sha-a-lab'-in (sha`alabbin; Codex Vaticanus Salabein; Codex Alexandrinus Salamein): A town in the territory of Dan named between Irshemesh and Aijalon (Josh 19:42). It seems to be identical with SHAALBIM.
sha-al'-bim (sha`albim; Codex Vaticanus Bethalamei; Codex Alexandrinus Salabeim, in Joshua, Codex Vaticanus and Codex Alexandrinus Thalabeim): When the Amorites had forced the children of Dan into the mountain they came and dwelt in Mt. Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim, where, it appears, they were made tributary to the house of Joseph (Jdg 1:35). In the time of Solomon it was included in the administrative district presided over by Ben-deker, along with Makaz, Beth-shemesh and Elon-beth-hanan (1 Ki 4:9). Beth-shemesh is the same as Ir-shemesh (Josh 19:42). Shaalbim is probably only another name of Shaalabbin. One of David's mighty men is called Eliahba the Shaalbonite. This presumes the existence of a town called Shaalbon (2 Sam 23:32; 1 Ch 11:33), which again is probably identical with Shaalbim. Eusebius (in Onomasticon) identifies it with Salaba, a large village in the district of Sebaste (Samaria), which apparently Eusebius and Jerome thought to be in the territory of Dan. It seems, however, too far to the North. Jerome in his commentary on Ezek 48 speaks of the towers of Aijalon and Selebi and Emmaus. Conder would identify Selebi with Selbit, 3 miles Northwest of Aijalon (Yalo), and 8 miles North of Bethshemesh. This would suit for Shaalbim, as far as position is concerned; but it is difficult to account for the heavy "T" (Hebrew letter Tet) in the name, if derived from Shaalbim.
W. Ewing
sha-al-bo'-nit, sha-al'-bo-nit (ha-sha`alboni; ho Salaboneites (2 Sam 23:32) Codex Vaticanus ho Homei; Codex Alexandrinus ho Salaboni): Eliahba, one of David's heroes, a native of Shaalbon.
See SHAALBIM .
sha'-a-lim ('erets sha`alim; Codex Vaticanus tes ges Easakem; Codex Alexandrinus tes ges Saaleim; the King James Version Shalim): Saul in search of his father's asses passed through Mt. Ephraim and the land of Shalishah, then through the land of Shaalim and the land of yemini. This last name English Versions of the Bible renders "Benjamin" (1 Sam 9:4). The whole passage is so obscure that no certain conclusions can be reached. The search party may have proceeded northward from Gibeah, through the uplands of Ephraim, turning then westward, then southward, and finally eastward. We should thus look for the land of Shalishah and the land of Shaalim on the west side of the mountain range: and the latter may have been on the slopes to the East of Lydda. Possibly we ought here to read "Shaalbim," instead of "Shaalim."
W. Ewing
shy'-af (sha`aph):
(1) A son of Jahdai (1 Ch 2:47).
(2) The son of Maachah, a concubine of Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel. Shaaph is called the "father," or founder, of the city Madmannah (1 Ch 2:48 f).
sha-a-ra'-im (sha`arayim, "two gates"; Sakareim; the King James Version Sharaim):
(1) A city in the Shephelah or "lowland" of Judah mentioned (Josh 15:36) in close association with Socoh and Azekah; the vanquished army of the Philistines passed a Shaaraim in their flight from Socoh toward Gath and Ekron (1 Sam 17:52). It is possible that in this latter reference the "two gates" may refer--as Septuagint implies--to the two Philistine strongholds themselves. Shaaraim has been identified with Tell Zakariya (see howeverAZEKAH ) and with Kh. Sa`ireh (PEF, III, 124, Sh XVII), an old site West of Beit `Atab. Both proposals are hazardous.
