sabbath of which
we find nothing in the original institution. Some of these
prohibitions were fantastic and arbitrary, in the number of
those "heavy burdens and grievous to be borne" while the latter
expounders of the law "laid on men's shoulders." Comp. (Matthew
12:1-13; John 5:10) That this perversion of the Sabbath had
become very general in our Saviour's time is apparent both from
the recorded objections to acts of his on that day and from his
marked conduct on occasions to which those objections were sure
to be urged. (Matthew 12:1-16; Mark 3:2; Luke 6:1-5; 13:10-17;
John 6:2-18; 7:23; 9:1-34) Christ's words do not remit the duty
of keeping the Sabbath, but only deliver it from the false
methods of keeping which prevented it from bestowing upon men
the spiritual blessings it was ordained to confer.
Sabbathdays Journey
(Acts 1:12) The law as regards travel on the Sabbath is found
in (Exodus 16:29) As some departure from a man's own place was
unavoidable, it was thought necessary to determine the
allowable amount, which was fixed at 2000 paces, or about six
furlongs from the wall of the city. The permitted distance
seems to have been grounded on the space to he kept between the
ark and the people, (Joshua 3:4) in the wilderness, which
tradition said was that between the ark and the tents. We find
the same distance given as the circumference outside the walls
of the Levitical cities to be counted as their suburbs.
(Numbers 33:5) The terminus a quo was thus not a man's own
house, but the wall of the city where he dwelt.
Sabbatical Year
Each seventh year, by the Mosaic code, was to be kept holy.
(Exodus 23:10,11) The commandment is to sow and reap for six
years, and to let the land rest on the seventh, "that the poor
of thy people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the
held shall eat. It is added in (15:1) ... that the seventh Year
should also be one of release to debtors. (15:1-11) Neither
tillage nor cultivation of any sort was to be practiced. The
sabbatical year opened in the sabbatical month, and the whole
law was to be read every such year, during the feast of
Tabernacles, to the assembled people. At the completion of a
week of sabbatical years, the sabbatical scale received its
completion in the year of jubilee. [[1031]Jubilee, The Year Of]
The constant neglect of this law from the very first was one of
the national sins that were punished by the Babylonian
captivity. Of the observance of the sabbatical year after the
captivity we have a proof in 1 Macc. 6:49.
Sabeans
[[1032]Sheba]
Sabtah
(striking), (Genesis 10:7) or Sab'ta, (1 Chronicles 1:9) the
third in order of the sons of Cush. (B.C. 2218.)
Sabtecha, Or Sabtechah
(striking), (Genesis 10:7; 1 Chronicles 1:9) the fifth in order
of the sons of Cush. (B.C. 2218.)
Sacar
(wages).
+ A Hararite, father of Ahiam. (1 Chronicles 11:35)
+ The fourth son of Obed-edom. (1 Chronicles 26:4)
Sackbut
(Daniel 3:5,7,10,15) the rendering in the Authorized Version of
the Chaldee sacbbeca . If this music instrument be the same as
the Greek and Latin sabbeca, the English translation is
entirely wrong. The sackbut was a wind instrument [see
[1033]Music]; the sambuca was a triangular instrument, with
strings, and played with the hand.
Sackcloth
cloth used in making sacks or bags, a coarse fabric, of a dark
color, made of goat's hair, (Isaiah 50:3; Revelation 6:12) end
resembling the eilicium of the Romans. It, was used also for
making the rough garments used by mourners, which were in
extreme cases worn next the skin. (1 Kings 21:27; 2 Kings 6:30;
Job 16:15; Isaiah 32:11)
Sacrifice
The peculiar features of each kind of sacrifice are referred to
under their respective heads. I. (A) ORIGIN OF SACRIFICE.--The
universal prevalence of sacrifice shows it to have been
primeval, and deeply rooted in the instincts of humanity.
Whether it was first enjoined by an external command, or
whether it was based on that sense of sin and lost communion
with God which is stamped by his hand on the heart of man, is a
historical question which cannot be determined. (B) ANTE-MOSAIC
HISTORY OF SACRIFICE.--In examining the various sacrifices
recorded in Scripture before the establishment of the law, we
find that the words specially denoting expiatory sacrifice are
not applied to them. This fact does not at all show that they
were not actually expiatory, but it justified the inference
that this idea was not then the prominent one in the doctrine
of sacrifice. The sacrifices of Cain and Abel are called
minehah, tend appear to have been eucharistic. Noah's, (Genesis
8:20) and Jacob's at Mizpah, were at the institution of a
covenant; and may be called federative. In the burnt offerings
of Job for his children (Job 1:5) and for his three friends ch.
(Job 42:8) we for the first time find the expression of the
desire of expiation for sin. The same is the case in the words
of Moses to Pharaoh. (Exodus 10:26) Here the main idea is at
least deprecatory. (C) THE SACRIFICES OF THE MOSAIC
PERIOD.--These are inaugurated by the offering of the Passover
and the sacrifice of (Exodus 24:1) ... The Passover indeed is
unique in its character but it is clear that the idea of
salvation from death by means of sacrifice is brought out in it
with a distinctness before unknown. The law of Leviticus now
unfolds distinctly the various forms of sacrifice: (a) The
burnt offering : Self-dedicatory. (b) The meat offering :
(unbloody): Eucharistic. (c) The sin offering ; the trespass
offering: Expiatory. To these may be added, (d) The incense
offered after sacrifice in the holy place and (on the Day of
Atonement) in the holy of holies, the symbol of the
intercession of the priest (as a type of the great High Priest)
accompanying and making efficacious the prayer of the people.
In the consecration of Aaron and his sons, (Leviticus 8:1) ...
we find these offered in what became ever afterward their
appointed order. First came the sin offering, to prepare access
to God; next the burnt offering, to mark their dedication to
his service; and third the meat offering of thanksgiving.
Henceforth the sacrificial system was fixed in all its parts
until he should come whom it typified. (D) POST-MOSAIC
SACRIFICES.--It will not be necessary to pursue, in detail the
history of the Poet Mosaic sacrifice, for its main principles
were now fixed forever. The regular sacrifices in the temple
service were-- (a) Burnt offerings. 1, The daily burnt
offerings, (Exodus 29:38-42) 2, The double burnt offerings on
the Sabbath, (Numbers 28:9,10) 3, The burnt offerings at the
great festivals; (Numbers 26:11; Numbers 29:39) (b) Meat
offerings . 1, The daily meat offerings accompanying the daily
burnt offerings, (Exodus 29:40,41) 2, The shewbread, renewed
every Sabbath, (Leviticus 24:6,9) 3, The special meat offerings
at the Sabbath and the great festivals, (Numbers 28:1; Numbers
29:1) ... 4, The first-fruits, at the Passover, (Leviticus
23:10-14) at Pentecost, (Leviticus 23:17-20) the firstfruits of
the dough and threshing-floor at the harvest time. (Numbers
15:20,21; 26:1-11) (c) Sin offerings . 1, Sin offering each new
moon (Numbers 28:15) 2, Sin offerings at the passover,
Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets and Tabernacles, (Numbers
28:22,30; 29:5,16,19,22,25,28,31,34,38) 3, The offering of the
two goats for the people and of the bullock for the priest
himself, on the Great Day of Atonement. (Leviticus 16:1) ...
(d) Incense . 1, The morning and evening incense (Exodus
30:7,8) 2, The incense on the Great Day of Atonement.
(Leviticus 16:12) Besides these public sacrifices, there were
offerings of the people for themselves individually. II. By the
order of sacrifice in its perfect form, as in (Leviticus 8:1)
... it is clear that the sin offering occupies the most
important: place; the burnt offering comes next, and the meat
offering or peace offering last of all. The second could only
be offered after the first had been accepted; the third was
only a subsidiary part of the second. Yet, in actual order of
time it has been seen that the patriarchal sacrifices partook
much more of the nature of the peace offering and burnt
offering, and that under the raw, by which was "the knowledge
of sin," (Romans 3:20) the sin offering was for the first time
explicitly set forth. This is but natural that the deepest
ideas should be the last in order of development. The essential
difference between heathen views of sacrifice and the
scriptural doctrine of the Old. Testament is not to be found in
its denial of any of these views. In fact, it brings out
clearly and distinctly the ideas which in heathenism were
uncertain, vague and perverted. But the essential points of
distinction are two. First, that whereas the heathen conceived
of their gods as alienated in jealousy or anger, to be sought
after and to be appeased by the unaided action of man,
Scripture represents God himself as approaching man, as
pointing out and sanctioning the way by which the broken
covenant should be restored. The second mark of distinction is
closely connected with this, inasmuch as it shows sacrifice to
he a scheme proceeding from God, and in his foreknowledge,
connected with the one central fact of all human history. From
the prophets and the Epistle to the Hebrews we learn that the
sin offering represented that covenant as broken by man, and as
knit together again, by God's appointment through the shedding
of the blood, the symbol of life, signified that the death of
the offender was deserved for sin, but that the death of the
victim was accepted for his death by the ordinance of God's
mercy. Beyond all doubt the sin offering distinctly witnessed
that sin existed in man. that the "wages of that sin was
death," and that God had provided an atonement by the vicarious
suffering of an appointed victim. The ceremonial and meaning of
the burnt offering were very different. The idea of expiation
seems not to have been absent from it, for the blood was
sprinkled round about the altar of sacrifice; but the main idea
is the offering of the whole victim to God, representing as the
laying of the hand on its head shows, the devotion of the
sacrificer, body and soul. to him. (Romans 12:1) The death of
the victim was, so to speak, an incidental feature. The meat
offering, the peace or thank offering, the firstfruits, etc.,
were simply offerings to God of his own best gifts, as a sign
of thankful homage, and as a means of maintaining his service
and his servants. The characteristic ceremony in the peace
offering was the eating of the flesh by the sacrificer. It
betokened the enjoyment of communion with God. It is clear from
this that the idea of sacrifice is a complex idea, involving
the propitiatory, the dedicatory and the eucharistic elements.
Any one of these, taken by itself, would lead to error and
superstition. All three probably were more or less implied in
each sacrifice. each element predominating in its turn. The
Epistle to the Hebrews contains the key of the whole
sacrificial doctrine. The object of the epistle is to show the
typical and probationary character of sacrifices, and to assert
that in virtue of it alone they had a spiritual meaning. Our
Lord is declared (see) (1 Peter 1:20) "to have been
foreordained" as a sacrifice "before the foundation of the
world," or as it is more strikingly expressed in (Revelation
13:8) "slain from the foundation of the world." The material
sacrifices represented this great atonement as already made and
accepted in God's foreknowledge; and to those who grasped the
ideas of sin, pardon and self-dedication symbolized in them,
they were means of entering into the blessings which the one
true sacrifice alone procured. They could convey nothing in
themselves yet as types they might, if accepted by a true
though necessarily imperfect faith be means of conveying in
some degree the blessings of the antitype. It is clear that the
atonement in the Epistle to the Hebrews as in the New Testament
generally, is viewed in a twofold light. On the one hand it is
set forth distinctly as a vicarious sacrifice, which was
rendered necessary by the sin of man and in which the Lord
"bare the sins of many." It is its essential characteristic
that in it he stands absolutely alone offering his sacrifice
without any reference to the faith or the conversion of men. In
it he stands out alone as the mediator between God and man; and
his sacrifice is offered once for all, never to be imitated or
repeated. Now, this view of the atonement is set forth in the
epistle as typified by the sin offering. On the other hand the
sacrifice of Christ is set forth to us as the completion of
that perfect obedience to the will of the Father which is the
natural duty of sinless man. The main idea of this view of the
atonement is representative rather than vicarious. It is
typified by the burnt offering. As without the sin offering of
the cross this our burnt offering would be impossible, so also
without the burnt offering the sin offering will to us be
unavailing. With these views of our Lord's sacrifice oil earth,
as typified in the Levitical sacrifices on the outer alter, is
also to be connected the offering of his intercession for us in
heaven, which was represented by the incense. The typical sense
of the meat offering or peace offering is less connected the
sacrifice of Christ himself than with those sacrifices of
praise, thanksgiving, charity and devotion which we, as
Christians, offer to God, and "with which he is well pleased,"
(Hebrews 13:15,16) as with an odor of sweet smell, a sacrifice
acceptable to God." (Philemon 4:28)
Sadducees
(followers of Zadok), (Matthew 3:7; 16:1,6,11,12; 22:23,31;
Mark 12:18; Luke 20:27; Acts 4:1; 5:17; 23:6,7,8) a religious
party or school among the Jews at the time of Christ, who
denied that the oral law was a revelation of God to the
Israelites. and who deemed the written law alone to be
obligatory on the nation, as of divine authority. Except on one
occasion. (Matthew 16:1,4,6) Christ never assailed the
Sadducees with the same bitter denunciations which he uttered
against the Pharisees. The origin of their name is involved in
great difficulties, but the most satisfactory conjecture is
that the Sadducees or Zadokites were originally identical with
the sons of Zadok, and constituted what may be termed a kind of
sacerdotal aristocracy, this Zadok being the priest who
declared in favor of Solomon when Abiathar took the part of
Adonijah. (1 Kings 1:32-45) To these sons of Zadok were
afterward attached all who for any reason reckoned themselves
as belonging to the aristocrats; such, for example, as the
families of the high priest, who had obtained consideration
under the dynasty of Herod. These were for the most part
judges, and individuals of the official and governing class.
This explanation elucidates at once (Acts 5:17) The leading
tenet of the Sadducees was the negation of the leading tenet of
their opponents. As the Pharisees asserted so the Sadducees
denied, that the Israelites were in possession of an oral law
transmitted to them by Moses, [[1034]Pharisees] In opposition
to the Pharisees, they maintained that the written law alone
was obligatory on the nation, as of divine authority. The
second distinguishing doctrine of the Sadducees was the denial
of man's resurrection after death . In connection with the
disbelief of a resurrection by the Sadducees, they likewise
denied there was "angel or spirit," (Acts 23:8) and also the
doctrines of future punishment and future rewards. Josephus
states that the Sadducees believed in the freedom of the will,
which the Pharisees denied. They pushed this doctrine so far as
almost to exclude God from the government of the world. Some of
the early Christian writers attribute to the Sadducees the
rejection of all the sacred Scriptures except the Pentateuch ;
a statement, however, that is now generally admitted to have
been founded on a misconception of the truth, and it seems to
have arisen from a confusion of the Sadducees with the
Samaritans. An important fact in the history of the Sadducees
is their rapid disappearance from history after the first
century, and the subsequent predominance among the Jews of the
opinions of the Pharisees. Two circumstances contributed,
indirectly but powerfully, to produce this result: 1st. The
state of the Jews after the capture of Jerusalem by Titus; and
2d. The growth of the Christian religion. As to the first
point, it is difficult to overestimate the consternation and
dismay which the destruction of Jerusalem occasioned in the
minds of sincerely-religious Jews. In their hour of darkness
and anguish they naturally turned to the consolations and hopes
of a future state; and the doctrine of the Sadducees, that
there was nothing beyond the present life, would have appeared
to them cold, heartless and hateful. Again, while they were
sunk in the lowest depths of depression, a new religion, which
they despised as a heresy and a superstition, was gradually
making its way among the subjects of their detested conquerors,
the Romans. One of the causes of its success was undoubtedly
the vivid belief in the resurrection of Jesus and a consequent
resurrection of all mankind, which was accepted by its heathen
converts with a passionate earnestness of which those who at
the present day are familiar from infancy with the doctrine of
the resurrection of the dead call form only a faint idea. To
attempt to chock the progress of this new religion among the
Jews by an appeal to the temporary rewards and punishments of
the Pentateuch would have been as idle as an endeavor to check
an explosive power by ordinary mechanical restraints.
Consciously, therefore, or unconsciously, many circumstances
combined to induce the Jews who were not Pharisees, but who
resisted the new heresy, to rally round the standard of the
oral law, and to assert that their holy legislator, Moses, had
transmitted to his faithful people by word of mouth, although
not in writing, the revelation of a future state of rewards and
punishments.
Sadoc
(Greek form of Zadok, just).
+ Zadok the ancestor of Ezra. 2 Esd. 1:1; comp. (Ezra 7:2)
+ A descendant of Zerubbabel in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
(Matthew 1:14) (B.C. about 280.)
Saffron
(yellow). (Song of Solomon 4:14) Saffron has front the earliest
times been in high esteem as a perfume. "It was used," says
Rosenmuller, "for the same purposes as the modern pot-pourri."
The word saffron is derived from the Arabic zafran, "yellow."
(The saffron (Crocus sativus) is a kind of crocus of the iris
family. It is used its a medicine, as a flavoring and as a
yellow dye. Homer, Virgil and Milton refer to its beauty in the
landscape. It abounds in Palestine name saffron is usually
applied only to the stigmas and part of the style, which are
plucked out and dried.--ED.)
Sala, Or Salah
(sprout), the son of Arphaxad, and father of Eber. (Genesis
10:24; 11:18-14; Luke 3:35) (B.C. 2307.)
Salamis
(suit), a city at the east end of the island of Cyprus, and the
first place visited by Paul and Barnabas, on the first
missionary journey, after leaving the mainland at Seleucia.
Here alone, among all the Greek cities visited by St. Paul, we
read expressly of "synagogues" in the plural, (Acts 13:5) hence
we conclude that there were many Jews in Cyprus. And this is in
harmony with what we read elsewhere. Salamis was not far from
the modern Famagousta, it was situated near a river called the
Pediaeus, on low ground, which is in fact a continuation of the
plain running up into the interior toward the place where
Nicosia, the present capital of Cyprus, stands.
Salathiel
(I have asked of God). (1 Chronicles 3:17) The Authorized
Version has Salathiel in (1 Chronicles 3:17) but everywhere
else in the Old Testament Shealtiel.
Salcah, Or Salchah
(migration), a city named in the early records of Israel as the
extreme limit of Bashan, (3:10; Joshua 13:11) and of the tribe
of Gad. (1 Chronicles 5:71) On another occasion the name seems
to denote a district rather than a town. (Joshua 12:5) It is
identical with the town of Sulkhad (56 miles east of the
Jordan, at the southern extremity of the Hauran range of
mountains. The place is nearly deserted, though it contains 800
stone houses, many of them in a good state of
preservation.-ED.)
Salem
(peace).
+ The place of which Melchizedek was king. (Genesis 14:18;
Hebrews 7:1,2) No satisfactory identification of it is
perhaps possible. Two main opinions have been current from
the earliest ages of interpretation: (1). That of the Jewish
commentators, who affirm that Salem is Jerusalem, on the
ground that Jerusalem is so called in (Psalms 76:2) Nearly
all Jewish commentators hold this opinion. (2). Jerome,
however, states that the Salem of Melchizedek was not
Jerusalem, but a town eight Roman miles south of Scythopolis,
and gives its then name as Salumias, and identifies it with
Salem, where John baptized.
+ (Psalms 76:2) it is agreed on all hands that Salem is here
employed for Jerusalem.
Salim
(peace), a place named (John 3:23) to denote the situation of
AEnon, the scene of St. John's last baptisms; Salim being the
well-known town, and AEnon a place of fountains or other waters
near it. [[1035]Salem] The name of Salim has been discovered by
Mr. Van Deuteronomy Velde in a position exactly in accordance
with the notice of Eusebius, viz., six English miles south of
Beisan (Scythopolis), end two miles west of the Jordan. Near
here is an abundant supply of water.
Salma, Or Salmon
(garment), (Ruth 4:20,21; 1 Chronicles 2:11,51,54; Matthew
1:4,5; Luke 3:32) son of Nahshon. the prince of the children of
Judah, and father of Boat, the husband of Ruth. (B.C. 1296.)
Bethlehem-ephratah, which was Salmon's inheritance, was part of
the territory of Caleb, the grandson of Ephratah; and this
caused him to be reckoned among the sons of Caleb.
Salmon
the father of Boar. [[1036]Salma, Or Salmon]
a hill near Shechem, on which Abimelech and his followers cut
down the boughs with which they set the tower of Shechem on
fire. (Judges 9:48) Its exact position is not known. Referred
to in (Psalms 68:14)
Salmone
(clothed), the east point of the island of Crete. (Acts 27:7)
It is a bold promontory, and is visible for a long distance.
Salome
(peaceful).
+ The wife of Zebedee, (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40) and probably
sister of Mary the mother of Jesus, to whom reference is made
in (John 19:25) The only events recorded of Salome are that
she preferred a request on behalf of her two sons for seats
of honor in the kingdom of heaven, (Matthew 20:20) that she
attended at the crucifixion of Jesus, (Mark 15:40) and that
she visited his sepulchre. (Mark 16:1) She is mentioned by
name on only the two latter occasions.
+ The daughter of Herodias by her first husband, Herod Philip.
(Matthew 14:6) She married in the first the tetrarch of
Trachonitis her paternal uncle, sad secondly Aristobulus, the
king of Chalcis.
Salt
Indispensable as salt is to ourselves, it was even more so to
the Hebrews, being to them not only an appetizing condiment in
the food both of man, (Job 11:6) and beset, (Isaiah 30:24) see
margin, and a valuable antidote to the effects of the heat of
the climate on animal food, but also entering largely into the
religious services of the Jews as an accompaniment to the
various offerings presented on the altar. (Leviticus 2:13) They
possessed an inexhaustible and ready supply of it on the
southern shores of the Dead Sea. [[1037]Sea, The Salt, THE
SALT] There is one mountain here called Jebel Usdum, seven
miles long and several hundred feet high, which is composed
almost entirely of salt. The Jews appear to have distinguished
between rock-salt and that which was gained by evaporation as
the Talmudists particularize one species (probably the latter)
as the "salt of Sodom." The salt-pits formed an important
source of revenue to the rulers of the country, and Antiochus
conferred a valuable boon on Jerusalem by presenting the city
with 375 bushels of salt for the temple service. As one of the
most essential articles of diet, salt symbolized hospitality;
as an antiseptic, durability, fidelity and purity. Hence the
expression "covenant of salt," (Leviticus 2:13; Numbers 18:19;
2 Chronicles 13:5) as betokening an indissoluble alliance
between friends; and again the expression "salted with the salt
of the palace." (Ezra 4:14) not necessarily meaning that they
had "maintenance from the palace," as Authorized Version has
it, but that they were bound by sacred obligations fidelity to
the king. So in the present day, "to eat bread and salt
together" is an expression for a league of mutual amity. It was
probably with a view to keep this idea prominently before the
minds of the Jews that the use of salt was enjoined on the
Israelites in their offerings to God.
Salt Sea, Or Dead Sea
[[1038]Sea, The Salt, THE SALT]
Salt, City Of
the fifth of the six cities of Judah which lay in the
"wilderness." (Joshua 15:62) Mr. Robinson expresses his belief
that it lay somewhere near the plain at the south end of the
Salt Sea.
Salt, Valley Of
a valley in which occurred two memorable victories of the
Israelite arms:
+ That of David over the Edomites. (2 Samuel 8:13; 1 Chronicles
18:12)
+ That of Amaziah. (2 Kings 14:7; 2 Chronicles 25:11) It is
perhaps the broad open plain which lies at the lower end of
the Dead Sea, and intervenes between the lake itself and the
range of heights which crosses the valley at six or eight
miles to the south. This same view is taken by Dr. Robinson.
Others suggest that it is nearer to Petra. What little can be
inferred from the narrative as to its situation favors the
latter theory.
Salu
(weighed), the father of Zimri the prince of the Simeonites who
was slain by Phinehas. (Numbers 25:14) Called also Salom.
(B.C.1452.)
Salutation
Salutations may be classed under the two heads of
conversational and epistolary. The salutation at meeting
consisted in early times of various expressions of blessing,
such as "God be gracious unto thee," (Genesis 43:29) "The Lord
be with you;" "The Lord bless thee." (Ruth 2:4) Hence the term
"bless" received the secondary sense of "salute." The
salutation at parting consisted originally of a simple
blessing, (Genesis 24:60) but in later times the form "Go in
peace," or rather "Farewell" (1 Samuel 1:17) was common. In
modern times the ordinary mode of address current in the East
resembles the Hebrew Es-selam aleykum, "Peace be on you," and
the term "salam," peace, has been introduced into our own
language to describe the Oriental salutation. In epistolary
salutations the writer placed-his own name first, and then that
of the person whom he sainted. A form of prayer for spiritual
mercies was also used. The concluding salutation consisted
generally of the term "I salute," accompanied by a prayer for
peace or grace.
Samaria
(watch mountain). This city is situated 30 miles north of
Jerusalem and about six miles to the northwest of Shechem, in a
wide basin-shaped valley, six miles in diameter, encircled with
high hills, almost on the edge of the great plain which borders
upon the Mediterranean. In the centre of this basin, which is
on a lower level than the valley of Shechem, rises a less
elevated hill, with steep yet accessible sides and a long fiat
top. This hill was chosen by Omri as the site of the capital of
the kingdom of Israel. He "bought the hill of Samaria of Shemer
for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called
the name of the city which he built, after the name of the
owner of the hill, Samaria." (1 Kings 16:23,24) From the that
of Omri's purchase, B.C. 925, Samaria retained its dignity as
the capital of the ten tribes, and the name is given to the
northern kingdom as well as to the city. Ahab built a temple to
Baal there. (1 Kings 16:32,33) It was twice besieged by the
Syrians, in B.C. 901, (1 Kings 20:1) and in B.C. 892, (2 Kings
6:24-7; 2 Kings 6:20) but on both occasions the siege was
ineffectual. The possessor of Samaria was considered
Deuteronomy facto king of Israel. (2 Kings 15:13,14) In B.C.
721 Samaria was taken, after a siege of three years, by
Shalmaneser king of Assyria, (2 Kings 18:9,10) and the kingdom
of the ten tribes was put an end to. Some years afterward the
district of which Samaria was the centre was repeopled by
Esarhaddon. Alexander the Great took the city, killed a large
portion of the inhabitants, and suffered the remainder to set
it at Shechem. He replaced them by a colony of Syro-Macedonians
who occupied the city until the time of John Hyrcanus, who took
it after a year's siege, and did his best to demolish it
entirely. (B.C. 109.) It was rebuilt and greatly embellished by
Herod the Great. He called it Sebaste=Augusta, after the name
of his patron, Augustus Caesar. The wall around it was 2 1/2
miles long, and in the centre of the city was a park 900 feet
square containing a magnificent temple dedicated to Caesar. In
the New Testament the city itself does not appear to be
mentioned; but rather a portion of the district to which, even
in older times it had extended its name. (Matthew 10:5; John
4:4,5) At this clay the city is represented by a small village
retaining few vestiges of the past except its name, Sebustiyeh,
an Arabic corruption of Sebaste. Some architectural remains it
has, partly of Christian construction or adaptation, as the
ruined church of St. John the Baptist, partly, perhaps, traces
of Idumaean magnificence, St. Jerome, whose acquaintance with
Palestine imparts a sort of probability to the tradition which
prevailed so strongly in later days, asserts that Sebaste,
which he invariably identifies with Samaria was the place in
which St. John the Baptist was imprisoned and suffered death.
He also makes it the burial-place of the prophets Elisha and
Obadiah.
Samaria, Country Of
Samaria at first included all the tribes over which Jeroboam
made himself king, whether east or west of the river Jordan. (1
Kings 13:32) But whatever extent the word might have acquired,
it necessarily be came contracted as the limits of the kingdom
of Israel became contracted. In all probability the territory
of Simeon and that of Dan were very early absorbed in the
kingdom of Judah. It is evident from an occurrence in
Hezekiah's reign that just before the deposition and death of
Hoshea, the last king of Israel, the authority of the king of
Judah, or at least his influence, was recognized by portions of
Asher, Issachar and Zebulun and even of Ephraim and Manasseh.
(2 Chronicles 30:1-26) Men came from all those tribes to the
Passover at Jerusalem. This was about B.C. 728. Samaria (the
city) and a few adjacent cities or villages only represented
that dominion which had once extended from Bethel to Dan
northward, and from the Mediterranean to the borders of Syria
and Ammon eastward. In New Testament times Sa maria was bounded
northward by the range of hills which commences at Mount Carmel
on the west, and, after making a bend to the southwest, runs
almost due east to the valley of the Jordan, forming the
southern border of the plain of Esdraelon. It touched toward
the south, is nearly as possible, the northern limits of
Benjamin. Thus it comprehended the ancient territory of Ephraim
and that of Manasseh west of Jordan. The Cuthaean Samaritans,
however, possessed only a few towns and villages of this large
area, and these lay almost together in the centre of the
district. At Nablus the Samaritans have still a settlement,
consisting of about 200 persons. [[1039]Shechem]
Samaritan Pentateuch
a recension of the commonly received Hebrew text of the Mosaic
law, in use among the Samaritans, and written in the ancient
Hebrew or so-called Samaritan character. The origin of the
Samaritan Pentateuch has given rise to much controversy, into
which we cannot here enter. The two most usual opinions are--
+ That it came into the hands of the Samaritans as an
inheritance from the ten tribes whom they succeeded.
+ That it was introduced by Manasseh at the time of the
foundation of the Samaritan sanctuary on Mount Gerizim. It
differs in several important points from the Hebrew text.
Among these may be mentioned--
+ Emendations of passages and words of the Hebrew text which
contain something objectionable in the eyes of the
Samaritans, On account either of historical probability or
apparent want of dignity in the terms applied to the Creator.
Thus in the Samaritan Pentateuch no one in the antediluvian
times begets his first son after he has lived 150 years; but
one hundred years are, where necessary, subtracted before,
and added after, the birth of the first son. An exceedingly
important and often-discussed emendation of this class is the
passage in (Exodus 12:40) which in our text reads, "Now the
sojourning of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was
four hundred and thirty years." The Samaritan has "The
sojourning of the children of Israel [and their fathers who
dwelt in the Land of Cannaan and in the land of Egypt ] was
four hundred and thirty years;" an interpolation of very late
date indeed. Again, in (Genesis 2:2) "And God [?] had
finished on the seventh day," is altered into "the sixth "
lest God's rest on the Sabbath day might seem incomplete.
+ Alterations made in favor of or on behalf of Samaritan
theology, hermeneutics and domestic worship.
Samaritans
Strictly speaking, a Samaritan would be an inhabitant of the
city of Samaria, but the term was applied to all the people of
the kingdom of Israel. After the captivity of Israel, B.C. 721,
and in our Lord's time, the name was applied to a peculiar
people whose origin was in this wise. At the final captivity of
Israel by Shalmaneser, we may conclude that the cities of
Samaria were not merely partially but wholly depopulated of
their inhabitants in B.C. 721, and that they remained in this
desolated state until, in the words of (2 Kings 17:24) "the
king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and front Cuthah, and
from Av. (Ivah,) (2 Kings 18:34) and from Hamath, and front
Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of
the children of Israel and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in
the cities thereof." Thus the new Samaritans were Assyrians by
birth or subjugation. These strangers, whom we will now assume
to hare been placed in "the cities of Samaria" by Esar-haddon,
were of course idolaters, and worshipped a strange medley of
divinities. God's displeasure was kindled, and they were
annoyed by beasts of prey, which had probably increased to a
great extent before their entrance upon the land. On their
explaining their miserable condition to the king of Assyria, he
despatched one of the captive priests to teach them "how they
should fear the Lord." The priest came accordingly, and
henceforth, in the language of the sacred historian, they
"Feared the Lord, and served their graven images, both their
children and their children's children: as did their fathers,
so do the unto this day." (2 Kings 17:41) A gap occurs in their
history until Judah has returned from captivity. They then
desire to be allowed to participate in the rebuilding of the
temple at Jerusalem; but on being refused, the Samaritans throw
off the mask, and become open enemies, frustrate the operations
of the Jews through the reigns of two Persian kings, and are
only effectually silenced in the reign of Darius Hystaspes,
B.C. 519. The feud thus unhappily begun grew year by year more
inveterate. Matters at length came to a climax. About B.C. 409,
a certain Manasseh, a man of priestly lineage, on being
expelled from Jerusalem by nehemiah for an unlawful marriage,
obtained permission from the Persian king of his day, Darius
Nothus, to build a temple on Mount Gerizim for the Samaritans,
with whom he had found refuge. The animosity of the Samaritans
became more intense than ever. They are sid to have done
everything in their power to annoy the Jews. Their own temple
on Gerizim they considered to be much superior to that at
Jerusalem. There they sacrificed a passover. Toward the
mountain, even after the temple on it had fallen, wherever they
were they directed their worship. To their copy of the law they
arrogated an antiquity and authority greater than attached to
any copy in the possession of the Jews. The law (i.e. the five
books of Moses) was their sole code; for they rejected every
other book in the Jewish canon. The Jews, on the other hand,
were not more conciliatory in their treatment of the
Samaritans. Certain other Jewish renegades had from time to
time taken refuge with the Samaritans; hence by degrees the
Samaritans claimed to partake of jewish blood, especially if
doing so happened to suit their interest. Very far were the
Jews from admitting this claim to consanguinity on the part of
these people. The traditional hatred in which the jew held the
Samaritan is expressed in Ecclus. 50:25,26. Such were the
Samaritans of our Lord's day; a people distinct from the jews,
though lying in the very midst of the Jews; a people preserving
their identity, though seven centuries had rolled away since
they had been brought from Assyria by Esar-haddon, and though
they had abandoned their polytheism for a sort of ultra
Mosaicism; a people who, though their limits had gradually
contracted and the rallying-place of their religion on Mount
Gerizim had been destroyed one hundred and sixty years before
by John Hyrcanus (B.C. 130), and though Samaria (the city) had
been again and again destroyed, still preserved their
nationality still worshipped from Shechem and their
impoverished settlements toward their sacred hill, still
retained their peculiar religion, and could not coalesce with
the Jews.
Samgarnebo
(sword of Nebo), one of the princes or generals of the king of
Babylon. (Jeremiah 39:3)
Samlah
(garment), (Genesis 36:36,37; 1 Chronicles 1:47,48) one of the
kings of Edom, successor to Hadad or Hadar.
Samos
a Greek island off that part of Asia Minor where Ionia touches
Caria. Samos comes before our notice in the detailed account of
St. Paul's return from his third missionary journey. (Acts
20:15)
Samothrace
In the Revised Version for Samothracia.
Samothracia
Mention is made of this island in the account of St. Paul's
first voyage to Europe. (Acts 16:11; 20:6) Being very lofty and
conspicuous, it is an excellent landmark for sailors, and must
have been full in view, if the weather was clear throughout
that voyage from Troas to Neapolis.
Samson
(like the sun), son of Manoah, a man of the town of Zorah in
the tribe of Dan, on the border of Judah. (Joshua 15:33; 19:41)
(B.C. 1161). The miraculous circumstances of his birth are
recorded in Judges 13; and the three following chapters are
devoted to the history of his life and exploits. Samson takes
his place in Scripture, (1) as a judge--an office which he
filled for twenty years, (Judges 15:20; 16:31) (2) as a
Nazarite, (Judges 13:5; 16:17) and (3) as one endowed with
supernatural power by the Spirit of the Lord. (Judges 13:25;
14:6,19; 15:14) As a judge his authority seems to have been
limited to the district bordering upon the country of the
Philistines. The divine inspiration which Samson shared with
Othniel, Gideon and Jephthah assumed in him the unique form of
vast personal strength, inseparably connected with the
observance of his vow as a Nazarite: "his strength was in his
hair." He married a Philistine woman whom he had seen at
Timnath. One day, on his way to that city, he was attacked by a
lion, which he killed; and again passing that way he saw a
swarm of bees in the carcass of the lion, and he ate of the
honey, but still he told no one. He availed himself of this
circumstance, and of the custom of proposing riddles at
marriage feasts, to lay a snare for the Philistines. But Samson
told the riddle to his wife and she told it to the men of the
city, whereupon Samson slew thirty men of the city. Returning
to his own house, he found his wife married to another, and was
refused permission to see her. Samson revenged himself by
taking 300 foxes (or rather jackals) and tying them together
two by two by the tails, with a firebrand between every pair of
tails, and so he let them loose into the standing corn of the
Philistines, which was ready for harvest, The Philistines took
vengeance by burning Samson's wife and her father; but he fell
hip upon them in return, and smote them with a great
slaughter," after which he took refuge on the top of the rock
of Etam, in the territory of Judah. The Philistines gathered an
army to revenge themselves when the men of Judah hastened to
make peace by giving up Samson, who was hound with cords,
these, however, he broke like burnt flax and finding a jawbone
of an ass at hand, he slew with it a thousand of the
Philistines. The supernatural character of this exploit was
confirmed by the miraculous bursting out of a spring of water
to revive the champion as he was ready to die of thirst. This
achievement raised Samson to the position of a judge, which he
held for twenty years. After a time he began to fall into the
temptations which addressed themselves to his strong animal
nature; but he broke through every snare in which he was caught
so long as he kept his Nazarite vow. While he was visiting a
harlot in Gaza, the Philistines shut the gates of the city,
intending to kill him in the morning; but at midnight he went
out and tore away the gates, with the posts and bar and carried
them to the top of a hill looking toward Hebron. Next he formed
his fatal connection with Delilah, a woman who lived in the
valley of Sorek. Thrice he suffered himself to be bound with
green withes, with new ropes, but released himself until
finally, wearied out with her importunity, he "told her all his
heart," and while he was asleep she had him shaven of his seven
locks of hair. His enemies put out his eyes, and led him down
to Gaza, bound in brazen fetters, and made him grind in the
prison. Then they held a great festival in the temple of Dagon,
to celebrate their victory over Samson. They brought forth the
blind champion to make sport for them, end placed him between
the two chief pillars which supported the roof that surrounded
the court. Samson asked the lad who guided him to let him feel
the pillars, to lean upon them. Then, with a fervent prayer
that God would strengthen him only this once, to be avenged on
the Philistines, he bore with all his might upon the two
pillars; they yielded, and the house fell upon the lords and
all the people. So the dead which he slew at his death were
more than they which he slew in his life." In (Hebrews 11:32)
his name is enrolled among the worthies of the Jewish Church.
