BIBLES NET. COM
Dictionary]
Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Shobal – pilgrim. (1.) The second
son of Seir the Horite; one of the Horite “dukes”
(Gen. 36:20).
(2.) One of the sons of Caleb, and a descendant of Hur (1
Chr. 2:50, 52; 4:1, 2).
Shobi – captor, son of Nahash of
Rabbah, the Ammonite. He showed kindness to David when he
fled from Jerusalem to Mahanaim (2 Sam. 17:27).
Shocho – (2 Chr. 28:18) = Shochoh
(1 Sam. 17:1) = Shoco (2 Chr. 11:7). See
SOCOH.
Shoe – Of various forms, from the
mere sandal (q.v.) to the complete covering of the foot.
The word so rendered (A.V.) in Deut. 33:25,
min’al, “a bar,” is derived from a root
meaning “to bolt” or “shut fast,” and
hence a fastness or fortress. The verse has accordingly
been rendered “iron and brass shall be thy
fortress,” or, as in the Revised Version, “thy
bars [marg., “shoes”] shall be iron and
brass.”
mother of Jehozabad, who murdered Joash (2 Kings 12:21);
called also Shimrith, a Moabitess (2 Chr. 24:26).
(2.) A man of Asher (1 Chr. 7:32); called also Shamer (34).
Shophan – hidden, or hollow, a
town east of Jordan (Num. 32:35), built by the children of
Gad. This word should probably be joined with the word
preceding it in this passage, Atroth-Shophan, as in the
Revised Version.
Shoshannim – lilies, the name of
some musical instrument, probably like a lily in shape (Ps.
45; 69, title). Some think that an instrument of six
strings is meant.
Shoshannim-Eduth – in title of
Ps. 80 (R.V. marg., “lilies, a testimony”),
probably the name of the melody to which the psalm was to
be sung.
Shrines, Silver – little models
and medallions of the temple and image of Diana of Ephesus
(Acts 19:24). The manufacture of these was a very large and
profitable business.
Shua – wealth. (1.) A Canaanite
whose daughter was married to Judah (1 Chr. 2:3).
(2.) A daughter of Heber the Asherite (1 Chr. 7:32).
Shuah – prostration; a pit. (1.)
One of Abraham’s sons by Keturah (Gen. 25:2; Chr.
1:32). (2.) 1 Chr. 4:11.
Shual, The land of – land of the
fox, a district in the tribe of Benjamin (1 Sam. 13:17);
possibly the same as Shalim (9:4), in the neighbourhood of
Shaalabbin (Josh. 19:42).
Shuhite – a designation of Bildad
(Job 2:11), probably because he was a descendant of
Shuah.
think, with “Shunammite,” from
“Shunem:” otherwise, the import of the word is
uncertain (Cant. 6:13; R.V., “Shulammite”).
Shunammite – a person of Shunem
(1 Kings 1:3; 2 Kings 4:12). The Syr. and Arab. read
“Sulamite.”
Shunem – two resting-places, a
little village in the tribe of Issachar, to the north of
Jezreel and south of Mount Gilboa (Josh. 19:18), where the
Philistines encamped when they came against Saul (1 Sam.
28:4), and where Elisha was hospitably entertained by a
rich woman of the place. On the sudden death of this
woman’s son she hastened to Carmel, 20 miles distant
across the plain, to tell Elisha, and to bring him with her
to Shunem. There, in the “prophet’s chamber,”
the dead child lay; and Elisha entering it, shut the door
and prayed earnestly: and the boy was restored to life (2
Kings 4:8-37). This woman afterwards retired during the
famine to the low land of the Philistines; and on returning
a few years afterwards, found her house and fields in the
possession of a stranger. She appealed to the king at
Samaria, and had them in a somewhat remarkable manner
restored to her (comp. 2 Kings 8:1-6).
Shur – an enclosure; a wall, a
part, probably, of the Arabian desert, on the north-eastern
border of Egypt, giving its name to a wilderness extending
from Egypt toward Philistia (Gen. 16:7; 20:1; 25:18;
Ex.15:22). The name was probably given to it from the wall
(or shur) which the Egyptians built to defend their
frontier on the north-east from the desert tribes. This
wall or line of fortifications extended from Pelusium to
Heliopolis.
Greek and Roman writers, once the capital of Elam. It lay
in the uplands of Susiana, on the east of the Tigris, about
150 miles to the north of the head of the Persian Gulf. It
is the modern Shush, on the northwest of Shuster. Once a
magnificent city, it is now an immense mass of ruins. Here
Daniel saw one of his visions (Dan. 8); and here also
Nehemiah (Neh. 1) began his public life. Most of the events
recorded in the Book of Esther took place here. Modern
explorers have brought to light numerous relics, and the
ground-plan of the splendid palace of Shushan, one of the
residences of the great king, together with numerous
specimens of ancient art, which illustrate the statements
of Scripture regarding it (Dan. 8:2). The great hall of
this palace (Esther 1) “consisted of several
magnificent groups of columns, together with a frontage of
343 feet 9 inches, and a depth of 244 feet. These groups
were arranged into a central phalanx of thirty-six columns
(six rows of six each), flanked on the west, north, and
east by an equal number, disposed in double rows of six
each, and distant from them 64 feet 2 inches.” The
inscriptions on the ruins represent that the palace was
founded by Darius and completed by Artaxerxes.
testimony, the title of Ps. 60. (See
SHOSHANNIM.)
Sibbecai – the Lord sustains, one
of David’s heroes (1 Chr. 11:29), general of the eighth
division of the army (27:11). He slew the giant Saph in the
battle of Gob (2 Sam. 21:18; R.V., “Sibbechai”).
Called also Mebunnai (23:27).
Sibmah – coolness; fragrance, a
town in Reuben, in the territory of Moab, on the east of
Jordan (Josh. 13:19); called also Shebam and Shibmah (Num.
32:3, 38). It was famous for its vines (Isa. 16:9; Jer.
48:32). It has been identified with the ruin of Sumieh,
where there are rock-cut wine-presses. This fact explains
the words of the prophets referred to above. It was about 5
miles east of Heshbon.
Gen. 12:6.
resembled that in modern use. The ears of corn were cut
with it near the top of the straw. There was also a sickle
used for warlike purposes, more correctly, however, called
a pruning-hook (Deut. 16:9; Jer. 50:16, marg.,
“scythe;” Joel 3:13; Mark 4:29).
Siddim, Vale of – valley of the
broad plains, “which is the salt sea” (Gen. 14:3,
8, 10), between Engedi and the cities of the plain, at the
south end of the Dead Sea. It was “full of
slime-pits” (R.V., “bitumen pits”). Here
Chedorlaomer and the confederate kings overthrew the kings
of Sodom and the cities of the plain. God afterwards, on
account of their wickedness, “overthrew those cities,
and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the
cities;” and the smoke of their destruction “went
up as the smoke of a furnace” (19:24-28), and was
visible from Mamre, where Abraham dwelt.
Some, however, contend that the “cities of the
plain” were somewhere at the north of the Dead Sea.
SODOM.)
Sidon – fishing; fishery, Gen.
10:15, 19 (A.V. marg., Tzidon; R.V., Zidon); Matt. 11:21,
ZIDON.)
Signet – a seal used to attest
documents (Dan. 6:8-10, 12). In 6:17, this word properly
denotes a ring. The impression of a signet ring on fine
clay has recently been discovered among the ruins at
Nineveh. It bears the name and title of an Egyptian king.