(2) One of the towns of Simeon (1 Ch 4:31), called (Josh 19:6) "Sharuhen" and, as one of the uttermost cities of Judah, called (Josh 15:32) "Shilhim." This town was in Southwestern Palestine and is very probably identical with the fortress Sharhana, a place of some importance on the road from Gaza to Egypt. Aahmes (XVIIIth Dynasty) besieged and captured this city in the 5th year of his reign in his pursuit of the flying Hyksos (Petrie, Hist, II, 22, 35), and a century later Tahutmes III, in the 23rd year of his reign, took the city of Sharuhen on his way to the siege and capture of Megiddo (Petrie, Hist, II, 104). On philological grounds Tell esh-Sheri`ah, 12 miles Northwest of Beersheba, large ruin, has been proposed, but it does not suit at all the Egyptian data (PEF, III, 399, Sh XXIV).
E. W. G. Masterman
sha-ash'-gaz (sha`ashgaz; Septuagint reads Gai, the same name it gives to the official referred to in Est 2:8,15; the name may go back to the Old Bactrian word Sasakshant, "one anxious to learn" (Scheft); most commentators suggest no explanation): A chamberlain of Ahasuerus, king of Persia; as keeper of "the second house of women," he had Esther under his charge (2:14).
shab'-e-thi (shabbethay, "one born on the Sabbath"; Codex Vaticanus Sabathai; Codex Alexandrinus Kabbathai = "Sabbateus" of 1 Esdras 9:14): A Levite who opposed (?) Ezra's suggestion that the men who had married foreign wives put them aside (Ezr 10:15). Kuenen, however, renders the phrase `amedhu `al zo'th, of which Asahiel and Jahaziah are the subjects, to mean "stand over," "have charge of," rather than "stand against," "oppose" (Gesammelte Abhandlungen, 247 f); this would make Shabbethai, who was in accord with the two men mentioned above, an ally rather than an opponent of Ezra. We incline toward Kuenen's interpretation in view of the position attained by Shabbethai under Nehemiah--one he would have been unlikely to attain had he been hostile to Ezra. He is mentioned among those appointed to explain the Law (Neh 8:7), and as one of the chiefs of the Levites who had the oversight of "the outward business of the house of God" (Neh 11:16).
Horace J. Wolf
sha-ki'-a, shak'-i-a (sakheyah (so Baer, Ginsberg); some editions read sakheya', or sakheya'; also shakheyah, and shabheyah. This last reading is favored by the Syrian and the Septuagint (Codex Vaticanus Sabia; Codex Alexandrinus Sebia, but Lucian, Sechia); the forms in "kh" instead of "bh" have the support of the Vulgate, Sechia, "Yahweh has forgotten" (?)): A name in genealogy of Benjamin (1 Ch 8:10).
shad'-a-i, shad'-i.
shad, shad'-o, shad'-o-ing (tsel; skia): A shadow is any obscuration of the light and heat with the form of the intervening object, obscurely projected, constantly changing and passing away. "Shadow" is used literally of a roof (Gen 19:8), of mountains (Jdg 9:36), of trees (Jdg 9:15, etc.), of wings (Ps 17:8, etc.), of a cloud (Isa 25:5), of a great rock (Isa 32:2), of a man (Peter, Acts 5:15), of the shadow on the dial (2 Ki 20:9, etc.), of Jonah's gourd (Jon 4:5 f). It is used also figuratively (1) of shelter and protection (of man, Gen 19:8; Song 2:3; Isa 16:3, etc.; of God, Ps 36:7; 91:1; Isa 4:6, etc.); (2) of anything fleeting or transient, as of the days of man's life on earth (1 Ch 29:15; Job 8:9; Ps 109:23); (3) with the idea of obscurity or imperfection (in Heb 8:5; 10:1, of the Law; compare Col 2:17); (4) of darkness, gloom; See SHADOW OF DEATH . In Jas 1:17, we have in the King James Version, "the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (aposkiasma); the Revised Version (British and American) "shadow that is cast by turning"; the reference is to the unchangeableness of God as contrasted with the changes of the heavenly bodies. the Revised Version (British and American) has "of the rustling of wings" for "shadowing with wings" in Isa 18:1; the American Standard Revised Version has "shade" for "shadow" in various places (Jdg 9:15; Job 40:22; Isa 4:6, etc.). In Job 40:21,22, for "shady trees" the Revised Version (British and American) has "lotus-trees."