Samuel
was the son of Elkanah and Hannah, and was born at
Ramathaim-zophim, among the hills of Ephraim. [[1040]Ramah No.
2] (B.C. 1171.) Before his birth he was dedicated by his mother
to the office of a Nazarite and when a young child, 12 years
old according to Josephus he was placed in the temple, and
ministered unto the Lord before Eli." It was while here that he
received his first prophetic call. (1 Samuel 3:1-18) He next
appears, probably twenty years afterward, suddenly among the
people, warning them against their idolatrous practices. (1
Samuel 7:3,4) Then followed Samuel's first and, as far as we
know, only military achievement, ch. (1 Samuel 7:5-12) but it
was apparently this which raised him to the office of "judge."
He visited, in the discharge of his duties as ruler, the three
chief sanctuaries on the west of Jordan--Bethel, Gilgal and
Mizpeh. ch. (1 Samuel 7:16) His own residence was still native
city, Ramah, where he married, and two sons grew up to repeat
under his eyes the same perversion of high office that he had
himself witnessed in his childhood in the case of the two sons
of Eli. In his old age he shared his power with them, (1 Samuel
8:1-4) but the people dissatisfied, demanded a king, and
finally anointed under God's direction, and Samuel surrendered
to him his authority, (1 Samuel 12:1) ... though still
remaining judge. ch. (1 Samuel 7:15) He was consulted far and
near on the small affairs of life. (1 Samuel 9:7,8) From this
fact, combined with his office of ruler, an awful reverence
grew up around him. No sacrificial feast was thought complete
without his blessing. Ibid. (1 Samuel 9:13) A peculiar virtue
was believed to reside in his intercession. After Saul was
rejected by God, Samuel anointed David in his place and Samuel
became the spiritual father of the psalmist-king. The death of
Samuel is described as taking place in the year of the close of
David's wanderings. It is said with peculiar emphasis, as if to
mark the loss, that "all the Israelites were gathered together"
from all parts of this hitherto-divided country, and "lamented
him," and "buried him" within his own house, thus in a manner
consecrated by being turned into his tomb. (1 Samuel 25:1)
Samuel represents the independence of the moral law, of the
divine will, as distinct from legal or sacerdotal enactments,
which is so remarkable a characteristic of all the later
prophets. He is also the founder of the first regular
institutions of religious instructions and communities for the
purposes of education.
Samuel, Books Of
are not separated from each other in the Hebrew MSS., and, from
a critical point of view, must be regarded as one book. The
present, division was first made in the Septuagint translation,
and was adopted in the Vulgate from the Septuagint. The book
was called by the Hebrews: "Samuel," probably because the birth
and life of Samuel were the subjects treated of in the
beginning of the work. The books of Samuel commence with the
history of Eli and Samuel, and contain all account of the
establishment of the Hebrew monarchy and of the reigns of Saul
and David, with the exception of the last days of the latter
monarch which are related in the beginning of the books of
Kings, of which those of Samuel form the previous portion.
[[1041]Kings, First And Second Books Of, B00KS OF] Authorship
and date of the book,--
+ As to the authorship. In common with all the historical books
of the Old Testament, except the beginning of Nehemiah, the
book of Samuel contains no mention in the text of the name of
its author. It is indisputable that the title "Samuel" does
not imply that the prophet was the author of the book of
Samuel as a whole; for the death of Samuel is recorded in the
beginning of the 25th chapter. In our own time the most
prevalent idea in the Anglican Church seems to have been that
the first twenty-four chapters of the book of Samuel were
written by the prophet himself, and the rest of the chapters
by the prophets Nathan and Gad. This, however, is doubtful.
+ But although the authorship cannot be ascertained with
certainty, it appears clear that, in its present form it must
have been composed subsequent to the secession of the ten
tribes, B.C. 975. This results from the passage in (1 Samuel
27:6) wherein it is said of David, "Then Achish gave him
Ziklag that day wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of
Judah to this day:" for neither Saul, David nor Solomon is in
a single instance called king of Judah simply. On the other
hand, it could hardly have been written later than the
reformation of Josiah, since it seems to have been composed
at a time when the Pentateuch was not acted on as the rule of
religious observances, which received a special impetus at
the finding of the Book of the Law at the reformation of
Josiah. All, therefore, that can be asserted with any
certainty is that the book, as a whole, can scarcely have
been composed later than the reformation of Josiah, and that
it could not have existed in its present form earlier than
the reign of Rehoboam. The book of Samuel is one of the best
specimens of Hebrew prose in the golden age of Hebrew
literature. In prose it holds the same place which Joel and
the undisputed prophecies of Isaiah hold in poetical or
prophetical language.
Sanballat
(strength), a Moabite of Horonaim. (Nehemiah 2:10,13; 13:28) He
held apparently some command in Samaria at the time Nehemiah
was preparing to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, B.C. 445,
(Nehemiah 4:2) and from the moment of Nehemiah's arrival in
Judea he set himself to oppose every measure for the welfare of
Jerusalem. The only other incident in his life is his alliance
with the high priest's family by the marriage of his daughter
with one of the grandsons of Eliashib; but the expulsion from
the priesthood of the guilty son of Joiada by Nehemiah promptly
followed. Here the scriptural narrative ends.
Sandal
was the article ordinarily used by the Hebrews for protecting
the feet. It consisted simply of a sole attached to the foot by
thongs. We have express notice of the thong (Authorized Version
"shoe latchet") in several passages, notably (Genesis 14:23;
Isaiah 5:27; Mark 1:7) Sandals were worn by all classes of
society in Palestine, even by the very poor; and both the
sandal and the thong or shoe-latchet were so cheap and common
that they passed into a proverb for the most insignificant
thing. (Genesis 14:23) Ecclus. 46;13, They were dispensed with
in-doors, and were only put on by persons about to undertake
some business away from their homes. During mealtimes the feet
were uncovered. (Luke 7:38; John 13:5,6) It was a mark of
reverence to cast off the shoes in approaching a place or
person of eminent sanctity. (Exodus 3:5; Joshua 5:15) It was
also an indication of violent emotion, or of mourning, if a
person appeared barefoot in public. (2 Samuel 15:30) To carry
or to unloose a person's sandal was a menial office, betokening
great inferiority on the part of the person performing it.
(Matthew 3:11)
Sanhedrin
(from the Greek sunedrion, "a council-chamber" commonly but in
correctly Sanhedrim), the supreme council of the Jewish people
in the time of Christ and earlier.
+ The origin of this assembly is traced in the Mishna to the
seventy elders whom Moses was directed, (Numbers 11:16,17) to
associate with him in the government of the Israelites; but
this tribunal was probably temporary, and did not continue to
exist after the Israelites had entered Palestine. In the lack
of definite historical information as to the establishment of
the Sanhedrin, it can only be said in general that the Greek
etymology of the name seems to point to a period subsequent
to the Macedonian supremacy in Palestine. From the few
incidental notices in the New Testament, we gather that it
consisted of chief priests, or the heads of the twenty-four
classes into which the priests were divided, elders, men of
age and experience, and scribes, lawyers, or those learned in
the Jewish law. (Matthew 26:57,59; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66;
Acts 5:21)
+ The number of members is usually given as 71. The president
of this body was styled nasi, and was chosen in account of
his eminence in worth and wisdom. Often, if not generally,
this pre-eminence was accorded to the high priest. The
vice-president, called in the Talmud "father of the house of
judgment," sat at the right hand of the president. Some
writers speak of a second vice-president, but this is not
sufficiently confirmed. While in session the Sanhedrin sat in
the form of half-circle.
+ The place in which the sessions of the Sanhedrin were
ordinarily held was, according to the Talmad, a hall called
Gazzith, supposed by Lightfoot to have been situated in the
southeast corner of one of the courts near the temple
building. In special exigencies, however, it seems to have
met in the residence of the high priest. (Matthew 26:3) Forty
years before the destruction of Jerusalem, and consequently
while the Saviour was teaching in Palestine, the sessions of
the Sanhedrin were removed from the hall Gazzith to a
somewhat greater distance from the temple building, although
still on Mount Moriah. After several other changes, its seat
was finally established at tiberias, where it became extinct
A.D. 425. As a judicial body the Sanhedrin constituted a
supreme court, to which belonged in the first instance the
trial of false prophets, of the high priest and other
priests, and also of a tribe fallen into idolatry. As an
administrative council, it determined other important
matters. Jesus was arraigned before this body as a false
prophet, (John 11:47) and Peter, John, Stephen and Paul as
teachers of error and deceivers of the people. From (Acts
9:2) it appears that the Sanhedrin exercised a degree of
authority beyond the limits of Palestine. According to the
Jerusalem Gemara the power of inflicting capital punishment
was taken away from this tribunal forty years before the
destruction of Jerusalem. With this agrees the answer of the
Jews to Pilate. (John 19:31) The Talmud also mentions a
lesser Sanhedrin of twenty-three members in every city in
Palestine in which were not less than 120 householders.
Sansannah
(palm branch), one of the towns in the south district of Judah,
named in (Joshua 15:31) only.
Saph
(tall), one of the sons of the giant slain by Sibbechai the
Hushathite. (2 Samuel 21:18) In (1 Chronicles 20:4) he is
called [1042]Sippai. (B.C. about 1050.)
Saphir
(fair), one of the villages addressed by the prophet Micha,
(Micah 1:11) is described by Eusebius and jerome as "in the
mountain district between Eleutheropolis and Ascalon," perhaps
represented by the village es-Sawafir, seven or eight miles to
the northeast of Ascalon.
Sapphira
[[1043]Ananias]
Sapphire
(Heb. sappir), a precious stone, apparently of a bright-blue
color, set: (Exodus 24:10) the second stone in the second row
of the high priest's breastplate, (Exodus 28:18) extremely
precious, (Job 28:16) it was one of the precious stones that
ornamented the king of Tyre. (Ezekiel 28:13) The sapphire of
the ancients was not our gem of that name, viz. the azure or
indigo-blue, crystalline variety of corundum, but our lapis
lazuli (ultra-marine).
Sara
Greek form of Sarah.
Sarah
(princess).
+ The wife and half-sister, (Genesis 20:12) of Abraham, and
mother of Isaac. Her name is first introduced in (Genesis
11:29) as Sarai. The change of her name from Sarai, my
princess (i.e. Abraham's), to Sarah, princess (for all the
race), was made at the same time that Abram's name was
changed to Abraham,--on the establishment of the covenant of
circumcision between him and God. Sarah's history is of
course that of Abraham. [[1044]Abraham] She died at Hebron at
the age of 127 years, 28 years before her husband and was
buried by him in the cave of (B.C. 1860.) She is referred to
in the New Testament as a type of conjugal obedience in (1
Peter 3:6) and as one of the types of faith in (Hebrews
11:11)
+ Sarah, the daughter of Asher. (Numbers 26:46)
Sarai
(my princess) the original name of Sarah wife of Abraham.
Saraph
(burning) mentioned in (1 Chronicles 4:22) among the
descendants of Judah.
Sardine, Sardius
(red) (Heb. odem) the stone which occupied the first place in
the first row of the high priest's breastplate. (Exodus 28:27)
The sard, which is probably the stone denoted by odem, is a
superior variety of agate, sometimes called camelian, and has
long been a favorite stone for the engraver's art. Sardis
differ in color: there is a bright-red variety, and perhaps the
Hebrew odem from a root means "to be red," points to this kind.
Sardis
a city of Asia Minor and capital of Lydia, situated about two
miles to the south of the river Hermus, just below the range of
Tmolus, on a spur of which its acropolis was built. It was 60
miles northeast of Smyrna. It was the ancient residence of the
kings of Lydia, among them Croesus, proverbial for his immense
wealth. Cyrus is said to have taken,000,000 worth of treasure
form the city when he captured it, B.C. 548. Sardis was in very
early times, both from the extremely fertile character of the
neighboring region and from its convenient position, a
commercial mart of importance. The art of dyeing wool is said
to have been invented there. In the year 214 B.C. it was taken
and sacked by the army of Antiochus the Great. Afterward it
passed under the dominion of the kings of Pergamos. Its
productive soil must always have continued a source of wealth;
but its importance as a central mart appears to have diminished
from the time of the invasion of Asia by Alexander. The massive
temple of Cybele still bears witness in its fragmentary remains
to the wealth and architectural skill of the people that raised
it. On the north side of the acropolis, overlooking the valley
of the Hermus, is a theatre near 400 feet in diameter, attached
to a stadium of about 1000. There are still considerable
remains of the ancient city at Sert-Kalessi . Travellers
describe the appearance of the locality as that of complete
solitude. The only passage in which it is mentioned in the
Bible is (Revelation 3:1-6)
Sardites, The
descendants of Sered the son of Zebulun. (Numbers 26:26) (In
the Revised Version of (Revelation 4:3) for sardine stone. The
name is derived from Sardis, where the stone was first found.)
Sardonyx
a name compounded of sard and onyx, two precious stones,
varieties of chalcedony or agate. The sardonyx combines the
qualities of both, whence its name. It is mentioned only in
(Revelation 21:20) The sardonyx consists of "a white opaque
layer, superimposed upon a red transparent stratum of the true
red sard." It is, like the sard, merely a variety of agate, and
is frequently employed by engravers for signet-rings.
Sarepta
[[1045]Zarephath]
Sargon
(prince of the sea), one of the greatest of the Assyrian kings,
is mentioned by name but once in Scripture-- (Isaiah 20:1) He
was the successor of Shalmaneser, and was Sennacherib's father
and his reigned from B.C. 721 to 702, and seems to have been a
usurper. He was undoubtedly a great and successful warrior. In
his annals, which cover a space of fifteen years, from B.C. 721
to 706, he gives an account of his warlike expeditions against
Babylonia and Susiana on the south, Media on the east, Armenia
and Cappadocia toward the north, Syria, Palestine, Arabia and
Egypt toward the west and southwest. In B.C. 712 he took
Ashdod, by one of his generals, which is the event which causes
the mention of his name in Scripture. It is not as a warrior
only that Sargon deserves special mention among the Assyrian
kings. He was also the builder of useful works, and of one of
the most magnificent of the Assyrian palaces.
Sarid
(survivor), a chief landmark of the territory of Zebulun.
(Joshua 19:10,12) All that can be gathered of its position is
that it lay to the west of Chislothtabor.
Saron
the district in which Lydda stood, (Acts 9:35) only; the Sharon
of the Old Testament. [[1046]Sharon]
Sarothie
are among the sons of the servants of Solomon who returned with
Zerubbabel. 1 Esd. 6:34.
Sarsechim
(prince of the eunuchs), one of the generals of
Nebuchadnezzar's army at the taking of Jerusalem. (Jeremiah
39:3) (B.C. 588.)
Saruch
(Luke 3:25) Serug the son of Reu.
Satan
The word itself, the Hebrew satan, is simply an "adversary,"
and is so used in (1 Samuel 29:4; 2 Samuel 19:22; 1 Kings 6:4;
11:14,23,25; Numbers 22:22,33; Psalms 109:6) This original
sense is still found in our Lord's application of the name to
St. Peter in (Matthew 16:23) It is used as a proper name or
title only four times in the Old Testament, vis. (with the
article) in (Job 1:6; 12; 2:1; Zechariah 2:1) and without the
article in (1 Chronicles 21:1) It is with the scriptural
revelation on the subject that we are here concerned; and it is
clear, from this simple enumeration of passages, that it is to
be sought in the New rather than in the Old Testament. I. The
personal existence of a spirit of evil is clearly revealed in
Scripture; but the revelation is made gradually, in accordance
with the progressiveness of God's method. In the first entrance
of evil into the world, the temptation is referred only to the
serpent. In the book of Job we find for the first time a
distinct mention of "Satan" the "adversary" of Job. But it is
important to remark the emphatic stress laid on his subordinate
position, on the absence of all but delegated power, of all
terror and all grandeur in his character. It is especially
remarkable that no power of spiritual influence, but only a
power over outward circumstances, is attributed to him. The
captivity brought the Israelites face to face with the great
dualism of the Persian mythology, the conflict of Ormuzd with
Ahriman, the co-ordinate spirit of evil; but it is confessed by
all that the Satan of Scripture bears no resemblance to the
Persian Ahriman. His subordination and inferiority are as
strongly marked as ever. The New Testament brings plainly
forward the power and the influence of Satan, From the
beginning of the Gospel, when he appears as the personal
tempter of our Lord through all the Gospels, Epistles, and
Apocalypse, it is asserted or implied, again and again, as a
familiar and important truth. II. Of the nature and original
state of Satan, little is revealed in Scripture. He is spoken
of as a "spirit" in (Ephesians 2:2) as the prince or ruler of
the "demons" in (Matthew 12:24-26) and as having "angels"
subject to him in (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:7,9) The whole
description of his power implies spiritual nature and spiritual
influence. We conclude therefore that he was of angelic nature,
a rational and spiritual creature, superhuman in power, wisdom
and energy; and not only so, but an archangel, one of the
"princes" of heaven. We cannot, of course, conceive that
anything essentially and originally evil was created by God. We
can only conjecture, therefore, that Satan is a fallen angel,
who once had a time of probation, but whose condemnation is now
irrevocably fixed. As to the time cause and manner of his fall
Scripture tells us scarcely anything; but it describes to us
distinctly the moral nature of the evil one. The ideal of
goodness is made up of the three great moral attributes of
God--love, truth, and purity or holiness; combined with that
spirit which is the natural temper of the finite and dependent
we find creature, the spirit of faith. We find, accordingly,
opposites of qualities are dwelt upon as the characteristics of
the devil. III. The power of Satan over the soul is represented
as exercised either directly or by his instruments. His direct
influence over the soul is simply that of a powerful and evil
nature on those in whom lurks the germ of the same evil.
Besides this direct influence, we learn from Scripture that
Satan is the leader of a host of evil spirits or angels who
share his evil work, and for whom the "everlasting fire is
prepared." (Matthew 25:41) Of their origin and fall we know no
more than of his. But one passage (Matthew
12:24-26)--identifies them distinctly with the "demons"
(Authorized Version "devils") who had power to possess the
souls of men. They are mostly spoken of in Scripture in
reference to possession; but in (Ephesians 6:12) find them
sharing the enmity to God and are ascribed in various lights.
We find them sharing the enmity to God and man implied in the
name and nature of Satan; but their power and action are little
dwelt upon in comparison with his. But the evil one is not
merely the "prince of the demons;" he is called also the
"prince of this world" in (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) and even
the. "god of this world" in (2 Corinthians 4:4) the two
expressions being united in (Ephesians 6:12) This power he
claimed for himself, as the delegated authority, in the
temptation of our Lord, (Luke 4:6) and the temptation would
have been unreal had he spoken altogether falsely. The indirect
action of Satan is best discerned by an examination of the
title by which he is designated in Scripture. He is called
emphatically ho diabolos, "the devil." The derivation of the
word in itself implies only the endeavor to break the bonds
between others and "set them at variance;" but common usage
adds to this general sense the special idea of "setting at
variance by slander." In the application of the title to Satan,
both the general and special senses should be kept in view. His
general object is to break the bonds of communion between God
and man, and the bonds of truth and love which bind men to each
other. The slander of God to man is best seen in the words of
(Genesis 3:4,5) They attribute selfishness and jealousy to the
Giver of all good. The slander of man to God is illustrated by
the book of Job. (Job 1:9-11; 2:4,5) IV. The method of satanic
action upon the heart itself. It may be summed up in two
words--temptation and possession. The subject of temptation is
illustrated, not only by abstract statements, but also by the
record of the temptations of Adam and of our Lord. It is
expressly laid down, as in (James 1:2-4) that "temptation,"
properly so called, i.e. "trial," is essential to man, and is
accordingly ordained for him and sent to him by God, as in
(Genesis 22:1) It is this tentability of man, even in his
original nature, which is represented in Scripture as giving
scope to the evil action of Satan. But in the temptation of a
fallen nature Satan has a greater power. Every sin committed
makes a man the "servant of sin" for the future, (John 8:34;
Romans 6:16) it therefore creates in the spirit of man a
positive tendency to evil which sympathizes with, and aids, the
temptation of the evil one. On the subject of possession, see
[1047]Demoniacs.
Satyr
(sa'tyr or sat'yr), a sylvan deity or demigod of Greek
mythology, represented as a monster, part man and part goat.
(Isaiah 13:21; 34:14) The Hebrew word signifies "hairy" or
"rough," and is frequently applied to "he-goats." In the
passages cited it probably refers to demons of woods and desert
places. Comp. (Leviticus 17:7; 2 Chronicles 11:15)
Saul
(desired), more accurately Shaul.
+ One of the early kings of Edom, and successor of Samlah.
(Genesis 36:37,38; 1 Chronicles 1:48) (B.C. after 1450.)
+ The first king of Israel, the son of Kish, and of the tribe
of Benjamin. (B.C, 1095-1055.) His character is in part
illustrated by the fierce, wayward, fitful nature of the
tribe and in part accounted for by the struggle between the
old and new systems in which he found himself involved. To
this we must add a taint of madness. which broke out in
violent frenzy at times leaving him with long lucid
intervals. He was remarkable for his strength and activity,
(2 Samuel 1:25) and, like the Homeric heroes, of gigantic
stature, taller by head and shoulders than the rest of the
people, and of that kind of beauty denoted by the Hebrew word
"good," (1 Samuel 9:2) and which caused him to be compared to
the gazelle, "the gazelle of Israel." His birthplace is not
expressly mentioned; but, as Zelah in Benjamin was the place
of Kish's sepulchre. (2 Samuel 21:14) it was probable; his
native village. His father, Kish, was a powerful and wealthy
chief though the family to which he belonged was of little
importance. (1 Samuel 9:1,21) A portion of his property
consisted of a drove of asses. In search of these asses, gone
astray on the mountains, he sent his son Saul It was while
prosecuting this adventure that Saul met with Samuel for the
first time at his home in Ramah, five miles north of
Jerusalem. A divine intimation had made known to him the
approach of Saul, whom he treated with special favor, and the
next morning descending with him to the skirts of the town,
Samuel poured over Saul's head the consecrated oil, and with
a kiss of salutation announced to him that he was to be the
ruler of the nation. (1 Samuel 9:25; 1 Samuel 10:1) Returning
homeward his call was confirmed by the incidents which
according to Samuel's prediction, awaited him. (1 Samuel
10:9,10) What may be named the public call occurred at
Mizpeh, when lots were cast to find the tribe and family
which was to produce the king, and Saul, by a divine
intimation was found hid in the circle of baggage which
surrounded the encampment. (1 Samuel 10:17-24) Returning to
Gibeah, apparently to private life, he heard the threat
issued by Nahash king of Ammon against Jabesh-gilead. He
speedily collected an army, and Jabesh was rescued. The
effect was instantaneous on the people, and the monarchy was
inaugurated anew at Gilgal. (1 Samuel 11:1-15) It should be,
however, observed that according to (1 Samuel 12:12) the
affair of Nahash preceded and occasioned the election of
Saul. Although king of Israel, his rule was at first limited;
but in the second year of his reign he began to organize an
attempt to shake off the Philistine yoke, and an army was
formed. In this crisis, Saul, now on the very confines of his
kingdom at Gilgal, impatient at Samuel's delay, whom he had
directed to be present, offered sacrifice himself. Samuel,
arriving later, pronounced the first curse, on his impetuous
zeal. (1 Samuel 13:5-14) After the Philistines were driven
back to their own country occurred the first appearance of
Saul's madness in the rash vow which all but cost the life of
his soil. (1 Samuel 14:24; 44) The expulsion of the
Philistines, although not entirely completed, ch. (1 Samuel
14:52) at once placed Saul in a position higher than that of
any previous ruler of Israel, and he made war upon the
neighboring tribes. In the war with Amalek, ch. (1 Samuel
14:48; 15:1-9) he disobeyed the prophetical command of
Samuel, which called down the second curse, and the first
distinct intimation of the transference of the kingdom to a
rival. The rest of Saul's life is one long tragedy. The
frenzy which had given indications of itself before now at
times took almost entire possession of him. In this crisis
David was recommended to him. From this time forward their
lives are blended together. [[1048]David] In Saul's better
moments he never lost the strong affection which he had
contracted for David. Occasionally, too his prophetical gift
returned, blended with his madness. (2 Samuel 19:24) But his
acts of fierce, wild zeal increased. At last the monarchy
itself broke down under the weakness of his head. The
Philistines re-entered the country, and just before giving
them battle Saul's courage failed and he consulted one of the
necromancers, the "Witch of Endor," who had escaped his
persecution. At this distance of time it is impossible to
determine the relative amount of fraud or of reality in the
scene which follows, though the obvious meaning of the
narrative itself tends to the hypothesis of some kind of
apparition. ch. (2 Samuel 19:28) On hearing the denunciation
which the apparition conveyed, Saul fell the whole length of
his gigantic stature on the ground, and remained motionless
till the woman and his servants forced him to eat. The next
day the battle came on. The Israelites were driven up the
side of Gilboa. The three sons of Saul were slain. Saul was
wounded. According to one account, he fell upon his own
sword, (1 Samuel 31:4) and died. The body on being found by
the Philistines was stripped slid decapitated, and the
headless trunk hung over the city walls, with those of his
three sons. ch. (1 Samuel 31:9,10) The head was deposited
(probably at Ashdod) in the temple of Dagon (1 Chronicles
10:10) The corpse was buried at Jabesh-gilead. (1 Samuel
31:13)
+ The Jewish name of St. Paul.
Saw
Egyptian saws, so far as has yet been discovered, are
single-handed. As is the case in modern Oriental saws, the
teeth usually incline toward the handle, instead of away from
it like ours. They have, in most cases, bronze blades,
apparently attached to the handles by leathern thongs. No
evidence exists of the use of the saw applied to stone in
Egypt, but we read of sawn stones used in the temple. (1 Kings
7:9) The saws "under" or "in" which David is said to have
placed his captives were of iron. The expression in (2 Samuel
12:31) does not necessarily imply torture, but the word "cut"
in (1 Chronicles 20:3) can hardly be understood otherwise.
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Table of Contents
Scapegoat
[[1049]Atonement, The Day Of, [1050]Day OF]
Scarlet
[[1051]Colors]
Sceptre
This word originally meant a rod or staff . It was thence
specifically applied to the shepherd's crook, (Leviticus 27:32;
Micah 7:14) and to the wand or sceptre of a ruler. The
allusions to it are all of a metaphorical character, and
describe it simply as one of the insignia of supreme power.
(Genesis 49:10) We are consequently unable to describe the
article from any biblical notice we may infer that it was
probably made of wood. The sceptre of the Persian monarch is
described as "golden" i.e. probably of massive gold. (Esther
4:11)
Sceva
a Jew residing at Ephesus at the time of St. Paul's second
visit to that town. (Acts 19:14-16) (A.D. 52.)
Schools
(In the early ages most of the instruction of young children
was by the parents. The leisure hours of the Sabbaths and
festival days brought the parents in constant contact with the
children. After the captivity schools came more into use, and
at the time of Christ were very abundant. The schools were in
connection with the synagogues, which were found in every
village of the city and land. Their idea of the value of
schools may be gained from such sayings from the Talmud as "The
world is preserved by the breath of the children in the
schools;" "A town in which there are no schools must perish;"
"Jerusalem was destroyed because the education of children was
neglected." Josephus says, "Our principal care is to educate
our children." The Talmud states that in Bechar there were 400
schools, having each 400 teachers, with 400 children each and
that there were 4000 pupils in the house of Rabban Simeon
Ben-Gamaliel. Maimonides thus describes a school: "The teacher
sat at the head, and the pupils surrounded him as the crown the
head so that every one could see the teacher and hear his
words. The teacher did not sit in a chair while the pupils sat
on the ground but all either sat on chairs or on the ground."
The children read aloud to acquire fluency. The number of
school-hours was limited, and during the heat of the summer was
only four hours. The punishment employed was beating with a
strap, never with a rod. The chief studies were their own
language and literature the chief school-book the Holy
Scriptures; and there were special efforts to impress lessons
of morality and chastity. Besides these they studied
mathematics, astronomy and the natural sciences. Beyond the
schools for popular education there were higher schools or
colleges scattered throughout the cities where the Jews
abounded.--ED.)
Scorpion
(Heb. 'akrab), a well known venomous insect of hot climates,
shaped much like a lobster. It is usually not more than two or
three inches long, but in tropical climates is sometimes six
inches in length. The wilderness of Sinai is especially alluded
to as being inhabited by scorpions at the time of the exodus,
and to this day these animals are common in the same district,
as well as in some parts of Palestine. Scorpions are generally
found in dry and in dark places, under stones and in ruins.
They are carnivorous in the habits, and move along in a
threatening attitude, with the tail elevated. The sting, which
is situated at the end of the tail, has at its base a gland
that secretes a poisonous fluid, which is discharged into the
wound by two minute orifices at its extremity. In hot climates
the sting often occasions much suffering, and sometimes
alarming symptoms. The "scorpions" of (1 Kings 12:1,14; 2
Chronicles 10:11,14) have clearly no allusion whatever to the
animal, but to some instrument of scourging--unless indeed the
expression is a mere figure.
Scourging
The punishment of scourging was common among the Jews. The
instrument of punishment in ancient Egypt, as it is also in
modern times generally in the East, was usually the stick,
applied to the soles of the feet--bastinado. Under the Roman
method the culprit was stripped, stretched with cords or thongs
on a frame and beaten with rods. (Another form of the scourge
consisted of a handle with three lashes or thongs of leather or
cord, sometimes with pieces of metal fastened to them. Roman
citizens were exempt by their law from scourging.)
Scribes
(Heb.sopherim), I. Name .-- (1) Three meanings are connected
with the verb saphar, the root of sopherim-- (a) to write, (b)
to set in order, (c) to count. The explanation of the word has
been referred to each of these. The sopherim were so called
because they wrote out the law, or because they classified and
arranged its precepts, or because they counted with scrupulous
minuteness every elapse and letter It contained. (2) The name
of Kirjath-sepher, (Joshua 15:15; Judges 1:12) may possibly
connect itself with some early use of the title, and appears to
point to military functions of some kind. (Judges 5:14) The men
are mentioned as filling the office of scribe under David and
Solomon. (2 Samuel 8:17; 20:25; 1 Kings 4:3) We may think of
them as the king's secretaries, writing his letters, drawing up
his decrees, managing his finances. Comp (2 Kings 12:10) In
Hezekiah's time transcribed old records, and became a class of
students and interpreters of the law, boasting of their wisdom.
(Jeremiah 8:8) After the captivity the office became more
prominent, as the exiles would be anxious above all things to
preserve the sacred books, the laws, the hymns, the prophecies
of the past. II. Development of doctrine .--Of the scribes of
this period, with the exception of Ezra and Zadok, (Nehemiah
13:13) we have no record. A later age honored them collectively
as the men of the Great Synagogue. Never perhaps, was so
important a work done so silently. They devoted themselves to
the careful study of the text, and laid down rules for
transcribing it with the most scrupulous precision. As time
passed on the "words of the scribes" were honored above the
law. It was a greater crime to offend against them than against
the law. The first step was taken toward annulling the
commandments of God for the sake of their own traditions. (Mark
7:13) The casuistry became at once subtle and prurient, evading
the plainest duties, tampering with conscience. (Matthew
15:1-6; 23:16-23) We can therefore understand why they were
constantly denounced by our Lord along with the Pharisees.
While the scribes repeated the traditions of the elders, he
"spake as one having authority," "not as the scribes." (Matthew
7:29) While they confined their teachings to the class of
scholars, he "had compassion on the multitudes." (Matthew 9:36)
While they were to be found only in the council or in their
schools, he journeyed through the cities and villages. (Matthew
4:23; 9:35) etc. While they spoke of the kingdom of God
vaguely, as a thing far off, he proclaimed that it had already
come nigh to men. (Matthew 4:17) In our Lord's time there were
two chief parties:
+ the disciples of Shammai, conspicuous for their fierceness,
appealing to popular passions, using the sword to decide
their controversies. Out of this party grew the Zealots.
+ The disciples of Hillel, born B.C. 112, and who may have been
one of the doctors before whom the boy Jesus came in the
temple, for he lived to be 120 years old. Hillel was a
"liberal conservative, of genial character and broad range of
thought, with some approximations to a higher teaching." In
most of the points at issue between the two parties, Jesus
must have appeared in direct antagonism to the school of
Shammai, in sympathy with that of Hillel. So far, on the
other hand, as the temper of the Hillel school was one of
mere adaptation to the feeling of the people, cleaving to
tradition, wanting in the intuition of a higher life, the
teaching of Christ must have been felt as unsparingly
condemning it. III. Education and life.--The special training
for a scribe's office began, probably, about the age of
thirteen. The boy who was destined by his parents to the
calling of a scribe went to Jerusalem and applied for
admission in the school of some famous rabbi. After a
sufficient period of training, probably at the age of thirty
the probationer was solemnly admitted to his office. After
his admission there was a choice of a variety of functions,
the chances of failure and success. He might give himself to
any one of the branches of study, or combine two or more of
them. He might rise to high places, become a doctor of the
law, an arbitrator in family litigations, (Luke 12:14) the
head of a school, a member of the Sanhedrin. He might have to
content himself with the humbler work of a transcriber,
copying the law and the prophets for the use of synagogues,
or a notary, writing out contracts of sale, covenants of
espousals, bills of repudiation. The position of the more
fortunate was of course attractive enough. In our Lord's time
the passion for distinction was insatiable. The ascending
scale of rab, rabbi, rabban, presented so many steps on the
ladder of ambition. Other forms of worldliness were not far
off. The salutations in the market-place, (Matthew 23:7) the
reverential kiss offered by the scholars to their master or
by rabbis to each other the greeting of Abba, father (Matthew
23:9) the long robes with the broad blue fringe, (Matthew
23:5)--all these go to make up the picture of a scribe's
life. Drawing to themselves, as they did, nearly all the
energy and thought of Judaism, the close hereditary caste of
the priesthood was powerless to compete with them. Unless the
Priest became a scribe also, he remained in obscurity. The
order, as such, became contemptible and base. For the scribes
there were the best places at feasts, the chief seats in
synagogues. (Matthew 23:6; Luke 14:7)
Scrip
The Hebrew word thus translated appears in (1 Samuel 17:40) as
a synonym for the bag in which the shepherds of Palestine
carried their food or other necessities. The scrip of the
Galilean peasants was of leather, used especially to carry
their food on a journey, and slung over their shoulders.
(Matthew 10:10; Mark 6:8; Luke 9:3; 22:35) The English word
"scrip" is probably connected with scrape, scrap, and was used
in like manner for articles of food.
Scripture
[See [1052]Bible]
Scythian
occurs in (Colossians 3:11) as a generalized term for rude,
ignorant, degraded. The name often included all the nomadic
tribes, who dwelt mostly on the north of the Black and the
Caspian Sea, stretching thence indefinitely into inner Asia,
and were regarded by the ancients as standing extremely low In
point of intelligence and civilization.