Two actual signet rings of ancient Egyptian monarchs
(Cheops and Horus) have also been discovered.
When digging a shaft close to the south wall of the temple
area, the engineers of the Palestine Exploration Fund, at a
depth of 12 feet below the surface, came upon a pavement of
polished stones, formerly one of the streets of the city.
Under this pavement they found a stratum of 16 feet of
concrete, and among this concrete, 10 feet down, they found
a signet stone bearing the inscription, in Old Hebrew
characters, “Haggai, son of Shebaniah.” It has
been asked, Might not this be the actual seal of Haggai the
prophet? We know that he was in Jerusalem after the
Captivity; and it is somewhat singular that he alone of all
the minor prophets makes mention of a signet (Hag. 2:23).
SEAL.)
Sihon – striking down. The whole
country on the east of Jordan, from the Arnon to the
Jabbok, was possessed by the Amorites, whose king, Sihon,
refused to permit the Israelites to pass through his
territory, and put his army in array against them. The
Israelites went forth against him to battle, and gained a
complete victory. The Amorites were defeated; Sihon, his
sons, and all his people were smitten with the sword, his
walled towns were captured, and the entire country of the
Amorites was taken possession of by the Israelites (Num.
21:21-30; Deut. 2:24-37).
The country from the Jabbok to Hermon was at this time
ruled by Og, the last of the Rephaim. He also tried to
prevent the progress of the Israelites, but was utterly
routed, and all his cities and territory fell into the
hands of the Israelites (comp. Num. 21:33-35; Deut. 3:1-14;
Ps. 135: 10-12; 136:17-22).
These two victories gave the Israelites possession of the
country on the east of Jordan, from the Arnon to the foot
of Hermon. The kingdom of Sihon embraced about 1,500 square
miles, while that of Og was more than 3,000 square miles.
black; dark the name given to the river Nile in Isa. 23:3;
Jer. 2:18. In Josh. 13:3 it is probably “the river of
Egypt”, i.e., the Wady el-Arish (1 Chr. 13:5), which
flows “before Egypt”, i.e., in a north-easterly
direction from Egypt, and enters the sea about 50 miles
south-west of Gaza.
Silas – wood, a prominent member
of the church at Jerusalem; also called Silvanus. He and
Judas, surnamed Barsabas, were chosen by the church there
to accompany Paul and Barnabas on their return to Antioch
from the council of the apostles and elders (Acts 15:22),
as bearers of the decree adopted by the council. He
assisted Paul there in his evangelistic labours, and was
also chosen by him to be his companion on his second
missionary tour (Acts 16:19-24). He is referred to in the
epistles under the name of Silvanus (2 Cor. 1:19; 1 Thess.
1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; 1 Pet. 5:12). There is no record of the
time or place of his death.
“damask,” silk cloth manufactured at Damascus,
Amos 3:12. A.V., “in the corner of a bed, and in
Damascus in a couch;” R.V., “in the corner of a
couch, and on the silken cushions of a bed” (marg.,
“in Damascus on a bed”).
Heb. meshi, (Ezek. 16:10, 13, rendered “silk”).
In Gen. 41:42 (marg. A.V.), Prov. 31:22 (R.V., “fine
linen”), the word “silk” ought to be
“fine linen.”
Silk was common in New Testament times (Rev. 18:12).
Silla – a highway; a twig, only
in 2 Kings 12:20. If taken as a proper name (as in the LXX.
and other versions), the locality is unknown.
shelah; i.e., “the dart”, Neh. 3:15; with the
art. shiloah, “sending,” Isa. 8:6 (comp.
7:3)=Siloam (q.v.)
sending. Here a notable miracle was wrought by our Lord in
giving sight to the blind (John 9:7-11). It has been
identified with the Birket Silwan in the lower Tyropoeon
valley, to the south-east of the hill of Zion.
The water which flows into this pool intermittingly by a
subterranean channel springs from the “Fountain of the
Virgin” (q.v.). The length of this channel, which has
several windings, is 1,750 feet, though the direct distance
is only 1,100 feet. The pool is 53 feet in length from
north to south, 18 feet wide, and 19 deep. The water passes
from it by a channel cut in the rock into the gardens
below. (See EN-ROGEL ¯T0001214.)
Many years ago (1880) a youth, while wading up the conduit
by which the water enters the pool, accidentally discovered
an inscription cut in the rock, on the eastern side, about
19 feet from the pool. This is the oldest extant Hebrew
record of the kind. It has with great care been deciphered
by scholars, and has been found to be an account of the
manner in which the tunnel was constructed. Its whole
length is said to be “twelve hundred cubits;” and
the inscription further notes that the workmen, like the
excavators of the Mont Cenis Tunnel, excavated from both
ends, meeting in the middle.
Some have argued that the inscription was cut in the time
of Solomon; others, with more probability, refer it to the
reign of Hezekiah. A more ancient tunnel was discovered in
1889 some 20 feet below the ground. It is of smaller
dimensions, but more direct in its course. It is to this
tunnel that Isaiah (8:6) probably refers.
The Siloam inscription above referred to was
surreptitiously cut from the wall of the tunnel in 1891 and
broken into fragments. These were, however, recovered by
the efforts of the British Consul at Jerusalem, and have
been restored to their original place.
Siloam, Tower of – mentioned only
Luke 13:4. The place here spoken of is the village now
called Silwan, or Kefr Silwan, on the east of the valley of
Kidron, and to the north-east of the pool. It stands on the
west slope of the Mount of Olives.
As illustrative of the movement of small bands of
Canaanites from place to place, and the intermingling of
Canaanites and Israelites even in small towns in earlier
times, M.C. Ganneau records the following curious fact:
“Among the inhabitants of the village (of Siloam)
there are a hundred or so domiciled for the most part in
the lower quarter, and forming a group apart from the rest,
called Dhiabrye, i.e., men of Dhiban. It appears that at
some remote period a colony from the capital of king Mesha
(Dibon-Moab) crossed the Jordan and fixed itself at the
gates of Jerusalem at Silwan. The memory of this migration
is still preserved; and I am assured by the people
themselves that many of their number are installed in other
villages round Jerusalem” (quoted by Henderson,
Palestine).
Silver – used for a great variety
of purposes, as may be judged from the frequent references
to it in Scripture. It first appears in commerce in Gen.
13:2; 23:15, 16. It was largely employed for making vessels
for the sanctuary in the wilderness (Ex. 26:19; 27:17; Num.
7:13, 19; 10:2). There is no record of its having been
found in Syria or Palestine. It was brought in large
quantities by foreign merchants from abroad, from Spain and
India and other countries probably.
Literally the words are “at a thousand of
silver”, i.e., “pieces of silver,” or
shekels.
Simeon – hearing. (1.) The second
son of Jacob by Leah (Gen. 29:33). He was associated with
Levi in the terrible act of vengeance against Hamor and the
Shechemites (34:25, 26). He was detained by Joseph in Egypt
as a hostage (42:24). His father, when dying, pronounced a
malediction against him (49:5-7). The words in the
Authorized Version (49:6), “they digged down a
wall,” ought to be, as correctly rendered in the
Revised Version, “they houghed an ox.”
(2.) An aged saint who visited the temple when Jesus was
being presented before the Lord, and uttered lofty words of
thankgiving and of prophecy (Luke 2:29-35).
(3.) One of the ancestors of Joseph (Luke 3:30).