W. L. Walker
(tsalmaweth): The Hebrew word translated "shadow of death" is used poetically for thick darkness (Job 3:5), as descriptive of Sheol (Job 10:21 f; 12:22; 38:17); figuratively of deep distress (Job 12:22; 16:16; 24:17 twice; 28:3; 34:22 (in the last three passages the American Standard Revised Version has "thick darkness" and "thick gloom"); Ps 23:4, the Revised Version margin "deep darkness (and so elsewhere)"; 44:19; 107:10,14; Isa 9:2; Jer 2:6; 13:16; Am 5:8; Mt 4:16; Lk 1:79, skia thanatou). The Hebrew word is perhaps composed of tsel, "shadow," and maweth, "death," and the idea of "the valley of the shadow of death" was most probably derived from the deep ravines, darkened by over-hanging briars, etc., through which the shepherd had sometimes to lead or drive his sheep to new and better pastures.
W. L. Walker
sha'-drak: The Babylonian name of one of the so-called Hebrew children. Shadrach is probably the Sumerian form of the Bah Kudurru-Aki, "servant of Sin." It has been suggested by Meinhold that we should read Merodach instead of Shadrach. Since there were no vowels in the original Hebrew or Aramaic, and since "sh" and "m" as well as "r" and "d" are much alike in the old alphabet in which Daniel was written, this change is quite possible.
Shadrach and his two companions were trained along with Daniel at the court of Nebuchadnezzar, who had carried all four captive in the expedition against Jerusalem in the 3rd year of Jehoiakim (Dan 1:1). They all refused to eat of the food provided by Ashpenaz, the master who had been set over them by the king, but preferred to eat pulse (Dan 1:12). The effect was much to their advantage, as they appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than those who ate of the king's meat. At the end of the appointed time they passed satisfactory examinations, both as to their physical appearance and their intellectual acquirements, so that none were found like them among all with whom the king communed, and they stood before the king (See Dan 1).
When Daniel heard that the wise men of Babylon were to be slain because they could not tell the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, after he had gained a respite from the king, he made the thing known to his three companions that they might unite with him in prayer to the God of heaven that they all might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. After God had heard their prayer and the dream was made known to the king by Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar, at Daniel's request, set Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon (Dan 2). With Meshach and Abed-nego, Shadrach was cast into a fiery furnace, but escaped unhurt (Dan 3).
See ABED-NEGO ;HANANIAH ;SONG OF THE THREE CHILDREN .
R. Dick Wilson
shad'-i (Job 40:21 f).
See LOTUS TREES .
shaft: Isa 49:2 for chets, "an arrow"; also Ex 25:31; 37:17; Nu 8:4 the King James Version for a part of the candlestick of the tabernacle somewhat vaguely designated by the word yarekh, "thigh." The context in the first 2 verses shows that the upright stem or "shaft" is intended, but in Nu 8:4 a different context has caused the Revised Version (British and American) to substitute "base."
See also ARCHERY ;ARMOR ,ARMS .
sha'-ge (shaghe'; Codex Vaticanus Sola; Codex Alexandrinus Sage; the King James Version Shage): The father of Jonathan, one of David's heroes (1 Ch 11:34).
sha-ha-ra'-im (shacharayim; Codex Vaticanus Saarel; Codex Alexandrinus Saarem): A Benjamite name (1 Ch 8:8). The passage is corrupt beyond only the most tentative emendation. "Sharaim" has no connection with the foregoing text. One of the suggested restorations of 1 Ch 8:8,9 reads: "And Shaharaim begat in the field of Moab, after he had driven them (i.e. the Moabites) out, from Hodesh his wife, Jobab," etc. (Curtis, International Critical Commentary).
sha-ha-zoo'-ma, sha-haz'-oo-ma (shachatsumah; Codex Vaticanus Saleim kata thalassan; Codex Alexandrinus Saseimath; the King James Version Shahazimah, sha-haz'i-mah): A town in the territory of Issachar on the boundary which ran from Tabor to the Jordan (Josh 19:22). The site, which has not yet been recovered, must be sought, probably, to the Southeast of the mountain.
