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.


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.)


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.


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

+ 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

+ 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

+ 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

+ 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

+ 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

+ 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)


Shammua

+ 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.)


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

+ 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)

+ 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

+ 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

+ 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

+ 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)

+ 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

+ 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.)


Shelah

+ 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

+ 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

+ 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

+ 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

+ 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

+ 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.)


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

+ 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)


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

+ 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

+ 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.


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."


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)


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

+ 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

+ 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)


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

+ 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.)


Shimron

+ 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.


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

+ 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

+ 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

+ 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.


Shoco

(2 Chronicles 11:7) a variation in the Authorized Version of the name Socoh.


Shoham

(onyx), a Merarite Levite, son of Jaaziah. (1 Chronicles 24:27) (B.C.1043.)


Shomer

+ 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

+ 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)


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.)


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]


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)


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.


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]


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.


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]