(4.) Surnamed Niger, i.e., “black,” perhaps from
his dark complexion, a teacher of some distinction in the
church of Antioch (Acts 13:1-3). It has been supposed that
this was the Simon of Cyrene who bore Christ’s cross.
Note the number of nationalities represented in the church
at Antioch.
(5.) James (Acts 15:14) thus designates the apostle Peter
(q.v.).
“divided and scattered” according to the
prediction in Gen. 49:5-7. They gradually dwindled in
number, and sank into a position of insignificance among
the other tribes. They decreased in the wilderness by about
two-thirds (comp. Num. 1:23; 26:14). Moses pronounces no
blessing on this tribe. It is passed by in silence (Deut.
33).
This tribe received as their portion a part of the
territory already allotted to Judah (Josh. 19:1-9). It lay
in the south-west of the land, with Judah on the east and
Dan on the north; but whether it was a compact territory or
not cannot be determined. The subsequent notices of this
tribe are but few (1 Chr. 4:24-43). Like Reuben on the east
of Jordan, this tribe had little influence on the history
of Israel.
Simon – the abbreviated form of
Simeon. (1.) One of the twelve apostles, called the
Canaanite (Matt. 10:4; Mark 3:18). This word
“Canaanite” does not mean a native of Canaan, but
is derived from the Syriac word Kanean or Kaneniah, which
was the name of a Jewish sect. The Revised Version has
“Cananaean;” marg., “or Zealot” He is
also called “Zelotes” (Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13;
R.V., “the Zealot”), because previous to his call
to the apostleship he had been a member of the fanatical
sect of the Zealots. There is no record regarding him.
(2.) The father of Judas Iscariot (John 6:71; 13:2, 26).
(3.) One of the brothers of our Lord (Matt. 13:55; Mark
6:3).
(4.) A Pharisee in whose house “a woman of the city
which was a sinner” anointed our Lord’s feet with
ointment (Luke 7:36-38).
(5.) A leper of Bethany, in whose house Mary anointed our
Lord’s head with ointment “as he sat at meat”
(Matt. 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9).
(6.) A Jew of Cyrene, in North Africa, then a province of
Libya. A hundred thousand Jews from Palestine had been
settled in this province by Ptolemy Soter (B.C. 323-285),
where by this time they had greatly increased in number.
They had a synagogue in Jerusalem for such of their number
as went thither to the annual feasts. Simon was seized by
the soldiers as the procession wended its way to the place
of crucifixion as he was passing by, and the heavy cross
which Christ from failing strength could no longer bear was
laid on his shoulders. Perhaps they seized him because he
showed sympathy with Jesus. He was the “father of
Alexander and Rufus” (Matt. 27:32). Possibly this
Simon may have been one of the “men of Cyrene”
who preached the word to the Greeks (Acts 11:20).
(7.) A sorcerer of great repute for his magical arts among
the Samaritans (Acts 8:9-11). He afterwards became a
professed convert to the faith under the preaching of
Philip the deacon and evangelist (12, 13). His profession
was, however, soon found to be hollow. His conduct called
forth from Peter a stern rebuke (8:18-23). From this moment
he disappears from the Church’s history. The term
“Simony,” as denoting the purchase for money of
spiritual offices, is derived from him.
(8.) A Christian at Joppa, a tanner by trade, with whom
Peter on one occasion lodged (Acts 9:43).
(9.) Simon Peter (Matt. 4:18). See
PETER.
Simri – watchman, a Levite of the
family of Merari (1 Chr. 26:10).
conformity unto or transgression of the law of God” (1
John 3:4; Rom. 4:15), in the inward state and habit of the
soul, as well as in the outward conduct of the life,
whether by omission or commission (Rom. 6:12-17; 7:5-24).
It is “not a mere violation of the law of our
constitution, nor of the system of things, but an offence
against a personal lawgiver and moral governor who
vindicates his law with penalties. The soul that sins is
always conscious that his sin is (1) intrinsically vile and
polluting, and (2) that it justly deserves punishment, and
calls down the righteous wrath of God. Hence sin carries
with it two inalienable characters, (1) ill-desert, guilt
(reatus); and (2) pollution (macula).”, Hodge’s
Outlines.
The moral character of a man’s actions is determined by
the moral state of his heart. The disposition to sin, or
the habit of the soul that leads to the sinful act, is
itself also sin (Rom. 6:12-17; Gal. 5:17; James 1:14, 15).
The origin of sin is a mystery, and must for ever remain
such to us. It is plain that for some reason God has
permitted sin to enter this world, and that is all we know.
His permitting it, however, in no way makes God the author
of sin.
Adam’s sin (Gen. 3:1-6) consisted in his yielding to
the assaults of temptation and eating the forbidden fruit.
It involved in it, (1) the sin of unbelief, virtually
making God a liar; and (2) the guilt of disobedience to a
positive command. By this sin he became an apostate from
God, a rebel in arms against his Creator. He lost the
favour of God and communion with him; his whole nature
became depraved, and he incurred the penalty involved in
the covenant of works.
Original sin. “Our first parents being the root of all
mankind, the guilt of their sin was imputed, and the same
death in sin and corrupted nature were conveyed to all
their posterity, descending from them by ordinary
generation.” Adam was constituted by God the federal
head and representative of all his posterity, as he was
also their natural head, and therefore when he fell they
fell with him (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:22-45). His
probation was their probation, and his fall their fall.
Because of Adam’s first sin all his posterity came into
the world in a state of sin and condemnation, i.e., (1) a
state of moral corruption, and (2) of guilt, as having
judicially imputed to them the guilt of Adam’s first
sin.
“Original sin” is frequently and properly used to
denote only the moral corruption of their whole nature
inherited by all men from Adam. This inherited moral
corruption consists in, (1) the loss of original
righteousness; and (2) the presence of a constant proneness
to evil, which is the root and origin of all actual sin. It
is called “sin” (Rom. 6:12, 14, 17; 7:5-17), the
“flesh” (Gal. 5:17, 24), “lust” (James
1:14, 15), the “body of sin” (Rom. 6:6),
“ignorance,” “blindness of heart,”
“alienation from the life of God” (Eph. 4:18,
19). It influences and depraves the whole man, and its
tendency is still downward to deeper and deeper corruption,
there remaining no recuperative element in the soul. It is
a total depravity, and it is also universally inherited by
all the natural descendants of Adam (Rom. 3:10-23; 5:12-21;
8:7). Pelagians deny original sin, and regard man as by
nature morally and spiritually well; semi-Pelagians regard
him as morally sick; Augustinians, or, as they are also
called, Calvinists, regard man as described above,
spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1; 1 John 3:14).
The doctrine of original sin is proved, (1.) From the fact
of the universal sinfulness of men. “There is no man
that sinneth not” (1 Kings 8:46; Isa. 53:6; Ps. 130:3;
Rom. 3:19, 22, 23; Gal. 3:22). (2.) From the total
depravity of man. All men are declared to be destitute of
any principle of spiritual life; man’s apostasy from
God is total and complete (Job 15:14-16; Gen. 6:5,6). (3.)
From its early manifestation (Ps. 58:3; Prov. 22:15). (4.)
It is proved also from the necessity, absolutely and
universally, of regeneration (John 3:3; 2 Cor. 5:17). (5.)
From the universality of death (Rom. 5:12-20).
Various kinds of sin are mentioned, (1.) “Presumptuous
sins,” or as literally rendered, “sins with an
uplifted hand”, i.e., defiant acts of sin, in contrast
with “errors” or “inadvertencies” (Ps.
