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Smith's Bible Dictionary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
SA SB SC SD SE SF SG SH SI SJ SK SL SM SN SO SP SQ SR SS ST SU SV SW SX SY SZ

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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.
Top of Page | 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]
Top of Page | 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.
Top of Page | 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)
Top of Page | 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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   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.