sha'-lem (shalem; eis Salem): The word as a place-name occurs only in Gen 33:18. With Luther, following Septuagint, Peshitta and Vulgate, the King James Version reads "And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem." the Revised Version (British and American) with the Targums Onqelos and pseudo-Jonathan, the Samaritan codex and the Arabic, reads "came in peace to the city of Shechem." There is a heavy balance of opinion among scholars in favor of the latter reading. It is certainly a remarkable fact, supporting the King James Version, that about 4 miles East of Shechem (Nablus), there is a village bearing the name Salem. If the King James Version is right, this must represent the city referred to; and East of Salem would transpire the events recorded in Gen 44. Against this is the old tradition locating Jacob's well and Joseph's tomb near to Shechem. Eusebius (in Onomasticon) gets over the difficulty by identifying Shalem with Shechem.
W. Ewing
sha'-lim.
See SHAALIM .
sha-li'-sha, shal'-i-sha ('erets shalishah; Codex Vaticanus he ge Selcha; Codex Alexandrinus he ge Salissa): If the general indication of the route followed by Saul, given under SHAALIM, is correct, the land of Shalishah (1 Sam 9:4) will lie to the Northeast of Lydda on the western slope of the range. Baal-shalishah would most likely be in the district, and may indeed have given its name to it. If Conder is right in identifying this city with Khirbet Kefr Thilth, about 19 miles Northeast of Jaffa, it meets well enough the general indication given above. Eusebius, Onomasticon knows the name, but gives no guidance as to where the district is. Baal-shalishah it places in the Thamnite region, 15 miles North of Diospolis (Lydda). No boundaries can be laid down, but probability points to this neighborhood.
W. Ewing
shal'-e-keth, sha-le'-keth (sha`ar shallekheth, i.e. as in margin, "Casting forth"): A gate of the temple "at the causeway that goeth up" (1 Ch 26:16)--probably an ascent from the Tyropoeon Valley to the West of the temple. It has been supposed on account of the meaning of the name that the ashes and offal of the temple were cast forth there, but this is very unlikely--they were thrown into the Kidron valley to the East or Southeast. The Septuagint has pastophorion, which seems to point to a building with chambers; in consonance with this Cheyne reads in the Hebrew lishkoth, "(of) the chambers."
E. W. G. Masterman
shal'-um (shallum, shallum; various forms in the Septuagint): This is the name of not less than 12 Hebrew persons:
(1) The youngest son of Naphtali (1 Ch 7:13). He is also called "Shillem" in Gen 46:24; Nu 26:49.
(2) A descendant of Simeon, the son of Shaul and the father of Mibsam (1 Ch 4:25). He lived in 1618 BC.
(3) The son of Sismai "son" of Shesham of the tribe of Judah (1 Ch 2:40,41). He lived in 1300 BC.
(4) A son of Kore, a porter of the sanctuary during the reign of David (1 Ch 9:17,19,31; Ezr 2:42; Neh 7:45). The name is also written "Meshullam" in Neh 12:25, "Salum" in 1 Esdras 5:28, "Meshelemiah" in 1 Ch 26:1,2,9, and "Shelemiah" in 1 Ch 26:14. He lived about 1050 BC.
(5) A son of Zadok and father of Hilkiah, a high priest and ancestor of Ezra the scribe (1 Ch 6:12,13; Ezr 7:2). In the works of Josephus he is called "Sallumus"; in 1 Esdras 8:1, "Salem," and in 2 Esdras 1:1, "Salemas."
(6) The 15th king of Israel. See following article.
(7) A son of Bani, a priest who had taken a heathen wife and was compelled by Ezra the scribe to put her away (Ezr 10:42; omitted in 1 Esdras 9:34).
(8) The father of Jehizkiah, an Ephraimite in the time of Ahaz king of Israel (2 Ch 28:12).
(9) The husband of the prophetess Huldah (2 Ki 22:14; 2 Ch 34:22). He was the keeper of the sacred wardrobe and was probably the uncle of Jeremiah the prophet (Jer 32:7; compare Jer 35:4).
(10) King of Judah and son of Josiah (Jer 22:11; 1 Ch 3:15), better known by the name Jehoahaz II. This name he received when he ascended the throne of the kingdom of Judah (2 Ch 36:1).