19:13). (2.) “Secret”, i.e., hidden sins (19:12);
sins which escape the notice of the soul. (3.) “Sin
against the Holy Ghost” (q.v.), or a “sin unto
death” (Matt. 12:31, 32; 1 John 5:16), which amounts
to a wilful rejection of grace.
Sin, a city in Egypt, called by the Greeks Pelusium, which
means, as does also the Hebrew name, “clayey” or
“muddy,” so called from the abundance of clay
found there. It is called by Ezekel (Ezek. 30:15) “the
strength of Egypt, “thus denoting its importance as a
fortified city. It has been identified with the modern
Tineh, “a miry place,” where its ruins are to be
found. Of its boasted magnificence only four red granite
columns remain, and some few fragments of others.
Sinai – of Sin (the moon god),
called also Horeb, the name of the mountain district which
was reached by the Hebrews in the third month after the
Exodus. Here they remained encamped for about a whole year.
Their journey from the Red Sea to this encampment,
including all the windings of the route, was about 150
miles. The last twenty-two chapters of Exodus, together
with the whole of Leviticus and Num. ch. 1-11, contain a
record of all the transactions which occurred while they
were here. From Rephidim (Ex. 17:8-13) the Israelites
journeyed forward through the Wady Solaf and Wady
esh-Sheikh into the plain of er-Rahah, “the desert of
Sinai,” about 2 miles long and half a mile broad, and
encamped there “before the mountain.” The part of
the mountain range, a protruding lower bluff, known as the
Ras Sasafeh (Sufsafeh), rises almost perpendicularly from
this plain, and is in all probability the Sinai of history.
Dean Stanley thus describes the scene:, “The plain
itself is not broken and uneven and narrowly shut in, like
almost all others in the range, but presents a long
retiring sweep, within which the people could remove and
stand afar off. The cliff, rising like a huge altar in
front of the whole congregation, and visible against the
sky in lonely grandeur from end to end of the whole plain,
is the very image of the ‘mount that might be
touched,’ and from which the voice of God might be
heard far and wide over the plain below.” This was the
scene of the giving of the law. From the Ras Sufsafeh the
law was proclaimed to the people encamped below in the
plain of er-Rahah. During the lengthened period of their
encampment here the Israelites passed through a very
memorable experience. An immense change passed over them.
They are now an organized nation, bound by covenant
engagement to serve the Lord their God, their ever-present
divine Leader and Protector. At length, in the second month
of the second year of the Exodus, they move their camp and
march forward according to a prescribed order. After three
days they reach the “wilderness of Paran,” the
“et-Tih”, i.e., “the desert”, and here
they make their first encampment. At this time a spirit of
discontent broke out amongst them, and the Lord manifested
his displeasure by a fire which fell on the encampment and
inflicted injury on them. Moses called the place Taberah
(q.v.), Num. 11:1-3. The journey between Sinai and the
southern boundary of the Promised Land (about 150 miles) at
Kadesh was accomplished in about a year. (See MAP facing
page 204.)
designated by the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, is
one of the most valuable of ancient MSS. of the Greek New
Testament. On the occasion of a third visit to the convent
of St. Catherine, on Mount Sinai, in 1859, it was
discovered by Dr. Tischendorf. He had on a previous visit
in 1844 obtained forty-three parchment leaves of the LXX.,
which he deposited in the university library of Leipsic,
under the title of the Codex Frederico-Augustanus, after
his royal patron the king of Saxony. In the year referred
to (1859) the emperor of Russia sent him to prosecute his
search for MSS., which he was convinced were still to be
found in the Sinai convent. The story of his finding the
manuscript of the New Testament has all the interest of a
romance. He reached the convent on 31st January; but his
inquiries appeared to be fruitless. On the 4th February he
had resolved to return home without having gained his
object. “On that day, when walking with the provisor
of the convent, he spoke with much regret of his
ill-success. Returning from their promenade, Tischendorf
accompanied the monk to his room, and there had displayed
to him what his companion called a copy of the LXX., which
he, the ghostly brother, owned. The MS. was wrapped up in a
piece of cloth, and on its being unrolled, to the surprise
and delight of the critic the very document presented
itself which he had given up all hope of seeing. His object
had been to complete the fragmentary LXX. of 1844, which he
had declared to be the most ancient of all Greek codices on
vellum that are extant; but he found not only that, but a
copy of the Greek New Testament attached, of the same age,
and perfectly complete, not wanting a single page or
paragraph.” This precious fragment, after some
negotiations, he obtained possession of, and conveyed it to
the Emperor Alexander, who fully appreciated its
importance, and caused it to be published as nearly as
possible in facsimile, so as to exhibit correctly the
ancient handwriting. The entire codex consists of 346 1/2
folios. Of these 199 belong to the Old Testament and 147
1/2 to the New, along with two ancient documents called the
Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas. The books
of the New Testament stand thus: the four Gospels, the
epistles of Paul, the Acts of the Apostles, the Catholic
Epistles, the Apocalypse of John. It is shown by
Tischendorf that this codex was written in the fourth
century, and is thus of about the same age as the Vatican
codex; but while the latter wants the greater part of
Matthew and sundry leaves here and there besides, the
Sinaiticus is the only copy of the New Testament in uncial
characters which is complete. Thus it is the oldest extant
MS. copy of the New Testament. Both the Vatican and the
Sinai codices were probably written in Egypt. (See
VATICANUS.)
49:12), supposed by some to mean China, but more probably
Phoenicia (Gen. 10:17) is intended.
Sinite – an inhabitant of Sin,
near Arka (Gen. 10:17; 1 Chr. 1:15). (See
ARKITE.)
Sin-offering – (Heb. hattath),
the law of, is given in detail in Lev. 4-6:13; 9:7-11,
22-24; 12:6-8; 15:2, 14, 25-30; 14:19, 31; Num. 6:10-14. On
the day of Atonement it was made with special solemnity
(Lev. 16:5, 11, 15). The blood was then carried into the
holy of holies and sprinkled on the mercy-seat.
Sin-offerings were also presented at the five annual
festivals (Num. 28, 29), and on the occasion of the
consecration of the priests (Ex. 29:10-14, 36). As each
individual, even the most private member of the
congregation, as well as the congregation at large, and the
high priest, was obliged, on being convicted by his
conscience of any particular sin, to come with a
sin-offering, we see thus impressively disclosed the need
in which every sinner stands of the salvation of Christ,
and the necessity of making application to it as often as
the guilt of sin renews itself upon his conscience. This
resort of faith to the perfect sacrifice of Christ is the
one way that lies open for the sinner’s attainment of
pardon and restoration to peace. And then in the sacrifice
itself there is the reality of that incomparable worth and
preciousness which were so significantly represented in the
sin-offering by the sacredness of its blood and the
hallowed destination of its flesh. With reference to this
the blood of Christ is called emphatically “the
precious blood,” and the blood that “cleanseth
from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
between Elim and sinai (Ex. 16:1; comp. Num. 33:11, 12).
This was probably the narrow plain of el-Markha, which
stretches along the eastern shore of the Red Sea for
several miles toward the promontory of Ras Mohammed, the
southern extremity of the Sinitic Peninsula. While the
Israelites rested here for some days they began to murmur
on account of the want of nourishment, as they had by this
time consumed all the corn they had brought with them out
of Egypt. God heard their murmurings, and gave them
“manna” and then quails in abundance.