Scythopolis
[BETH-SHEAN]
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Table of Contents
Sea
The sea, yam, is used in Scripture to denote--
+ "The gathering of the waters," "the Ocean." (Genesis 1:2,10;
30:13) etc.
+ Some portion of this, as the Mediterranean Sea, called the
"hinder," the "western" and the "utmost" sea, (11:24; 34:2;
Joel 2:20) "sea of the Philistines," (Exodus 23:31) "the
great sea," (Numbers 36:6,7; Joshua 15:47) "the sea."
Genesis49:13; Psal 80:11 Also frequently of the Red Sea.
(Exodus 15:4) [[1053]Red Sea SEA]
+ Inland lakes termed seas, as the Salt or Dead Sea. [See the
special article]
+ Any great collection of waters, as the river Nile (Isaiah
19:5) and the Euphrates. (Jeremiah 51:36)
Sea, Molten
In the place of the laver of the tabernacle Solomon caused a
laver to be cast for a similar purpose, which from its size was
called a sea. It was made partly or wholly of the brass, or
rather copper, which was captured by David from "Tibhath and
Chun, cities of Hadarezer king of Zobah." (1 Kings 7:23-26; 1
Chronicles 18:8) It is said to have been 15 feet in diameter
and 7 1/2 feet deep, and to have been capable of containing
2000, or according to (2 Chronicles 4:5) 3000 Baths (16,000 to
24,000 gallons). The lever stood on twelve oxen three toward
each quarter of the heavens, and all looking outward. It was
mutilated by Ahaz by being removed from its basis of oxen and
placed on a stone base, and was finally broken up by the
Assyrians. (2 Kings 16:14,17; 25:13)
Sea, The Salt
the usual and perhaps the most ancient name for the remarkable
lake which to the western world is now generally known as the
Dead Sea. I. Names.-- (1) The Salt Sea, (Genesis 14:3) (2) Sea
of the Arabah (Authorized Version "sea of the plain," which is
found in (4:49)); (3) The East Sea (Joel 2:20) (4) The sea,
(Ezekiel 47:8) (5) Sodomitish Sea, 2 Esdras; (6) Sea of Salt
and Sea of Sodom, in the Talmud; (7) The Asphaltic Lake, in
Josephus; (8) The name "Dead Sea" appears to have been first
used in Greek by Pausanias and Galen, and in Latin (mare
mortuum) by Justin xxxvi. 3,6, or rather by the older historian
Trogus Pompeius (cir. B.C. 10), whose work he epitomized. (9)
The Arabic name is Bahr Lut, the "Sea of Lot." II Description
.--The so-called Dead Sea is the final receptacle of the river
Jordan, the lowest and largest of the three lakes which
interrupt the rush of its downward course. It is the deepest
portion of that very deep natural fissure which runs like a
furrow from the Gulf of Akabah to the range of Lebanon, and
from the range of Lebanon to the extreme north of Syria. Viewed
on the map, the lake is of an oblong form, of tolerably regular
contour, interrupted only by a large and long peninsula which
projects from the eastern shore near its southern end, and
virtually divides the expanse of the water into two portions,
connected by a long, narrow and somewhat devious passage. Its
surface is from north to south as nearly as possible 40
geographical or 46 English miles long. Its greatest width is
about 9 geographical or 10 1/2 English miles. Its area is about
250 geographical square miles. At its northern end the lake
receives the stream of the Jordan; on its eastern side the
Zurka Ma'in (the ancient Callirrhoe, and possibly the more
ancient en-Eglaim), the Mojib (the Arnon of the Bible), and the
Beni-Hemad ; on the south the Kurahy or el-Ahsy ; and on the
west that of Ain Jidy . The depression of its surface, and the
depth which it attains below that surface, combined with the
absence of any outlet, render it one of the most remarkable
spots on the globe. The surface of the lake in May, 1848, was
1316.7 feet below the level of the Mediterranean at Jaffa. Its
depth, at about one third of its length from the north end, is
1308 feet. The water of the lake is not less remarkable than
its other features. Its most obvious peculiarity is its great
weight. Its specific gravity has been found to be as much as
12.28; that is to say, a gallon of it would weigh over 12 1/4
lbs., instead of 10 lbs., the weight of distilled water. Water
so heavy must not only be extremely buoyant, but must possess
great inertia. Its buoyancy is a common theme of remark by the
travellers who have been upon it or in it. Dr. Robinson "could
never swim before, either in fresh or salt water," yet here he
"could sit, stand, lie or swim without difficulty."
(B.R.i.506.) The remarkable weight of the water is due to the
very large quantity of mineral salts which it holds in
solution. Each gallon of the water, weighing 12 1/4 lbs.,
contains nearly 3 1/3 lbs. of matter in solution--an immense
quantity when we recollect that seawater, weighing 10 1/4 lbs.
per gallon, contains less than 1/2 a lb. Of this 3 1/2 lbs.
nearly 1 lb. is common salt (chloride of sodium), about 2 lbs.
chloride of magnesium, and less than 3 a lb. chloride of
calcium (or muriate of lime). The most usual ingredient is
bromide of magnesium, which exists in truly extraordinary
quantity. It has been long supposed that no life whatever
existed in the lake; but recent facts show that some inferior
organizations do find a home even in these salt and acrid
waters. The statements of ancient travellers and geographers to
the effect that no living creature could exist on the shores of
the lake, or bird fly across its surface, are amply disproved
by later travellers. The springs on the margin of the lake
harbor snipe, partridges, ducks, nightingales and other birds
as well as frogs; and hawks, doves and hares are found along
the shore. The appearance of the lake does not fulfill the idea
conveyed by its popular name. "The Dead Sea," says a recent
traveller, "did not strike me with that sense of desolation and
dreariness which I suppose it ought. I thought it a pretty,
smiling lake--a nice ripple on its surface." The truth lies, as
usual, somewhere between these two extremes. On the one hand,
the lake certainly is not a gloomy, deadly, smoking gulf. In
this respect it does not at all fulfill the promise of its
name. At sunrise and sunset the scene must be astonishingly
beautiful. But on the other hand, there is something in the
prevalent sterility and the dry, burnt look of the shores, the
overpowering heat, the occasional smell of sulphur, the dreary
salt marsh at the southern end, and the fringe of dead
driftwood round the margin, which must go far to excuse the
title which so many ages have attached to the lake, and which
we may be sure it will never lose. The connection between this
singular lake and the biblical history is very slight. In the
topographical records of the Pentateuch and the book of Joshua
it forms one among the landmarks of the boundaries of the whole
country, as well as of the inferior divisions of Judah and
Benjamin. As a landmark it is once named in what to be a
quotation from a lost work of the prophet Jonah, (2 Kings
14:25) itself apparently a reminiscence of the old Mosaic
statement. (Numbers 34:8,12) Besides this the name occurs once
twice in the imagery of the prophets the New Testament there is
not even an allusion to it. There is however, one passage in
which the "Salt Sea" is mentioned in a manner different from
any of those already quoted viz. as having been in the time of
Abraham the vale of Siddim. (Genesis 14:3) In consequence of
this passage it has been believed that the present lake covered
a district which in historic times had been permanently
habitable dry land. But it must not he overlooked that the
passage in question is the only one in the whole Bible to
countenance the notion that the cities of the plain were
submerged; a notion which does not date earlier than the
Christian era. [[1054]Sodom; [1055]Zoar] The belief which
prompted the idea of some modern writers that the Dead Sea was
formed by the catastrophe which overthrew the "cities of the
plain" is a mere assumption. It is not only unsupported by
Scripture, but is directly in the teeth of the evidence of the
ground itself of the situation of those cities, we only know
that, being in the "plain of the Jordan, they must have been to
the north of the lake. Of the catastrophe which destroyed them
we only know that it is described as a shower of ignited
sulphur descending from the skies. Its date is uncertain, but
we shall be safe in placing it within the Limit of 2000 years
before Christ. (It is supposed that only the southern bay of
the Dead Sea was formed by the submergence of the cities of the
plain, and is still probable. If Hugh Miller's theory of the
flood in correct--and it is the most reasonable theory yet
propounded--then the Dead Sea was formed by the depression of
that part of the valley through which the Jordan once flowed to
the Red Sea. But this great depression caused all the waters of
the Jordan to remain without outlet, and the size of the Dead
Sea must be such that the evaporation from its surface just
balances the amount of water which flows in through the river.
This accounts in part for the amount of matter held in solution
by the Dead Sea waters; for the evaporation is of pure water
only, while the inflow contains more or less of salts and other
matter in solution. This theory also renders it probable that
the lake was at first considerably larger than at present, for
in earlier times the Jordan had probably a larger flow of
water.--ED.) The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah may have
been by volcanic action, but it may be safely asserted that no
traces of it have yet been discovered, and that, whatever it
was, it can have had no connection with that far vaster and far
more ancient event which opened the great valley of the Jordan
and the Dead Sea, and at some subsequent time cut it off from
communication with the Red Sea by forcing up between them the
tract of the Wady Arabah .
Seal
The importance attached to seals in the East is so great that
without one no document is regarded as authentic. Among the
methods of sealing used in Egypt at a very early period were
engraved stones, graved stones, pierced through their length
and hung by a string or chain from the arm or neck, or set in
rings for the finger. The most ancient form used for this
purpose was the scarabaeus, formed of precious or common stone,
or even of blue pottery or porcelain, on the flat side of which
the inscription or device was engraved. In many cases the seal
consisted of a lump of clay, impressed with the seal and
attached to the document, whether of papyrus or other material,
by strings. In other cases wax was used. In sealing a sepulchre
or box, the fastening was covered with clay or wax, and the
impression from a seal of one in authority was stamped upon it,
so that it could not be broken open without discovery. The
signet-ring was an ordinary part of a man's equipment. (Genesis
38:18) The ring or the seal as an emblem of authority in Egypt,
Persia and elsewhere is mentioned in (Genesis 41:42; 1 Kings
21:8; Esther 3:10,12; 8:2; Daniel 6:17) and as an evidence of a
covenant, in (Jeremiah 32:10,44; Nehemiah 9:38; 10:1; Haggai
2:23) Engraved signets were in use among the Hebrews in early
times. (Exodus 28:11,36; 39:6)
Seba
(pl. Sebaim ; in Authorized Version incorrectly rendered
Sabeans) heads the list of the sons of Cush. Besides the
mention of Seba in the lists of the pens of Cush, (Genesis
10:7; 1 Chronicles 1:9) there are but three notices of the
nation-- (Psalms 72:10; Isaiah 43:3; 45:14) These passages seem
to show that Seba was a nation of Africa bordering on or
included in Cush, and in Solomon's time independent and of
political importance. It may perhaps be identified with the
island of Meroe. Josephus says that Saba was the ancient name
of the Ethiopian island and city of Meroe, but he writes Seba,
in the notice of the Noachian settlements, Sabas. The island of
Meroe lay between the Astaboras, the Atbara, the most northern
tributary of the Nile, and the Astapus, the Bahr el-Azrak,
"Blue River," the eastern of its two great confluents.
Sebat
(a rod). [[1056]Month]
Secacah, Or Secacah
(thicket), one of the six cities of Judah which were situated
in the Midbar ("wilderness"), that is, the tract bordering on
the Dead Sea. (Joshua 15:61) Its portion is not known.
Sechu
(the watch-tower), a place mentioned once only-- (1 Samuel
19:22)--apparently as lying on the route between Saul's
residence, Gibeah, and Ramah (Ramathaim-zophim), that of
Samuel. It was notorious for "the great well" (or rather
cistern) which it contained. Assuming that Saul started from
Gibeah (Tuleil el-Ful), and that Neby Samwil is Ramah, then Bir
Nebolla (the well of Neballa) just south of Beeroth, alleged by
modern traveller to contain a large pit would be in a suitable
position for the great well of Sechu.
Secundus
(fortunate), a Thessalonian Christian. (Acts 20:4) (A.D. 55.)
Seer, [[1057]Prophet]
Segub
(elevated).
+ The youngest son of Hiel the Hethelite who rebuilt Jericho.
(1 Kings 18:34) (B.C. about 910.)
+ Son of Hezron. (1 Chronicles 2:21,28) (B.C. about 1682.)
Seir
(hairy, Shaggy),
+ We have both "land of Seir," (Genesis 32:3; 36:50) and "Mount
Seir." (Genesis 14:6) It is the original name of the mountain
range extending along the east side of the valley of Arabah,
from the Dead Sea to the Elanitic, Golf. The Horites appear
to have been the chief of the aboriginal inhabitants,
(Genesis 36:20) but it was ever afterward the possession of
the Edomites, the descendants of Esau. The Mount Seir of the:
Bible extended much farther south than the modern province,
as is shown by the words of (2:1-8) It had the Arabah on the
west, vs. 1 and 8; it extended as far south as the head of
the Gulf of Akabah, ver. 8; its eastern border ran along the
base of the mountain range where the plateau of Arabia
begins. Its northern, order is not so accurately determined.
There is a line of "naked" white hills or cliffs which run
across the great valley about eight miles south of the Dead
Sea, the highest eminence being Mount Hor, which is 4800 feet
high.
+ Mount Seir, an entirely different place from the foregoing;
one of the landmarks on the north boundary of the territory
of Judah. (Joshua 15:10) only. It lay westward of
Kirjath-jearim, and between it and Beth-shemesh. If Kuriel
el-Enab be the former and Ain-shems the latter of these two,
then Mount Seir cannot fail to be the ridge which lies
between the Wady Aly and the Wady Ghurab . In a pass of this
ridge is the modern village of Seir.
Seirath
(the shaggy), the place to which Ehud fled after his murder of
Eglon. (Judges 3:26,27) It was in "Mount Ephraim," ver. 27, a
continuation, perhaps, of the same wooded, shaggy hills which
stretched even so far south as to enter the territory of Judah,
(Joshua 15:10) (It is probably the same place as [1058]Mount,
[1059]Mount, Mountain [1060]Seir, 2.)
Sela, Or Selah
(the rock), (2 Kings 14:7; Isaiah 16:1) so rendered in the
Authorized Version in Judges city later (2 Chronicles 25:12)
probably known as Petra, the ruins of which are found about two
days journey north of the top of the Gulf of Akabah and three
or four south from Jericho and about halfway between the
southern end of the Dead Sea and the northern end of the Gulf
of Akabah. It was in the midst of Mount Seir, in the
neighborhood of Mount Hor, and therefore Edomite territory,
taken by Amaziah, and called Joktheel. In the end of the fourth
century B.C. it appears as the headquarters of the Nabatheans,
who successfully resisted the attacks of Antigonus. About 70
B.C. Petra appears as the residence of the Arab princes named
Aretas. It was by Trajan reduced to subjection to the Roman
empire. The city Petra lay, though at a high level, in a hollow
three quarters of a mile long and from 800 to 1500 feet wide,
shut in by mountain cliffs, and approached only by a narrow
ravine, through which, and across the city's site, the river
winds. There are extensive ruins at Petra of Roman date, which
have been frequently described by modern travellers.
Selah
This word, which is found only in the poetical books of the Old
Testament, occurs seventy-one times in the Psalms and three
times in Habakkuk. It is probably a term which had a meaning in
the musical nomenclature of the Hebrews, though what that
meaning may have been is now a matter of pure conjecture.
(Gesenius and Ewald and others think it has much the same
meaning as our interlude,--a pause in the voices singing, while
the instruments perform alone.)
Selahammahlekoth
(the cliff of escapes or of divisions), a rock or cliff in the
wilderness of Maon, southeast of Hebron, the scene of one of
those remarkable escapes which are so frequent in the history
of Saul's pursuit of David. (1 Samuel 23:28)
Seled
(exultation), one of the sons of Nadab, a descendant of
Jerahmeel: (1 Chronicles 2:30) (B.C. after 1450.)
Seleucia, Or Seleucia
(named after its founder, Seleucus), near the mouth of the
Orontes, was practically the seaport of Antioch. The distance
between the two towns was about 16 miles. St. Paul, with
Barnabas, sailed from Seleucia at the beginning of his first
missionary circuit. (Acts 13:4) This strong fortress and
convenient seaport was constructed by the first Seleucus, and
here he was buried. It retained its importance in Roman times
and in St. Paul's day it had the privileges of a free city. The
remains are numerous.
Seleucus
the name of five kings of the Greek dominion of Syria who are
hence called Seleucidae . Only one--the fourth--is mentioned in
the Apocrypha.
Seleucus Iv
(Philopator), son of Antiochus the Great, whom he succeeded
B.C. 187 "king of Asia," 2 Macc. 3:3, that is, of the provinces
included in the Syrian monarchy, according to the title claimed
by the Seleucidae, even when they had lost their footing in
Asia Minor. He took part in the disastrous battle of Magnesia,
B.C. 190, and three years afterward, on the death of his
father, ascended the throne. He was murdered B.C. 175 after a
reign of twelve years, by Heliodorus, one of his own courtiers.
(Daniel 11:20) His son Demetrius I. (Soter) whom he had sent
while still a boy, as hostage to Rome, after a series of
romantic adventures, gained the crown in 162 B.C. 1 Macc. 7:1;
2 Macc. 14:1. The general policy of Seleucus toward the Jews,
like that of his father, 2 Macc. 3:2,3, was conciliatory, and
he undertook a large share of expenses of the temple service. 2
Macc. 3:3,6.
Sem
[1061]Shem the patriarch. (Luke 3:36)
Semachiah
(Jehovah sustains him) one of the sons of SKEMAIAH, 9. (1
Chronicles 26:7)
Semei
(the Greek form of Shimei).
+ [1062]Shimei, 14. 1 Esd. 9:33.
+ [1063]Shimei, 16. (Esther 11:2)
+ The father of Mattathias in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
(Luke 3:26)
Semein
In the Revised Version of (Luke 3:26) for Semei.
Semitic Languages
[[1064]Shemitic Languages LANGUAGES; [1065]Hebrew Language]
Senaah
(thorny). The "children (i.e. the inhabitants) of Senaah" are
enumerated among the "people of Israel" who returned from the
captivity with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:35; Nehemiah 7:38) (B.C.
536.) The Magdal Senna of Eusebius and Jerome denotes a town
seven miles north of Jericho ("Senna").
Seneh
(thorn), the name of one of the two isolated rocks which stood
in the "passage of Michmash," (1 Samuel 14:4) 6 1/2 Miles north
of Jerusalem.
Senir
(snow mountain), (1 Chronicles 5:23; Ezekiel 27:5) the Amorite
name for Mount Hermon.
Sennacherib, Or Sennacherib
(sin, the moon, increases brothers), was the son and successor
of Sargon. [[1066]Sargon] His name in the original is read as
Tsinakki-irib, the meaning of which, as given above indicates
that he was not the first-born of his father. Sennacherib
mounted the throne B.C. 702. His efforts were directed to
crushing the revolt of Babylonia, which he invaded with a large
army. Merodach-baladan ventured on a battle, but was defeated
and driven from the country. In his third year, B.C. 700,
Sennacherib turned his arms toward the west, chastised Sidon,
and, having probably concluded a convention with his chief
enemy finally marched against Hezekiah, king of Judah. It was
at this time that "Sennacherib came up against all the fenced
cities of Judah, and took them." (2 Kings 18:13) There can be
no doubt that the record which he has left of his campaign
against "Hiskiah" in his third year is the war with Hezekiah so
briefly touched in vs. 13-16 of this chapter. In the following
year (B.C. 699) Sennacherib made his second expedition into
Palestine. Hezekiah had again revolted, and claimed the
protection of Egypt. Sennacherib therefore attacked Egypt, and
from his camp at Lachish and Libnah he sent an insulting letter
to Hezekiah at Jerusalem. In answer to Hezekiah's prayer an
event occurred which relieved both Egypt and Judea from their
danger. In one night the Assyrians lost, either by a pestilence
or by some more awful manifestation of divine power, 185,000
men! The camp immediately broke up; the king fled. Sennacherib
reached his capital in safety, and was not deterred by the
terrible disaster which had befallen his arms from engaging in
other wars, though he seems thenceforward to have carefully
avoided Palestine. Sennacherib reigned 22 years and was
succeeded by Esar-haddon, B.C. 680. Sennacherib was one of the
most magnificent of the Assyrian kings. Seems to have been the
first who fixed the seat of government permanently at Nineveh,
which he carefully repaired and adorned with splendid
buildings. His greatest work is the grand palace Kouyunjik. Of
the death of Sennacherib nothing is known beyond the brief
statement of Scripture that "as he was worshipping in the house
of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him
with the sword and escaped into the land of Armenia." (2 Kings
19:37; Isaiah 37:38)
Senuah
(bristling, properly Hassenuah, with the definite article), a
Benjamite. (Nehemiah 11:9)
Seorim
(barley), the chief of the fourth of the twenty-four courses of
priests. (1 Chronicles 24:8)
Sephar
(a numbering). It is written after the enumeration of the sons
of Joktan, "And their dwelling was from Mesha as thou goest
unto Sephar a mount of the east." (Genesis 10:30) The
Joktanites occupied the southwestern portion of the peninsula
of Arabia. The undoubted identifications of Arabian places and
tribes with their Joktanite originals are included within these
limits, and point to Sephar, on the shore of the Indian Ocean,
as the eastern boundary. The ancient seaport town called Zafar
represents the biblical site or district.
Sepharad
(separated), a name which occurs in (Obadiah 1:20) only. Its
situation has always been a matter of uncertainty.
Sepharvaim
(the two Sipparas) is mentioned by Sennacherib in his letter to
Hezekiah as a city whose king had been unable to resist the
Assyrians. (2 Kings 19:13; Isaiah 37:13) comp. 2Kin 18:34 It is
identified with the famous town of Sippara., on the Euphrates
above Babylon, which was near the site of the modern Mosaib.
The dual form indicates that there were two Sipparas, one on
either side of the river. Berosus celled Sippara "a city of the
sun;" and in the inscriptions it bears the same title, being
called Tsipar sha Shamas, or "Sippara of the Sun"--the sun
being the chief object of worship there. Comp. (2 Kings 17:31)
Sephela
the Greek form of the ancient word has-Shefelah, the native
name for the southern division of the low-lying flat district
which intervenes between the central highlands of the holy land
and the Mediterranean, the other and northern portion of which
was known as Sharon. The name occurs throughout the
topographical records of Joshua. The historical works, and the
topographical passages in the prophets always with the article
prefixed, and always denoting the same region. In each of these
passages, however, the word is treated in the Authorized
Version not as a proper name, analogous to the Campagna, the
Wolds, the Carse, but as a mere appellative, and rendered "the
vale," "the valley," "the plain," "the low plains," and "the
low country." The Shefelah was and is one of the most
productive regions of the holy land. It was in ancient times
the cornfield of Syria, and as such the constant subject of
warfare between Philistines and Israelites, and the refuge of
the latter when the harvests in the central country were ruined
by drought. (2 Kings 8:1-3)
Septuagint
(The seventy). The Septuagint or Greek version of the Old
Testament appears at the present day in four principal
editions:--
+ Biblia Polyglotta Complutensis, A.D. 1514-1617,
+ The Aldine Edition, Venice, A.D. 1518.
+ The Roman Edition, edited under Pope Sixtus V., A.D. 1587.
+ Fac-simile Edition of the Codex Alexandrinus, by H. H. Baber,
A.D. 1816. [TARGUMS] The Jews of Alexandria had probably
still less knowledge of Hebrew than their brethren in
Palestine their familiar language was Alexandrian Greek. They
had settled in Alexandria in large numbers soon after the
time of Alexander, and under the early Ptolemies. They would
naturally follow the same practice as the Jews in Palestine;
and hence would arise in time an entire Greek version. But
the numbers and names of the translators, and the times at
which different portions were translated are all uncertain.
The commonly-received story respecting its origin is
contained in an extant letter ascribed to Aristeas, who was
an officer at the court of Ptolemy Philadelphus. This letter
which is dressed by Aristeas to his brother Philocrates,
gives a glowing account of the origin of the Septuagint; of
the embassy and presents sent by King Ptolemy to the high
priest at Jerusalem, by the advice of Demetrius Phalereus,
his librarian, 30 talents of gold and 70 talents of silver,
etc.; the Jewish slaves whom he set free, paying their ransom
himself the letter of the king: the answer of the high
priest; the choosing of six interpreters from each of the
twelve tribes and their names; the copy of the law, in
letters of gold; the feast prepared for the seventy two,
which continued for seven days; the questions proposed to
each of the interpreters in turn, with the answers of each;
their lodging by the seashore and the accomplishment of their
work in seventy. two days, by conference and comparison. This
is the story which probably gave to the version the title of
the Septuagint, and which has been repeated in various forms
by the Christian writers. But it is now generally admitted
that the letter is spurious and is probably the fabrication
of an Alexandrian Jew shortly before the Christian era. Still
there can be no doubt that there was a basis of fact for the
fiction; on three points of the story there is no material
difference of opinion and they are confirmed by the study of
the version itself:--
+ The version was made at Alexandria.
+ It was begun in the time of the earlier Ptolemies, about 280
B.C.
+ The law (i.e. the Pentateuch) alone was translated at first.
The Septuagint version was highly esteemed by the Hellenistic
Jews before the coming of Christ. Wherever, by the conquests
of Alexander or by colonization, the Greek language prevailed
wherever Jews were settled and the attention of the
neighboring Gentiles was drawn to their wondrous history and
law there was found the Septuagint, which thus became, by
divine Providence the means of spreading widely the knowledge
of the one true God and his promises of it Saviour to come,
throughout the nations. To the wide dispersion of this
version we may ascribe in great measure that general
persuasion which prevailed over the whole East of the near
approach of the Redeemer, and led the Magi to recognize the
star which, reclaimed the birth of the King of the Jews. Not
less wide was the influence of the Septuagint in the spread
of the gospel. For a long period the Septuagint was the Old
Testament of the far larger part of the Christian Church.
Character of the Septuagint. The Septuagint is faithful in
substance but not minutely accurate in details. It has been
clearly shown by Hody, Frankel and others that the several
books were translated by different persons, without any
comprehensive revision to harmonize the several parts. Names
and words are rendered differently in different books. Thus
the character of the version varies much in the several
books, those of the Pentateuch are the best. The poetical
parts are, generally speaking, inferior to the historical,
the original abounding with rarer words and expressions. In
the major prophets (probably translated nearly 100 years
after the Pentateuch) some of the most important prophecies
are sadly obscured. Ezekiel and the minor prophets (generally
speaking) seem to be better rendered. Supposing the numerous
glosses and duplicate renderings, which have evidently crept
from the margin into the text, to be removed and forming a
rough estimate of what the Septuagint was in its earliest
state, we may perhaps say of it that it is the image of the
original seen through a glass not adjusted to the proper
focus; the larger features are shown, but the sharpness of
definition is lost. The close connection between the Old and
the New Testament makes the study of the Septuagint most
valuable, and indeed indispensable, to the theological
student. It was manifestly the chief storehouse from which
the apostles drew their proofs and precepts.
Sepulchre
[[1067]Burial, Sepulchres]
Serah
the daughter of Asher, (Genesis 46:17; 1 Chronicles 7:30)
called in (Numbers 26:46) [1068]Sarah. (B.C. about 1700.)
Seraiah
+ The king's scribe or secretary in the reign of David. (2
Samuel 8:17) (B.C. 1043.)
+ The high priest in the reign of Zedekiah. (2 Kings 25:18; 1
Chronicles 6:14; Jeremiah 52:24) (B.C. 594.)
+ The son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite. (2 Kings 25:23;
Jeremiah 40:8)
+ The son of Kenaz and brother of Othniel. (1 Chronicles
4:13,14)
+ Ancestor of Jehu a Simeonite chieftain. (1 Chronicles 4:35)
+ One of the children of the province who returned with
Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:2) (B.C. 536.)
+ One of the ancestors of Ezra the scribe. (Ezra 7:1)
+ A priest, or priestly family, who signed the covenant with
Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:2)
+ A priest, the son of Hilkiah. (Nehemiah 11:11)
+ The head of a priestly house which went up from Babylon with
Zerubbabel. (Nehemiah 12:12)
+ The son of Neriah and brother of Baruch. (Jeremiah 51:59,61)
He went with Zedekiah to Babylon in the fourth year of his
reign. (B.C. 594.) Perhaps he was an officer who took charge
of the royal caravan on its march, and fixed the places where
it should halt.
Seraphim
(burning, glowing), an order of celestial beings, whom Isaiah
beheld in vision standing above Jehovah as he sat upon his
throne. (Isaiah 6:2) They are described as having each of them
three pairs of wings, with one of which they covered their
faces (a token of humility); with the second they covered their
feet (a token of respect); while with the third they flew. They
seem to have borne a general resemblance to the human figure.
ver. 6. Their occupation was two fold to celebrate the praises
of Jehovah's holiness and power, ver. 3 and to act as the
medium of communication between heaven and earth. ver. 6.
Sered
(fear), the first-born of Zebulun. (Genesis 46:14; Numbers
26:26) about 1700.)
Sergius Paulus
was the proconsul of Cyprus when the apostle Paul visited that
island with Barnabas on his first missionary tour. (Acts 13:7)
seq. (A.D. 44.) He is described as an intelligent man,
truth-seeking, eager for information from all sources within
his reach. Though at first admitting to his society Elymas the
magician, he afterward, on becoming acquainted with the claims
of the gospel, yielded his mind to the evidence of its truth.
Serpent
The Hebrew word nachash is the generic name of any serpent. The
following are the principal biblical allusions to this animal
its subtlety is mentioned in (Genesis 3:1) its wisdom is
alluded to by our Lord in (Matthew 10:18) the poisonous
properties of some species are often mentioned, see (Psalms
58:4; Proverbs 25:32) the sharp tongue of the serpent is
mentioned in (Psalms 140:3; Job 20:16) the habit serpents have
of lying concealed in hedges and in holes of walls is alluded
to in (Ecclesiastes 10:8) their dwelling in dry sandy places,
in (8:10) their wonderful mode of progression did not escape
the observation of the author of (Proverbs 30:1) ... who
expressly mentions it as "one of the three things which were
too wonderful for him." ver. 19. The art of taming and charming
serpents is of great antiquity, and is alluded to in (Psalms
58:5; Ecclesiastes 10:11; Jeremiah 8:17) and doubtless
intimated by St. James, (James 3:7) who particularizes serpents
among all other animals that "have been tamed by man." It was
under the form of a serpent that the devil seduced Eve; hence
in Scripture Satan is called "the old serpent." (Revelation
12:9) and comp. 2Cor 11:3 Hence, as a fruit of the tradition of
the Fall, the serpent all through the East became the emblem of
the spirit of evil, and is so pictured even on the monuments of
Egypt. It has been supposed by many commentators that the
serpent, prior to the Fall, moved along in an erect attitude.
It is quite clear that an erect mode of progression is utterly
incompatible with the structure of a serpent; consequently, had
the snakes before the Fall moved in an erect attitude they must
have been formed on a different plan altogether. The typical
form of the serpent and its mode of progression were in all
probability the same before: the Fall as after it; but
subsequent to the Fall its form and progression were to be
regarded with hatred and disgust by all mankind, and thus the
animal was cursed above all cattle," and a mark of condemnation
was forever stamped upon it. Serpents are said in Scripture to
"eat dust," see (Genesis 3:14; Isaiah 65:25; Micah 7:17) these
animals which for the most part take their food on the ground,
do consequently swallow with it large portions of sand and
dust. Throughout the East the serpent was used as an emblem of
the evil principle, of the spirit of disobedience and
contumacy. Much has been written on the question of the "fiery
serpents" of (Numbers 21:6,8) with which it is usual to
erroneously identify the "fiery flying serpent" of (Isaiah
14:29) and Isai 30:6 The word "fiery" probably signifies
"burning," in allusion to the sensation produced by the bite.
The Cerastes, or the Naia haje, or any other venomous species
frequenting Arabia, may denote the "serpent of the burning
bite" which destroyed the children of Israel. The snake that
fastened on St. Paul's hand when he was at Melita, (Acts 28:5)
was probably the common viper of England, Pelias berus . (See
also [1069]Adder; [1070]Asp] When God punished the murmurs of
the Israelites in the wilderness by sending among them serpents
whose fiery bite was fatal, Moses, upon their repentance, was
commanded to make a serpent of brass, whose polished surface
shone like fire, and to set it up on the banner-pole in the
midst of the people; and whoever was bitten by a serpent had
but to look up at it and live. (Numbers 21:4-9) The comparison
used by Christ, (John 3:14,15) adds a deep interest to this
scene. To present the serpent form, as deprived of its power to
hurt, impaled as the trophy of a conqueror was to assert that
evil, physical and spiritual, had been overcome, and thus help
to strengthen the weak faith of the Israelites in a victory
over both. Others look upon the uplifted serpent as a symbol of
life and health, it having been so worshipped in Egypt. The two
views have a point of contact, for the serpent is wisdom .
Wisdom, apart from obedience to God, degenerates to cunning,
and degrades and envenoms man's nature. Wisdom, yielding to the
divine law, is the source of healing and restoring influences,
and the serpent form thus became a symbol of deliverance and
health; and the Israelites were taught that it would be so with
them in proportion as they ceased to be sensual and rebellious.
Preserved as a relic, whether on the spot of its first erection
or elsewhere the brazen serpent, called by the name of
Nehushtan, became an object of idolatrous veneration, and the
zeal of Hezekiah destroyed it with the other idols of his
father. (2 Kings 18:4) [[1071]Nehushtan]
Serug
(branch), son of Reu and great grandfather of Abraham. His age
is given in the Hebrew Bible as 230 years. (Genesis 11:20-23)
(B.C. 2180.)
Servant
[[1072]Slave]
Seth
(compensation), (Genesis 4:25; 6:3; 1 Chronicles 1:1) the third
son of Adam, and father of Enos. (B.C. 3870.) Adam handed down
to Seth and his descendants the promise of mercy, faith in
which became the distinction of God's children. (Genesis 4:26)
Sethur
(hidden), the Asherite spy, son of Michael. (Numbers 13:13)
(B.C. 1490.)
Seven
The frequent recurrence of certain numbers in the sacred
literature of the Hebrews is obvious to the most superficial
reader, but seven so far surpasses the rest, both in the
frequency with which it recurs and in the importance of the
objects with which it is associated, that it may fairly be
termed the representative symbolic number. The influence of the
number seven was not restricted to the Hebrews; it prevailed
among the Persians, ancient Indians, Greeks and Romans. The
peculiarity of the Hebrew view consists in the special dignity
of the seventh, and not simply in that of seen. The Sabbath
being the seventh day suggested the adoption of seven as the
coefficient, so to say, for their appointment of all sacred
periods; and we thus find the 7th month ushered in by the Feast
of Trumpets, and signalized by the celebration of the Feast of
Tabernacles and the Great Day of Atonement; 7 weeks as the
interval between the Passover and the Pentecost; the 7th year
as the sabbatical year; and the year: succeeding 7X7 years as
the Jubilee year. Seven days were appointed as the length of
the feasts of Passover and Tabernacles; 7 days for the
ceremonies of the consecration of priests, and so on; 7 victims
to be offered on any special occasion, as in Balaam's
sacrifice. (Numbers 23:1) and especially at the ratification of
a treaty, the notion of seven being embodied in the very term
signifying to swear, literally meaning to do seven times.
(Genesis 31:28) Seven is used for any round number, or for
completeness, as we say a dozen, or as a speaker says he will
say two or three words.
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Table of Contents
Shaalbim, Or Shaalabbin
(home of foxes), a town in the allotment of Dan. (Joshua 19:42;
Judges 1:35; 1 Kings 4:9) By Eusebius and Jerome it is
mentioned in the Onomasticon as a large village in the district
of Sebaste (i.e. Samaria), and as then called Selaba.
Shaalbonite, The
Eliahba the Shaalbonite was one of David's thirty seven heroes.
(2 Samuel 23:32; 1 Chronicles 11:33) He was a native of a place
named Shaalbon, but where it was is unknown. (B.C. 1048.)
Shaaph
(division).
+ The son of Jahdai. (1 Chronicles 2:47)
+ The son of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel, by his concubine
Maachah. (1 Chronicles 2:49) (B.C. after 1445.)
Shaaraim
(two gates), a city in the territory allotted to Judah, (Joshua
15:36) in Authorized Version incorrectly Sharaim. (1 Samuel
17:52) Shaaraim one of the towns of Simeon, (1 Chronicles 4:31)
must be a different place.