(11) A Levite who was a porter at the time of Ezra (Ezr 10:24; "Sallumus" in 1 Esdras 9:25).
(12) A ruler over a part of Jerusalem and a son of Hallohesh. He with his daughters aided in building the walls of Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah (Neh 3:12).
S. L. Umbach
(shallum, shallum, "the requited one" (2 Ki 15:10-15)): The 15th king of Israel, and successor of Zechariah, whom he publicly assassinated in the 7th month of his reign. Nothing more is known of Shallum than that he was a son of Jabesh, which may indicate that he was a Gileadite from beyond Jordan. He is said to have made "a conspiracy" against Zechariah, so was not alone in his crime. The conspirators, however, had but a short-lived success, as, when Shallum had "reigned for the space of a month in Samaria," Menahem, then at Tirzah, one of the minor capitals of the kingdom, went up to Samaria, slew him and took his place.
It was probably at this time that Syria threw off the yoke of tribute to Israel (See JEROBOAM ,II ), as when next we meet with that kingdom, it is under its own king and in alliance with Samaria (2 Ki 16:5).
The 10 years of rule given to Menahem (2 Ki 15:17) may be taken to include the few months of military violence under Zechariah and Shallum, and cover the full years 758-750, with portions of years before and after counted as whole ones. The unsuccessful usurpation of Shallum may therefore be put in 758 BC (some date lower).
W. Shaw Caldecott
shal'-un (shallun, not in the Septuagint): Another form of Shallum, the son of Col-hozeh. He was the ruler of the district of Mizpah. He assisted Nehemiah in building the wall of Jerusalem and in repairing the gate by the Pool of Siloah at the King's Gardens (Neh 3:15).
shal'-mi, shal'-ma-i: the King James Version form in Ezr 2:46 for "Shamlai"; Neh 7:48 "Salmai" (which see).
shal'-man (shalman): A name of uncertain meaning, found only once in the Old Testament (Hos 10:14), in connection with a place-name, equally obscure, "as Shalman destroyed Betharbel." Shalman is most commonly interpreted as a contracted form of Shalmaneser, the name of several Assyrian kings. If this explanation is correct, the king referred to cannot be identified. Some have thought of Shalmaneser IV, who is said to have undertaken expeditions against the West in 775 and in 773-772. Others have proposed Shalmaneser V, who attacked Samaria in 725. This, however, is improbable, because the activity of Hosea ceased before Shalmaneser V became king. Shalman has also been identified with Salamanu, a king of Moab in the days of Hosea, who paid tribute to Tiglath-pileser V of Assyria; and with Shalmah, a North Arabian tribe that invaded the Negeb. The identification of BETH-ARBEL (which see) is equally uncertain. From the reference it would seem that the event in question was well known and, therefore, probably one of recent date and considerable importance, but our present historical knowledge does not enable us to connect any of the persons named with the destruction of any of the localities suggested for Beth-arbel. The ancient translations offer no solution; they too seem to have been in the dark.
F. C. Eiselen
shal-ma-ne'-zer (shalman'ecer; Septuagint Samennasar, Salmandsar): The name of several Assyrian kings. See ASSYRIA ;CAPTIVITY . It is Shalmaneser IV who is mentioned in the Biblical history (2 Ki 17:3; 18:9). He succeeded Tiglathpileser on the throne in 727 BC, but whether he was a son of his predecessor, or a usurper, is not apparent. His reign was short, and, as no annals of it have come to light, we have only the accounts contained in 2 Kings for his history. In the passages referred to above, we learn that Hoshea, king of Israel, who had become his vassal, refused to continue the payment of tribute, relying upon help from So, king of Egypt. No help, however, came from Egypt, and Hoshea had to face the chastising forces of his suzerain with his own unaided resources, the result being that he was taken prisoner outside Samaria and most likely carried away to Nineveh. The Biblical narrative goes on to say that the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it 3 years. There is reason to believe that, as the siege of Samaria was proceeding, Shalmaneser retired to Nineveh and died, for, when the city was taken in 722 BC, it is Sargon who claims, in his copious annals, to have captured it and carried its inhabitants into captivity. It is just possible that Shalman (Hos 10:14) is a contraction for Shalmaneser, but the identity of Shalman and of Beth-arbel named in the same passage is not sufficiently made out.