Mount Hermon in Deut. 4:48; called Sirion by the Sidonians,
and by the Amorites Shenir (Deut. 3:9). (See
HERMON.)
(2.) The Greek form of Zion (q.v.) in Matt. 21:5; John
12:15.
Siphmoth – fruitful places, some
unknown place in the south, where David found friends when
he fled from Saul (1 Sam. 30:28).
which Joab’s messenger brought back Abner (2 Sam.
3:26). It is now called ‘Ain Sarah, and is situated
about a mile from Hebron, on the road to the north.
Sidonian name of Hermon (q.v.), Deut. 3:9; Ps. 29:6.
“servant of Ra”). (1.) The captain of Jabin’s
army (Judg. 4:2), which was routed and destroyed by the
army of Barak on the plain of Esdraelon. After all was lost
he fled to the settlement of Heber the Kenite in the plain
of Zaanaim. Jael, Heber’s wife, received him into her
tent with apparent hospitality, and “gave him
butter” (i.e., lebben, or curdled milk) “in a
lordly dish.” Having drunk the refreshing beverage, he
lay down, and soon sank into the sleep of the weary. While
he lay asleep Jael crept stealthily up to him, and taking
in her hand one of the tent pegs, with a mallet she drove
it with such force through his temples that it entered into
the ground where he lay, and “at her feet he bowed, he
fell; where he bowed, there he fell down dead.” The
part of Deborah’s song (Judg. 5:24-27) referring to the
death of Sisera (which is a “mere patriotic
outburst,” and “is no proof that purer eyes would
have failed to see gross sin mingling with Jael’s
service to Israel”) is thus rendered by Professor
Roberts (Old Testament Revision):
“Extolled above women be Jael, The wife of Heber the
Kenite, Extolled above women in the tent. He asked for
water, she gave him milk; She brought him cream in a lordly
dish. She stretched forth her hand to the nail, Her right
hand to the workman’s hammer, And she smote Sisera; she
crushed his head, She crashed through and transfixed his
temples. At her feet he curled himself, he fell, he lay
still; At her feet he curled himself, he fell; And where he
curled himself, there he fell dead.”
(2.) The ancestor of some of the Nethinim who returned with
Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:53; Neh. 7:55).
Sitnah – strife, the second of
the two wells dug by Isaac, whose servants here contended
with the Philistines (Gen. 26:21). It has been identified
with the modern Shutneh, in the valley of Gerar, to the
west of Rehoboth, about 20 miles south of Beersheba.
Sitting – the attitude generally
assumed in Palestine by those who were engaged in any kind
of work. “The carpenter saws, planes, and hews with
his hand-adze, sitting on the ground or upon the plank he
is planning. The washerwoman sits by the tub; and, in a
word, no one stands when it is possible to sit. Shopkeepers
always sit, and Levi sitting at the receipt of custom
(Matt. 9:9) is the exact way to state the case.”,
Thomson, Land and Book.
Sivan – a Persian word (Assyr,
sivanu, “bricks”), used after the Captivity as
the name of the third month of the Jewish year, extending
from the new moon in June to the new moon in July (Esther
8:9).
3:21). Skins of rams and badgers were used as a covering
for the tabernacle (Ex. 25:5; Num. 4:8-14).
GOLGOTHA.
Slave – Jer. 2:14 (A.V.), but not
there found in the original. In Rev. 18:13 the word
“slaves” is the rendering of a Greek word meaning
“bodies.” The Hebrew and Greek words for slave
are usually rendered simply “servant,”
“bondman,” or “bondservant.” Slavery as
it existed under the Mosaic law has no modern parallel.
That law did not originate but only regulated the already
existing custom of slavery (Ex. 21:20, 21, 26, 27; Lev.
25:44-46; Josh. 9:6-27). The gospel in its spirit and
genius is hostile to slavery in every form, which under its
influence is gradually disappearing from among men.
“asphalt;” R.V. marg., “bitumen”). The
vale of Siddim was full of slime pits (14:10). Jochebed
daubed the “ark of bulrushes” with slime (Ex.
PITCH.)
Sling – With a sling and a stone
David smote the Philistine giant (1 Sam. 17:40, 49). There
were 700 Benjamites who were so skilled in its use that
with the left hand they “could sling stones at a hair
breadth, and not miss” (Judg. 20:16; 1 Chr. 12:2). It
was used by the Israelites in war (2 Kings 3:25). (See
ARMS.)
The words in Prov. 26:8, “As he that bindeth a stone
in a sling,” etc. (Authorized Version), should rather,
as in the Revised Version, be “As a bag of gems in a
heap of stones,” etc.
permitted by the Philistines in the days of Samuel to have
a smith amongst them, lest they should make them swords and
spears (1 Sam. 13:19). Thus the Philistines sought to make
their conquest permanent (comp. 2 Kings 24:16).
Smyrna – myrrh, an ancient city
of Ionia, on the western coast of Asia Minor, about 40
miles to the north of Ephesus. It is now the chief city of
Anatolia, having a mixed population of about 200,000, of
whom about one-third are professed Christians. The church
founded here was one of the seven addressed by our Lord
(Rev. 2:8-11). The celebrated Polycarp, a pupil of the
apostle John, was in the second century a prominent leader
in the church of Smyrna. Here he suffered martyrdom, A.D.
155.
Snail – (1.) Heb. homit, among
the unclean creeping things (Lev. 11:30). This was probably
the sand-lizard, of which there are many species in the
wilderness of Judea and the Sinai peninsula.
(2.) Heb. shablul (Ps. 58:8), the snail or slug proper.
Tristram explains the allusions of this passage by a
reference to the heat and drought by which the moisture of
the snail is evaporated. “We find,” he says,
“in all parts of the Holy Land myriads of snail-shells
in fissures still adhering by the calcareous exudation
round their orifice to the surface of the rock, but the
animal of which is utterly shrivelled and wasted,
‘melted away.'”
3:5), “Shall one take up a snare from the earth?”
etc. (Authorized Version), ought to be, as in the Revised
Version, “Shall a snare spring up from the
GIN.)
winter (Ps. 147:16). The snow on the tops of the Lebanon
range is almost always within view throughout the whole
year. The word is frequently used figuratively by the
sacred writers (Job 24:19; Ps. 51:7; 68:14; Isa. 1:18). It
is mentioned only once in the historical books (2 Sam.
23:20). It was “carried to Tyre, Sidon, and Damascus
as a luxury, and labourers sweltering in the hot
harvest-fields used it for the purpose of cooling the water
which they drank (Prov. 25:13; Jer. 18:14). No doubt Herod
Antipas, at his feasts in Tiberias, enjoyed also from this
very source the modern luxury of ice-water.”
Ethiopian king who brought Egypt under his sway. He was
bribed by Hoshea to help him against the Assyrian monarch
Shalmaneser (2 Kings 17:4). This was a return to the policy
that had been successful in the reign of Jeroboam I.
Soap – (Jer. 2:22; Mal. 3:2; Heb.
borith), properly a vegetable alkali, obtained from the
ashes of certain plants, particularly the salsola kali
(saltwort), which abounds on the shores of the Dead Sea and
of the Mediterranean. It does not appear that the Hebrews
were acquainted with what is now called “soap,”
which is a compound of alkaline carbonates with oleaginous
matter. The word “purely” in Isa. 1:25 (R.V.,
“throughly;” marg., “as with lye”) is
lit. “as with bor.” This word means
“clearness,” and hence also that which makes
clear, or pure, alkali. “The ancients made use of
alkali mingled with oil, instead of soap (Job 9:30), and
also in smelting metals, to make them melt and flow more
readily and purely” (Gesenius).