Shaasgaz
(servant of the beautiful), the eunuch in the palace of Xerxes
who had the custody of the women in the second house. (Esther
2:14)
Shabbethai
(sabbatical) a Levite in the time of Ezra. (Ezra 10:15) It is
apparently the same who with Jeshua and others instructed the
people in the knowledge of the law. (Nehemiah 8:7) (B.C. 450.)
Shachia
(announcemant) a son of Shaharaim by his wife Hodesh. (1
Chronicles 8:10)
Shaddai
(the Mighty), an ancient name of God, rendered "Almighty"
everywhere in the Authorized Version, is found in connection
with el, "God," El Shaddai being then rendered "God Almighty."
By the name or in the character of El-Shaddai God was known to
the patriarchs, (Genesis 17:1; 28:3; 43:14; 48:3; 40:25) before
the name Jehovah, in its full significance, was revealed.
(Exodus 6:3) [[1073]God]
Shadrach
(royal, or the great scribe) the Hebrew, or rather Chaldee,
name of Hananiah. The history of Shadrach or Hananiah, as told
in Dani 1-3 is well known. After their deliverance from the
furnace, we hear no more of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
except in (Hebrews 11:33,34) but there are repeated allusions
to them in the later apocryphal books, and the martyrs of the
Maccabaean period seem to have been much encouraged by their
example.
Shage
(erring), father of Jonathan the Hararite, one of David's
guard. (1 Chronicles 11:34) [See [1074]Shammah, 5] (B.C. about
1050.)
Shaharaim
(double dawn) a Benjamite. (1 Chronicles 8:8) (B.C. about
1546.)
Shahazimah
(toward the heights), one of the towns of the allotment of
Issachar. (Joshua 10:22) only.
Shalem
(safe). (Genesis 33:18) Probably not a proper name, but a
place. It is certainly remarkable that there should be a modern
village hearing the name of Salim three miles east of Nablus,
the ancient Shechem.
Shalim, The Land Of
(the land of foxes), a district through which Saul passed on
his journey in quest of his father's asses. (1 Samuel 9:4)
only. It probably was east of Shalisha.
Shalisha, The Land Of
one of the districts traversed by Saul when in search of the
asses of Kish. (1 Samuel 9:4) only. It was a district near
Mount Ephraim. In it perhaps was situated the place called
Baal-shalisha, (2 Kings 4:42) 15 Miles north of Lydda.
Shallecheth
(overthrow), The gate, one of the gates of the "house of
Jehovah." (1 Chronicles 26:16) It was the gate "to the causeway
of the ascent." As the causeway is actually in existence, the
gate Shallecheth can hardly fail to be identical with the Bab
Silsileh or Sinsleh which enters the west wall of the Haram
about 600 feet from the southwest corner of the Haram wall.
Shallum
(retribution).
+ The fifteenth king of Israel, son of Jabesh, conspired
against Zachariah, killed him, and brought the dynasty of
Jehu to a close, B.C. 770. Shallum, after reigning in Samaria
for a month only, was in his turn dethroned and killed by
Menahem. (2 Kings 15:10-14)
+ The husband of Huldah the prophetess, (2 Kings 22:14; 2
Chronicles 34:23) in the reign of Josiah. (B.C. 830.)
+ A descendant of Shesham. (1 Chronicles 2:40,41)
+ The third son of Josiah king of Judah, known in the books of
Kings and Chronicles as Jehoahaz. (1 Chronicles 3:15;
Jeremiah 22:11) [[1075]Jehoahaz] (B.C. 610.)
+ Son of Shaul the son of Simeon. (1 Chronicles 4:25)
+ A high priest. (1 Chronicles 6:12,13; Ezra 7:2)
+ A son of Naphtali. (1 Chronicles 7:13)
+ The chief of a family of porters or gate-keepers of the east
gate of the temple. (1 Chronicles 9:17) (B.C. 1050.)
+ Son of Kore, a Korahite. (1 Chronicles 9:19,31)
+ Father of Jehizkiah, an Ephraimite. (2 Chronicles 28:12)
+ One of the porters of the temple who had married a foreign
wife. (Ezra 10:24)
+ One of the sons of Bani. (Ezra 10:42)
+ The son of Halohesh and ruler of a district of Jerusalem.
(Nehemiah 3:12)
+ The uncle of Jeremiah, (Jeremiah 32:7) perhaps the same as 2.
+ Father or ancestor of Maaseiah (Jeremiah 35:4) perhaps the
same as 9. (B.C. 630.)
Shallun
(retribution), the son of Cohozeh, and ruler of a district of
the Mizpah. (Nehemiah 3:15)
Shalmai
(my thanks). The children of Shalmai were among the Nethinim
who returned with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:46; Nehemiah 7:48) In
Nehemiah SALMAI. (B.C. 536.)
Shalman
(fire-worshipper), a contraction for Shalmaneser king of
Assyria. (Hosea 10:14) Others think it the name of an obscure
Assyrian king, predecessor of Pul.
Shalmaneser
(fire-worshipper) was the Assyrian king who reigned probably
between Tiglath-Pileser and Sargon, B.C. 727-722. He led the
forces of Assyria into Palestine, where Hoshea, the last king
of Israel, had revolted against his authority. (2 Kings 17:3)
Hoshea submitted and consented to pay tribute; but he soon
after concluded all alliance with the king of Egypt, and
withheld his tribute in consequence. In B.C. 723 Shalmaneser
invaded Palestine for the second time, and, as Hoshea refused
to submit, laid siege to Samaria. The siege lasted to the third
year, B.C. 721, when the Assyrian arms prevailed. (2 Kings
17:4-6; 18:9-11) It is uncertain whether Shalmaneser conducted
the siege to its close, or whether he did not lose his crown to
Sargon before the city was taken.
Shama
(obedient), one of David's guard. (1 Chronicles 11:44) (B.C.
1020.)
Shamariah
(kept by Jehovah), son of Rehoboam. (2 Chronicles 11:19)
Shamed
(keeper), properly Shamer or Shemer; one of the pens of Elpaal
the Benjamite. (1 Chronicles 8:12)
Shamer
(keeper).
+ Merarite Levite. (1 Chronicles 6:46)
+ Shomer, an Asherite. (1 Chronicles 7:34)
Shamgar
(sword), son of Anath, judge of Israel. When Israel was in a
most depressed condition, Shamgar was raised up to be a
deliverer. With no arms in his hand but an ox-goad, (Judges
3:31) comp. 1Sam 13:21 He made a desperate assault upon the
Philistines, and slew 600 of them. (B.C. about 1290.)
Shamhuth
(desolation), the fifth captain for the fifth month in David's
arrangement of his army. (1 Chronicles 27:8) (B.C. 1020.)
Shamir
(n point or thorn.)
+ A town in the mountain district of Judah. (Joshua 15:48)
only. It probably lay some eight or ten miles south of
Hebron.
+ A place in Mount Ephraim, the residence and burial-place of
Tola the judge. (Judges 10:1,2) Perhaps Samur, half-way
between Samaria and Jenin .
+ A Kohathite, son of Micah or Michal, the first-born of
Uzziel. (1 Chronicles 24:24)
Shamma
(astonishment), one of the sons of Zophar, an Asherite. (1
Chronicles 7:37)
Shammah
(astonishment).
+ The son of Reuel the son of Esau. (Genesis 36:13,17; 1
Chronicles 1:37) (B.C. about 1700.)
+ The third son of Jesse, and brother of David. (1 Samuel 16:9;
17:13) Called also Shimea., Shimeah and Shimma.
+ One of the three greatest of David's mighty men. (2 Samuel
23:11-17) (B.C. 1061.)
+ The Harodite, one of David's mighties. (2 Samuel 23:25) He is
called "[1076]Shammoth the Harorite" in (1 Chronicles 11:27)
and "[1077]Shamhuth the Izrahite" ibid. (1 Chronicles 27:8)
+ In the list of David's mighty men in (2 Samuel 23:32,33) we
find "Jonathan, Shammah the Hararite;" while in the
corresponding verse of (1 Chronicles 11:34) it is Jonathan.
Shammai
(desolate).
+ The son of Onam. (1 Chronicles 2:28,32)
+ Son of Rekem. (1 Chronicles 2:44,45)
+ One of the descendants of Judah. (1 Chronicles 4:17)
Shammoth
[[1078]Shammah]
Shammua
(renowned).
+ Reubenite spy, son of Zaccur. (Numbers 13:4) (B.C. 1490.)
+ Son of David, by his wife Bathsheba. (1 Chronicles 14:4)
(B.C. 1045.)
+ A Levite, the father of Abda. (Nehemiah 11:17) The same as
[1079]Shemaiah, 6.
+ The representative of the priestly family of Bilgah or
Bilgai, in the days of Joiakim. (Nehemiah 12:18) (B.C. about
500.)
Shammuah
son of David, (2 Samuel 5:14) elsewhere called Shammua and
Shimea.
Shamsherai
(sunlike), a Benjamite. (1 Chronicles 8:26)
Shapham
(bold), a Gadite of Bashan. (1 Chronicles 5:12) (B.C. 750.)
Shaphan
(coney), the scribe or secretary of King Josiah. (2 Kings
22:3,14; 2 Chronicles 34:8,20) (B.C. 628.) He appears on an
equality with the governor of the city and the royal recorder.
(2 Kings 22:4; 2 Chronicles 34:9)
Shaphat
(judge). 1.The Simeonite spy, son of Hori. (Numbers 13:5) (B.C.
1490).
+ The father of the prophet Elisha. (1 Kings 19:18,19; 2 Kings
3:11; 6:31) (B.C. before 900.)
+ One of the six sons of Shemaiah in the royal line of Judah.
(1 Chronicles 3:22) (B.C. 350.)
+ One of the chiefs of the Gadites in Bashan. (1 Chronicles
5:12) (B.C. 750.)
+ The son of Adlai, who was over David's oxen in the valleys.
(1 Chronicles 27:29) (B.C. 1020.)
Shapher
(brightness), Mount, (Numbers 33:23) the name of a desert
station where the Israelites encamped during the wanderings in
the wilderness.
Sharai
(releaser), one of the sons of Bani. (Ezra 10:40) (B.C. 457.)
Sharaim
[[1080]Shaaraim]
Sharar
(strong), the father of Ahiam the Hararite. (2 Samuel 23:33) In
(1 Chronicles 11:35) he is called [1081]Sacar. (B.C. 1040.)
Sharezer
(prince of fire) was a son of Sennacherib, whom, In conjunction
with his brother Adrammelech, he murdered. (2 Kings 19:37)
(B.C. after 711.)
Sharon
(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 [1082]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. [[1083]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.
Sharonite
(belonging to Sharon), The Shitrai, who had charge of the royal
herds in the plain of Sharon, (1 Chronicles 27:29) is the only
Sharonite mentioned in the Bible.
Sharuhen
(refuge of grace), a town named in (Joshua 19:6) only among
those which were in Jadah to Simeon. It is identified with
Sheriah a large ruin in the south country, northwest of
Beersheba.
Shashai
(noble), one of the sons of Bani in the time of Ezra. (Ezra
10:40) (B.C. 457.)
Shashak
(longing), a Benjamite, one of the sons of Beriah. (1
Chronicles 8:14,25) (B.C. after 1450.)
Shaul
(asked).
+ The son of Simeon by a Canaanitish woman, (Genesis 48:10;
Exodus 6:15; Numbers 26:13; 1 Chronicles 4:24) and founder of
the family of the Shaulites. (B.C. 1712.)
+ One of the kings of Edom. (1 Chronicles 1:48,49) In the
Authorized Version of (Genesis 36:37) he is less accurately
called [1084]Saul.
Shaveh
(plain), The valley of, described (Genesis 14:17) as "the
valley of the king," is mentioned again in (2 Samuel 18:18) as
the site of a pillar set up by Absalom.
Shaveh Kiriathaim
(plain of the double city), mentioned (Genesis 14:5) as the
residence of the Emim at the time of Chedorlaomer's incursion.
Kiriathaim is named in the later history, though it has not
been identified; and Shaveh Kiriathaim was probably the valley
in or by which the town lay.
Shavsha
(nobility), the royal secretary in the reign of David, (1
Chronicles 18:16) called also [1085]Seraiah in (2 Samuel 8:17)
And [1086]Sheva in (2 Samuel 20:25) End in (1 Kings 4:3)
[1087]Shisha.
Shawm
In the Prayer-book version of (Psalms 98:6) "with trumpets also
stands also and shawms " is the rendering of what stands in the
Authorized Version "with trumpets and sound of cornet ." The
Hebrew word translated cornet is treated under the head. The
"shawm" was a musical instrument resembling the clarinet.
Sheal
(asking), one of the sons of Bani who had married a foreign
wife. (Ezra 10:29) (B.C. 452.)
Shealtiel
(asked of God), father of Zerubbabel. (Ezra 3:2,8; 5:2;
Nehemiah 12:1; Haggai 1:1,12,14; 2:2,23) (B.C. about 580.)
Sheariah
(valued by Jehovah), one of the six sons of Azel a descendant
of Saul. (1 Chronicles 8:38; 9:41)
Shearinghouse, The
a place on the road between Jezreel and Samaria, at which Jehu,
on his way to the latter, encountered forty-two members of the
royal family of Judah, whom he slaughtered. (2 Kings 10:12,14)
Eusebius mentions it as a village of Samaria "in the great
plain [of Esdraelon], 15, miles from Legion."
Shearjashub
(lit. a remnant shall return), the symbolical name of the son
of Isaiah the prophet. (Isaiah 7:3)
Sheba
one of the towns of the allotment of Simeon, (Joshua 19:2)
probably the same as Shema. (Joshua 15:26)
(seven, or all oath).
+ A son of Raamah son of Cush. (Genesis 10:7; 1 Chronicles 1:9)
+ A soil of Joktan. (Genesis 10:28; 1 Chronicles 1:22)
+ A son of Jokshan son of Keturah. (Genesis 25:3; 1 Chronicles
1:32) We shall consider, first, the history of the Joktanite
Sheba; and secondly, the Cushite Sheba and the Keturahite
Sheba together. I. The Joktanites were among the early
colonists of southern Arabia, and the kingdom which they
there founded was for many centuries called the kingdom of
Sheba, after one of the sons of Joktan. The visit of the
queen of Sheba to King Solomon. (1 Kings 10:1) is one of the
familiar Bible incidents. The kingdom of Sheba embraced the
greater part of the Yemen, or Arabia Felix. It bordered on
the Red Sea, and was one of the most fertile districts of
Arabia. Its chief cities, and probably successive capitals,
were Seba, San'a (Uzal), and Zafar (Sephar). Seba was
probably the name of the city, and generally of the country
and nation. II. Sheba, son of Raamah son of Cush settled
somewhere on the shores of the Persian Gulf. It was this
Sheba that carried on the great Indian traffic with
Palestine, in conjunction with, as we hold, the other Sheba,
son of Jokshan son of Keturah, who like Dedan appears to have
formed, with the Cushite of the same name, one tribe.
(on oath), the son of Bichri, a Benjamite, (2 Samuel 20:1-22)
the last chief of the Absalom insurrection. The occasion seized
by Sheba was the emulation between the northern and southern
tribes on David's return. (2 Samuel 20:1,2) Sheba traversed the
whole of Palestine apparently rousing the population, Joab
following in full pursuit to the fortress Abel Beth-maachah,
where Sheba was beheaded. (2 Samuel 20:3-22)
Shebah
(an oath), the famous well which gave its name to the city of
Beersheba. (Genesis 26:53) [[1088]Beersheba, Or Beersheba]
Shebam
(fragrance), one of the towns in the pastoral district on the
east of Jordan; demanded by and finally ceded to the tribes of
Reuben and Gad. (Numbers 32:3) It is probably the same as
[1089]Shibmah, (Numbers 32:38) and [1090]Sibmah. (Joshua 13:13;
Isaiah 16:8,9; Jeremiah 48:32)
Shebaniah
(increased by Jehovah).
+ A Levite in the time of Ezra. (Nehemiah 9:4,5) He sealed the
covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:10) (B.C. 459.)
+ A priest or priestly family who sealed the covenant with
Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:4; 12:14) Called [1091]Shechaniah,
[1092]Shechaniah in (Nehemiah 12:3)
+ Another Levite who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah.
(Nehemiah 10:12)
+ One of the priests appointed by David to blow with the
trumpets before the ark of God. (1 Chronicles 15:24) (B.C.
1043.)
Shebarim
(the breaches), a place named in (Joshua 7:5) only, as one of
the points in the flight from Ai.
Sheber
(breaking), son of Caleb ben-Hezron by his concubine Maachah.
(1 Chronicles 2:48) (B.C. after 1690.)
Shebna
(vigor), a person of high position in Hezekiah's court, holding
at one time the office of prefect of the palace, (Isaiah 22:15)
but subsequently the subordinate office of secretary. (Isaiah
36:3; 2 Kings 19:2) (B.C. 713.)
Shebuel, Or Shebuel
(captive of God).
+ A descendant of Moses, (1 Chronicles 23:16; 26:24) called
also [1093]Shubael. (1 Chronicles 24:20) (B.C. 1013).
+ One of the fourteen sons of Heman the minstrel, (1 Chronicles
25:4) called also [1094]Shubael. (1 Chronicles 25:20) (B.C.
1013.)
Shechaniah
(dweller with Jehovah).
+ A descendant of Zerubbabel. (1 Chronicles 3:21,22)
+ Some descendants of Shechaniah returned with Ezra. (Ezra 8:3)
+ The sons of Shechaniah were another family who returned with
Ezra. (Ezra 8:5) (B.C. 459.)
+ The son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam. (Ezra 10:2)
+ The father of Shemaiah, 2. (Nehemiah 3:29)
+ The son of Arah. (Nehemiah 6:18)
+ The head of a priestly family who returned with Zerubbabel.
(Nehemiah 12:3)
(dweller with Jehovah).
+ The tenth in order of the priests who were appointed by lot
in the reign of David. (1 Chronicles 24:11) (B.C. 1014.)
+ A priest in the reign of Hezekiah. (2 Chronicles 31:15) (B.C.
925.)
Shechem
(back or shoulder).
+ An important city in central Palestine, in the valley between
mounts Ebal and Gerizim, 34 miles north of Jerusalem and 7
miles southeast of Samaria. Its present name, Nablus, is a
corruption of Neapolis, which succeeded the more ancient
Shechem, and received its new name from Vespasian. On coins
still extant it is called Flavia Neapolis. The situation of
the town is one of surpassing beauty. It lies in a sheltered
valley, protected by Gerizim on the south and Ebal on the
north. The feet of these mountains, where they rise from the
town, are not more than five hundred yards apart. The bottom
of the valley is about 1800 feet above the level of the sea,
and the top of Gerizim 800 feet higher still. The sit of the
present city, which was also that of the Hebrew city, occurs
exactly on the water-summit; and streams issuing from the
numerous springs there flow down the opposite slopes of the
valley, spreading verdure and fertility in every direction.
Travellers vie with each other in the language which they
employ to describe the scene that here bursts so suddenly
upon them on arriving in spring or early summer at this
paradise of the holy land. "The whole valley," says Dr.
Robinson, "was filled with gardens of vegetables and orchards
of all kinds of fruits, watered by fountains which burst
forth in various parts and flow westward in refreshing
streams. it came upon us suddenly like a scene of fairy
enchantment. We saw nothing to compare with it in all
Palestine." The allusions to Shechem in the Bible are
numerous, and show how important the place was in Jewish
history. Abraham, on his first migration to the land of
promise, pitched his tent and built an altar under the oak
(or terebinth) of Moreh at Shechem. "The Canaanite was then
in the land;" and it is evident that the region, if not the
city, was already in possession of the aboriginal race. See
(Genesis 12:6) At the time of Jacob's arrival here, after his
sojourn in Mesopotamia, (Genesis 33:18; 34) Shechem was a
Hivite city, of which Hamor, the father of Shechem, was the
headman. it was at this time that the patriarch purchased
from that chieftain "the parcel of the field" which he
subsequently bequeathed, as a special patrimony, to his son
Joseph. (Genesis 33:19; Joshua 24:32; John 4:5) The field lay
undoubtedly on the rich plain of the Mukhna, and its value
was the greater on account of the well which Jacob had dug
there, so as not to be dependent on his neighbors for a
supply of water. In the distribution of the land after its
conquest by the Hebrews, Shechem fell to the lot of Ephraim,
(Joshua 20:7) but was assigned to the Levites, and became a
city of refuge. (Joshua 21:20,21) It acquired new importance
as the scene of the renewed promulgation of the law, when its
blessings were heard from Gerizim and its curses from Ebal,
and the people bowed their heads and acknowledged Jehovah as
their king and ruler. (27:11; Joshua 24:23-25) it was here
Joshua assembled the people, shortly before his death, and
delivered to them his last counsels. (Joshua 24:1,25) After
the death of Gideon, Abimelech, his bastard son, induced the
Shechemites to revolt from the Hebrew commonwealth and elect
him as king. (Judges 9:1) ... In revenge for his expulsion
after a reign of three years, Abimelech destroyed the city,
and as an emblem of the fate to which he would consign it,
sowed the ground with salt. (Judges 9:34-45) It was soon
restored, however, for we are told in (1 Kings 12:1) ... that
all Israel assembled at Shechem, and Rehoboam, Solomon's
successor, went thither to be inaugurated as king. here, at
this same place, the ten tribes renounced the house of David,
and transferred their allegiance to Jeroboam, (1 Kings 12:16)
under whom Shechem became for a time the capital of his
kingdom. From the time of the origin of the Samaritans, the
history of Shechem blends itself with that of this people and
of their sacred mount, Gerizim. [[1095]Samaria] Shechem
reappears in the New Testament. It is the [1096]Sychar of
(John 4:5) near which the Saviour conversed with the
Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. The population of Nablus
consists of about 5000, among whom are 500 Greek Christians,
150 Samaritans, and a few Jews. The enmity between the
Samaritans and jews is as inveterate still as it was in the
days of Christ. The Mohammedans, of course, make up the bulk
of the population. The well of Jacob and the tomb of Joseph
are still shown in the neighborhood of the town. The well of
Jacob lies about a mile and a half east of the city, close to
the lower road, and just beyond the wretched hamlet of Balata
. The Christians sometimes call it Bir es-Samariyeh-- "the
well of the Samaritan woman." The well is deep--75 feet when
last measured--and there was probably a considerable
accumulation of rubbish at the bottom. Sometimes it contains
a few feet of water, but at others it is quite dry. It is
entirely excavated in the solid rock, perfectly round, 9 feet
in diameter, with the sides hewn smooth and regular. Of all
the special localities of our Lord's life, this is almost the
only one absolutely undisputed. The tomb of Joseph lies about
a quarter of a mile north of the well, exactly in the centre
of the opening of the valley. It is a small between Gerizim
and Ebal. It is a small, square enclosure of high whitewashed
walls, surrounding a tomb of the ordinary kind, but with the
peculiarity that it is placed diagonally to the walls,
instead of parallel as usual. A rough pillar used as an altar
and black with the traces of fire is at the head and another
at the foot of the tome. In the walls are two slabs with
Hebrew inscriptions, and the interior is almost covered with
the names of pilgrims in Hebrew Arabic and Samaritan. Beyond
this there is nothing to remark in the structure itself. The
local tradition of the tomb, like that of the well is as old
as the beginning of the fourth century.
+ The son of Hamor, the chieftain of the Hivite settlement of
Shechem at the time of Jacob's arrival. (Genesis 33:19;
34:2-26; Joshua 24:32; Judges 9:28)
+ A man of Manasseh, of the clan of Gilead. (Numbers 26:31)
+ A Gileadite, son of Shemida, the younger brother of the
foregoing. (1 Chronicles 7:19)
Shechemites, The
the family of Shechem son of Gilead. (Numbers 26:31) comp. Josh
17:2
Shechinah
(dwelling). This term is not found in the Bible. It was used by
the later Jews, and borrowed by Christians from them, to
express the visible majesty of the divine Presence especially
when resting or dwelling between the cherubim on the mercyseat.
In the tabernacle and in the temple of Solomon, but not in the
second temple. The use of the term is first found in the
Targums, where it forms a frequent periphrasis for God,
considered its dwelling among the children of Israel. The idea
which the different accounts in Scripture convey is that of a
most brilliant and glorious light, enveloped in a cloud, and
usually concealed by the cloud, so that the cloud itself was
for the most part alone visible but on particular occasions the
glory appeared. The allusions in the New Testament to the
shechinah are not unfrequent. (Luke 2:9; John 1:14; Romans 9:4)
and we are distinctly taught to connect it with the incarnation
and future coming of the Messiah as type with antitype.
Shedeur
(darter of light), the father of Elizur, chief of the tribe of
Reuben at the time of the exodus. (Numbers 1:5; 2:10; 7:30,35;
10:18) (B.C. 1491.)
Sheep
Sheep were an important part of the possessions of the ancient
Hebrews and of eastern nations generally. The first mention of
sheep occurs in (Genesis 4:2) They were used in the sacrificial
offering,as, both the adult animal, (Exodus 20:24) and the
lamb. See (Exodus 29:28; Leviticus 9:3; 12:6) Sheep and lambs
formed an important article of food. (1 Samuel 25:18) The wool
was used as clothing. (Leviticus 13:47) "Rams skins dyed red"
were used as a covering for the tabernacle. (Exodus 25:5) Sheep
and lambs were sometimes paid as tribute. (2 Kings 3:4) It is
very striking to notice the immense numbers of sheep that were
reared in Palestine in biblical times. (Chardin says he saw a
clan of Turcoman shepherds whose flock consisted of 3,000,000
sheep and goats, besides 400,000 Feasts of carriage, as horses,
asses and camels.) Sheep-sheering is alluded to (Genesis 31:19)
Sheepdogs were employed in biblical times. (Job 30:1) Shepherds
in Palestine and the East generally go before their flocks,
which they induce to follow by calling to them, comp. (John
10:4; Psalms 77:20; 80:1) though they also drive them. (Genesis
33:13) The following quotation from Hartley's "Researches in
Greece and the Levant," p. 321, is strikingly illustrative of
the allusions in (John 10:1-16) "Having had my attention
directed last night to the words in (John 10:3) I asked my man
if it was usual in Greece to give names to the sheep. He
informed me that it was, and that the sheep obeyed the shepherd
when he called them by their names. This morning I had an
opportunity of verifying the truth of this remark. Passing by a
flock of sheep I asked the shepherd the same question which I
had put to the servant, and he gave me the same answer. I then
had him call one of his sheep. He did so, and it instantly left
its pasturage and its companions and ran up to the hands of the
shepherd with signs of pleasure and with a prompt obedience
which I had never before observed in any other animal. It is
also true in this country that a stranger will they not follow,
but will flee from him. The shepherd told me that many of his
sheep were still wild, that they had not yet learned their
names, but that by teaching them they would all learn them."
The common sheer, of Syria and Palestine are the broad-tailed.
As the sheep is an emblem of meekness, patience and submission,
it is expressly mentioned as typifying these qualities in the
person of our blessed Lord. (Isaiah 53:7; Acts 8:32) etc. The
relation that exists between Christ, "the chief Shepherd," and
his members is beautifully compared to that which in the East
is so strikingly exhibited by the shepherds to their flocks
[[1097]Shepherd]
Sheepgate, The
one of the gates of Jerusalem as rebuilt by Nehemiah. (Nehemiah
3:1,32; 12:39) It stood between the tower of Meah and the
chamber of the corner, ch. (Nehemiah 3:1,32) or gate of the
guard-house, ch. (Nehemiah 12:39) Authorized Version,
"prison-gate." The latter seems to have been at the angle
formed by the junction of the wall of the city of David with
that of the city of Jerusalem proper, having the sheep-gate on
the north of it. The position of the sheep-gate may therefore
have been on or near that of the Bab el Kattanin.
Sheepmarket, The
(John 5:2) The world "market" is an interpolation of our
translators. We ought probably to supply the word "gate."
Shehariah
(dawning of Jehovah), a Benjamite, son of Jehoram. (1
Chronicles 8:26) (B.C. 588.)
Shekel
[[1098]Money]
Shelah
(a petition).
+ The youngest son of Judah. (Genesis 38:5,11,14,26; 46:10;
Numbers 26:20; 1 Chronicles 2:3; 4:21) (B.C. before 1706.)
+ The proper form of the name of Salah. (1 Chronicles 1:18,24)
Shelanites, The
the descendants of Shelah. 1. (Numbers 26:20)
Shelemiah
(repaid by Jehovah).
+ One of the sons of Bani in the time of Ezra. (Ezra 10:30)
(B.C. 458.)
+ The father of Hananiah. (Nehemiah 3:30)
+ A priest in the time of Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 13:13)
+ The father of Jehueal, or Jucal, in the time of Zedekiah.
(Jeremiah 37:3)
+ The father of Irijah, the captain of the ward who arrested
Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 37:13) (B.C. before 589.)
+ The same as Meshelemiah and Shallum, 8. (1 Chronicles 26:14)
+ Another of the sons of Bani in the time of Ezra. (Ezra 10:41)
+ Ancestor of Jehudi in the time of Jehoiakim. (Jeremiah 36:14)
+ Son of Abdeel; one of those who received the orders of
Jehoiakim to take Baruch and Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 36:26) (B.C.
604.)
Sheleph
(a drawing forth), the second in order of the sons of Joktan.
(Genesis 10:26; 1 Chronicles 1:20)
Shelesh
(might), son of Helem. (1 Chronicles 7:35)
Shelomi
(peaceful), an Asherite, father of Ahihud. (Numbers 34:27)
(B.C. before 1450.)
Shelomith
(peaceful).
+ The daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. (Leviticus 24:11)
+ The daughter of Zerubbabel. (1 Chronicles 3:19) (B.C. after
536.)
+ Chief of the Izharites. (1 Chronicles 23:18)
+ A descendant of Eliezer the son of Moses, in the reign of
David. (1 Chronicles 26:25,26,28) (B.C. 1013.)
+ A Gershonite. (1 Chronicles 23:9)
+ One whose sons returned from Babylon with Ezra. (Ezra 8:10)
Shelomoth
the same as Shelomith, 3. (1 Chronicles 24:22)
Shelumiel
(friend of God), the son of Zurishaddai, and prince of the
tribe of Simeon at the time of the exodus. (Numbers 1:6; 2:12;
7:36,41; 10:19) (B.C. 1431.)
Shem
(name), the eldest son of Noah. (Genesis 5:32) He was 98 years
old, married, and childless at the time of the flood. After it,
he, with his father, brothers, sisters-in-law and wife,
received the blessing of God, (Genesis 9:1) and entered into
the covenant. With the help of his brother Japheth, he covered
the nakedness of their father and received the first blessing.
(Genesis 9:25-27) He died at the age of 630 years. The portion
of the earth occupied by the descendants of Shem, (Genesis
10:21,31) begins at its northwestern extremity with Lydia, and
includes Syria (Aram), Chaldaea (Arphaxad), parts Of Assyria
(Asshur), of Persia (Elam), and of the Arabian peninsula
(Joktan). Modern scholars have given the name of Shemitic or
Semitic to the languages spoken by his real or supposed
descendants. [[1099]Hebrew Language]
Shema
+ A Reubenite, ancestor of Bela. (1 Chronicles 5:8) (B.C.
before 1090.)
+ Son of Elpaal. (1 Chronicles 8:13) Probably the same as
Shimhi. (B.C. after 1450.)
+ One of those who stood at Ezra's right hand when he read the
law to the people. (Nehemiah 8:4) (B.C. 458.)
+ (Joshua 15:26) [[1100]Sheba]
Shemaah
(the rumor), a Benjamite of Gibeah, and father of Ahiezer and
Joash. (1 Chronicles 12:3) (B.C. before 1054.)
Shemaiah
(heard by Jehovah).
+ A prophet in the reign of Rehoboam. (1 Kings 12:22; 2
Chronicles 11:2) (B.C. 972.) He wrote a chronicle containing
the events of Rehoboam's reign. (2 Chronicles 12:5,15)
+ The son of Shechaniah, among the descendants of Zerubbabel.
(1 Chronicles 3:23; Nehemiah 3:28)
+ A prince of the tribe of Simeon. (1 Chronicles 4:27)
+ Son of Joel, Reubenite. (1 Chronicles 5:4) (B.C. after 1706.)
+ Son of Hasshub, a Merarite Levite. (1 Chronicles 9:14;
Nehemiah 11:15)
+ Father of Obadiah or Abda, a Levite. (1 Chronicles 9:16)
+ Son of Elizaphan, and chief of his house in the reign of
David. (1 Chronicles 15:8,11) (B.C. 1043.)
+ A Levite, son of Nethaneel and also a scribe in the time of
David. (1 Chronicles 24:6) (B.C. 1014.)
+ The eldest son of Obed-edom the Gittite. (1 Chronicles
26:4,6,7) (B.C. 1014.)
+ A descendant of Jeduthun the singer who lived in the reign of
Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29:14)
+ One of the sons of Adonikam who returned with Ezra. (Ezra
5:13)
+ One of Ezra's messengers. (Ezra 8:16)
+ A priest of the family of Harim, who put away his foreign
wife at Ezra's bidding. (Ezra 10:21) (B.C. 455.)
+ A layman of Israel son of another Harim, who had also married
a foreigner. (Ezra 10:31) (B.C. 458.)
+ Son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, a prophet in the time
of Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 6:10) (B.C. 446.)
+ The head of a priestly house who signed the covenant with
Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:8; 12:6,18) (B.C. 410.)
+ One of the princes of Judah at the time of the dedication of
Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 12:34)
+ One of the choir on the same occasion. (Nehemiah 12:38)
+ A priest. (Nehemiah 12:42)
+ A false prophet in the time of Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 29:24-32)
+ A Levite in the reign of Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 17:8)
(B.C. 909.)
+ A Levite in the reign of Hezekiah. (2 Chronicles 31:15) (B.C.
726.)
+ A Levite in the reign of Josiah. (2 Chronicles 35:9) (B.C.
628.)
+ The father of Urijah of Kirjath-jearim. (Jeremiah 26:20)
(B.C. before 608.)
+ The father of Delaiah. (Jeremiah 36:12) (B.C. before 605.)
Shemariah
(kept by Jehovah).
+ A Benjamite warrior who came to David at Ziklag. (1
Chronicles 12:5) (B.C. 1054.)
+ One of the family of Harim, a lay man of Israel who put away
his foreign wife in the time of Ezra. (Ezra 10:32) (B.C.
658.)
+ Another who did the same. (Ezra 10:41)
Shemeber
(lofty flight), king of Zeboim, and ally of the king of Sodom
when he was attacked by Chedorlaomer. (B.C. 1912.)
Shemer
(preserved), the owner of the hill on which the city of Samaria
was built. (1 Kings 16:24) (B.C. 917.) [[1101]Samaria]
Shemida
(wise), a son of Gilead. (Numbers 26:32; Joshua 17:2) (B.C.
after 1690.)
Shemidah
Shemida the son of Gilead. (1 Chronicles 7:19)
Shemidaites, The
the descendants of Shemida the son of Gilead. (Numbers 26:32)
Sheminith
(eighth), a musical term found in the title of (Psalms 6:1) A
similar direction is found in the title of (Psalms 12:1) Comp.
1Chr 15:21 It seems most probable that Sheminith denotes a
certain air known as the eighth, or a certain key in which the
psalm was to be sung.
Shemitic Languages
the family of languages spoken by the descendants of Shem,
chiefly the Hebrew, Chaldaic, Assyrian, Arabic Phoenician and
Aramaic or Syriac. The Jews in their earlier history spoke the
Hebrew, but in Christ's time they spoke the Aramaic, sometimes
called the Syro-Chaldaic.
Shemuel
(heard by God).
+ A commissioner appointed from the tribe of Simeon to divide
the land of Canaan. (Numbers 34:20) (B.C. 1450.)
+ Samuel the prophet. (1 Chronicles 6:33)
+ Son of Tola, and one of the chiefs of the tribe of Issachar,
(1 Chronicles 7:2) (B.C. 1014.)
Shen
(tooth), a place mentioned only in (1 Samuel 7:12) Nothing is
known of it.
Shenazar
(splendid leader), son of Salathiel or Shealtiel. (1 Chronicles
3:18) (B.C. after 606.)