LITERATURE.
Schrader, COT, I, 258 ff; McCurdy, HPM, I, 387 ff.
T. Nicol
sha'-ma (shama`): One of David's heroes (1 Ch 11:44).
sham'-a-i.
See SALMAI .
sham-a-ri'-a, sha-mar'-ya.
See SHEMARIAH .
sham'-b'-lz (makellon): A slaughter-house; then a butcher's stall, meat-market. The word is once used in the New Testament in 1 Cor 10:25.
sham (bosh, "to be ashamed," bosheth, "shame," qalon; aischune, "ignominy," atimia, "dishonor," and other words): An oft-recurring word in Scripture almost uniformly bound up with a sense of sin and guilt. It is figuratively set forth as a wild beast (Jer 3:24), a Nessus-garment (Jer 3:25), a blight (Jer 20:18), a sin against one's own soul (Hab 2:10), and twice as the condensed symbol of Hebrew abomination--Baal (Jer 11:13 margin; Hos 9:10 margin; See ISH-BOSHETH ). It is bracketed with defeat (Isa 30:3), reproach (Ps 69:7; Isa 54:4; Mic 2:6), confusion (Isa 6:7), nakedness (Isa 47:3; Mic 1:11), everlasting contempt (Dan 12:2), folly (Prov 18:13), cruelty (Isa 50:6; Heb 12:2), poverty (Prov 13:18), nothingness (Prov 9:7 the King James Version), unseemliness (1 Cor 11:6; 14:35 the King James Version; Eph 5:12), and "them that go down to the pit" (Ezek 32:25). In the first Biblical reference to this emotion, "shame" appears as "the correlative of sin and guilt" (Delitzsch, New Commentary on Genesis and Biblical Psychology). Shamelessness is characteristic of abandoned wickedness (Phil 3:19; Jude 1:13, margin "Greek: `shames'"). Manifestly, then, shame is a concomitant of the divine judgment upon sin; the very worst that a Hebrew could wish for an enemy was that he might be clothed with shame (Ps 109:29), that the judgment of God might rest upon him visibly.
Naturally, to the Hebrew, shame was the portion of those who were idolaters, who were faithless to Yahweh or who were unfriendly to themselves--the elect people of Yahweh. Shame is to come upon Moab because Moab held Israel in derision (Jer 48:39,27), and upon Edom "for violence against his brother Jacob" (Ob 1:10). But also, and impartially, shame is the portion of faithless Israelites who deny Yahweh and follow after strange gods (Ezek 7:18; Mic 7:10; Hos 10:6, and often). But shame, too, comes upon those who exalt themselves against God, who trust in earthly power and the show of material strength (2 Ch 32:21; Isa 30:3); and upon those who make a mock of righteousness (Job 8:22; Ps 35:26; 132:18). With a fine sense of ethical distinctions the Biblical writers recognize that in confessing to a sense of shame there is hope for better things. Only in the most desperate cases is there no sense of shame (Hos 4:18; Zeph 3:5; Phil 3:19; Jude 1:13); in pardon God is said to remove shame (Isa 54:4 twice; 61:7).
On conditions beyond the grave the Biblical revelation is exceedingly reticent, but here and there are hints that shame waits upon the wicked here and hereafter. Such an expression as that in Daniel (12:2) cannot be ignored, and though the writing itself may belong to a late period and a somewhat sophisticated theological development, the idea is but a reflection of the earlier and more elementary period, when the voice of crime and cruelty went up from earth to be heard in the audience chamber of God (Gen 4:11; 6:13). In the New Testament there is similar reticence but also similar implications. It cannot be much amiss to say that in the mind of the Biblical writers sin was a shameful thing; that part of the punishment for sin was a consciousness of guilt in the sense of shame; and that from this consciousness of guilt there was no deliverance while the sin was unconfessed and unforgiven. "Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt." From one's own past there is no deliverance, save through contrition of spirit and the grace and forgiveness of God. While the sense of shame persists, or, in other words, while the moral constitution of man's nature remains as it is, there will never be wanting an avenger of sin.