Socho – a fence; hedge, (1 Chr.
4:18; R.V., Soco)=So’choh (1 Kings 4:10; R.V., Socoh),
Sho’choh (1 Sam. 17:1; R.V., Socoh), Sho’co (2 Chr.
11:7; R.V., Soco), Sho’cho (2 Chr. 28:18; R.V., Soco),
a city in the plain or lowland of Judah, where the
Philistines encamped when they invaded Judah after their
defeat at Michmash. It lay on the northern side of the
valley of Elah (Wady es-Sunt). It has been identified with
the modern Khurbet Shuweikeh, about 14 miles south-west of
Jerusalem. In this campaign Goliath was slain, and the
Philistines were completely routed.
Sodom – burning; the walled, a
city in the vale of Siddim (Gen. 13:10; 14:1-16). The
wickedness of its inhabitants brought down upon it fire
from heaven, by which it was destroyed (18:16-33; 19:1-29;
Deut. 23:17). This city and its awful destruction are
frequently alluded to in Scripture (Deut. 29:23; 32:32;
Isa. 1:9, 10; 3:9; 13:19; Jer. 23:14; Ezek. 16:46-56; Zeph.
2:9; Matt. 10:15; Rom. 9:29; 2 Pet. 2:6, etc.). No trace of
it or of the other cities of the plain has been discovered,
so complete was their destruction. Just opposite the site
of Zoar, on the south-west coast of the Dead Sea, is a
range of low hills, forming a mass of mineral salt called
Jebel Usdum, “the hill of Sodom.” It has been
concluded, from this and from other considerations, that
the cities of the plain stood at the southern end of the
Dead Sea. Others, however, with much greater probability,
contend that they stood at the northern end of the sea. [in
1897].
“Sodom”), the Greek form for Sodom.
Sodomites – those who imitated
the licentious wickedness of Sodom (Deut. 23:17; 1 Kings
14:24; Rom. 1:26, 27). Asa destroyed them “out of the
land” (1 Kings 15:12), as did also his son Jehoshaphat
(22:46).
Solemn meeting – (Isa. 1:13), the
convocation on the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles
(Lev. 23:36; Num. 29:35, R.V., “solemn assembly;”
marg., “closing festival”). It is the name given
also to the convocation held on the seventh day of the
Passover (Deut. 16:8).
Shelomoh), David’s second son by Bathsheba, i.e., the
first after their legal marriage (2 Sam. 12). He was
probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1). He
succeeded his father on the throne in early manhood,
probably about sixteen or eighteen years of age. Nathan, to
whom his education was intrusted, called him Jedidiah,
i.e., “beloved of the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:24, 25).
He was the first king of Israel “born in the
purple.” His father chose him as his successor,
passing over the claims of his elder sons: “Assuredly
Solomon my son shall reign after me.” His history is
recorded in 1 Kings 1-11 and 2 Chr. 1-9. His elevation to
the throne took place before his father’s death, and
was hastened on mainly by Nathan and Bathsheba, in
consequence of the rebellion of Adonijah (1 Kings 1:5-40).
During his long reign of forty years the Hebrew monarchy
gained its highest splendour. This period has well been
called the “Augustan age” of the Jewish annals.
The first half of his reign was, however, by far the
brighter and more prosperous; the latter half was clouded
by the idolatries into which he fell, mainly from his
heathen intermarriages (1 Kings 11:1-8; 14:21, 31).
Before his death David gave parting instructions to his son
(1 Kings 2:1-9; 1 Chr. 22:7-16; 28). As soon as he had
settled himself in his kingdom, and arranged the affairs of
his extensive empire, he entered into an alliance with
Egypt by the marriage of the daughter of Pharaoh (1 Kings
3:1), of whom, however, nothing further is recorded. He
surrounded himself with all the luxuries and the external
grandeur of an Eastern monarch, and his government
prospered. He entered into an alliance with Hiram, king of
Tyre, who in many ways greatly assisted him in his numerous
HIRAM.)
For some years before his death David was engaged in the
active work of collecting materials (1 Chr. 29:6-9; 2 Chr.
2:3-7) for building a temple in Jerusalem as a permanent
abode for the ark of the covenant. He was not permitted to
build the house of God (1 Chr. 22:8); that honour was
reserved to his son Solomon. (See
TEMPLE.)
After the completion of the temple, Solomon engaged in the
erection of many other buildings of importance in Jerusalem
and in other parts of his kingdom. For the long space of
thirteen years he was engaged in the erection of a royal
palace on Ophel (1 Kings 7:1-12). It was 100 cubits long,
50 broad, and 30 high. Its lofty roof was supported by
forty-five cedar pillars, so that the hall was like a
forest of cedar wood, and hence probably it received the
name of “The House of the Forest of Lebanon.” In
front of this “house” was another building, which
was called the Porch of Pillars, and in front of this again
was the “Hall of Judgment,” or Throne-room (1
Kings 7:7; 10:18-20; 2 Chr. 9:17-19), “the King’s
Gate,” where he administered justice and gave audience
to his people. This palace was a building of great
magnificence and beauty. A portion of it was set apart as
the residence of the queen consort, the daughter of
Pharaoh. From the palace there was a private staircase of
red and scented sandal wood which led up to the temple.
Solomon also constructed great works for the purpose of
securing a plentiful supply of water for the city (Eccl.
2:4-6). He then built Millo (LXX., “Acra”) for
the defence of the city, completing a line of ramparts
around it (1 Kings 9:15, 24; 11:27). He erected also many
other fortifications for the defence of his kingdom at
various points where it was exposed to the assault of
enemies (1 Kings 9:15-19; 2 Chr. 8:2-6). Among his great
undertakings must also be mentioned the building of Tadmor
(q.v.) in the wilderness as a commercial depot, as well as
a military outpost.
During his reign Palestine enjoyed great commercial
prosperity. Extensive traffic was carried on by land with
Tyre and Egypt and Arabia, and by sea with Spain and India
and the coasts of Africa, by which Solomon accumulated vast
stores of wealth and of the produce of all nations (1 Kings
9:26-28; 10:11, 12; 2 Chr. 8:17, 18; 9:21). This was the
“golden age” of Israel. The royal magnificence
and splendour of Solomon’s court were unrivalled. He
had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, an
evidence at once of his pride, his wealth, and his
sensuality. The maintenance of his household involved
immense expenditure. The provision required for one day was
“thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore
measures of meal, ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the
pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks,
and fallow-deer, and fatted fowl” (1 Kings 4:22, 23).
Solomon’s reign was not only a period of great material
prosperity, but was equally remarkable for its intellectual
activity. He was the leader of his people also in this
uprising amongst them of new intellectual life. “He
spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a
thousand and five. And he spake of trees, from the cedar
tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth
out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and
of creeping things, and of fishes” (1 Kings 4:32, 33).
His fame was spread abroad through all lands, and men came
from far and near “to hear the wisdom of
Solomon.” Among others thus attracted to Jerusalem was
“the queen of the south” (Matt. 12:42), the queen
of Sheba, a country in Arabia Felix. “Deep, indeed,
must have been her yearning, and great his fame, which
induced a secluded Arabian queen to break through the
immemorial custom of her dreamy land, and to put forth the
energy required for braving the burdens and perils of so
long a journey across a wilderness. Yet this she undertook,
and carried it out with safety.” (1 Kings 10:1-13; 2
Chr. 9:1-12.) She was filled with amazement by all she saw
and heard: “there was no more spirit in her.”