Shenir
[[1102]Senir]
Shepham
(fruitful), a place on the eastern boundary of the promised
land. (Numbers 34:10,11)
Shephathiah
a Benjamite, father of Meshullam 6. (1 Chronicles 9:8)
Shephatiah
(judged by Jehovah).
+ The fifth son of David. (2 Samuel 3:4; 1 Chronicles 3:3)
(B.C. about 1050.)
+ The family of Shephatiah, 372 in number, returned with
Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:4; Nehemiah 7:9) see also Ezra 8:8 (B.C.
536.)
+ The family of another Shephatiah, who came up with
Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:4)
+ A descendant of Judah. (Nehemiah 11:4)
+ One of the princes of Judah who counselled Zedekiah to put
Jeremiah in the dungeon. (Jeremiah 38:1) (B.C. 589.)
+ One of the Benjamite warriors who joined David in his retreat
at Ziklag. (1 Chronicles 12:5) (B.C. 1054.)
+ Chief of the Simeonites in the reign of David. (1 Chronicles
37:16)
+ Son of Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 21:2) (B.C. 887.)
Shepherd
In a nomadic state of society every man, from the sheikh down
to the slave, is more or less a shepherd. The progenitors of
the Jews in the patriarchal age were nomads, and their history
is rich in scenes of pastoral life. The occupation of tending
the flocks was undertaken,not only by the sons of wealthy
chiefs, (Genesis 30:29) ff.; Genesis37:12 ff., but even by
their daughters. (Genesis 29:6,8; Exodus 2:10) The Egyptian
captivity did march to implant a love of settled abode, and
consequently we find the tribes which still retained a taste
for shepherd life selecting their own quarters apart from their
brethren in the transjordanic district. (Numbers 32:1) ff.
Thenceforward in Palestine proper the shepherd held a
subordinate position. The office of the eastern shepherd, as
described in the Bible, was attended with much hardship, and
even danger. He was exposed to the extremes of heat and cold,
(Genesis 31:40) his food frequently consisted of the precarious
supplies afforded by nature, such as the fruit of the
"sycamore" or Egyptian fig, (Amos 7:14) the "husks" of the
carob tree, (Luke 15:16) and perchance the locusts and wild
honey which supported the Baptist, (Matthew 3:4) he had to
encounter the attacks of wild beasts, occasionally of the
larger species, such as lions, nerves, panthers and bears, (1
Samuel 17:34; Isaiah 31:4; Jeremiah 5:6; Amos 5:12) nor was he
free from the risk of robbers or predators hordes. (Genesis
31:39) To meet these various foes the shepherd's equipment
consisted of the following articles: a mantle, made probably of
sheep skin with the fleece on, which he turned inside out in
cold weather, as implied in the comparison in (Jeremiah 43:12)
(cf. Juv. xiv. 187.); a scrip or wallet, containing a small
amount of food (1 Samuel 17:40) a sling, which is still the
favorite weapon of the Bedouin shepherd, (1 Samuel 17:40) and
lastly, a which served the double purpose of a weapon against
foes and a crook for the management of the flock. (1 Samuel
17:40; Psalms 23:4; Zechariah 11:7) If the shepherd was at a
distance from his home, he was provided with a light tent,
(Song of Solomon 1:8; Jeremiah 35:7) the removal of which was
easily effected. (Isaiah 38:12) In certain localities,
moreover, towers were erected for the double purpose of spying
an enemy at a distance and of protecting the flock; such towers
were erected by Uzziah and Jotham, (2 Chronicles 26:10; 27:4)
while their existence in earlier times is testified by the name
Migdal-edar (Genesis 35:21) Authorized Version "a tower of
Edar;" (Micah 4:8) Authorized Version "tower of the flock." The
routine of the shepherd's duties appears to have been as
follows: In the morning he led forth his flock from the fold
(John 10:4) which he did by going before them and calling to
them, as is still usual in the East; arrived at the pasturage
he watched the flock with the assistance of dogs, (Job 30:1)
and should any sheep stray, he had to search for it until he
found it, (Ezekiel 34:12; Luke 15:4) he supplied them with
water, either at a running stream or at troughs attached to
wells, (Genesis 29:7; 30:38; Exodus 2:16; Psalms 23:2) at
evening he brought them back to the fold, and reckoned them to
see that none were missing, by passing them "under the rod" as
they entered the door of the enclosure (Leviticus 27:32;
Ezekiel 20:37) checking each sheep, as it passed, by a motion
of the hand, (Jeremiah 33:13) and, finally, he watched the
entrance of the fold throughout the night, acting as porter.
(John 10:3) [See Sheepfold, under [1103]Sheep] The shepherd's
office thus required great watchfulness, particularly by night.
(Luke 2:8) cf. Nahu 3:18 It also required tenderness toward the
young and feeble, (Isaiah 40:11) particularly in driving them
to and from the pasturage. (Genesis 33:13) In large
establishments there are various grades of shepherds, the
highest being styled "rulers," (Genesis 47:6) or "chief
shepherds," (1 Peter 5:4) in a royal household the title of
abbir "mighty," was bestowed on the person who held the post.
(1 Samuel 21:7) [[1104]Sheep]
Shephi
(bareness), son of Shobal. of the sons of Seir. (1 Chronicles
1:40) Called also [1105]Shepho. (Genesis 36:23)
Shepho
(Genesis 36:23) [[1106]Shephi]
Shephuphan
(an adder), one of the sons of Bela the first-born of Benjamin.
(1 Chronicles 8:5) His name is also written SHEPHUPNAM
(authorized Version "Shupham"), (Numbers 26:39) [1107]Shuppim
(1 Chronicles 7:12,15) and [1108]Muppim. (Genesis 46:21)
[[1109]Muppim]
Sherah
(kinswoman), daughter of Ephraim, (1 Chronicles 7:24) and
foundress of the Beth-horons and of a town called after her
Uzzen-sherah, (B.C. about 1445.)
Sherebiah
(heat of Jehovah) a Levite in the time of Ezra. (Ezra 8:18,24)
(B.C. 459.) When Ezra read the law to the people, Sherebiah was
among the Levites who assisted him. (Nehemiah 8:7) He signed
the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:12)
Sheresh
(root), son of Machir the son of Manasseh by his wife Manchah.
(1 Chronicles 7:16) (B.C. before 1419.)
Sherezer
(prince of fire), one of the people's messengers mentioned in
(Zechariah 7:2)
Sheshach
(from the goddess Shach, reduplicated) is a term which occurs
only in (Jeremiah 25:26; 51:41) where it is evidently used as a
synonym for either Babylon or Babylonia.
Sheshai
(noble), one of the three sons of Anak who dwelt in Hebron.
(Numbers 13:22) (B.C. 1445.)
Sheshan
(Noble), a descendant of Jerahmeel the son of Hezron. (1
Chronicles 2:31,34,35) (B.C. after 1690.)
Sheshbazzar
(worshipper of fire), the Chaldean or Persian name given to
Zerubbabel in (Ezra 1:8,11; 6:14,18) [[1110]Zerubbabel]
Sheth
(compensation).
+ The patriarch Seth. (1 Chronicles 1:1)
+ In the Authorized Version of (Numbers 24:17) not a proper
name, but there is reason to regard it as an appellative.
Read instead of "the sons of Sheth." "the suns of tumult."
Comp. (Jeremiah 48:45)
Shethar
(Pers. a star), one of the seven princes of Persia and Media.
(Esther 1:14) (B.C. 483.)
Shetharboznai
(Pers. star of splendor), a Persian officer of rank in the
reign of Darius Hystaspes. (Ezra 5:3,6; 6:6,13) (B.C. 320.)
Sheva
(Jehovah contends).
+ The scribe or royal secretary of David. (2 Samuel 20:26) He
is called elsewhere [1111]Meraiah, (2 Samuel 8:17)
[1112]Shisha, (1 Kings 4:3) And SHANSHA. (1 Chronicles 18:16)
(B.C. 1015.)
+ Son of Caleb ben-Hezron by his concubine Maachah. (1
Chronicles 2:49) (B.C. about 1445.)
Shewbread
(Exodus 25:30; 35:13; 39:36) etc. literally "bread of the face"
or "faces." Shew-bread was unleavened bread placed upon a table
which stood in the sanctuary together with the seven-branched
candlestick and the altar of incense. See (Exodus 25:23-30) for
description of this table. Every Sabbath twelve newly baked
loaves, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, were put on
it in two rows, six in each, and sprinkled with incense, where
they remained till the following Sabbath. Then they were
replaced by twelve new ones, the incense was burned, and they
were eaten by the priests in the holy place, out of which they
might not be removed, The title "bread of the face" seems to
indicate that bread through which God is seen, that is, with
the participation of which the seeing of God is bound up, or
through the participation of which man attains the sight of God
whence it follows that we have not to think of bread merely as
such as the means of nourishing the bodily life, but as
spiritual food as a means of appropriating and retaining that
life which consists In seeing the face of God.
Shibboleth
(a stream), (Judges 12:6) is the Hebrew word which the
Gileadites under Jephthah made use of at the passage of the
Jordan, after a victory over the Ephraimites, to test the
pronunciation of the sound sh by those who wished to cross over
the river. The Ephraimites, it would appear, in their dialect
substituted for sh the simple sound s ; and the Gileadites,
regarding every one who failed to pronounce sh as an Ephraimite
and therefore an enemy, put him to death accordingly. In this
way there fell 42,000 Ephraimites. There is no mystery in this
particular word. Any word beginning with the sound sh would
have answered equally well as a test.
Shibmah
(properly [1113]Sibmah). [[1114]Shebam]
Shicron
(drunkenness), one of the landmarks at the western end of the
north boundary of Judah. (Joshua 15:11) only. It lay between
Ekron (Akir) and Jabneel (Yebna).
Shield
The ordinary shield consisted of a framework of wood covered
with leather; it thus admitted of being burnt. (Ezekiel 39:9)
It was frequently cased with metal, either brass or copper; its
appearance in this case resembled gold when the sun shone on
it, 1 Macc. 6:39 and to this, rather than to the practice of
smearing blood on the shield we may refer the redness noticed
by. Nahum. (Nahum 2:3) The surface of the shield was kept
bright by the application of oil as implied in (Isaiah 21:5)
The shield was worn on the left arm, to which it was attached
by a strap. Shields of state were covered with beaten gold.
Shields were suspended about public buildings for ornamental
purposes. (1 Kings 10:17) In the metaphorical language of the
Bible the shield generally represents the protection of God:
e.g. (Psalms 3:3; 28:7) but in (Psalms 47:9) it is applied to
earthly rulers and in (Ephesians 6:18) to faith. [[1115]Arms,
Armor]
Shiggaion
(Psalms 7:1) a particular kind of psalm, the specific character
of which is now not known perhaps a "wild, mournful ode."
Shihon
(ruin), a town of Issachar, named only in (Joshua 19:19)
Eusebius mentions it as then existing "near Mount Tabor."
Shihor Of Egypt
[[1116]Sihor]
Shihorlibnath
(black of whiteness), named only in (Joshua 19:26) as one of
the landmarks of the boundary of Asher. (probably the little
stream called on the map of Pal. Ord. Survey Wady en Nebra,
"which enters the Mediterranean a little south of Athlit." The
name would come from the turgid character of the stream
contrasted with the white and glistening sands of its
shore.--ED.)
Shilhi
(armed), the father of Azubah the mother of Jehoshaphat (1
Kings 22:42; 2 Chronicles 20:31) (B.C. before 946.)
Shilhim
(fountains), one of the cities in the southern portion of the
tribe of Judah. (Joshua 15:32)
Shillem
(requital), son of Naphtali and an ancestor of the family of
the Shillemites. (Genesis 46:24; Numbers 26:49)
Shillemites, The
[[1117]Shillem]
Shiloah, The Waters Of
a certain soft-flowing stream, (Isaiah 8:6) better known under
the later name of Siloam -the only perennial spring of
Jerusalem.
Shiloh
(place of rest), a city of Ephraim. In (Judges 21:19) it is
said that Shiloh is "on the north side of Bethel, on the east
side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem and on
the south of Lebonah." In agreement with this the traveller of
our own city, going north from Jerusalem, lodges the first
night at Beitin, the ancient Bethel; the next day, at the
distance of a few hours, turns aside to the right, in order to
visit Seilun, the Arabic for Shiloh; and then passing through
the narrow wady which brings him to the main road, leaves
el-Lebban, the Lebonah of Scripture, on the left, as he pursues
"the highway" to Nublus, the ancient Shechem. [[1118]Shechem]
Shiloh was one of the earliest and most sacred of the Hebrew
sanctuaries. The ark of the covenant, which had been kept at
Gilgal during the progress of the conquest, (Joshua 17:1) seq.,
was removed thence on the subjugation of the country, and kept
at Shiloh from the last days of Joshua to the time of Samuel.
(Joshua 18:10; Judges 18:31; 1 Samuel 4:3) It was here the
Hebrew conqueror divided among the tribes the portion of the
west Jordan region which had not been already allotted. (Joshua
18:10; 19:51) In this distribution, or an earlier one, Shiloh
fell within the limits of Ephraim. (Joshua 16:5) The ungodly
conduct of the sons of Eli occasioned the loss of the ark of
the covenant, which had been carried into battle against the
Philistines, and Shiloh from that time sank into
insignificance. It stands forth in the Jewish history as a
striking example of the divine indignation. (Jeremiah 7:12)
In the Authorized Version of the Bible Shiloh is once used as
the name of a person, in a very difficult passage, in (Genesis
49:10) "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver
from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall
the gathering of the people be." Supposing that the translation
is correct, the meaning of the word is peaceable or pacific,
and the allusion is either to Solomon, whose name has a similar
signification, or to the expected Messiah, who in (Isaiah 9:6)
is expressly called the Prince of Peace. [[1119]Messiah] Other
interpretations, however, of the passage are given, one of
which makes it refer to the city of this name. [See the
following article] It might be translated "The sceptre shall
not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his
feet, till he shall go to Shiloh." In this case the allusion
would be to the primacy of Judah in war, (Judges 1:1,2; 20:18;
Numbers 2:3; 10:14) which was to continue until the promised
land was conquered and the ark of the covenant was solemnly
deposited at Shiloh.
Shiloni
This word occurs in the Authorized Version only in (Nehemiah
11:5) where it should be rendered--as it is in other cases--
"the Shilonite," that is the descendant of Sheluh the youngest
son of Judah.
Shilonite, The
that is, the native or resident of Shiloh; a title ascribed
only to Ahijah. (1 Kings 11:29; 12:15; 15:29; 2 Chronicles
9:29; 10:15)
Shilonites, The
are mentioned among the descendants of Judah dwelling in
Jerusalem at a date difficult to (1 Chronicles 8:5) They are
doubtless the members of the house of Shelah, who in the
Pentateuch are more accurately designated Shelanites.
Shilshah
(strong), son of Zophah of the tribe of Asher. (1 Chronicles
7:37) (B.C. before 1015.)
Shimea
(fame).
+ Son of David by Beth-shean. (1 Chronicles 3:5) (B.C. 1045.)
+ A Merarite Levite. (1 Chronicles 6:30) (15).
+ A Gershonite Levite, ancestor of Asaph the minstrel. (1
Chronicles 6:39) (24). (B.C. before 1200.)
+ The brother of David, (1 Chronicles 20:7) elsewhere called
Shamma, Shimma and Shimeah.
Shimeah
+ Brother of David, and father of Jonathan and Jonadab, (2
Samuel 21:21) called also Shammah, Shimea, and Shimma. (B.C.
about 1060.)
+ A descendant of Jehiel, the father or founder of Gibeon. (1
Chronicles 8:32) (B.C. perhaps 536.)
Shimeam
(their fame), a descendant of Jehiel, the founder or prince of
Gibeon. (1 Chronicles 9:38) Called [1120]Shimeah in (1
Chronicles 8:32)
Shimeath
(feminine of Shimeah), an Ammonitess, mother of Jozachar or
Zabad, one of the murderers of King Joash. (2 Kings 12:21)
(22); 2Chr 24:26 (B.C. 809.)
Shimei
(renowned).
+ Son of Gershon the son of Levi, (Numbers 3:18; 1 Chronicles
6:17,29; 23:7,9,10; Zechariah 12:13) called [1121]Shimi in
(Exodus 6:17) (B.C. after 1706.)
+ Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of the house of Saul, who
lived at Bahurim. (B.C. 1023.) When David and his suite were
seen descending the long defile, on his flight from Absolom,
(2 Samuel 16:5-13) the whole feeling of the clan of Benjamin
burst forth without restraint in the person of Shimei. He ran
along the ridge, cursing and throwing stones at the king and
is companions. The next meeting was very different. The king
was now returning from his successful campaign. Just as he
was crossing the Jordan, (2 Samuel 19:18) the first person to
welcome him was Shimei who threw himself at David's feet in
abject penitence. But the king's suspicions were not set at
rest by this submission; and on his death-bed he recalls the
whole scene to the recollection of his son Solomon. Solomon
gave Shimei notice that from henceforth he must consider
himself confined to the walls of Jerusalem, on pain of death.
(1 Kings 3:36,37) For three years the engagement was kept. At
the end of that time for the purpose of capturing two slaves
who had escaped to Gath, he went out on his ass, and made his
journey successfully. Ibid. (1 Kings 2:40) On his return the
king took him at his word, and he was slain by Benaiah. Ibid.
(1 Kings 2:41-46)
+ One of the adherents of Solomon at the time of Adonjah's
usurpation. (1 Kings 1:8) (B.C.1015.)
+ Solomon's commissariat officer in Benjamin. (1 Kings 4:18)
+ Son of Pedaiah, and brother of Zerubbabel. (1 Chronicles
3:19) (B.C. 536.)
+ A Simeonite, son of Zacchur. (1 Chronicles 4:26,27)
+ Son of Gog, a Reubenite. (1 Chronicles 5:4)
+ A Gershonite Levite, son of Jahath. (1 Chronicles 6:42)
+ Son of Jeduthun, and chief of the tenth division of the
singers. (1 Chronicles 25:17)
+ The Ramathite who was over David's vineyards. (1 Chronicles
27:27)
+ A Levite of the sons of Heman, who took part in the
purification of the temple under Zedekiah. (2 Chronicles
29:14) (B.C. 726.)
+ The brother of Cononiah the Levite, in the reign of Hezekiah.
(2 Chronicles 31:12,13) Perhaps the same as the preceding.
+ A Levite in the time of Ezra who had married a foreign wife.
(Ezra 10:23)
+ One of the family of Hashum, who put away his foreign wife at
Ezra's command. (Ezra 10:33)
+ A son of Bani, who had also married a foreign wife, and put
her away. (Ezra 10:38) (B.C. 459.)
+ Son of Kish, a Benjamite, and ancestor of Mordecai. (Esther
2:5) (B.C. before 479).
Shimeon
(hearing (prayer), a lay man of Israel, of the family of Harim,
who had married a foreign wife, and divorced her in the time of
Ezra. (Ezra 10:31) (B.C. 458.)
Shimhi
(renowned), a Benjamite, apparently the same as Shema the son
of Elpaal. (1 Chronicles 8:21)
Shimi
= [1122]Shimei, 1. (Exodus 6:17)
Shimites, The
the descendants of Shimei the son of Gershon. (Numbers 3:21)
Shimon
(desert). The four sons of Shimon are enumerated in an obscure
genealogy of the tribe of Judah. (1 Chronicles 4:20)
Shimrath
(guard), a Benjamite, of the sons of Shimhi. (1 Chronicles
8:21)
Shimri
(vigilant).
+ A Simeonite son of Shemaiah. (1 Chronicles 4:37) (B.C. after
1450.)
+ The father of Jediael, one of David's guard. (1 Chronicles
11:45) (B.C. before 1043.)
+ A Kohathite Levite in the reign of Hezekiah. (2 Chronicles
29:13) (B.C. 726.)
Shimrith
(feminine of Shimri, vigilant), a Moabitess, mother of
Jehozabad, one of the assassins of King Joash. (2 Chronicles
24:26) In (2 Kings 12:21) she is called [1123]Shomer. (B.C.
839.)
Shimrom
(1 Chronicles 7:1) [[1124]Shimron]
Shimron
(watch-height).
+ A city of Zebulun. (Joshua 11:1; 19:15) Its full appellation
was perhaps Shimron-meron.
+ The fourth son of Issachar according to the lists of Genesis,
(Genesis 46:13) and Numbers, (Numbers 26:24) and the head of
the family of the Shimronites.
Shimronites, The
[[1125]Shimron]
Shimronmeron
(watch-height of Meron). The king of Shimron-meron is mentioned
as one of the thirty-one kings vanquished by Joshua. (Joshua
12:20) It is probably the complete name of the place elsewhere
called Shimron, a city of Zebulun. (Joshua 11:1; 19:15)
Shimshai, Or Shimshai
(sunny), the scribe or secretary of Kehum, who was a kind of
satrap of the conquered province of Judea and of the colony of
Samaria, supported by the Persian court. (Ezra 4:8,13,17,23) He
was apparently an Aramaean, for the letter which he wrote to
Artaxerxes was in Syriac. (Ezra 4:7) (B.C. 529.)
Shinab
(splendor of the father, i.e. God), the king of Admah in the
time of Abraham. (Genesis 14:2) (B.C. 1912.)
Shinar
(country of two rivers), the ancient name of the great alluvial
tract through which the Tigris and Euphrates pass before
reaching the sea--the tract known in later times as Chaldaea or
Babylonia. It was a plain country, where brick had to be used
for stone and slime for mortar. (Genesis 11:3) Among the cities
were Babel (Babylon), Erech or Orech (Orchoe), Calneh or Calno
(probably Niffer), and Accad, the site of which is unknown. It
may be suspected that Shinar was the name by which the Hebrews
originally knew the lower Mesopotamian country where they so
long dwelt, and which Abraham brought with him from "Ur of the
Chaldees."
Ship
No one writer in the whole range of Greek and Roman literature
has supplied us with so much information concerning the
merchant-ships of the ancients as St. Luke in the narrative of
St. Paul's voyage to Rome. Acts 27,28. It is important to
remember that he accomplished it in three ships: first, the
Adramyttian vessel which took him from Caesarea to Myra, and
which was probably a coasting-vessel of no great size, (Acts
27:1-6) secondly, the large Alexandrian corn-ship, in which he
was wrecked on the coast of Malta (Acts 27:6-28) :1; and
thirdly, another large Alexandrian corn-ship, in which he
sailed from Malta by Syracuse and Rhegium to Puteoli. (Acts
28:11-13)
+ Size of ancient ships .--The narrative which we take as our
chief guide affords a good standard for estimating this. The
ship, in which St. Paul was wrecked had persons on board,
(Acts 27:37) besides a cargo of wheat, ibid. (Acts 27:10,38)
and all these passengers seem to have been taken on to
Puteoli in another ship, ibid, (Acts 28:11) which had its own
crew and its own cargo. Now, in modern transport-ships,
prepared far carrying troops, it is a common estimate to
allow a toll and a half per man. On the whole, if we say that
an ancient merchant-ship might range from 500 to 1000 tons,
we are clearly within the mark.
+ Steering apparatus .--Some commentators have fallen into
strange perplexities from observing that in (Acts 27:40)
("the fastenings of the rudders") St. Luke uses the plural.
Ancient ships were in truth not steered at all by rudders
fastened or hinged to the stern, but by means of two
paddle-rudders one on each quarter, acting in a rowlock or
through a port-hole as the vessel might be small or large.
+ Build and ornaments of the hull.--It is probable that there
was no very marked difference between the bow and the stern.
The "hold," (Jonah 1:5) would present no special
peculiarities. That personification of ships which seems to
be instinctive led the ancients to paint an eye on each side
of the bow. Comp. (Acts 27:15) An ornament of the ship which
took Paul from Malta to Pozzuoli is more explicitly referred
to. The "sign" of that ship, (Acts 28:11) was Castor and
Pollux; and the symbols of those heroes were doubtless
painted or sculptured on each side of the bow.
+ Under-girders .--The imperfection of the build, and still
more (see below, 6) the peculiarity of the rig, in ancient
ships, resulted in a greater tendency than in our times to
the starting of the pranks and consequently to leaking and
foundering. Hence it was customary to take on board peculiar
contrivances, suitable called helps," (Acts 27:17) as
precautions against such dangers. These were simply cables or
chains, which in case of necessity could be passed round the
frame of the ship, at right angles to its length, and made
tight.
+ Anchors.--Ancient anchors were similar in form to those which
we use now. except that they were without flukes. The ship in
which Paul was sailing had four anchors on board. The sailors
on this occasion anchored by the stern. (Acts 27:29)
+ Masts, sails, ropes and yards . -The rig of an ancient ship
was more simple and clumsy than that employed in modern
times. Its great feature was one large mast, with one large
square sail fastened to a yard of great length. Hence the
strain upon the hull, and the danger of starting the planks,
were greater than under the present system, which distributes
the mechanical pressure more evenly over the whole ship. Not
that there were never more masts than one, or more sails than
one on the same mast, in an ancient merchantman; but these
were repetitions, so to speak, of the same general unit of
rig. Another feature of the ancient, as of the modern,
feature of the ancient, as of ship is the flag at the top of
the mast. Isai l.c., and (Isaiah 30:17) We must remember that
the ancients had no compass, and very imperfect charts and
instruments, if any at all.
+ Rate of sailing .--St. Paul's voyages furnish excellent data
for approximately estimating this; and they are quite in
harmony with what we learn from other sources. We must notice
here, however--what commentators sometimes curiously
forget-that winds are variable. That the voyage between Troas
and Philippi, accomplished on one occasion, (Acts 16:11,12)
in two days, occupied on another occasion, (Acts 20:6) five
days. With a fair wind an ancient ship would sail fully seven
knots an hour.
+ Sailing before the wind.--The rig which has been described
is, like the rig of Chinese junks, peculiarly favorable to a
quick run before the wind. (Acts 16:11; 27:16) It would,
however, be a great mistake to suppose that ancient ships
could not work to windward. The superior rig and build,
however, of modern ships enable them to sail nearer to the
wind than was the case in classical times. A modern ship, if
the weather is not very boisterous, will sail within six
points of the wind. To an ancient vessel, of which the hull
was more clumsy and the yards could not be braced so tight,
it would be safe to assign seven points as the limit. Boats
on the Sea Of Galilee .--In the narrative of the call of the
disciples to be "fishers of men," (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark
1:16,20; Luke 5:1-11) there is no special information
concerning the characteristics of these. With the large
population round the Lake of Tiberias, there must have been a
vast number of both fighting-boats and pleasure-boats, and
boat-building must have been an active trade on its shores.
Shiphi
(abundant), a Simeonite, father of Ziza, a prince of the tribe
in the time of Hezekiah. (1 Chronicles 4:37) (B.C. 726.)
Shiphmite The
probably, though not certainly, the native of Shepham. (1
Chronicles 27:27)
Shiphrah
(brightness), (Exodus 1:15) the name of one of the two midwives
of the Hebrews who disobeyed the command of Pharaoh to kill the
mule children. vs. (Exodus 1:15-21) (B.C. 1570.)
Shiphtan
(judicial), father of Kemuel, a prince of the tribe of Ephraim.
(Numbers 34:24) (B.C. before 1450.)
Shiramoth
(name of heights, i.e. Jehovah).
+ A Levite of the second degree in the choir formed by David.
(1 Chronicles 15:18,20; 16:5) (B.C. 104.)
+ A Levite in the reign of Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 17:8)
(B.C. 909.)
Shisha
(Jehovah contends), father of Elihoreph and Ahiah, the royal
secretaries in the reign of Solomon. (1 Kings 4:3) He is
apparently the same as Shavsha, who held the same position
under David. (B.C. 1000.)
Shishak
king of Egypt, the Sheshonk I. of the monuments, first
sovereign of the Bubastite twenty-second dynasty. His reign
offers the first determined syncronism of Egyptian and hebrew
history. The first year of Shishak would about correspond to
the 26th of Solomon (B.C. 989), and the 20th of shishak to the
5th of Rehoboam. Shishak at the beginning of his reign received
the fugitive Jeroboam, (1 Kings 11:40) and it was probably at
the instigation of Jeroboam that he attacked Rehoboam. "He took
the fenced cities which [pertained] to Judah, and came to
Jerusalem." he exacted all the treasures of his city from
Rehoboam, and apparently made him tributary. (1 Kings 14:25,26;
2 Chronicles 12:2-9) Shishak has left a record of this
expedition sculptured on the wall of the great temple of
El-Karnak. It is a list of the countries, cities and tribes
conquered or ruled by him, or tributary to him.
Shittah Tree, Shittim
(Heb. shittah, the thorny), is without doubt correctly referred
to some species of Acacia, of which three or four kinds occur
in the Bible lands. The woof of this tree--perhaps the Acacia
seyal is more definitely signified--was extensively employed in
the construction of the tabernacle. See Exod 25,26,36,37,38.
(This tree is sometimes three or four feet in diameter
(Tristram). The wood is close-grained and hard, of a fine
orange-brown color, and admirably adapted to cabinet
work.--ED.) The A. seyal is very common in some parts of the
peninsula of Sinai. It yields the well-known substance called
gum arabic, which is obtained by incisions in the bark, but it
is impossible to say whether the ancient Jews were acquainted
with its use. From the tangled thicket into which the stem of
this tree expands, Stanley well remarks that hence is to be
traced the use of the plural form of the Heb. noun shittim, the
singular number occurring once only in the Bible. This acacia
must not be confounded with the tree (Robinia pseudo-acacia)
popularly known by this name in England, which is a North
American plant, and belongs to a different genus and suborder.
The true acacias belong to the order Leguminosae, sub-order
Mimoseae .
Shittim
(the acacias), the place of Israel's encampment between the
conquest of the transjordanic highlands and the passage of the
Jordan. (Numbers 25:1; 33:49; Joshua 2:1; 3:1; Micah 6:5) Its
full name appears to be given in the first of these
passage--Abel has-Shittim, "the meadow, or moist place, of the
acacias." it was "in the Arboth-moab, by Jordan-Jericho," (Numb
22:1; 26:3; 31:12; 33:48,49 That is to say, it was in the
Arabah or Jordan valley, opposite Jericho.
Shiza
(splendor), a Reubenite, father of Adina, (1 Chronicles 11:42)
one of David's warriors. (B.C. 1043.)
Shoa
(rich), a proper name which occurs only in (Ezekiel 23:23) in
connection with Pekod and Koa. The three apparently designate
districts of Assyria with which the southern kingdom of Judah
has been intimately connected, and which were to be arrayed
against it for punishment.
Shobab
(rebellious).
+ Son of David by Bath-sheba. (2 Samuel 5:14; 1 Chronicles 3:5;
14:4) (B.C. about 1046.)
+ Apparently the son of Caleb the son of Hezron by his wife
Azubah. (1 Chronicles 2:18) (B.C. after 1706.)
Shobach
(expansion), the general of Hadarezer king of the Syrians of
Zoba, who was defeated by David. (2 Samuel 10:15-18) In (1
Chronicles 19:16) he is called [1126]Shophach. (B.C. 1034.)
Shobai
(glorious). The children of Shobai were a family of the
door-keepers of the temple, who returned with Zerubbabel. (Ezra
2:42; Nehemiah 7:45) (B.C. before 536.)
Shobal
(flowing).
+ Second son of Seir the Horite, (Genesis 36:20; 1 Chronicles
1:38) and one of the "dukes" of the Horites (Genesis 36:29)
+ Son of Caleb the son of Hur and founder or prince of
Kirjath-jearim. (1 Chronicles 2:50,52) (B.C. about 1445.)
+ In (1 Chronicles 4:1,2) Shobal appears with Hur among the
sons of Judah. He is possibly the same as the preceding.
Shobek
(free), one of the heads of the people who sealed the covenant
with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:24) (B.C. 446.)
Shobi
(glorious) son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon. (2
Samuel 17:27) He was one of the first to meet David at Mahanaim
on his flight from Absalom. (B.C. 1023.)
Shocho
(2 Chronicles 28:18) one of the four varieties of the name
Socoh.
Shochoh
(1 Samuel 17:1) same as Socoh.
Shoco
(2 Chronicles 11:7) a variation in the Authorized Version of
the name Socoh.
Shoe
[[1127]Sandal]
Shoham
(onyx), a Merarite Levite, son of Jaaziah. (1 Chronicles 24:27)
(B.C.1043.)
Shomer
(keeper).
+ An Asherite, (1 Chronicles 7:32) also called Shamer. ver. (1
Chronicles 7:34)
+ The father (mother ?) of Jehozabad who slew King Joash. (2
Kings 12:21) In the parallel passage in (2 Chronicles 24:26)
the name is converted into the feminine form Shimrith, who is
further described as a Moabitess. [[1128]Shimrith] (B.C.
839.)
Shophach
(expansion), Shobach, the general of Hadarezer. (1 Chronicles
19:16,18) (B.C. 1034.)
Shophan
(bareness), one of the fortified towns on the east of Jordan
which were taken possession of and rebuilt by the tribe of Gad.
(Numbers 32:35)
Shoshannim
(lilies). "To the chief musician upon Shoshannim" is a musical
direction to the leader of the temple choir which occurs in
(Psalms 45:1; 69:1) and most probably indicates the melody
"after" or "in the manner of" (Authorized Version upon") which
the psalms were to be sung. Shoshannim-eduth occurs in the same
way in the title of (Psalms 80:1) ... As the words now stand
they signify "lilies, a testimony," and the two are separated
by a large distinctive accent. In themselves they have no
meaning in the present text, and must therefore be regarded as
probably a fragment of the beginning of an older psalm with
which the choir were familiar.
Shuah
(wealth).
+ Son of Abraham by Keturah. (Genesis 25:2; 1 Chronicles
1:32).) (B.C. before 1820.)
+ Properly Shuchah brother of Chelub. (1 Chronicles 4:11)
+ The father of Judah's wife, (Genesis 38:2,12) called also
Shua in the Authorized Version. (B.C. before 1725.)
Shual
(a jackal), son of Zophah, an Asherite. (1 Chronicles 7:36)
(B.C. after 1445.)
Shual, The Land Of
a district named in (1 Samuel 13:17) only. It is pretty certain
from the passage that it lay north of Michmash. If therefore it
be identical with the "land of Shalim" (1 Samuel 9:4)--as is
not impossible--we have the first and only clue yet obtained to
Saul's journey in quest of the asses. The name Shual has not
yet been identified.
Shubael
+ Shebuel the son of Gershon. (1 Chronicles 24:20)
+ Shebuel the son of Heman the minstrel. (1 Chronicles 25:20)
Shuham
(pit-digger) son of Dan and ancestor of the Shuhamites.
(Numbers 26:42)
Shuhamites, The
[[1129]Shuham]
Shuhite
(decendant of Shuah). This ethnic appellative "Shuhite" is
frequent in the book of Job, but only as the apithet of one
person, Bildad The local indications of this book point to a
region on the western side of Chaldea, bordering on Arabia; and
exactly in this locality, above Hit and on both sides of the
Euphrates, are found, in the Assyrian inscriptions, the Tsahi,
a powerful people. It is probable that these were the Shuhites.
Shulamite, The
one of the personages in the poem of Solomon's (Song of Solomon
6:13) The name denotes a woman belonging to a place called
Shulem, which is probably the same as Shunem. [[1130]Shunem]
If, then, Shulamite and Shunammite are equivalent, we may
conjecture that the Shunammite who was the object of Solomon's
passion was Abishag, the most lovely girl of her day, and at
the time of David's death the most prominent person at
Jerusalem.
Shumathites, The
one of the four families who sprang from Kirjath-jearim. (1
Chronicles 2:53)
Shunammite, The
i.e. the native of Shunem, is applied to two persons: Abishag,
the nurse of King David, (1 Kings 1:3,15; 2:17,21,22) and the
nameless hostess of Elisha. (2 Kings 4:12,25; 36)
Shunem
(double resting-place), one of the cities allotted to the tribe
of Issachar. (Joshua 13:18) It is mentioned on two occasions--
(1 Samuel 23:4; 2 Kings 4:8) It was besides the native place of
Abishag. (1 Kings 1:3) It is mentioned by Eusebius as five
miles south of Mount Tabor, and then known us Sulem. This
agrees with the position of the present Solam, a village three
miles north of Jezreel and five from Gilboa.
Shuni
(fortunate), son of Gad, and founder of the family of the
Shunites. (Genesis 46:16; Numbers 26:15) (B.C. 1706.)
Shunites, The
the descendants of Shuni.
Shupham
[[1131]Shuppim]
Shuphamites, The
the descendants of Shupham or Shephupham, the Benjamite.
(Numbers 26:3)
Shuppim
(serpents). In the genealogy of Benjamin "Shuppim and Huppim,
the children of Ir," are reckoned in (1 Chronicles 7:12) It is
the same as Iri the son of Bela the son of Benjamin, so that
Shuppim was the great-grandson of Benjamin.
Shur
(a wall), a place just without the eastern border of Egypt.
Shur is first mentioned in the narrative of Haggar's flight
from Sarah. (Genesis 16:7) Abraham afterward "dwelled between
Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar." (Genesis 20:1) It is
also called Ethami. The wilderness of Shur was entered in the
Israelites after they had crossed the Red Sea. (Exodus
15:22,23) It was also called the wilderness of Etham. (Numbers
33:8) Shur may have been a territory town east of the ancient
head of the Red Sea; and from its being spoken of as a limit,
it was probably the last Arabian town before entering Egypt.
Shushan, Or Susa
(a lily), is said to have received its name from the abundance
of the lily (shushan or shushanah) in its neighborhood. It was
originally the capital of the country called in Scripture Elam,
and by the classical writers Susis or Susiana. In the time of
Daniel Susa was in the possession of the Babylonians, to whom
Elam had probably passed at the division of the Assyrian empire
made by Cyaxares and Nabopolassar. (Daniel 8:2) The conquest of
Babylon by Cyrus transferred Susa to the Persian dominion; and
it was not long before the Achaemenian princes determined to
make it the capital of their whole empire and the chief place
of their own residence. According to some writers the change
was made by Cyrus; according to others it had at any rate taken
place before the death of Cambyses; but, according to the
evidence of the place itself and of the other Achaemenian
monuments, it would seem most probable that the transfer was
really the work of Darius Hystaspes. Nehemiah resided here.
(Nehemiah 1:1) Shushan was situated on the Ulai or Choaspes. It
is identified with the modern Sus or Shush, its ruins are about
three miles in circumference. (Here have been found the remains
of the great palace build by Darius, the father of Xerxes, in
which and the surrounding buildings took place the scenes
recorded in the life of Esther. The great central hall was 343
feet long by 244 feet wide. The king's gate, says Schaff, where
Mordecai sat, "was probably a hall 100 feet square, 150 feet
from the northern portico. Between these two was probably the
inner court, where Esther appeared before the king."--ED.)
Shushaneduth
(the lily of testimony), (Psalms 60:1) ... is probably an
abbreviation of "Shoshannim-eduth." (Psalms 80:1) ...
[[1132]Shoshannim]
Shuthalhites, The
[[1133]Shuthelah]
Shuthelah
(noise of breaking), head of an Ephraimite family, called after
him Shuthalhites, (Numbers 26:35) and lineal ancestor of Joshua
the son of Numb (1 Chronicles 7:20-27)
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Table of Contents
Sia
The "children of Sia" were a family of Nethinim who returned
with Zerubbabel. (Nehemiah 7:47) The name is written
[1134]Siaha in (Ezra 2:44) and SUD in 1 Esd. 5:29.
Siaha
- Sia. (Ezra 2:44)
Sibbecai
= [1135]Sibbechai the Hushathite.
Sibbechai
(a weaver), one of David's guard, and eighth captain for the
eighth month of 24,000 men of the king's 1043.) He belonged to
one of the principal families of Judah, the Zarhites or the
descendants of Zerah, and is called "the Hushathite," probably
from the place of his birth. Sibbechai's great exploit, which
gave him a place among the mighty men of David's army, was his
single combat with Saph or Sippai, tire Philistine giant, in
the battle at, Gezer or Gob. (2 Samuel 21:18; 1 Chronicles
20:4)
Sibboleth
the Ephraimite pronunciation of the word Shibboleth. (Judges
12:6) [[1136]Shibboleth]
Sibmah
[[1137]Shebam]
Sibraim
(twofold hope), one of the landmarks on the northern boundary
of the holy land as stated by Ezekiel. (Ezekiel 47:16) It has
not been identified.
Sichem
(Genesis 12:6) [[1138]Shechem]
Sicyon
(sish'eon), 1 Macc. 15:23, a celebrated Greek city in
Peloponnesus, upon the Corinthian Gulf.
Siddim
(field, plain), The vale of, a place named only in one passage
of Genesis-- (Genesis 14:3,8,10) It was one of that class of
valleys which the Hebrews designated by the word emek . This
term appears to have been assigned to a broad, flattish tract,
sometimes of considerable width, enclosed on each side by a
definite range of hills. It has so far a suitable spot for the
combat between the four and five kings, ver. 8; but it
contained a multitude of bitumen-pits sufficient materially to
affect the issue of the battle. In this valley the kings of the
five allied cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim and Bela
seem to, have awaited the approach of the invaders. It is
therefore probable that it was in the neighborhood of the
"plain or circle of Jordan" in which those cities stood. If we
could venture, as some have done, to interpret the latter
clause of ver. 3 "which is near," or "which is at, or by, the
Salt Sea," then we might agree with Dr. Robinson and others in
identifying the valley of Siddim with the enclosed plain which
intervenes between the south end of the lake and the range of
heights which terminate the Ghor and commence the Wady Arabah .
But the original of the passage seems to imply that the Salt
Sea covers the actual space formerly occupied by the vale of
Siddim. [[1139]Sea, The Salt, THE SALT]
Side
a city on the coast of Pamphylia, 10 or 12 miles to the east of
the river Eurymedon. It is mentioned in 1 Macc. 15:23, and was
a colony of Cumaeans.
Sidon
the Greek form of the Phoenician name Zidon. [[1140]Zidon, Or
Sidon]
Sidonians
the Greek form of the word Zidonians, usually so exhibited in
the Authorized Version of the Old Testament. It occurs (3:9;
Joshua 13:4,6; Judges 3:3; 1 Kings 5:6) [[1141]Zidon, Or Sidon]
Sihimma
the third son of Jesse, and brother of David. (1 Chronicles
2:13) Same as Shimeah.
Sihon
(warrior) king of the Amorites when Israel arrived on the
borders of the promised land. (Numbers 21:21) (B.C. 1451.)
Shortly before the time of Israel's arrival he had dispossessed
the Moabites of a splendid territory, driving them south of the
natural bulwark of the Amen. Ibid. (Numbers 21:26-29) When the
Israelite host appeared, he did not hesitate or temporize like
Balak, but at once gathered his people together and attacked
them. But the battle was his last. He and all his host were
destroyed, and their district from Amen to Jabbok became at
once the possession of the conqueror.
Sihor
(dark), accurately Shi'hor, once The Shihor, or Shihor of
Egypt, when unqualified a name of the Nile. It is held to
signify "the black" or "turbid." In Jeremiah the identity of
Shihor with the Nile seems distinctly stated. (Jeremiah 2:18)
The stream mentioned in (1 Chronicles 13:5) is possibly that of
the Wadi l' Areesh .
Silas
(contracted form of Silvanus, woody), an eminent member of the
early Christian Church, described under that name in the Acts
but as Silvanus in St. Paul's epistles. He first appears as one
of the leaders of the church at Jerusalem (Acts 15:22) holding
the office of an inspired teacher. (Acts 15:32) His name,
derived from the Latin silva, "wood," betokens him a
Hellenistic Jew, and he appears to have been a Roman citizen.
(Acts 16:37) He was appointed as a delegate to accompany Paul
and Barnabas on their return to Antioch with the decree of the
Council of Jerusalem. (Acts 15:22,32) Having accomplished this
mission, he returned to Jerusalem. (Acts 15:33) He must,
however, have immediately revisited Antioch, for we find him
selected by St. Paul as the companion of his second missionary
journey. (Acts 15:40; Acts 17:10) At Berea he was left behind
with Timothy while St. Paul proceeded to Athens, (Acts 17:14)
and we hear nothing more of his movements until he rejoined the
apostle at Corinth. (Acts 18:5) His presence at Corinth is
several times noticed. (2 Corinthians 1:19; 1 Thessalonians
1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1) Whether he was the Silvanus who
conveyed St. Peter's first epistle to Asia Minor, (1 Peter
5:12) is doubtful the probabilities are in favor of the
identity. A tradition of very slight authority represents Silas
to have become bishop of Corinth.
Silk
The only undoubted notice of silk in the Bible occurs in
(Revelation 18:12) where it is mentioned among the treasures of
the typical Babylon. It is however, in the highest degree
probable that the texture was known to the Hebrews from the
time that their commercial relations were extended by Solomon.
The well-known classical name of the substance does not occur
in the Hebrew language.
Silla
(a highway). "The house of Millo which goeth down to Silla" was
the scene of the murder of King Joash. (2 Kings 12:20) What or
where Sills was is entirely matter of conjecture. Some have
suggested the pool of Siloam.
Siloah, The Pool Of
properly "the pool of Shelach." (Nehemiah 3:15) [[1142]Siloam]
Siloam
(sent). Shiloach, (Isaiah 8:6) Siloah, (Nehemiah 3:15) Siloam,
(John 9:11) Siloam is one of the few undisputed localities in
the topography of Jerusalem; still retaining its old name (with
Arabic modification, Silwan), while every other pool has lost
its Bible designation. This is the more remarkable as it is a
mere suburban tank of no great size, and for many an age not
particularly good or plentiful in its waters, though Josephus
tells us that in his day they were both "sweet and abundant." A
little way below the Jewish burying-ground, but on the opposite
side of the valley, where the Kedron turns slightly westward
and widens itself considerable, is the fountain of the Virgin,
or Um'ed'Deraj, near the beginning of that saddle-shaped
projection of the temple hill supposed to be the Ophel of The
Bible and the Ophlas of Josephus. At the back part of this
fountain a subterraneous passage begins, through which the
water flows, and through which a man may make his way,
sometimes walking erect, sometimes stooping, sometimes
kneeling, and sometime crawling, to Siloam. This conduit is
1708 feet long, 16 feet high at the entrance, but only 16
inches at its narrowest tributaries which sent their waters
down from the city pools or temple wells to swell Siloam. It
enters Siloam at the northwest angle; or rather enters a small
rock-cut chamber which forms the vestibule of Siloam, about
five or six feet broad. To this you descend by a few rude
steps, under which the water pours itself into the main pool.
This pool is oblong, about 52 feet long, 18 feet broad and 19
feet deep; but it is never filled, the water either passing
directly through or being maintained at a depth of three or
four feet. The present pool is a ruin, with no moss or ivy to
make it romantic; its sides fallen in; its pillars broken; its
stair a fragment; its walls giving way; the edge of every stone
was round or sharp by time; in some parts mere debris, though
around its edges wild flowers, and among other plants the caper
trees, grow luxuriantly. The present pool is not the original
building; it may be the work of crusaders, perhaps even
improved by Saladin, whose affection for wells and pools led
him to care for all these things. Yet the spot is the same.
This pool, which we may call the second, seems anciently to
have poured its waters into a third before it proceeded to
water the royal gardens. This third is perhaps that which
Josephus calls "Solomon's pool," and which nehemiah calls the
"king's pool." (Nehemiah 2:14) The expression in (Isaiah 8:6)
"waters of Shiloah that go softly," seems to point to the
slender rivulet, flowing gently though once very profusely out
of Siloam into the lower breadth of level where the king's
gardens, or royal paradise, stood, and which is still the
greenest spot about the holy city. Siloam is a mere spot even
to the Moslem; much more to the Jew. It was to Siloam that the
Levite was sent with the golden pitcher on the "last and great
day of the feast" of Tabernacles; it was from Siloam that he
brought the water which was then poured over the sacrifice, in
memory of the water from the rock of Rephidim; and it was to
this Siloam water that the Lord pointed when he stood in the
temple on that day and cried, "If any man thirst let him come
unto me and drink." The Lord sent the blind man to wash, not
in, as our version has it, but at (eis), the pool of siloam;
for it was the clay from his eyes that was to be washed off.
Siloam, Tower, In
(Luke 13:4) Of this we know nothing definitely beyond these
words of the Lord. In connection with Ophel, there is mention
made of "a tower that lieth out," (Nehemiah 3:26) and there is
no unlikelihood in connecting this projecting tower with the
tower in Siloam, while one may be almost excused for the
conjecture that its projection was the cause of its ultimate
fall.
Silvanus
[[1143]Silas]
Silver
In very early times silver was used for ornaments, (Genesis
24:53) and for vessels of various kinds. Images for idolatrous
worship were made of silver or overlaid with it, (Exodus 20:23;
Hosea 13:2); Habb 2:19 Bar. 6:39, and the manufacture of silver
shrines for Diana was a trade in Ephesus. (Acts 19:24) But its
chief use was as a medium of exchange, and throughout the Old
Testament we find "silver" used for money, like the French
argent . Silver was brought to Solomon from Arabia, (2
Chronicles 9:14) and from Tarshish, (2 Chronicles 9:21) which
supplied the markets of Tyre. (Ezekiel 27:12) From Tarshish it
came int he form of plates, (Jeremiah 10:9) like those on which
the sacred books of the Singhalese are written to this day.
Spain appears to have been the chief source whence silver was
obtained by the ancients. Possibly the hills of Palestine may
have afforded some supply of this metal. Silvers mixed with
alloy is referred to in (Jeremiah 6:30) and a finer kind,
either purer in itself or more thoroughly purified, is
mentioned in (Proverbs 8:19)
Silverlings
a word used once only in the Authorized Version, (Isaiah 7:23)
as a translation of the Hebrew word elsewhere rendered "silver"
or "money."
Simeon
(heard).
+ The second of Jacob's son by Leah. His birth is recorded in
(Genesis 29:33) The first group of Jacob's children consists,
besides Simeon, of the three other sons of Leah--Reuben,
Levi, Judah. Besides the massacre of Shechem, (Genesis 34:25)
the only personal incident related of Simeon is the fact of
his being selected by Joseph as the hostage for the
appearance of Benjamin. (Genesis 42:19,24,36; 43:23) The
chief families of the tribe of Simeon are mentioned int he
lists of (Genesis 46:10) At the census of Sinai Simeon
numbered 59,300 fighting men. (Numbers 1:23) When the second
census was taken, at Shittim, the numbers had fallen to
22,200, and it was the weakest of all the tribes. This was no
doubt partly due to the recent mortality following the
idolatry of Peor, but there must have been other causes which
have escaped mention. To Simeon was allotted a portion of
land out of the territory of Judah, on its southern frontier,
which contained eighteen or nineteen cities, with their
villages, spread round the venerable well of Beersheba.
(Joshua 19:1-8; 1 Chronicles 4:28-33) Of these places, with
the help of Judah, the Simeonites possessed themselves,
(Judges 1:3,17) and there they were found, doubtless by Joab,
residing in the reign of David. (1 Chronicles 4:31) What part
of the tribe took at the time of the division of the kingdom
we are not told. The only thing which can be interpreted into
a trace of its having taken any part with the northern
kingdom are the two casual notices of (2 Chronicles 15:9) and
2Chr 34:6 Which appear to imply the presence of Simeonites
there in the reigns of Asa and Josiah. On the other hand the
definite statement of (1 Chronicles 4:41-43) proves that at
that time there were still some of them remaining in the
original seat of the tribe, and actuated by all the warlike,
lawless spirit of their progenitor.
+ A devout Jew, inspired by the Holy Ghost, who met the parents
of our Lord in the temple, took him in his arms, and gave
thanks for what he saw and knew of Jesus. (Luke 2:25-35)
There was a Simeon who succeeded his father Hillel as
president of the Sanhedrin about A.D. 13, and whose son
Gamaliel was the Pharisee at whose feet St. Paul was brought
up. (Acts 22:3) It has been conjectured that he may be the
Simeon of St. Luke.
Simeon Niger
(Acts 13:1) [[1144]Niger]
Simon
(contracted form of Simeon, a hearing).
+ Son of Mattathias. [[1145]Maccabees]
+ Son of Onias the high priest, whose eulogy closes the "praise
of famous men" in the book of Ecclesiasticus, ch. 4. (B.C.
302-293.)
+ A "governor of the temple" in the time of Seleucus
Philopator, whose information as to the treasures of the
temple led to the sacrilegious attach of Heliordorus. 2 Macc.
3:4, etc. (B.C. 175.)
+ Simon the brother of Jesus. The only undoubted notice of this
Simon occurs in (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3) He has been
identified by some writers with Simon the Canaanite, and
still more generally with Symeon who became bishop of
Jerusalem after the death of James, A.D. 62. The former of
these opinions rests on no evidence whatever, nor is the
later without its difficulties.
+ Simon the Canaanite, one of the twelve apostles, (Matthew
10:4; Mark 3:18) otherwise described as Simon Zelotes, (Luke
6:15; Acts 1:13) (A.D. 28.) The latter term, which is
peculiar to Luke, is the Greek equivalent for the Chaldee
term preserved by Matthew and Mark. [[1146]Canaanite, The]
Each of these equally points out Simon as belonging to the
faction of the Zealots, who were conspicuous for their fierce
advocacy of the Mosaic ritual.
+ Simon of Cyrene, a Hellenistic Jew, born at Cyrene, on the
north coast of Africa, who was present at Jerusalem at the
time of the crucifixion of Jesus, either as an attendant at
the feast, (Acts 2:10) or as one of the numerous settlers at
Jerusalem from that place. (Acts 6:9) (A.D. 30.) Meeting the
procession that conducted Jesus to Golgotha, as he was
returning from the country, he was pressed into the service
to bear the cross, (Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26)
when Jesus himself was unable to carry it any longer. Comp.
(John 19:17) Mark describes him as the father of Alexander
and Rufus, perhaps because this was the Rufus known to the
Roman Christians, (Romans 16:13) for whom he more especially
wrote.
+ Simon, a resident at Bethany, distinguished as "the leper."
It is not improbable that he had been miraculously cured by
Jesus. In his house Mary anointed Jesus preparatory to his
death and burial. (Matthew 26:6) etc.; Mark 14:3 etc.; John
12:1 etc.
+ Simon Magus, a Samaritan living in the apostolic age,
distinguished as a sorcerer or "magician," from his practice
of magical arts. (Acts 8:9) According to ecclesiastical
writers he was born at Gitton, a village of Samaria, and was
probably educated at Alexandria in the tenets of the Gnostic
school. He is first introduced to us as practicing magical
arts in a city of Samaria, perhaps Sychar, (Acts 8:5) comp.
John 4:5 And with such success that he was pronounced to be
"the power of God which is called great." (Acts 8:10) The
preaching and miracles of Philip having excited his
observation, he became one of his disciples, and received
baptism at his hands, A.D. 36,37. Subsequently he witnessed
the effect produced by the imposition of hands, as practiced
by the apostles Peter and John, and, being desirous of
acquiring a similar power for himself, he offered a sum of
money for it. His object evidently was to apply the power to
the prosecution of magical arts. The motive and the means
were equally to be reprobated; and his proposition met with a
severe denunciation from Peter, followed by a petition on the
part of Simon, the tenor of which bespeaks terror, but not
penitence. (Acts 8:9-24) The memory of his peculiar guilt has
been perpetuated in the word simony, as applied to all
traffic in spiritual offices. Simon's history, subsequent to
his meeting with Peter, is involved in difficulties. Early
Church historians depict him as the pertinacious foe of the
apostle Peter, whose movements he followed for the purpose of
seeking encounters, in which he was signally defeated. He is
said to have followed the apostle to Rome. His death is
associated with this meeting. According to Hippolytus, the
earliest authority on the subject, Simon was buried alive at
his own request, in the confident assurance that he would
rise on the third day.
+ Simon Peter. [[1147]Peter]
+ Simon, a Pharisee, in whose house a penitent woman anointed
the head and feet of Jesus. (Luke 7:40)
+ Simon the tanner, a Christian convert living at Joppa, at
whose house Peter lodged. (Acts 9:43) The house was near the
seaside, (Acts 10:6,32) for the convenience of the water.
(A.D. 37.)
+ Simon the father of Judas Iscariot. (John 6:71; 13:2,26)
Simri
(vigilant), properly Shimri, son of Hosah, a Merarite Levite in
the reign of David. (1 Chronicles 26:10)
Sin
a city of Egypt, mentioned only by Ezekiel. (Ezekiel 30:15,16)
The name is Hebrew, or at least Semitic, perhaps signifying
clay . It is identified in the Vulgate with Pelusium, "the
clayey or muddy" town. Its antiquity may perhaps be inferred
from the mention of "the wilderness of Sin" in the journeys of
the Israelites. (Exodus 16:1; Numbers 33:11) Ezekiel speaks of
Sin as "Sin the strongholds of Egypt." (Ezekiel 30:15) This
place was held by Egypt from that time until the period of the
Romans. Herodotus relates that Sennacherib advanced against
Pelusium, and that near Pelusium Cambyses defeated Psammenitus.
In like manner the decisive battle in which Ochus defeated the
last native king, Nectanebes, was fought near this city.
Sin Offering
The sin offering among the Jews was the sacrifice in which the
ideas of propitiation and of atonement for sin were most
distinctly marked. The ceremonial of the sin offering is
described in Levi 4 and 6. The trespass offering is closely
connected with the sin offering in Leviticus, but at the same
time clearly distinguished from it, being in some cases offered
with it as a distinct part of the same sacrifice; as, for
example, in the cleansing of the leper. Levi 14. The
distinction of ceremonial clearly indicates a difference in the
idea of the two sacrifices. The nature of that difference is
still a subject of great controversy. We find that the sin
offerings were--
+ Regular . (a) For the whole people, at the New Moon,
Passover, Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets and Feast of
Tabernacles, (Numbers 28:15-29; 38:1) ... besides the solemn
offering of the two goats on the Great Day of Atonement. Levi
16 (B) For the priests and Levites at their consecration,
(Exodus 29:10-14,36) besides the yearly sin offering (a,
bullock) for the high priest on the Great Day of Atonement.
(Leviticus 16:2) Special . For any sin of "ignorance" and the
like recorded in Levi 4 and 5. It is seen that in the law
most of the sins which are not purely ceremonial are called
sins of "ignorance," see (Hebrews 9:7) and in Numb 15:30 It
is expressly said that while such sins call be atoned for by
offerings, "the soul that doeth aught presumptuously " (Heb.
with a high hand) "shall be cut off from among his people."
"His iniquity shall he upon him." Comp. (Hebrews 10:20) But
here are sufficient indications that the sins here called "of
ignorance" are more strictly those of "negligence" or
"frailty" repented of by the unpunished offender, as opposed
to those of deliberate and unrepentant sin. It is clear that
two classes of sacrifices, although distinct, touch closely
upon each other. It is also evident that the sin offering was
the only regular and general recognition of sin in the
abstract and accordingly was for more solemn and symbolical
in it's ceremonial; the trespass offering was confined to
special cases, most of which related to the doing of some
material damage, either to the holy things or to man.
Josephus declares that the sin offering is presented by those
"who fall into sin in ignorance." and the trespass offering
by "one who has sinned and is conscious of his sin. But has
no one to convict him thereof." Without attempting to decide
so difficult and so controverted a question, we may draw the
following conclusions. First, that the sin offering was for
the more solemn and comprehensive of the two sacrifices.
Secondly, that the sin offering looked more to the guilt of
the sin done, irrespective of its consequences, while the
trespass offering looked to the evil consequences of sin,
either against the service of God or against man, and to the
duty of atonement, as far as atonement was possible. Thirdly,
that in the sin offering especially we find symbolized the
acknowledgment of sinfulness as inherent in man, and of the
need of expiation by sacrifice to renew the broken covenant
between man and God. In considering this subject, it must he
remembered that the sacrifices of the law had a temporal as
well as a spiritual significance and effect. They restored
sin offender to his place in the commonwealth of Israel; they
were therefore an atonement to the King of Israel for the
infringement of his low.
Sin, Wilderness Of
a tract of the wilderness which the Israelites reached after
leaving the encampment by the Red Sea. (Numbers 33:11,23) Their
next halting-place, (Exodus 16:1; 17:1) was Rephidim, probably
the Wady Feiran [[1148]Rephidim]; on which supposition it would
follow that Sin must lie between that way and the coast of the
Gulf of Suez, and of course west of Sinai. In the wilderness of
Sin the manna was first gathered, and those who adopt the
supposition that this was merely the natural product of the
tarfa bush find from the abundance of that shrub in Wady
es-Sheikh, southeast of Wady Ghurundel, a proof of local
identity.
Sina, Mount
the Greek form of the well-known name Sinai. (Acts 7:30,38)
Sinai, Or Sinai
(thorny). Nearly in the centre of the peninsula which stretches
between the horns of the Red Sea lies a wedge of granite,
grunstein and porphyry rocks rising to between 8000 and 9000
feet above the sea. Its shape resembles st scalene triangle.
These mountains may be divided into two great masses-that of
Jebel Serbal (8759 feet high), in the northwest above Wady
Feiran, and the central group, roughly denoted by the general
name of Sinai. This group rises abruptly from the Wady
es-Sheikh at its north foot, first to the cliffs of the Ras
Sufsafeh, behind which towers the pinnacle of Jebel Musa (the
Mount of Moses), and farther back to the right of it the summit
of Jebel Katerin (Mount St. Catherine, 8705 feet) all being
backed up and. overtopped by Um Shamer (the mother of fennel,
9300 feet), which is the highest point of the whole peninsula.
+ Names .--These mountains are called Horeb, and sometimes
Sinai. Some think that Horeb is the name of the whole range,
and Sinai the name of a particular mountain; others, that
Sinai is the range and Horeb the particular mountain; while
Stanley suggests that the distinction is one of usage, and
that both names are applied to the same place.
+ The mountain from which the law was given .--Modern
investigators have generally come to the conclusion that of
the claimants Jebel Serba, Jebel Musa and Ras Sufsafeh, the
last the modern Horeb of the monks--viz. the northwest and
lower face of the Jebel Musa, crowned with a range of
magnificent cliffs, the highest point called Ras Sufsafeh, as
overlooking the plain er Rahah--is the scene of the giving of
the law, and that peak the mountain into which Moses
ascended. (But Jebel Musa and Ras Sufsafeh are really peaks
of the Same mountain, and Moses may have received the law on
Jebel Musa, but it must have been proclaimed from Ras
Sufsafeh. Jebel Musa is the traditional mount where Moses
received the law from God. It is a mountain mass two miles
long and one mile broad, The southern peak is 7363 feet high;
the northern peak, Ras Sufsafeh is 6830 feet high. It is in
full view of the plain er Rahah, where the children of Israel
were encamped. This plain is a smooth camping-ground,
surrounded by mountains. It is about two miles long by half a
mile broad, embracing 400 acres of available standing round
made into a natural amphitheatre by a low semicircular mount
about 300 yards from the foot of the mountain. By actual
measurement it contains over 2,000,000 square yards, and with
its branches over 4,000,000 square yards, so that the whole
people of Israel, two million in number, would find ample
accommodations for seeing and hearing. In addition to this,
the air is wonderfully clear, both for seeing and hearing.
Dean Stanley says that "from the highest point of Ras
Sufsafeh to its lower peak, a distance of about 60 feet, the
page of a book distinctly but not loudly read was perfectly
audible." It was the belief of the Arabs who conducted
Niebuhr that they could make themselves heard across the Gulf
of Akabah,--a belief fostered by the great distance to which
the voice can actually be carried. There is no other place
known among all these mountains so well adapted for the
purpose of giving and receiving the law as this rocky pulpit
of Ras Sufsafeh and the natural amphitheatre of er Rahah.
Sinim
a people noticed in (Isaiah 49:12) as living at the extremity
of the known world. They may be identified with the classical
Sinoe, the inhabitants of the southern part of China.
Sinite
a tribe of Canaanites, (Genesis 10:17; 1 Chronicles 1:15) whose
position is to be sought for in the northern part of the
Lebanon district.
Sion
(lofty), Mount.
+ One of the various names of Mount Hermon. (4:48) only.
+ The Greek form of the Hebrew name Zion, the famous mount of
the temple. 1 Macc. 4:37,60; 5:54; 6:48,62; 7:33; 10:11;
14:27; (Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 14:1) [[1149]Jerusalem]
Siphmoth
(fruitful), one of the places in the south of Judah which David
frequented during his freebooting life. (1 Samuel 30:28)
Sippai
(threshold), Saph, one of the sons of Rephaim, or "the giants,"
slain by Sibbechai at Gezer. (1 Chronicles 20:4) (B.C. about
1050.)
Sirach
the father of Jesus (Joshua), the writer of the Hebrew original
of the book of Ecclesiasticus. (B.C. 310-220.)
Sirah
(the turning), The well of, from which Abner was recalled by
Joab to his death at Hebron. (2 Samuel 3:26) only. It was
apparently on the northern road from Hebron. There is a spring
and reservoir on the western side of the ancient northern road,
about one mile out of Hebron, which is called Ain Sara.
Sirion
(breastplate), one of the various names of Mount Hermon, that
by which it was known to the Zidonians. (3:9) The use of the
name in (Psalms 29:6) (slightly altered in the
original--Shirion instead of Sirion) is remarkable.
Sisamai
a descendant of Sheshan in the line of Jerahmeel. (1 Chronicles
2:40) (B.C. about 1450.)
Sisera
(battle array).
+ Captain of the army of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in
Hazor. He himself resided in Harosheth of the Gentiles. The
particulars of the rout of Megiddo and of Sisera's flight and
death are drawn out under the heads of [1150]Barak,
[1151]Deborah, [1152]Jael, [1153]Kishon. (B.C. 1296.)
+ After a long interval the name appears in the lists of
Nethinim who returned from the captivity with Zerubbabel.
(Ezra 2:53; Nehemiah 7:55) It doubtless tells of Canaanite
captives devoted to the lowest offices of the temple. (B.C.
before 536.)
Sitnah
(strife), the second of the two wells dug by Isaac in the
valley of Gerar, the possession of which the herdmen of the
valley disputed with him. (Genesis 26:21)
Sivan
[[1154]Month]
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Slave
The institution of slavery was recognized, though not
established, by the Mosaic law with a view to mitigate its
hardship and to secure to every man his ordinary rights. I.
Hebrew slaves.--
+ The circumstances under which a Hebrew might be reduced to
servitude were-- (1) poverty; (2) the commission of theft;
and (3) the exercise of paternal authority. In the first
case, a man who had mortgaged his property, and was unable to
support his family, might sell himself to another Hebrew,
with a view both to obtain maintenance and perchance a
surplus sufficient to redeem his property. (Leviticus
25:25,39) (2) The commission of theft rendered a person
liable to servitude whenever restitution could not be made on
the scale prescribed by the law. (Exodus 22:1,3) The thief
was bound to work out the value of his restitution money in
the service of him on whom the theft had been committed. (3)
The exercise of paternal authority was limited to the sale of
a daughter of tender age to be a maidservant, with the
ulterior view of her becoming the concubine of the purchaser.
(Exodus 21:7)
+ The servitude of a Hebrew might be terminated in three ways:
(1) by the satisfaction or the remission of all claims
against him; (2) by the recurrence of the year of jubilee,
(Leviticus 25:40) and (3) the expiration of six years from
the time that his servitude commenced. (Exodus 21:2; 15:12)
(4) To the above modes of obtaining liberty the rabbinists
added, as a fourth, the death of the master without leaving a
son, there being no power of claiming the salve on the part
of any heir except a son. If a servant did not desire to
avail himself of the opportunity of leaving his service, he
was to signify his intention in a formal manner before the
judges (or more exactly at the place of judgment), and then
the master was to take him to the door-post, and to bore his
ear through with an awl, (Exodus 21:6) driving the awl into
or "unto the door," as stated in (15:17) and thus fixing the
servant to it. A servant who had submitted to this operation
remained, according to the words of the law, a servant
"forever." (Exodus 21:6) These words are however, interpreted
by Josephus and by the rabbinsts as meaning until the year of
jubilee.
+ The condition of a Hebrew servant was by no means
intolerable. His master was admonished to treat him, not "as
a bond-servant, but as an hired servant and as a sojourner,"
and, again, "not to rule over him with rigor." (Leviticus
25:39,40,43) At the termination of his servitude the master
was enjoined not to "let him go away empty," but to
remunerate him liberally out of his flock, his floor and his
wine-press. (15:13,14) In the event of a Hebrew becoming the
servant of a "stranger," meaning a non-Hebrew, the servitude
could be terminated only in two ways, viz. by the arrival of
the year of jubilee, or by the repayment to the master of the
purchase money paid for the servant, after deducting a sum
for the value of his services proportioned to the length of
his servitude. (Leviticus 25:47-55) A Hebrew woman might
enter into voluntary servitude on the score of poverty, and
in this case she was entitled to her freedom after six years
service, together with her usual gratuity at leaving, just as
in the case of a man. (15:12,13) Thus far we have seen little
that is objectionable in the condition of Hebrew servants. In
respect to marriage there were some peculiarities which, to
our ideas, would be regarded as hardships. A master might,
for instance, give a wife to a Hebrew servant for the time of
his servitude, the wife being in this case, it must be
remarked, not only a slave but a non-Hebrew. Should he leave
when his term had expired, his wife and children would remain
the absolute property of the master. (Exodus 21:4,5) Again, a
father might sell his young daughter to a Hebrew, with a view
either of marrying her himself or of giving her to his son.
(Exodus 21:7-9) It diminishes the apparent harshness of this
proceeding if we look on the purchase money as in the light
of a dowry given, as was not unusual, to the parents of the
bride; still more, if we accept the rabbinical view that the
consent of the maid was required before the marriage could
take place. The position of a maiden thus sold by her father
was subject to the following regulations: (1) She could not
"go out as the men-servants do," i.e. she could not leave at
the termination of six years, or in the year of jubilee, if
her master was willing to fulfill the object for which he had
purchased her. (2) Should he not wish to marry her, he should
call upon her friends to procure her release by the repayment
of the purchase money. (3) If he betrothed her to his son, he
was bound to make such provision for her as he would for one
of his own daughters. (4) If either he or his son, having
married her, took a second wife, it should not be to the
prejudice of the first. (5) If neither of the three first
specified alternatives took place, the maid was entitled to
immediate and gratuitous liberty. (Exodus 21:7-11) The custom
of reducing Hebrews to servitude appears to have fallen into
disuse subsequent to the Babylonish captivity. Vast numbers
of Hebrews were reduced to slavery as war-captives at
different periods by the Phoenicians, (Joel 3:6) the
Philistines, (Joel 3:6; Amos 1:6), the Syrians, 1 Macc. 3:42;
2 Macc. 8:11, the Egyptians, Joseph Ant. xii. 2,3, and above
all by the Romans. Joseph. B.C. vi. 9,3. II. Non-Hebrew
slaves.--
+ The majority of non-Hebrew slaves were war-captives, either
of the Canaanites who had survived the general extermination
of their race under Joshua or such as were conquered from the
other surrounding nations. (Numbers 31:26) ff. Besides these,
many were obtained by purchase from foreign slave-dealers,
(Leviticus 25:44,45) and others may have been resident
foreigners who were reduced to this state by either poverty
or crime. The children of slaves remained slaves, being the
class described as "born in the house," (Genesis 14:14;
17:12; Ecclesiastes 2:7) and hence the number was likely to
increase as time went on. The average value of a slave
appears to have been thirty shekels. (Exodus 21:32)
+ That the slave might be manumitted appears from (Exodus
21:26,27; Leviticus 19:20)
+ The slave is described as the "possession" of his master,
apparently with a special reference to the power which the
latter had of disposing of him to his heirs, as he would any
other article of personal property. (Leviticus 25:45,46) But,
on the other hand, provision was made for the protection of
his person. (Exodus 21:20; Leviticus 24:17,22) A minor
personal injury, such as the loss of an eye or a tooth, was
to be recompensed by giving the servant his liberty. (Exodus
21:26,27) The position of the slave in regard to religious
privileges was favorable. He was to be circumcised, (Genesis
17:12) and hence was entitled to partake of the paschal
sacrifice, (Exodus 12:44) as well as of the other religious
festivals. (12:12,18; 16:11,14) The occupations of slaves
were of a menial character, as implied in (Leviticus 25:39)
consisting partly in the work of the house and partly in
personal attendance on the master. It will be seen that the
whole tendency of the Bible legislation was to mitigate
slavery, making it little than hired service, and to abolish
it, as indeed it was practically abolished among the Jews six
hundred years before Christ.