After an interchange of presents she returned to her native
land.
But that golden age of Jewish history passed away. The
bright day of Solomon’s glory ended in clouds and
darkness. His decline and fall from his high estate is a
sad record. Chief among the causes of his decline were his
polygamy and his great wealth. “As he grew older he
spent more of his time among his favourites. The idle king
living among these idle women, for 1,000 women, with all
their idle and mischievous attendants, filled the palaces
and pleasure-houses which he had built (1 Kings 11:3),
learned first to tolerate and then to imitate their
heathenish ways. He did not, indeed, cease to believe in
the God of Israel with his mind. He did not cease to offer
the usual sacrifices in the temple at the great feasts. But
his heart was not right with God; his worship became merely
formal; his soul, left empty by the dying out of true
religious fervour, sought to be filled with any religious
excitement which offered itself. Now for the first time a
worship was publicly set up amongst the people of the Lord
which was not simply irregular or forbidden, like that of
Gideon (Judg. 8:27), or the Danites (Judg. 18:30, 31), but
was downright idolatrous.” (1 Kings 11:7; 2 Kings
23:13.)
This brought upon him the divine displeasure. His enemies
prevailed against him (1 Kings 11:14-22, 23-25, 26-40), and
one judgment after another fell upon the land. And now the
end of all came, and he died, after a reign of forty years,
and was buried in the city of David, and “with him was
buried the short-lived glory and unity of Israel.”
“He leaves behind him but one weak and worthless son,
to dismember his kingdom and disgrace his name.”
“The kingdom of Solomon,” says Rawlinson,
“is one of the most striking facts in the Biblical
history. A petty nation, which for hundreds of years has
with difficulty maintained a separate existence in the
midst of warlike tribes, each of which has in turn
exercised dominion over it and oppressed it, is suddenly
raised by the genius of a soldier-monarch to glory and
greatness. An empire is established which extends from the
Euphrates to the borders of Egypt, a distance of 450 miles;
and this empire, rapidly constructed, enters almost
immediately on a period of peace which lasts for half a
century. Wealth, grandeur, architectural magnificence,
artistic excellence, commercial enterprise, a position of
dignity among the great nations of the earth, are enjoyed
during this space, at the end of which there is a sudden
collapse. The ruling nation is split in twain, the
subject-races fall off, the pre-eminence lately gained
being wholly lost, the scene of struggle, strife,
oppression, recovery, inglorious submission, and desperate
effort, re-commences.”, Historical Illustrations.
Solomon, Song of – called also,
after the Vulgate, the “Canticles.” It is the
“song of songs” (1:1), as being the finest and
most precious of its kind; the noblest song, “das
Hohelied,” as Luther calls it. The Solomonic
authorship of this book has been called in question, but
evidences, both internal and external, fairly establish the
traditional view that it is the product of Solomon’s
pen. It is an allegorical poem setting forth the mutual
love of Christ and the Church, under the emblem of the
bridegroom and the bride. (Compare Matt. 9:15; John 3:29;
Eph. 5:23, 27, 29; Rev. 19:7-9; 21:2, 9; 22:17. Compare
also Ps. 45; Isa. 54:4-6; 62:4, 5; Jer. 2:2; 3:1, 20; Ezek.
16; Hos. 2:16, 19, 20.)
10:23; Acts 3:11; 5:12), a colonnade, or cloister probably,
on the eastern side of the temple. It is not mentioned in
connection with the first temple, but Josephus mentions a
porch, so called, in Herod’s temple (q.v.).
Songs – of Moses (Ex. 15; Num.
21:17; Deut. 32; Rev. 15:3), Deborah (Judg. 5), Hannah (1
Sam. 2), David (2 Sam. 22, and Psalms), Mary (Luke
1:46-55), Zacharias (Luke 1:68-79), the angels (Luke 2:13),
Simeon (Luke 2:29), the redeemed (Rev. 5:9; 19), Solomon
(see SOLOMON, SONGS OF ¯T0003474).
“sons of God,” is used (Gen. 6:2, 4) to denote
the pious descendants of Seth. In Job 1:6; 38:7 this name
is applied to the angels. Hosea uses the phrase (1:10) to
designate the gracious relation in which men stand to
God.
In the New Testament this phrase frequently denotes the
relation into which we are brought to God by adoption (Rom.
8:14, 19; 2 Cor. 6:18; Gal. 4:5, 6; Phil. 2:15; 1 John 3:1,
2). It occurs thirty-seven times in the New Testament as
the distinctive title of our Saviour. He does not bear this
title in consequence of his miraculous birth, nor of his
incarnation, his resurrection, and exaltation to the
Father’s right hand. This is a title of nature and not
of office. The sonship of Christ denotes his equality with
the Father. To call Christ the Son of God is to assert his
true and proper divinity. The second Person of the Trinity,
because of his eternal relation to the first Person, is the
Son of God. He is the Son of God as to his divine nature,
while as to his human nature he is the Son of David (Rom.
1:3, 4. Comp. Gal. 4:4; John 1:1-14; 5:18-25; 10:30-38,
which prove that Christ was the Son of God before his
incarnation, and that his claim to this title is a claim of
equality with God).
When used with reference to creatures, whether men or
angels, this word is always in the plural. In the singular
it is always used of the second Person of the Trinity, with
the single exception of Luke 3:38, where it is used of
Adam.
Son of man – (1.) Denotes mankind
generally, with special reference to their weakness and
frailty (Job 25:6; Ps. 8:4; 144:3; 146:3; Isa. 51:12,
etc.).
(2.) It is a title frequently given to the prophet Ezekiel,
probably to remind him of his human weakness.
(3.) In the New Testament it is used forty-three times as a
distinctive title of the Saviour. In the Old Testament it
is used only in Ps. 80:17 and Dan. 7:13 with this
application. It denotes the true humanity of our Lord. He
had a true body (Heb. 2:14; Luke 24:39) and a rational
soul. He was perfect man.
Soothsayer – one who pretends to
prognosticate future events. Baalam is so called (Josh.
13:22; Heb. kosem, a “diviner,” as rendered 1
Sam. 6:2; rendered “prudent,” Isa. 3:2). In Isa.
2:6 and Micah 5:12 (Heb. yonenim, i.e., “diviners of
the clouds”) the word is used of the Chaldean diviners
who studied the clouds. In Dan. 2:27; 5:7 the word is the
rendering of the Chaldee gazrin, i.e., “deciders”
or “determiners”, here applied to Chaldean
astrologers, “who, by casting nativities from the
place of the stars at one’s birth, and by various arts
of computing and divining, foretold the fortunes and
destinies of individuals.”, Gesenius, Lex. Heb. (See
SORCERER.)
13:26; comp. Ruth 2:14). Our Lord took a piece of
unleavened bread, and dipping it into the broth of bitter
herbs at the Paschal meal, gave it to Judas. (Comp. Ruth
2:14.)
Sopater – the father who saves,
probably the same as Sosipater, a kinsman of Paul (Rom.
16:21), a Christian of the city of Berea who accompanied
Paul into Asia (Acts 20:4-6).
sortiarius, one who casts lots, or one who tells the lot of
DIVINATION.)