Slime
translated bitumen in the Vulgate. The three instances in which
it is mentioned in the Old Testament are illustrated by
travellers and historians. It is first spoken of as used for
cement by the builders in the plain of Shinar or Babylonia.
(Genesis 11:3) The bitumen pits in the vale of Siddim are
mentioned in the ancient fragment of Canaanitish history,
(Genesis 14:10) and the ark of papyrus in which Moses was
placed was made impervious to water by a coating of bitumen and
pitch. (Exodus 2:3) Herodotus, i. 179, tells us of the bitumen
found at Is, the modern Heet, a town of Babylonia, eight days
journey from Babylon. (Bitumen, or asphalt, is "the product of
the decomposition of vegetable and animal substances. It is
usually found of a black or brownish-black color, externally
not unlike coal, but it varies in a consistency from a bright,
pitchy condition, with a conchoidal fracture, to thick, viscid
masses of mineral tar."--Encyc. Brit. In this last state it is
called in the Bible slime, and is of the same nature as our
petroleum, but thicker, and hardens into asphalt. It is
obtained in various places in Europe, and even now occasionally
from the Dead Sea.--ED.)
Sling
[[1155]Arms, Armor]
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Smith
[[1156]Handicraft]
Smyrna
(myrrh), a city of Asia Minor, situated on the AEgean Sea, 40
miles north of Ephesus. Allusion is made to it in (Revelation
2:8-11) It was founded by Alexander the Great, and was situated
twenty shades (2 1/2 miles) from the city of the same name,
which after a long series of wars with the Lydians had been
finally taken and sacked by Halyattes. The ancient city was
built by some piratical Greeks 1500 years before Christ. It
seems not impossible that the message to the church in Smyrna
contains allusions to the ritual of the pagan mysteries which
prevailed in that city. In the time of Strabo the ruins of the
old Smyrna still existed, and were partially inhabited, but the
new city was one of the most beautiful in all Asia. The streets
were laid out as near as might be at right angles. There was a
large public library there, and also a handsome building
surrounded with porticos which served as a museum. It was
consecrated as a heroum to Homer, whom the Smyrnaeans claimed
as a countryman. Olympian games were celebrated here, and
excited great interest. (Smyrna is still a large city of
180,000 to 200,000 inhabitants, of which a larger proportion
are Franks than in any other town in Turkey; 20,000 are Greeks,
9000 Jews, 8000 Armenians, 1000 Europeans, and the rest are
Moslems.--ED.)
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Snail
+ The Hebrew word shablul occurs only in (Psalms 58:8) The
rendering of the Authorized Version is probably correct. The
term would denote either a limax or a helix, which are
particularly noticeable for the slimy track they leave behind
them, by which they seem to waste themselves away. To this,
or to the fact that many of them are shrivelled up among the
rocks in the long heat of the summer, the psalmist refers.
+ The Hebrew word chomet occurs only as the name of some
unclean animal in (Leviticus 11:30) Perhaps some kind of
lizard may be intended.
Snow
This historical books of the Bible contain only two notices of
snow actually falling-- (2 Samuel 23:20) 1Macc 13:22; but the
allusions in the poetical books are so numerous that there can
be no doubt as to its being an ordinary occurrence in the
winter months. (Psalms 147:16; 148:8) The snow lies deep in the
ravines of the highest ridge of Lebanon until the summer is far
advanced and indeed never wholly disappears; the summit of
Hermon also perpetually glistens with frozen snow. From these
sources probably the Jews obtained their supplies of ice for
the purpose of cooling their beverages in summer. (Proverbs
25:13) The liability to snow must of course vary considerably
in a country of such varying altitude as Palestine. At
Jerusalem snow often falls to the depth of a foot or more in
january or February, but it seldom lies. At Nazareth it falls
more frequently and deeply,a nd it has been observed to fall
even in the maritime plain of Joppa and about Carmel.
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So
"So, king of Egypt," is once mentioned in the Bible-- (2 Kings
17:4) So has been identified by different writers with the
first and second kings of the Ethiopian twenty-fifth dynasty,
called by Manetho, Sabakon (Shebek) and Sebichos (Shebetek).
Soap
The Hebrew term borith is a general term for any substance of
cleansing qualities. As, however, it appears in (Jeremiah 2:22)
in contradistinction to nether, which undoubtedly means
"natron" or mineral alkali, it is fair to infer that borith
refers to vegetable alkali, or some kind of potash, which forms
one of the usual ingredients in our soap. Numerous plants
capable of yielding alkalies exist in Palestine and the
surrounding countries; we may notice one named hubeibeh (the
Salsola kali of botanists) found near the Dead Sea, the ashes
of which are called el-kuli, from their strong alkaline
properties.
Socho
(bushy). (1 Chronicles 4:18) Probably one of the towns called
Socoh, in Judah, though which of the two cannot be ascertained.
Sochoh
another form of the name which is more correctly given in the
Authorized version as Socoh. The present one occurs in (1 Kings
4:10) and is therefore probably, though not certainly, Socoh,
1.
Socoh
the name of two towns in the tribe of Judah.
+ In the district of the Shefelah. (Joshua 15:35; 1 Samuel
17:1; 2 Chronicles 11:7; 8:18) In the time of Eusebius it
bore the name of Socchoth, and lay between eight and nine
Roman miles from Eleutheropolis, on the road to Jerusalem. It
may be identified with esh-Shuweikeh, in the western part of
the mountains of Judah. From this village probably came
Antigonus of Soco, who lived about the commencement of the
third century B.C.
+ Also a town of Judah, but in the mountain district. (Joshua
15:48) It has been discovered about 10 miles southwest of
Hebron; bearing, like the other Socoh, the name of
esh-Shuweikeh .
Sodi
(intimate), the father of Geddiel, the spy selected from the
tribe of Zebulun. (Numbers 13:10) (B.C. 1490.)
Sodom
(burning), one of the most ancient cities of Syria. It is
commonly mentioned in connection with Gomorrah, but also with
Admah and Zeboim, and on one occasion-- (Genesis 14:1)
...--with Bela or Zoar. Sodom was evidently the chief town in
the settlement. The four are first named in the ethnological
records of (Genesis 10:19) as belonging to the Canaanites. The
next mention of the name of Sodom, (Genesis 13:10-13) gives
more certain indication of the position of the city. Abram and
Lot are standing together between Bethel and Ai, ver. 3, taking
a survey of the land around and below them. Eastward of them,
and absolutely at their feet, lay the "circle of Jordan." The
whole circle was one great oasis--"a garden of Jehovah." ver.
10. In the midst of the garden the four cities of Sodom,
Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim appear to have been situated. It is
necessary to notice how absolutely the cities are identified
with the district. In the subsequent account of their
destruction, (Genesis 19:1) ... the topographical terms are
employed with all the precision which is characteristic of such
early times. The mention of the Jordan is conclusive as to the
situation of the district, for the Jordan ceases where it
enters the Dead Sea, and can have no existence south of that
point. The catastrophe by which they were destroyed is
described in (Genesis 19:1) ... as a shower of brimstone and
fire from Jehovah. However we may interpret the words of the
earliest narrative, one thing is certain--that the lake was not
one of the agents in the catastrophe. From all these passages,
though much is obscure, two things seem clear:
+ That Sodom and the rest of the cities of the plain of Jordan
stood on the north of the Dead Sea;
+ That neither the cities nor the district were submerged by
the lake, but that the cities were overthrown and the land
spoiled, and that it may still be seen in its desolate
condition. When, however, we turn to more modern views, we
discover a remarkable variance from these conclusions.
+ The opinion long current that the five cities were submerged
in the lake, and that their remains--walls, columns and
capitals--might he still discerned below the water, hardly
needs refutation after the distinct statement and the
constant implication of Scripture. But,
+ A more serious departure from the terms of the ancient
history is exhibited in the prevalent opinion that the cities
stood at the south end of the lake. This appears to, have
been the belief of Josephus and Jerome. It seems to have been
universally held by the medieval historians and pilgrims, and
it is adopted by modern topographers probably without
exception. There are several grounds for this belief; but the
main point on which Dr. Robinson rests his argument is the
situation of Zoar. (a) "Lot," says he, "fled to Zoar, which
was near to Sodom; and Zoar lay almost at the southern end of
the present sea, probably in the month of Wady Kerak ." (b)
Another consideration in favor of placing the cities at the
southern end of the lake is the existence of similar names in
that direction. (c) A third argument, and perhaps the
weightiest of the three, is the existence of the salt
mountain at the south of the lake, and its tendency to split
off in columnar masses presenting a rude resemblance to the
human form. But it is by no means certain that salt does not
exist at other spots round the lake. (d) (A fourth and yet
stronger argument is drawn from the fact that Abraham saw the
smoke of the burning cities from Hebron. (e) A fifth argument
is found in the numerous lime-pits found at that southern end
of the Dead Sea. Robinson, Schaff, Baedeker, Lieutenant Lynch
and others favor this view.--ED.) It thus appears that on the
situation of Sodom no satisfactory conclusion can at present
be readied: On the one hand, the narrative of Genesis seems
to state positively that it lay at the northern end of the
Dead Sea. On the other hand, long-continued tradition and the
names of the existing spots seem to pronounce with almost
equal positiveness that it was at its southern end. Of the
catastrophe which destroyed the city and the district of
Sodom we can hardly hope ever to form a satisfactory
conception. Some catastrophe there undoubtedly was but what
secondary agencies, besides fire, were employed in the
accomplishment of the punishment cannot be safely determined
in the almost total absence of exact scientific description
of the natural features of the ground round the lake. We may
suppose, however, that the actual agent in the ignition and
destruction of the cities had been of the nature of a
tremendous thunder-storm accompanied by a discharge of
meteoric stones, (and that these set on fire the bitumen with
which the soil was saturated, and which was used in building
the city. And it may be that this burning out of the soil
caused the plain to sink below the level of the Dead Sea, and
the waters to flow over it--if indeed Sodom and its sister
cities are really under the water.--ED.) The miserable fate
of Sodom and Gomorrah is held up as a warning in numerous
passages of the Old and New Testaments. (Mark 8:11; 2 Peter
2:6; Jude 1:4-7)
Sodoma
(Romans 2:29) In this place alone the Authorized Version has
followed the Greek and Vulgate form of the well-known name
Sodom.
Sodomites
This word does not denote the inhabitants of Sodom; but it is
employed in the Authorized Version of the Old Testament for
those who practiced as a religious rite the abominable and
unnatural vice from which the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah
have derived their lasting infamy.
Solomon
(peaceful). I. Early life and occasion to the throne .--Solomon
was the child of David's old age, the last born of all his
sons. (1 Chronicles 3:5) The yearnings of the "man of war" led
him to give to the new-horn infant the name of Solomon
(Shelomoth, the peaceful one). Nathan, with a marked reference
to the meaning of the king's own name (David, the darling, the
beloved one), calls the infant Jedidiah (Jedid'yah), that is,
the darling of the Lord. (2 Samuel 11:24,25) He was placed
under the care of Nathan from his earliest infancy. At first,
apparently, there was no distinct purpose to make him the heir.
Absalom was still the king's favorite son, (2 Samuel 13:37;
18:33) and was looked on by the people as the destined
successor. (2 Samuel 14:13; 15:1-6) The death of Absalom when
Solomon was about ten years old left the place vacant, and
David pledged his word in secret to Bath-sheba that he, and no
other, should be the heir. (1 Kings 1:13) The words which were
spoken somewhat later express, doubtless, the purpose which
guided him throughout. (1 Chronicles 28:9; 20) His son's life
should not he as his own had been, one of hardships and wars,
dark crimes and passionate repentance, but, from first to last,
be pure, blameless, peaceful, fulfilling the ideal of glory and
of righteousness after which he himself had vainly striven. The
glorious visions of (Psalms 72:1) ... may be looked on as the
prophetic expansion of these hopes of his old age. So far,all
was well. Apparently his influence over his son's character was
one exclusively for good. Nothing that we know of Bath-sheba
lends us to think of her as likely to mould her son's mind and
heart to the higher forms of goodness. Under these influences
the boy grew up. At the age of ten or eleven he must have
passed through the revolt of Absalom, and shared his father's
exile. (2 Samuel 15:16) He would be taught all that priests or
Levites or prophets had to teach. When David was old and
feeble, Adonijah, Solomon's older brother attempted to gain
possession of the throne; but he was defeated, and Solomon went
down to Gihon and was proclaimed and anointed king. A few
months more and Solomon found himself, by his father's death,
the sole occupant of the throne. The position to which he
succeeded was unique. Never before, and never after, did the
kingdom of Israel take its place among the great monarchies of
the East. Large treasures, accumulated through many years, were
at his disposal. II. Personal appearance .--Of Solomon's
personal appearance we have no direct description, as we have
of the earlier kings. There are, however, materials for filling
up the gap. Whatever higher mystic meaning may be latent in
(Psalms 45:1) ... or the Song of Songs, we are all but
compelled to think of them us having had at least a historical
starting-point. They tell of one who was, in the eyes of the
men of his own time, "fairer than the children of men," the
face "bright, and ruddy" as his father's, (Song of Solomon
5:10; 1 Samuel 17:42) bushy locks, dark as the raven's wing,
yet not without a golden glow, the eyes soft as "the eyes of
cloves," the "countenance as Lebanon excellent as the cedars,"
"the chiefest among ten thousand, the altogether lovely." (Song
of Solomon 5:13-18) Add to this all gifts of a noble,
far-reaching intellect large and ready sympathies, a playful
and genial humor, the lips "full of grace," and the soul
"anointed" as "with the oil of gladness," (Psalms 45:1) ... and
we may form some notion of what the king was like in that dawn
of his golden prime. III. Reign .--All the data for a
continuous history that we have of Solomon's reign are-- (a)
The duration of the reign, forty sears, B.C. 1015-975. (1 Kings
11:4) (b) The commencement of the temple in the fourth, its
completion in the eleventh, year of his reign. (1 Kings
6:1,37,38) (c) The commencement of his own palace in the
seventh, its completion in the twentieth, year. (1 Kings 7:1; 2
Chronicles 8:1) (d) The conquest of Hamath-zobah, and the
consequent foundation of cities in the region of north
Palestine after the twentieth year. (2 Chronicles 8:1-6) IV.
Foreign policy .--
+ Egypt. The first act of the foreign policy of the new reign
must have been to most Israelites a very startling one. He
made affinity with Pharaoh, king of Egypt, by marrying his
daughter (1 Kings 3:1) The immediate results were probably
favorable enough. The new queen brought with her as a dowry
the frontier city of Gezer. But the ultimate issue of
alliance showed that it was hollow and impolitic.
+ Tyre. The alliance with the Phoenician king rested on a
somewhat different footing. It had been a part of David's
policy from the beginning of his reign. Hiram had been "ever
a lover of David." As soon as he heard of Solomon's accession
he sent ambassadors to salute him. A correspondence passed
between the two kings, which ended in a treaty of commerce.
The opening of Joppa as a port created a new coasting-trade,
and the materials from Tyre were conveyed to that city on
floats, and thence to Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 2:16) In
return for these exports, the Phoenicians were only too glad
to receive the corn and oil of Solomon's territory. The
results of the alliance did not end here. Now, for the first
time in the history of the Jews, they entered on a career as
a commercial people.
+ The foregoing were the two most important to Babylon
alliances. The absence of any reference to Babylon and
Assyria, and the fact that the Euphrates was recognized as
the boundary of Solomon's kingdom, (2 Chronicles 9:26)
suggests the inference that the Mesopotamian monarchies were
at this time comparatively feeble. Other neighboring nations
were content to pay annual tribute in the form of gifts. (2
Chronicles 9:28)
+ The survey of the influence exercised by Solomon on
surrounding nations would be incomplete if we were to pass
over that which was more directly personal the fame of his
glory and his wisdom. Wherever the ships of Tarshish went,
they carried with them the report, losing nothing in its
passage, of what their crews had seen and heard. The journey
of the queen of Sheba, though from its circumstances the most
conspicuous, did not stand alone. V. Internal history .--
+ The first prominent scene in Solomon's reign is one which
presents his character in its noblest aspect. God in a vision
having offered him the choice of good things he would have,
he chose wisdom in preference to riches or honor or long
life. The wisdom asked for was given in large measure, and
took a varied range. The wide world of nature, animate and
inanimate, the lives and characters of men, lay before him,
and he took cognizance of all but the highest wisdom was that
wanted for the highest work, for governing and guiding, and
the historian hastens to give an illustration of it. The
pattern-instance is, in all its circumstances, thoroughly
Oriental. (1 Kings 3:16-28)
+ In reference to the king's finances, the first impression of
the facts given us is that of abounding plenty. Large
quantities of the precious metals were imported from Ophir
and Tarshish. (1 Kings 9:28) All the kings and princes of the
subject provinces paid tribute in the form of gifts, in money
and in kind, "at a fixed rate year by year." (1 Kings 10:25)
Monopolies of trade contributed to the king's treasury. (1
Kings 10:28,29) The total amount thus brought into the
treasury in gold, exclusive of all payments in kind, amounted
to 666 talents. (1 Kings 10:14)
+ It was hardly possible, however, that any financial system
could bear the strain of the king's passion for magnificence.
The cost of the temple was, it is true, provided for by
David's savings and the offerings of the people; but even
while that was building, yet more when it was finished one
structure followed on another with ruinous rapidity. All the
equipment of his court, the "apparel" of his servants was on
the same scale. A body-guard attended him, "threescore
valiant men," tallest and handsomest of the sons of Israel.
Forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve
thousand horsemen made up the measure of his magnificence. (1
Kings 4:26) As the treasury became empty, taxes multiplied
and monopolies became more irksome.
+ A description of the temple erected by Solomon is given
elsewhere. After seven years and the work was completed and
the day came to which all Israelites looked back as the
culminating glory of their nation.
+ We cannot ignore the fact that even now there were some
darker shades in the picture. He reduced the "strangers" in
the land, the remnant of the Canaanite races, to the state of
helots, and made their life "bitter with all hard bondage."
One hundred and fifty-three thousand, with wives and children
in proportion, were torn from their homes and sent off to the
quarries and the forests of Lebanon. (1 Kings 5:15; 2
Chronicles 2:17,18) And the king soon fell from the loftiest
height of his religious life to the lowest depth. Before long
the priests and prophets had to grieve over rival temples to
Molech, Chemosh, Ashtaroth and forms of ritual not idolatrous
only, but cruel, dark, impure. This evil came as the penalty
of another. (1 Kings 11:1-8) He gave himself to "strange
women." He found himself involved in a fascination which led
to the worship of strange gods. Something there was perhaps
in his very "largeness of heart," so far in advance of the
traditional knowledge of his age, rising to higher and wider
thoughts of God, which predisposed him to it. In recognizing
what was true in other forms of faith, he might lose his
horror at what was false. With this there may have mingled
political motives. He may have hoped, by a policy of
toleration, to conciliate neighboring princes, to attract
larger traffic. But probably also there was another influence
less commonly taken into account. The widespread belief of
the East in the magic arts of Solomon is not, it is believed,
without its foundation of truth. Disasters followed before
long as the natural consequence of what was politically a
blunder as well as religiously a sin. VI. His literary
works.--little remains out of the songs, proverbs, treatises,
of which the historian speaks. (1 Kings 4:32,33) Excerpts
only are given from the three thousand proverbs. Of the
thousand and five songs we know absolutely nothing. His books
represent the three stages of his life. The Song of Songs
brings before us the brightness of his -youth. Then comes in
the book of Proverbs, the stage of practical, prudential
thought. The poet has become the philosopher, the mystic has
passed into the moralist; but the man passed through both
stages without being permanently the better for either. They
were to him but phases of his life which he had known and
exhausted, (Ecclesiastes 1:1; Ecclesiastes 2:1) ... and
therefore there came, its in the confessions of the preacher,
the great retribution.
Solomon, Wisdom Of
[[1157]Wisdom, The, Of Solomon, BOOK OF]
Solomons Porch
[[1158]Palace; [1159]Temple].
Solomons Servants
([1160]Children OF). (Ezra 2:55,58; Nehemiah 7:57,60) The
persons thus named appear in the lists of the exiles who
returned from the captivity. They were the descendants of the
Canaanites who were reduced by Solomon to the helot state, and
compelled to labor in the king's stone-quarries and in building
his palaces and cities. (1 Kings 5:13,14; 9:20,21; 2 Chronicles
8:7,8) They appear to have formed a distinct order, inheriting
probably the same functions and the same skill as their
ancestors.
Solomons Song
[[1161]Canticles]
Son
The term "son" is used in Scripture language to imply almost
any kind of descent or succession, as ben shanah, "son of a
year," i.e. a year old; ben kesheth, "son of a bow," i.e. an
arrow. The word bar is often found in the New Testament in
composition, as Bar-timaeus.
Soothsayer
[[1162]Divination]
Sop
In eastern lands where our table utensils are unknown, the
meat, with the broth, is brought upon the table in a large
dish, and is eaten usually by means of pieces of bread clipped
into the common dish. The bread so dipped is called. "It was
such a piece of bread a sop dipped in broth that Jesus gave to
Judas, (John 13:26) and again, in Matt 26:23 It is said "he
that dippeth his hand with me in the dish," i.e. to make a sop
by dipping a piece of bread into the central dish.
Sopater
(saviour of his father), son or Pyrrhus or Berea, was one of
the companions of St. Paul on his return from Greece into Asia.
(Acts 20:4) (A.D. 55.)
Sophereth
(writing). "The children of Sophereth" were a family who
returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel among the descendants of
Solomon's servants. (Ezra 2:55; Nehemiah 7:57) (B.C. before
536.)
Sorcerer
[[1163]Divination]
Sorek
(red), The valley of, a wady in which lay the residence of
Delilah. (Judges 16:4) It was possibly nearer Gaza than any
other of the chief Philistine cities, since thither Samson was
taken after his capture at Delilah's house.
Sosipater
(saviour of his father), kinsman or fellow tribesman of St.
Paul, (Romans 16:21) is probably the same person as Sopater of
Berea. (A.D. 54.)
Sosthenes
(saviour of his nation) was a Jew at Corinth who was seized and
beaten in the presence of Gallio. See (Acts 18:12-17) (A.D.
49.)
Sotai
(changeful). The children of Sotai were a family of the
descendants of Solomon's servants who returned with Zerubbabel.
(Ezra 2:55; Nehemiah 7:57) (B.C. before 536.)
South Ramoth
[[1164]Ramath Of The South OF THE SOUTH]
Sow
[[1165]Swine]
Sower, Sowing
The operation of a sowing with the hand is one of so simple a
character as to need little description. The Egyptian paintings
furnish many illustrations of the mode in which it was
conducted. The sower held the vessel or basket containing the
seed in his left hand, while with his right he scattered the
seed broadcast. The "drawing out" of the seed is noticed, as
the most characteristic action of the sower, in (Psalms 126:6)
(Authorized Version "precious") and (Amos 9:13) In wet soils
the seed was trodden in by the feet of animals. (Isaiah 32:20)
The sowing season began in October and continued to the end of
February, wheat being put in before, and barley after, the
beginning of January. The Mosaic law prohibited the sowing of
mixed seed. (Leviticus 19:19; 22:9)
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Spain
1 Macc. 8:3; (Romans 15:24,28) The local designation, Tarshish,
representing the Tartessus of the Greeks, probably prevailed
until the fame of the Roman wars in that country reached the
East, when it was superseded by its classical name. The mere
intention of St. Paul to visit Spain (whether he really did
visit it is a disputed question.--ED.) implies two interesting
facts, viz., the establishment of a Christian community in that
country, and that this was done by Hellenistic Jews resident
there. The early introduction of Christianity into that country
is attested by Irenaeus and Tertullian.
Sparrow
(Heb. tzippor, from a root signifying to "chirp" or "twitter,"
which appears to be a phonetic representation of the call-note
of any passerine (sparrow-like) bird). This Hebrew word occurs
upwards of forty times in the Old Testament. In all passages
except two it is rendered by the Authorized Version
indifferently "bird" or "fowl." and denotes any small bird,
both of the sparrow-like species and such as the starling,
chaffinch, greenfinch, linnet, goldfinch, corn-bunting, pipits,
blackbird, song-thrush, etc. In (Psalms 84:3) and Psal 102:7 It
is rendered "sparrow." The Greek stauthion (Authorized Version
"sparrow") occurs twice in the New Testament, (Matthew 10:29;
Luke 12:6,7) (The birds above mentioned are found in great
numbers in Palestine and are of very little value, selling for
the merest trifle and are thus strikingly used by our Saviour,
(Matthew 10:20) as an illustration of our Father's care for his
children.--ED.) The blue thrush (Petrocossyphus cyaneus) is
probably the bird to which the psalmist alludes in (Proverbs
102:7) as "the sparrow that sitteth alone upon the house-top."
It is a solitary bird, eschewing the society of its own
species, and rarely more than a pair are seen together. The
English tree-sparrow (Passer montanus, Linn.) is also very
common, and may be seen in numbers on Mount Olivet and also
about the sacred enclosure of the mosque of Omar. This is
perhaps the exact species referred to in (Psalms 84:3) Dr.
Thompson, in speaking of the great numbers of the
house-sparrows and field-sparrows in troublesome and
impertinent generation, and nestle just where you do not want
them. They stop your stove-- and water-pipes with their
rubbish, build in the windows and under the beams of the roof,
and would stuff your hat full of stubble in half a day if they
found it hanging in a place to suit them."
Sparta
a celebrated city of Greece, between whose inhabitants and the
Jews a relationship was believed to subsist. Between the two
nations a correspondence ensued.--Whitney. The act of the Jews
and Spartans, 2 Macc. 5:9 is an ethnological error, which it is
difficult to trace to its origin.
Spear
[[1166]Arms, Armor]
Spearmen
(Acts 23:23) These were probably troops so lightly armed as to
be able to keep pace on the march with mounted soldiers.
Spice, Spices
+ Heb. basam, besem or bosem . In (Song of Solomon 5:1) "I have
gathered my myrrh with my spice," the word points apparently
to some definite substance. In the other places, with the
exception perhaps of (Song of Solomon 1:13; 6:2) the words
refer more generally to sweet aromatic odors, the principal
of which was that of the balsam or balm of Gilead; the tree
which yields this substance is now generally admitted to be
the Balsam-odendron opobalsamum . The balm of Gilead tree
grows in some parts of Arabia and Africa, and is seldom more
than fifteen feet high, with straggling branches and scanty
foliage. The balsam is chiefly obtained from incisions in the
bark, but is procured also from the green and ripe berries.
+ Necoth . (Genesis 37:25; 43:11) The most probable explanation
is that which refers the word to the Arabic naku'at i.e. "the
gum obtained from the tragacanth" (Astragalus).
+ Sammim, a general term to denote those aromatic substances
which were used in the preparation of the anointing oil, the
incense offerings, etc. The spices mentioned as being used by
Nicodemus for the preparation of our Lord's body, (John
19:39,40) are "myrrh and aloes," by which latter word must be
understood not the aloes of medicine, but the highly-scented
wood of the Aquilaria agallochum .
Spider
The Hebrew word 'accabish in (Job 8:24; Isaiah 59:5) is
correctly rendered "spider." Put semamith is wrongly translated
"spider" in (Proverbs 30:28) it refers probably to some kind of
lizard. (But "there are many species of spider in Palestine:
some which spin webs, like the common garden spider; some which
dig subterranean cells and make doors in them, like the
well-known trap-door spider of southern Europe; and some which
have no web, but chase their prey upon the ground, like the
hunting-and the wolf-spider."--Wood's Bible Animals.)
Spikenard
(Heb. nerd) is mentioned twice in the Old Testament viz. in
(Song of Solomon 1:12; 4:13,14) The ointment with which our
Lord was anointed as he sat at meat in Simon's house at Bethany
consisted of this precious substance, the costliness of which
may be inferred from the indignant surprise manifested by some
of the witnesses of the transaction. See (Mark 14:3-5; John
12:3,5) (Spikenard,from which the ointment was made, was an
aromatic herb of the valerian family (Nardostachys jatamansi).
It was imported from an early age from Arabia India and the Far
East. The costliness of Mary's offering (300 pence=) may beat
be seen from the fact that a penny (denarius, 15 to 17 cents)
was in those days the day-wages of a laborer. (Matthew 20:2) In
our day this would equal at least or .-ED.)
Spinning
The notices of spinning in the Bible are confined to (Exodus
35:25,26; Proverbs 31:19; Matthew 6:28) The latter passage
implies (according to the Authorized Version) the use of the
same instruments which have been in vogue for hand-spinning
down to the present day, viz. the distaff and spindle. The
distaff however, appears to have been dispensed with, and the
term so rendered means the spindle itself, while that rendered
"spindle" represents the whirl of the spindle, a button of
circular rim which was affixed to it, and gave steadiness to
its circular motion. The "whirl" of the Syrian women was made
of amber in the time of Pliny. The spindle was held
perpendicularly in the one hand, while the other was employed
in drawing out the thread. Spinning was the business of women,
both among the Jews and for the most part among the Egyptians.
Sponge
a soft, porous marine substance. Sponges were for a long time
supposed to be plants, but are now considered by the best
naturalists to belong to the animal kingdom. Sponge is
mentioned only in the New Testament. (Matthew 27:48; Mark
15:36; John 19:29) The commercial value of the sponge was known
from very early times; and although there appears to be no
notice of it in the Old Testament, yet it is probable that it
was used by the ancient Hebrews, who could readily have
obtained it good from the Mediterranean, where it was
principally found.
Spouse
[[1167]Marriage]
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Stachys
a Christian at Rome, saluted by St. Paul in the Epistle to the
Romans. (Romans 16:9) (A.D. 56.)
Stacte
(Heb. nataf) the name of one of the sweet spices which composed
the holy incense. See (Exodus 30:34)--the only passage of
Scripture in which the word occurs. Some identify the nataf
with the gum of the storer tree (Styraz officinale), but all
that is positively known is that it signifies an odorous
distillation from some plant.
Standards
The Assyrian standards were emblematic of their religion, and
were therefore the more valuable as instruments for leading and
guiding men in the army. The forms were imitations of animals
(1), emblems of deities (2), and symbols of power and wisdom
(3). Many of them were crude, but others were highly artistic
and of great cost. The Egyptian standards were designed in the
same idea as those of the Romans, exhibiting some sacred emblem
(5,6,8), or a god in the form of an animal (3,4), a group of
victory (7), or the king's name or his portrait as (1), of
lower, and (2) of upper, Egypt, or an emblematic sign, as No.
9.
Star Of The Wise Men
[[1168]Magi]
Stater
[[1169]Money]
Steel
In all cases were the word "steel" occurs in the Authorized
Version the true rendering of the Hebrew is "copper." Whether
the ancient Hebrews were acquainted with steel is not perfectly
certain. It has been inferred from a passage in (Jeremiah
15:12) that the "iron from the north" there spoken of denoted a
superior kind of metal, hardened in an unusual manner, like the
steel obtained from the Chalybes of the Pontus, the iron smiths
of the ancient world. The hardening of iron for cutting
instruments was practiced in Pontus, Lydia and Laconia. There
is, however, a word in hebrew, paldah, which occurs only in
(Nahum 2:3) (4) and is there rendered "torches," but which most
probably denotes steel or hardened iron, and refers to the
flashing scythes of the Assyrian chariots. Steel appears to
have been known to the Egyptians. The steel weapons in the tomb
of Rameses III., says Wilkinson, are painted blue, the bronze
red.
Stephanas
a Christian convert of Corinth whose household Paul baptized as
the "first-fruits of Achaia." (1 Corinthians 1:16; 16:15) (A.D.
53.)
Stephen
the first Christian martyr, was the chief of the seven
(commonly called Deacons) appointed to rectify the complaints
in the early Church of Jerusalem, made by the Hellenistic
against the hebrew Christians. His Greek name indicates his own
Hellenistic origin. His importance is stamped on the narrative
by a reiteration of emphatic, almost superlative, phrases:
"full of faith and of the Holy Ghost," (Acts 6:5) "full of
grace and power," ibid. (Acts 6:8) irresistible "spirit and
wisdom," ibid (Acts 6:10) "full of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 7:55)
He shot far ahead of his six companions, and far above his
particular office. First, he arrests attention by the "great
wonders and miracles that he did." Then begins a series of
disputations with the Hellenistic Jews of north Africa,
Alexandria and Asia Minor, his companions in race and
birthplace. The subject of these disputations is not expressly
mentioned; but from what follows it is obvious that he struck
into a new vein of teaching, which evidently caused his
martyrdom. Down to this time the apostles and the early
Christian community had clung in their worship, not merely to
the holy land and the holy city but to the holy place of the
temple. This local worship, with the Jewish customs belonging
to it, Stephen denounced. So we must infer from the accusations
brought against him confirmed as they are by the tenor of his
defence. He was arrested at the instigation of the Hellenistic
Jews, and brought before the Sanhedrin. His speech in his
defence, and his execution by stoning outside the gates of
Jerusalem, are related at length in Acts 7. The frame work in
which his defence is cast is a summary of the history of the
Jewish Church. In the facts which he selects from his history
he is guided by two principles. The first is the endeavor to
prove that, even in the previous Jewish history, the presence
and favor of God had not been confined to the holy land or the
temple of Jerusalem. The second principle of selection is based
on the at tempt to show that there was a tendency from the
earliest times toward the same ungrateful and narrow spirit
that had appeared in this last stage of their political
existence. It would seem that, just at the close of his
argument, Stephen saw a change in the aspect of his judges, as
if for the first time they had caught the drift of his meaning.
He broke off from his calm address, and tumult suddenly upon
them in an impassioned attack, which shows that he saw what was
in store for him. As he spoke they showed by their faces that
their hearts "were being sawn asunder," and they kept gnashing
their set teeth against him; but still, though with
difficultly, restraining themselves. He, in this last crisis of
his fate, turned his face upward to the; open sky, and as he
gazed the vault of heaven seemed to him to part asunder; and
the divine Glory appeared through the rending of the earthly
veil--the divine Presence, seated on a throne, and on the right
hand the human form of Jesus. Stephen spoke as if to himself,
describing the glorious vision; and in so doing, alone of all
the speakers and writers in the New Testament except, only
Christ himself, uses the expressive phrase "the Son of man." As
his judges heard the words, they would listen no longer. They
broke into, a loud yell; they clapped their hands to their
ears; they flew as with one impulse upon him, and dragged him
out of the city to the place of execution. Those who took the
lead in the execution were the persons wile had taken upon
themselves the responsibility of denouncing him. (17:7) comp.
John 8:7 In this instance they were the witnesses who had
reported or misreported the words of Stephen. They, according
to the custom, stripped themselves; and one, of the prominent
leaders in the transaction was deputed by custom to signify his
assent to the act by taking the clothes into his custody and
standing over them while the bloody work went on. The person
was officiated on this occasion was a young man from Tarsus,
the future apostle of the Gentiles. [[1170]Paul] As the first
volley of stones burst upon him, Stephen called upon the Master
whose human form he had just seen in the heavens, and repeated
almost the words with which he himself had given up his life on
the cross, "O Lord Jesus receive my spirit." Another crash of
stones brought him on his knees. One loud, piercing cry,
answering to the shriek or yell with which his enemies had
flown upon him, escaped his dying lips. Again clinging to the
spirit of his Master's words, he cried "Lord, lay not this sin
to their charge" and instantly sank upon the ground, and, in
the touching language of the narrator who then uses for the
first time the words afterward applied to the departure of all
Christians, but here the more remarkable from the bloody scenes
in the midst of which death took place, fell asleep . His
mangled body was buried by the class of Hellenists and
proselytes to which he belonged. The importance of Stephen's
career may be briefly summed up under three heads:
+ He was the first great Christian ecclesiastic, "the
Archdeacon," as he is called in the eastern Church.
+ He is the first martyr--the protomartyr. To him the name
"martyr" is first applied. (Acts 23:20)
+ He is the forerunner of St. Paul. He was the anticipator, as,
had he lived, he would have been the propagator, of the new
phase of Christianity of which St. Paul became the main
support.
Stocks
(An instrument of punishment, consisting of two beams, the
upper one being movable, with two small openings between them,
large enough for the ankles of the prisoner.--ED.) The term
"stocks" is applied in the Authorized Version to two different
articles one of which answers rather to our pillory, inasmuch
as the body was placed in a bent position, by the confinement
of the neck and arms as well as the legs while the other
answers to our "stocks," the feet alone being confined in it.