In Dan. 2:2 it is the rendering of the Hebrew mekhashphim,
i.e., mutterers, men who professed to have power with evil
spirits. The practice of sorcery exposed to severest
punishment (Mal. 3:5; Rev. 21:8; 22:15).
Sorek – choice vine, the name of
a valley, i.e., a torrent-bed, now the Wady Surar,
“valley of the fertile spot,” which drains the
western Judean hills, and flowing by Makkedah and Jabneel,
falls into the sea some eight miles south of Joppa. This
was the home of Deliah, whom Samson loved (Judg. 16:4).
SOPATER.)
Sosthenes – safe in strength, the
chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinth, who was seized and
beaten by the mob in the presence of Gallio, the Roman
governor, when he refused to proceed against Paul at the
instigation of the Jews (Acts 18:12-17). The motives of
this assault against Sosthenes are not recorded, nor is it
mentioned whether it was made by Greeks or Romans. Some
identify him, but without sufficient grounds, with one whom
Paul calls “Sosthenes our brother,” a convert to
the faith (1 Cor. 1:1).
district to the south of Palestine through which lay the
caravan route from Central Palestine to Egypt (Gen. 12:9;
13:1, 3; 46:1-6). “The Negeb comprised a considerable
but irregularly-shaped tract of country, its main portion
stretching from the mountains and lowlands of Judah in the
north to the mountains of Azazemeh in the south, and from
the Dead Sea and southern Ghoron the east to the
Mediterranean on the west.” In Ezek. 20:46 (21:1 in
Heb.) three different Hebrew words are all rendered
“south.” (1) “Set thy face toward the
south” (Teman, the region on the right, 1 Sam. 33:24);
(2) “Drop thy word toward the south” (Negeb, the
region of dryness, Josh. 15:4); (3) “Prophesy against
the forest of the south field” (Darom, the region of
brightness, Deut. 33:23). In Job 37:9 the word
“south” is literally “chamber,” used
here in the sense of treasury (comp. 38:22; Ps. 135:7).
This verse is rendered in the Revised Version “out of
the chamber of the south.”
absolute right to do all things according to his own good
pleasure (Dan. 4:25, 35; Rom. 9:15-23; 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev.
4:11).
intention (Rom. 15:24, 28) to visit Spain. There is,
however, no evidence that he ever carried it into effect,
although some think that he probably did so between his
first and second imprisonment. (See
TARSHISH.)
offerings made by the very poor. Two sparrows were sold for
a farthing (Matt. 10:29), and five for two farthings (Luke
12:6). The Hebrew word thus rendered is tsippor,
which properly denotes the whole family of small birds
which feed on grain (Lev. 14:4; Ps. 84:3; 102:7). The Greek
word of the New Testament is strouthion (Matt.
10:29-31), which is thus correctly rendered.
identified with the Arabic naka’at, the gum tragacanth,
obtained from the astralagus, of which there are about
twenty species found in Palestine. The tragacanth of
commerce is obtained from the A. tragacantha. “The gum
exudes plentifully under the heat of the sun on the leaves,
thorns, and exteremity of the twigs.”
Spices – aromatic substances, of
which several are named in Ex. 30. They were used in the
sacred anointing oil (Ex. 25:6; 35:8; 1 Chr. 9:29), and in
embalming the dead (2 Chr. 16:14; Luke 23:56; 24:1; John
19:39, 40). Spices were stored by Hezekiah in his
treasure-house (2 Kings 20:13; Isa. 39:2).
hypocrite is compared to the spider’s web or house (Job
8:14). It is said of the wicked by Isaiah that they
“weave the spider’s web” (59:5), i.e., their
works and designs are, like the spider’s web, vain and
useless. The Hebrew word here used is ‘akkabish,
“a swift weaver.”
In Prov. 30:28 a different Hebrew word (semamith) is used.
It is rendered in the Vulgate by stellio, and in the
Revised Version by “lizard.” It may, however,
represent the spider, of which there are, it is said, about
seven hundred species in Palestine.
reached Kadesh for the first time, and were encamped there,
Moses selected twelve spies from among the chiefs of the
divisions of the tribes, and sent them forth to spy the
land of Canaan (Num. 13), and to bring back to him a report
of its actual condition. They at once proceeded on their
important errand, and went through the land as far north as
the district round Lake Merom. After about six weeks’
absence they returned. Their report was very discouraging,
and the people were greatly alarmed, and in a rebellious
spirit proposed to elect a new leader and return to Egypt.
Only two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, showed themselves
on this occasion stout-hearted and faithful. All their
appeals and remonstrances were in vain. Moses announced
that as a punishment for their rebellion they must now
wander in the wilderness till a new generation should arise
which would go up and posses the land. The spies had been
forty days absent on their expedition, and for each day the
Israelites were to be wanderers for a year in the desert.
ESHCOL.)
Two spies were sent by Joshua “secretly” i.e.,
unknown to the people (Josh. 2:1), “to view the land
and Jericho” after the death of Moses, and just before
the tribes under his leadership were about to cross the
Jordan. They learned from Rahab (q.v.), in whose house they
found a hiding-place, that terror had fallen on all the
inhabitants of the land because of the great things they
had heard that Jehovah had done for them (Ex. 15:14-16;
comp. 23:27; Deut. 2:25; 11:25). As the result of their
mission they reported: “Truly Jehovah hath delivered
into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants
of the country do faint because of us.”
much-valued perfume (Cant. 1:12; 4:13, 14). It was
“very precious”, i.e., very costly (Mark 14:3;
John 12:3,5). It is the root of an Indian plant, the
Nardostachys jatamansi, of the family of Valeriance,
growing on the Himalaya mountains. It is distinguished by
its having many hairy spikes shooting out from one root. It
is called by the Arabs sunbul Hindi, “the Indian
spike.” In the New Testament this word is the
rendering of the Greek nardos pistike. The margin of the
Revised Version in these passages has “pistic
nard,” pistic being perhaps a local name. Some take it
to mean genuine, and others liquid. The most probable
opinion is that the word pistike designates the nard as
genuine or faithfully prepared.
Spirit – (Heb. ruah; Gr. pneuma),
properly wind or breath. In 2 Thess. 2:8 it means
“breath,” and in Eccl. 8:8 the vital principle in
man. It also denotes the rational, immortal soul by which
man is distinguished (Acts 7:59; 1 Cor. 5:5; 6:20; 7:34),
and the soul in its separate state (Heb. 12:23), and hence
also an apparition (Job 4:15; Luke 24:37, 39), an angel
(Heb. 1:14), and a demon (Luke 4:36; 10:20). This word is
used also metaphorically as denoting a tendency (Zech.
12:10; Luke 13:11).
In Rom. 1:4, 1 Tim. 3:16, 2 Cor. 3:17, 1 Pet. 3:18, it
designates the divine nature.
GHOST.
narrative of the crucifixion (Matt. 27:48; Mark 15:36; John
19:29). It is ranked as a zoophyte. It is found attached to
rocks at the bottom of the sea.
4:13, 14) may denote either husband or wife, but in the
Scriptures it denotes only the latter.
“the bright open source, the eye of the
landscape”). To be carefully distinguished from
“well” (q.v.). “Springs” mentioned in
Josh. 10:40 (Heb. ‘ashdoth) should rather be
“declivities” or “slopes” (R.V.), i.e.,
the undulating ground lying between the lowlands (the
shephelah) and the central range of hills.
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