The prophet Jeremiah was confined in the first sort, (Jeremiah
20:2) which appears to have been a common mode of punishment in
his day, (Jeremiah 29:26) as the prisons contained a chamber
for the special purpose, termed "the house of the pillory." (2
Chronicles 16:10) (Authorized Version "prison-house"). The
stocks, properly so called, are noticed in (Job 13:27; 33:11;
Acts 16:24) The term used in (Proverbs 7:22) (Authorized
Version "stocks") more properly means a fetter.
Stoics
The Stoics and Epicureans, who are mentioned together in (Acts
17:18) represent the two opposite schools of practical
philosophy which survived the fall of higher speculation in
Greece. The Stoic school was founded by Zeno of Citium (cir.
B.C. 280) and derived its name from the painted "portico"
(stoa) at Athens in which he taught. Zeno was followed by
Cleanthes (cir. B.C. 260); Cleanthes by Chrysippus (cir. B.C.
240) who was regarded as the founder of the Stoic system. "They
regarded God and the world as power and its manifestation
matter being a passive ground in which dwells the divine
energy. Their ethics were a protest against moral indifference,
and to live in harmony with nature, conformably with reason and
the demands of universal good, and in the utmost indifference
to pleasure, pain and all external good or evil, was their
fundamental maxim."--American Cyclopaedia. The ethical system
of the Stoics has been commonly supposed to have a close
connection with Christian morality; but the morality of
stoicism is essentially based on pride, that of Christianity on
humility; the one upholds individual independence, the other
absolute faith in another; the one looks for consolation in the
issue of fate, the other in Providence; the one is limited by
Periods of cosmical ruin, the other is consummated in a
personal resurrection. (Acts 17:18) But in spite of the
fundamental error of stoicism, which lies in a supreme egotism,
the teaching of this school gave a wide currency to the noble
doctrines of the fatherhood of God, the common bonds of
mankind, the sovereignty of the soul. Among their most
prominent representatives were Zeno and Antipater of Tarsus,
Seneca and Marcus Aurelius.
Stomacher
The Hebrew word so translated, (Isaiah 3:24) describes some
article of female attire, the character of which is a mere
matter of conjecture.
Stones
Besides the ordinary uses to which stones were applied, we may
mention that large stones were set up to commemorate any
remarkable event. (Genesis 28:18; 35:14; 31:45; Joshua 4:9; 1
Samuel 7:12) Such stones were occasionally consecrated By
anointing. (Genesis 28:18) Heaps of stones were piled up on
various occasions, as in token of a treaty, (Genesis 31:47) or
over the grave of some notorious offender. (Joshua 7:26; 8:29;
2 Samuel 18:17) The "white stone" noticed in (Revelation 2:17)
has been variously regarded as referring to the pebble of
acquittal used in the Greek courts; to the lot cast in
elections in Greece to both these combined; to the stones in
the high priest's breastplate; to the tickets presented to the
victor at the public games; or, lastly, to the custom of
writing on stones. The notice in (Zechariah 12:3) of the
"burdensome stone" is referred by Jerome to the custom of
lifting stones as an exercise of strength, comp. Ecclus. 6:21;
but it may equally well be explained of a large corner-stone as
a symbol of strength. (Isaiah 28:16) Stones are used
metaphorically to denote hardness or insensibility, (1 Samuel
25:37; Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26) as well as firmness or strength.
(Genesis 49:24) The members of the Church are called "living
stones," as contributing to rear that living temple in which
Christ, himself "a living stone," is the chief or head of the
corner. (Ephesians 2:20-22; 1 Peter 2:4-8)
Stones, Precious
Precious stones are frequently alluded to in Scriptures; they
were known and very highly valued in the earliest times. The
Tyrians traded in precious stones supplied by Syria. (Ezekiel
27:16) The merchants of Sheba and Raamah in south Arabia, and
doubtless India and Ceylon supplied the markets of Tyre with
various precious stones. The art of engraving on precious
stones was known from the very earliest times. (Genesis 38:18)
The twelve atones of the breastplate were engraved each one
with the name of one of the tribes. (Exodus 28:17-21) It is an
undecided question whether the diamond was known to the early
nations of antiquity. The Authorized Version gives if as the
rendering of the Heb. yahalom, but it is probable that the
jasper is intended. Precious stones are used in Scripture in a
figurative sense, to signify value, beauty durability, etc., in
those objects with which they are compared. See (Song of
Solomon 5:14; Isaiah 54:11,12; Lamentations 4:7; Revelation
4:3; 21:10,21)
Stoning
[[1171]Punishments]
Stork
(Heb. chasidah), a large bird of passage of the heron family.
The of the largest and most conspicuous of land birds, standing
nearly four feet high, the jet black of its wings and its
bright red beak and legs contrasting finely with the pure white
of its plumage. (Zechariah 6:9) In the neighborhood of man it
devours readily all kinds of offal and garbage. For this
reason, doubtless it is placed in the list of unclean birds by
the Mosaic law. (Leviticus 11:19; 14:18) The range of the white
stork extends over the whole of Europe, except the British
isles, where it is now a rare visitant, and over northern
Africa and Asia as far at least as Burmah. The black stork
(Ciconia nigra, Linn.), though less abundant in places, is
scarcely less widely distributed, but has a more easterly range
than its congener. Both species are very numerous in Palestine.
While the black stork is never found about buildings, but
prefers marshy places in forests and breeds on the tops of the
loftiest trees, the white stork attaches itself to man and for
the service which it renders in the destruction of reptiles and
the removal of offal has been repaid from the earliest times by
protection and reverence, The derivation of chasidah (from
chesed, "kindness") points to the paternal and filial
attachment of which the stork seems to have been a type among
the Hebrews no less than the Greeks and Romans. It was believed
that the young repaid the care of their parents by attaching
themselves to them for life, and tending them in old age. That
the parental attachment of the stork is very strong has been
proved on many occasions, Few migratory birds are more punctual
to the time of their reappearance than the white stork. The
stork has no note, and the only sound it emits is that caused
by the sudden snapping of its long mandibles.
Strain At
(So translated in the Authorized Version, but in the Revised
Version "strain out," (Matthew 23:24) which is undoubtedly the
true reading.--ED.)
Stranger
A "stranger," in the technical sense of the term, may be
defined to be a person of foreign, i.e. non-Israelitish,
extraction resident within the limits of the promised land. He
was distinct from the proper "foreigner," inasmuch as the
latter still belonged to another country, and would only visit
Palestine as a traveller: he was still more distinct from the
"nations," or non-Israelite peoples. The term may be compared
with our expression "naturalized foreigner." The terms applied
to the "stranger" have special reference to the fact of
residing in the land. The existence of such a class of persons
among the Israelites is easily accounted for the "mixed
multitude" that accompanied them out of Egypt, (Exodus 12:38)
formed one element the Canaanitish Population,which was never
wholly extirpated from their native soil, formed another and a
still more important one captives taken in war formed a third;
fugitives, hired servants, merchants, etc., formed a fourth.
With the exception of the Moabites and Ammonites, (23:3) all
nations were admissible to the rights of citizenship under
certain conditions. The stranger appears to have been eligible
to all civil offices, that of king excepted. (17:15) In regard
to religion, it was absolutely necessary that the stranger
should not infringe any of the fundamental laws of the
Israelitish state. If he were a bondman, he was obliged to
submit to circumcision, (Exodus 12:44) if he were independent,
it was optional with him but if he remained uncircumcised, he
was prohibited from partaking of the Passover, (Exodus 12:48)
and could not be regarded as a full citizen. Liberty was also
given to an uncircumcised stranger in regard to the use of
prohibited food. Assuming, however, that the stranger was
circumcised, no distinction existed in regard to legal rights
ha between the stranger and the Israelite; to the Israelite is
enjoined to treat him as a brother. (Leviticus 19:34; 10:19) It
also appears that the "stranger" formed the class whence the
hirelings were drawn; the terms being coupled together in
(Exodus 12:45; Leviticus 22:10; 25:6,40) The liberal spirit of
the Mosaic regulations respecting strangers presents a strong
contrast to the rigid exclusiveness of the Jews at the
commencement of the Christian era. The growth of this spirit
dates from the time of the Babylonish captivity.
Straw
Both wheat and barley straw were used by the ancient Hebrews
chiefly as fodder for the horses cattle and camels. (Genesis
24:25; 1 Kings 4:28; Isaiah 11:7; 66:25) There is no intimation
that straw was used for litter. It was employed by the
Egyptians for making bricks, (Exodus 5:7,16) being chopped up
and mixed with the clay to make them more compact and to
prevent their cracking. [See [1172]Brick] The ancient Egyptians
reaped their corn close to the ear, and afterward cut the straw
close to the ground and laid it by. This was the straw that
Pharaoh refused to give to the Israelites who were therefore
compelled to gather "stubble" instead--a matter of considerable
difficulty, seeing that the straw itself had been cut off near
to the ground.
Stream Of Egypt
occurs once in the Old Testament-- (Isaiah 27:12) [RIVER OF
EGYPT] RIVER OF EGYPT - 3664
Street
The streets of a modern Oriental town present a great contrast
to those with which we are familiar, being generally narrow,
tortuous and gloomy, even in the best towns. Their character is
mainly fixed by the climate and the style of architecture, the
narrowness being due to the extreme heat, and the gloominess to
the circumstance of the windows looking for the most part into
the inner court. The street called "Straight," in Damascus,
(Acts 9:11) was an exception to the rule of narrowness: it was
a noble thoroughfare, one hundred feet wide. divided in the
Roman age by colonnades into three avenues, the central one for
foot passengers, the side passages for vehicles and horsemen
going in different directions. The shops and warehouses were
probably collected together into bazaars in ancient as in
modern times. (Jeremiah 37:21) That streets occasionally had
names appears from (Jeremiah 37:21; Acts 9:11) That they were
generally unpaved may be inferred from the notices of the
pavement laid by Herod the Great at Antioch, and by Herod
Agrippa II. at Jerusalem. Hence pavement forms one of the
peculiar features of the ideal Jerusalem. Tob. 13:17;
(Revelation 21:21) Each street and bazaar in a modern town is
locked up at night; the same custom appears to have prevailed
in ancient times. (Song of Solomon 3:3)
Stripes
[[1173]Punishments]
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Suah
(sweeping), son of Zophah an Asherite. (1 Chronicles 7:36)
(B.C. about 1020.)
Succoth
(booths).
+ An ancient town, first heard of in the account of the
homeward journey of Jacob from Padan-aram. (Genesis 35:17)
The name is derived from the fact of Jacob's having there put
up "booths" (succoth) for his cattle as well as a house for
himself. From the itinerary of Jacob's return it seems that
Succoth lay between Peniel, near the ford of the torrent
Jabbok and Shechem. Comp. (Genesis 32:30) and Genesis33:18 In
accordance with this is the mention of Succoth in the
narrative of Gideon's pursuit of Zebah and Zalluunna. (Judges
5:5-17) It would appear from this passage that it lay east of
the Jordan, which is corroborated by the fact that it was
allotted to the tribe of Gad. (Joshua 13:27) Succoth is named
once again after this--in (1 Kings 7:46; 2 Chronicles
4:17)--as marking the spot at which the brass founderies were
placed for casting the metal work of the temple. (Dr. Merrill
identifies it with a site called Tell Darala, one mile north
of the Jabbok.--ED.)
+ The first camping-place of the Israelites when they left
Egypt. (Exodus 12:37; 13:20; Numbers 33:5,6) This place was
apparently reached at the close of the first days march.
Rameses, the starting-place, was probably near the western
end of the Wadi-t-Tumeylat . The distance traversed in each
day's journey was about fifteen miles.
Succothbenoth
Occurs only in (2 Kings 17:30) It has generally been supposed
that this term is pure Hebrew, and signifies the tents of
daughters; which some explain as "the booths in which the
daughters of the Babylonians prostituted themselves in honor of
their idol," others as "small tabernacles in which were
contained images of female deities." Sir H. Rawlinson thinks
that Succoth-benoth represents the Chaldaean goddess Zerbanit,
the wife of Merodach, who was especially worshipped at Babylon.
Suchathites
one of the families of scribes at Jabez. (1 Chronicles 2:55)
Sukkiim
(booth-dwellers), a nation mentioned (2 Chronicles 12:3) with
the Lubim and Cushim as supplying part of the army which came
with Shishak out of Egypt when he invaded Judah. The Sukkiim
may correspond to some one of the shepherd or wandering races
mentioned on the Egyptian monuments.
Sun
In the history of "greater light," of the creation the sun is
described as "greater light," in contradistinction to the moon,
the "lesser light," in conjunction with which it was to serve
"for signs and for seasons, and for days, and for years," while
its special office was "to rule the day." (Genesis 1:14-16) The
"signs" referred to were probably such extraordinary phenomena
as eclipses, which were regarded as conveying premonitions of
coming events. (Jeremiah 10:2; Matthew 24:29) with Luke 21:25
The joint influence assigned to the sun and moon in deciding
the "seasons," both for agricultural operations and for
religious festivals, and also in regulating the length and
subdivisions of the years "correctly describes the combination
of the lunar and solar year which prevailed at all events
subsequent to the Mosaic period. Sunrise and sunset are the
only defined points of time in the absence of artificial
contrivances for telling the hour of the day. Between these two
points the Jews recognized three periods, viz., when the sun
became hot, about 9 A.M. (1 Samuel 11:9; Nehemiah 7:3) the
double light, or noon. (Genesis 43:16; 2 Samuel 4:5) and "the
cool of the day," shortly before sunset. (Genesis 3:8) The sun
also served to fix the quarters of the hemisphere, east, west
north and south, which were represented respectively by the
rising sun, the setting sun, (Isaiah 45:6; Psalms 50:1) the
dark quarter, (Genesis 13:14; Joel 2:20) and the brilliant
quarter, (33:23; Job 37:17; Ezekiel 40:24) or otherwise by
their position relative to a person facing the rising
sun--before, behind, on the left hand and on the right hand.
(Job 23:8,9) The worship of the sun, as the most prominent and
powerful agent in the kingdom of nature, was widely diffused
throughout the countries adjacent to Palestine. The Arabians
appear to have paid direct worship to it without the
intervention of any statue or symbol, (Job 31:26,27) and this
simple style of worship was probably familiar to the ancestors
of the Jews in Chaldaea and Mesopotamia. The Hebrews must have
been well acquainted with the idolatrous worship of the sun
during the captivity in Egypt, both from the contiguity of On,
the chief seat of the worship of the sun, as implied in the
name itself (On being the equivalent of the Hebrew Bethshemesh,
"house of the sun") (Jeremiah 43:13) and also from the
connection between Joseph and Potipherah("he who belongs to
Ela") the priest of On, (Genesis 41:45) After their removal to
Canaan, the Hebrews came in contact with various forms of
idolatry which originated in the worship of the sun; such as
the Baal of the Phoenicians, the Molech or Milcom of the
Ammonites, and the Hadad of the Syrians. The importance
attached to the worship of the sun by the Jewish kings may be
inferred from the fact that the horses sacred to the sun were
stalled within the precincts of the temple. (2 Kings 23:11) In
the metaphorical language of Scripture the sun is emblematic of
the law of God, (Psalms 19:7) of the cheering presence of God,
(Psalms 84:11) of the person of the Saviour, (John 1:9; Malachi
4:2) and of the glory and purity of heavenly beings.
(Revelation 1:16; 10:1)
Suretyship
In the entire absence of commerce the law laid down no rules on
the subject of suretyship; but it is evident that in the time
of Solomon commercial dealings had become so multiplied that
suretyship in the commercial sense was common. (Proverbs 6:1;
11:15; 17:18; 20:16; 22:26; 27:13) But in older times the
notion of one man becoming a surety for a service to be
discharged by another was in full force. See (Genesis 44:32)
The surety of course became liable for his client's debts in
case of his failure.
Susa
(Esther 11:3; 16:18) [[1174]Shushan, Or Susa].
Susanchites
is found once only--in (Ezra 4:9) There can be no doubt that it
designates either the inhabitants of the city Susa or those of
the country--Susis or Susiana. Perhaps the former explanation
is preferable.
Susanna
(a lily).
+ The heroine of the story of the Judgment of Daniel. (The book
which gives an account of her life is also called "The
history of Susanna," and is one of the apocryphal books of
the Bible.)
+ One of the women who ministered to the Lord. (Luke 8:3) (A.D.
28-30.)
Susi
the father of Gaddi the Manassite spy. (Numbers 13:11)
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Swallow
Heb. deror in (Psalms 84:3; Proverbs 26:2) Heb. 'agur in
(Isaiah 38:14; Jeremiah 8:7) but "crane" is more probably the
true signification of 'agur [[1175]Crane]). The rendering of
the Authorized Version for deror seems correct. The characters
ascribed in the passages where the names occur are strictly
applicable to the swallow, viz., its swiftness of flight, its
meeting in the buildings of the temple, its mournful, garrulous
note, and its regular migrations, shared indeed in common with
several others. Many species of swallow occur in Palestine. All
those common in England are found.
Swan
(Heb. tinshemeth), thus rendered by the Authorized Version in
(Leviticus 11:18; 14:16) where it occurs in the list of unclean
birds Rut either of the renderings "porphyrio" (purple
water-hen) and "ibis" is more probable. Neither of these birds
occurs elsewhere in the catalogue; both would be familiar to
residents in Egypt, and the original seems to point to some
water-fowl. The purple water-hen is allied to our corn-crake
and water-hen, and is the largest and most beautiful of the
family Rallidae . It frequents marshes and the sedge by the
banks of rivers in all the countries bordering on the
Mediterranean and is abundant in lower Egypt.
Swearing
[[1176]Oath]
Sweat, Bloody
One of the physical phenomena attending our Lord's agony in the
garden of Gethsemane is described by St. Luke, (Luke 22:44)
"His sweat was as it were great drops (lit. clots) of blood
falling down to the ground." Of this malady, known in medical
science by the term diapedesis, there have been examples
recorded in both ancient and modern times. The cause assigned
is generally violent mental emotion.
Swine
(Heb. chazir). The flesh of swine was forbidden as food by the
Levitical law, (Leviticus 11:7; 14:8) the abhorrence which the
Jews as a nation had of it may be inferred from (Isaiah 65:4)
and 2 Macc 6:18,19. No other reason for the command to abstain
from swine's flesh is given in the law of Moses beyond the
general one which forbade any of the mammalia as food which did
not literally fulfill the terms of the definition of a clean
animal" viz,, that it was to be a cloven-footed ruminant. It
is, however, probable that dietetical considerations may have
influenced Moses in his prohibition of swine's flesh: it is
generally believed that its use in hot countries is liable to
induce cutaneous disorders; hence in a people liable to leprosy
the necessity for the observance of a strict rule. Although the
Jews did not breed swine during the greater period of their
existence as a nation there can be little doubt that the
heathen nations of Palestine used the flesh as food. At the
time of our Lord's ministry it would appear that the Jews
occasionally violated the law of Moses with regard to swine's
flesh. Whether "the herd of swine" into which the devils were
allowed to enter, (Matthew 8:32; Mark 5:13) were the property
of the Jewish or of the Gentile inhabitants of Gadara does not
appear from the sacred narrative. The wild boar of the wood,
(Psalms 80:13) is the common Sus scrofa which is frequently met
with in the woody parts of Palestine, especially in Mount
Tabor.
Sword
[[1177]Arms, Armor]
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Table of Contents
Sycamine Tree
is mentioned only in (Luke 17:6) There is no reason to doubt
that the sycamine is distinct from the sycamore of the same
evangelist. (Luke 19:4) The sycamine is the mulberry tree
(Morus). Both black and white mulberry trees are common in
Syria and Palestine.
Sycamore
(Heb. shikmah). Although it may be admitted that the sycamine
is properly, and in (Luke 17:6) the mulberry, and the sycamore
the mulberry, or sycamore-fig (Ficus sycomorus), yet the latter
is the tree generally referred to in the Old Testament and
called by the Septuagint sycamine, as (1 Kings 10:27; 1
Chronicles 27:28; Psalms 78:47; Amos 7:14) The Sycamore or
fig-mulberry, is in Egypt and Palestine a tree of great
importance and very extensive use. It attains the size of a
walnut tree has wide-spreading branches and affords a
delightful shade. On this account it is frequently planted by
the waysides. Its leaves are heart-shaped, downy on the under
side, and fragrant. The Fruit grows directly from the trunk
itself on little sprigs, and in clusters like the grape. To
make It eatable, each fruit, three or four days before
gathering, must, it is said, be punctured with a sharp
instrument or the finger-nail. This was the original employment
of the prophet Amos, as he says. (Amos 7:14) So great was the
value of these trees that David appointed for them in his
kingdom a special overseer, as he did for the olives (1
Chronicles 27:28) and it is mentioned as one of the heaviest of
Egypt's calamities that her sycamore were destroyed by
hailstones.
Sychar
a place named only in (John 4:5) Sychar was either a name
applied to the town of Shechem or it was an independent place.
The first of these alternatives is now almost universally
accepted. [[1178]Shechem]
Sychem
the Greek form of the word Shechem. It occurs in (Acts 7:16)
only. [[1179]Shechem]
Syene
properly Seventh a town of Egypt, on the frontier of Cush or
Ethiopia, (Ezekiel 29:10; 30:6) represented by the present
Aruan or Es-Suan.
Symeon
(The Jewish form of the name Simon, used in the Revised Version
of (Acts 15:14) and referring to Simon Peter.-ED.)
Synagogue
+ History .--The word synagogue (sunagoge), which means a
"congregation," is used in the New Testament to signify a
recognized place of worship. A knowledge of the history and
worship of the synagogues is of great importance, since they
are the characteristic institution of the later phase of
Judaism. They appear to have arisen during the exile, in the
abeyance of the temple-worship, and to have received their
full development on the return of the Jews from captivity.
The whole history of Ezra presupposes the habit of solemn,
probably of periodic, meetings. (Ezra 8:15; Nehemiah 8:2;
9:1; Zechariah 7:5) After the Maccabaean struggle for
independence, we find almost every town or village had its
one or more synagogues. Where the Jews were not in sufficient
numbers to be able to erect and fill a building, there was
the proseucha (proseuche), or place of prayer, sometimes
open, sometimes covered in, commonly by a running stream or
on the seashore, in which devout Jews and proselytes met to
worship, and perhaps to read. (Acts 16:13) Juven. Sat. iii.
296. It is hardly possible to overestimate the influence of
the system thus developed. To it we may ascribe the tenacity
with which, after the Maccabaean struggle, the Jews adhered
to the religion of their fathers, and never again relapsed
into idolatry.
+ Structure .--The size of a synagogue varied with the
population. Its position was, however, determinate. If stood,
if possible, on the highest ground, in or near the city to
which it belonged. And its direction too was fixed. Jerusalem
was the Kibleh of Jewish devotion. The synagogue was so
constructed that the worshippers, as they entered and as they
prayed, looked toward it. The building was commonly erected
at the cost of the district. Sometimes it was built by a rich
Jew, or even, as in (Luke 7:5) by a friend or proselyte. In
the internal arrangement of the synagogue we trace an obvious
analogy to the type of the tabernacle. At the upper or
Jerusalem end stood the ark, the chest which, like the older
and more sacred ark contained the Book of the Law. It gave to
that end the name and character of a sanctuary. This part of
the synagogue was naturally the place of honor. Here were the
"chief seats," for which Pharisees and scribes strove so
eagerly, (Matthew 23:6) and to which the wealthy and honored
worshipper was invited. (James 2:2,3) Here too, in front of
the ark, still reproducing the type of the tabernacle, was
the eight-branched lamp, lighted only on the greater
festivals. Besides this there was one lamp kept burning
perpetually. More toward the middle of the building was a
raised platform, on which several persons could stand at
once, and in the middle of this rose a pulpit, in which the
reader stood to read the lesson or sat down to teach. The
congregation were divided, men on one side, women on the
other a low partition, five or six feet high, running between
them. The arrangements of modern synagogues, for many
centuries, have made the separation more complete by placing
the women in low side-galleries, screened off a lattice-work.
+ Officers.--In smaller towns there was often but one rabbi.
Where a fuller organization was possible, there was a college
of elders, (Luke 7:3) presided over by one who was "the chief
of the synagogue." (Luke 8:41,49; 13:14; Acts 18:8,17) The
most prominent functionary in a large synagogue was known as
the sheliach (= legatus), the officiating minister who acted
as the delegate of the congregation and was therefore the
chief reader of prayers, etc.., in their name. The chazzan or
"minister" of the synagogue, (Luke 4:20) had duties of a
lower kind, resembling those of the Christian deacon or
sub-deacon. He was to open the doors and to prepare the
building for service. Besides these there were ten men
attached to every synagogue, known as the ballanim,
(--otiosi). They were supposed to be men of leisure not
obliged to labor for their livelihood able therefore to
attend the week-day as well as the Sabbath services. The
legatus of the synagogues appears in the angel, (Revelation
1:20; 2:1) perhaps also in the apostle of the Christian
Church.
+ Worship .--It will be enough, in this place, to notice in
what way the ritual, no less than the organization, was
connected with the facts of the New Testament history, and
with the life and order of the Christian Church. From the
synagogue came the use of fixed forms of prayer. To that the
first disciples had been accustomed from their youth. They
had asked their Master to give them a distinctive one, and he
had complied with their request, (Luke 11:1) as the Baptist
had done before for his disciples, as every rabbi did for
his. "Moses" was "read in the synagogues every Sabbath day,"
(Acts 15:21) the whole law being read consecutively, so as to
be completed, according to one cycle, in three years. The
writings of the prophets were read as second lessons in a
corresponding order. They were followed by the derash (Acts
13:15) the exposition, the sermon of the synagogue. The
conformity extends also to the times of prayer. In the hours
of service this was obviously the case. The third, sixth and
ninth hours were in the times of the New Testament, (Acts
3:1; 10:3,9) and had been probably for some time before,
(Psalms 55:17; Daniel 6:10) the fixed times of devotion. The
same hours, it is well known, were recognized in the Church
of the second century, probably in that of the first also.
The solemn days of the synagogue were the second, the fifth
and the seventh, the last or Sabbath being the conclusion of
the whole. The transfer of the sanctity of the Sabbath to the
Lord's day involved a corresponding change in the order of
the week, and the first, the fourth the sixth became to the
Christian society what the other days had been to the Jewish.
From the synagogue, lastly, come many less conspicuous
practices, which meet us in the liturgical life of the first
three centuries: Ablution, entire or partial, before entering
the place of meeting, (John 13:1-15; Hebrews 10:22) standing,
and not kneeling, as the attitude of prayer, (Luke 18:11) the
arms stretched out; the face turned toward the Kibleh of the
east; the responsive amen of the congregation to the prayers
and benedictions of the elders. (1 Corinthians 14:16)
+ Judicial functions .--The language of the New Testament shows
that the officers of the synagogue exercised in certain cases
a judicial power. If is not quite so easy, however to define
the nature of the tribunal and the precise limits of its
jurisdiction. In two of the passages referred to-- (Matthew
10:17; Mark 13:9)--they are carefully distinguished from the
councils. It seems probable that the council was the larger
tribunal of twenty-three, which sat in every city, and that
under the term synagogue we are to understand a smaller
court, probably that of the ten judges mentioned in the
Talmud. Here also we trace the outline of a Christian
institution. The Church, either by itself or by appointed
delegates, was to act as a court of arbitration in all
disputes its members. The elders of the church were not
however to descend to the trivial disputes of daily life. For
the elders, as for those of the synagogue, were reserved the
graver offences against religion and morals.
Synagogue, The Great
On the return of the Jews from Babylon, a great council was
appointed according to rabbinic tradition, to reorganize the
religious life of the people. It consisted of 120 members, and
these were known as the men of the Great Synagogue, the
successors of the prophets, themselves, in their turn,
succeeded by scribes prominent, individually, as teachers. Ezra
was recognized as president, Their aim was to restore again the
crown, or glory, of Israel. To this end they collected all the
sacred writings of the former ages and their own and so
completed the canon of the Old Testament. They instituted the
feast of Purim organized the ritual of the synagogue, and gave
their sanction to the Shemoneh Esreh, the eighteen solemn
benedictions in it. Much of this is evidently uncertain. The
absence of any historical mention of such a body, not only in
the Old Testament and the Apocrypha, but in Josephus, Philo,
etc., has had some critics to reject the whole statement as a
rabbinic invention. The narrative of (Nehemiah 8:13) clearly
implies the existence of a body of men acting as councillors
under the presidency of Ezra; and these may have been an
assembly of delegates from all provincial synagogues-a synod of
the national Church.
Syntyche
(with fate), a female member of the church of Philippi.
(Philemon 4:2,3) (A.D.57).
Syracuse
the celebrated city on the eastern coast of Sicily. "The city
in its splendor was the largest and richest that the Greeks
possessed in any part of the world, being 22 miles in
circumference." St. Paul arrived thither in an Alexandrian ship
from Melita, on his voyage to Rome. (Acts 28:12) The site of
Syracuse rendered it a convenient place for the African
corn-ships to touch at, for the harbor was an excellent one,
and the fountain Arethusa in the island furnished an unfailing
supply of excellent water.
Syria
is the term used throughout our version for the Hebrew Aram, as
well as for the Greek Zupia . Most probably Syria is for
Tsyria, the country about Tsur or Tyre which was the first of
the Syrian towns known to the Greeks. It is difficult to fix
the limits of Syria. The limits of the Hebrew Aram and its
subdivisions are spoken of under [1180]Aram. Syria proper was
bounded by Amanus and Taurus on the north by the Euphrates and
the Arabian desert on the east, by Palestine on the south, by
the Mediterranean near the mouth of the Orontes, and then by
Phoenicia on the west. This tract is about 300 miles long from
north to south, and from 50 to 150 miles broad. It contains an
area of about 30,000 square miles. General physical features
.--The general character of the tract is mountainous, as the
Hebrew name Aram (from a roof signifying "height") sufficiently
implies. The most fertile and valuable tract of Syria is the
long valley intervening between Libanus and Anti-Libanus. Of
the various mountain ranges of Syria, Lebanon possesses the
greatest interest. It extends from the mouth of the Litany to
Arka, a distance of nearly 100 miles. Anti-Libanus, as the name
implies, stands lover against Lebanon, running in the same
direction, i.e. nearly north and south, and extending the same
length. [[1181]Lebanon] The principal rivers of Syria are the
Litany and the Orontes. The Litany springs from a small lake
situated in the middle of the Coele-Syrian valley, about six
miles to the southwest of Baalbek. It enters the sea about five
miles north of Tyre. The source of the Orontes is but about 15
miles from that of the Litany. Its modern name is the
Nahr-el-Asi, or "rebel stream," an appellation given to it on
account of its violence and impetuosity in many parts of its
course. The chief towns of Syria may be thus arranged, as
nearly as possible in the order of their importance: 1,
Antioch; 2, Damascus; 3, Apamea; 4, Seleucia; 5, Tadmor or
Palmyra; 6, Laodicea; 7, Epiphania (Hamath); 8, Samosata; 9,
Hierapolis (Mabug); 10, Chalybon; 11, Emesa; 12, Heliopolis;
13, Laodicea ad Libanum; 14, Cyrrhus; 15, Chalcis; 16,
Poseideum; 17, Heraclea; 18, Gindarus; 19, Zeugma; 20,
Thapsacus. Of these, Samosata, Zeugma and Thapsacus are on the
Euphrates; Seleucia, Laodicea, Poseideum and Heraclea, on the
seashore, Antioch, Apamea, Epiphania and Emesa (Hems), on the
Orontes; Heliopolis and Laodicea ad Libanum, in Coele-Syria;
Hierapolis, Chalybon, Cyrrhus, Chalcis and Gindarns, in the
northern highlands; Damascus on the skirts, and Palmyra in the
centre, of the eastern desert. History.--The first occupants of
Syria appear to have been of Hamitic descent--Hittites,
Jebusites, Amorites, etc. After a while the first comers, who
were still to a great extent nomads, received a Semitic
infusion, while most Probably came to them from the southeast.
The only Syrian town whose existence we find distinctly marked
at this time is Damascus, (Genesis 14:15; 15:2) which appears
to have been already a place of some importance. Next to
Damascus must be placed Hamath. (Numbers 13:21; 34:8) Syria at
this time, and for many centuries afterward, seems to have been
broken up among a number of petty kingdoms. The Jews first come
into hostile contact with the Syrians, under that name, in the
time of David. (Genesis 15:18; 2 Samuel 8:3,4,13) When, a few
years later, the Ammonites determined on engaging in a war with
David, and applied to the Syrians for aid, Zolah, together with
Beth-rehob sent them 20,000 footmen, and two other Syrian
kingdoms furnished 13,000. (2 Samuel 10:6) This army being
completely defeated by Joab, Hadadezer obtained aid from
Mesopotamia, ibid. ver. 16, and tried the chance of a third
battle, which likewise went against him, and produced the
general submission of Syria to the Jewish monarch. The
submission thus begun continued under the reign of Solomon. (1
Kings 4:21) The only part of Syria which Solomon lost seems to
have been Damascus, where an independent kingdom was set up by
Rezon, a native of Zobah. (1 Kings 11:23-25) On the separation
of the two kingdoms, soon after the accession of Rehoboam, the
remainder of Syria no doubt shook off the yoke. Damascus now
became decidedly the leading state, Hamath being second to it,
and the northern Hittites, whose capital was Carchemish, near
Bambuk, third. [[1182]Damascus] Syria became attached to the
great Assyrian empire, from which it passed to the Babylonians,
and from them to the Persians, In B.C. 333 it submitted to
Alexander without a struggle. Upon the death of Alexander,
Syria became, for the first time the head of a great kingdom.
On the division of the provinces among his generals, B.C. 321,
Seleucus Nicator received Mesopotamia and Syria. The city of
Antioch was begun in B.C. 300, and, being finished in a few
years, was made the capital of Seleucus' kingdom. The country
grew rich with the wealth which now flowed into it on all
sides. Syria was added to the Roman empire by Pompey, B.C. 64,
and as it holds an important place, not only in the Old
Testament but in the New, some account of its condition under
the Romans must be given. While the country generally was
formed into a Roman province, under governors who were at first
proprietors or quaestors, then procounsuls, and finally
legates, there were exempted from the direct rule of the
governor in the first place, a number of "free cities" which
retained the administration of their own affairs, subject to a
tribute levied according to the Roman principles of taxation;
secondly, a number of tracts, which were assigned to petty
princes, commonly natives, to be ruled at their pleasure,
subject to the same obligations with the free cities as to
taxation. After the formal division of the provinces between
Augustus and the senate, Syria, being from its exposed
situation among the province principis, were ruled by legates,
who were of consular rank (consulares) and bore severally the
full title of "Legatus Augusti pro praetore." Judea occupied a
peculiar position; a special procurator was therefore appointed
to rule it, who was subordinate to the governor of Syria, but
within his own province had the power of a legatus. Syria
continued without serious disturbance from the expulsion of the
Parthians, B.C. 38, to the breaking out of the Jewish war, A.D.
66. in A.D. 44-47 it was the scene of a severe famine. A little
earlier, Christianity had begun to spread into it, partly by
means of those who "were scattered" at the time of Stephen's
persecution, (Acts 11:19) partly by the exertions of St. Paul.
(Galatians 1:21) The Syrian Church soon grew to be one of the
most flourishing (Acts 13:1; 15:23,35,41) etc. (Syria remained
under Roman and Byzantine rule till A.D. 634, when it was
overrun by the Mohammedans; after which it was for many years
the scene of fierce contests, and was finally subjugated by the
Turks, A.D. 1517, under whose rule it still remains.--ED.)
Syrophoenician
occurs only in (Mark 7:26) The word denoted perhaps a mixed
race, half Phoenicians and half Syrians; (or the Phoenicians in
this region may have been called Syro-phoenicians because they
belonged to the Roman province of Syria, and were thus
distinguished from the Phoenicians who lived in Africa, or the
Carthaginians.--ED.)
Syrtis, The
(Acts 27:17) in the Revised Version in place of "quicksands" in
the Authorized Version. It was the well-known Syrtis Major, the
terror of all Mediterranean sailors. "It is a dangerous shallow
on the coast of Africa, between Tripoli and Barca, southwest of
the island of Crete." The other Syrtis Syrtis Minor, was too
far west to be feared by Paul's fellow voyagers.--ED.