Charles M. Stuart
sha'-med.
See SHEMED .
sham'-fast-nes, sham-fas'-ed-nes.
See SHAMEFASTNESS .
sham'-fast-nes: The original the King James Version translation of aidos, in Sirach 41:16 and 1 Tim 2:9. Perhaps half a century later the spelling "shamefacedness" supplanted the better form, and continues in the ordinary editions of the King James Version. The Revised Version (British and American), however, rightly restores "shamefastness."
sha'-mer.
See SHEMER .
sham'-gar (shamgar):
One of the judges, son of Anath (`anath), in whose days, which preceded the time of Deborah (Jdg 5:6,7) and followed those of Ehud, Israel's subjugation was so complete that "the highways were unoccupied, and the travelers walked through byways." The government had become thoroughly disorganized, and apparently, as in the days of Deborah, the people were entirely unprepared for war. Shamgar's improvised weapon with which he helped to "save Israel" is spoken of as an oxgoad. With this he smote of the Philistines 600 men. This is the first mention of the Philistines as troublesome neighbors of the Israelites (Jdg 3:31). According to a tradition represented in Josephus (Ant., V, iv, 3), Shamgar died in the year he became judge.
Several writers have challenged the Biblical account on the following grounds: that in Jdg 5 no mention is made of any deliverance; that the name "Shamgar" resembles the name of a Hittite king and the name "Anath" that of a Syrian goddess; that the deed recorded in Jdg 3:31 is analogous to that of Samson (Jdg 15:15), and that of Shammah, son of Agee (2 Sam 23:11 f); and lastly, that in a group of Greek manuscripts and other versions this verse is inserted after the account of Samson's exploits. None of these is necessarily inconsistent with the traditional account. Neverthelesss, they have been used as a basis not only for overthrowing the tradition, but also for constructive theories such as that which makes Shamgar a foreign oppressor and not a judge, and even the father of Sisera. There is, of course, no limit to which this kind of interesting speculation cannot lead.
(For a complete account of these views see Moore, "Judges," in ICC , 1895, 104 f, and same author in Journal of the American Oriental Society, XIX , 2, 159-60.)
Ella Davis Isaacs
sham'-huth.
See SHAMMUAH ,IV .
sha'-mer (shamir; Sameir):
(1) Mentioned along with Jattir and Socoh (Josh 15:48) as one of the cities of Judah in the hill country. Possibly it is Khirbet (or Umm) Somerah, 2,000 ft. above sea-level, a site with ancient walls, caves, cisterns and tombs not far West of Debir (edh Dhatheriyeh) and 2 miles North of Anab (`Anab) (Palestine Exploration Fund, III, 262, 286, Sh XX).
(2) A place in the hill country of Ephraim (Jdg 10:1) from which came "Tola, the son of Pual, a man of Issachar," who judged Israel 23 years; he died and was buried there. It is an attractive theory (Schwartz) which would identify the place with the semi-fortified and strongly-placed town of Sanur on the road from Nablus to Jenin. A local chieftain in the early part of the last century fortified Sanur and from there dominated the whole district. That Sanur could hardly have been within the bounds of Issachar is an objection, but not necessarily a fatal one. It is noticeable that the Septuagint's Codex Alexandrinus has Samareia, for Shamir (Palestine Exploration Fund, II, Sh XI).
E. W. G. Masterman
(shamir; Samer): A Kohathite, son of Micah (1 Ch 24:24).
sham'-la-i, sham'-li.
See SALMAI .
sham'-a (shamma'; Codex Vaticanus Sema; Codex Alexandrinus Samma): An Asherite (1 Ch 7:37).
sham'-a (shammah):
(1) The son of Reuel, the son of Esau, a tribal chief of Edom (Gen 36:13,17; 1 Ch 1:37, Some).
(2) The third son of Jesse and brother of David. Together with his two other brothers he fought under Saul in the campaign against the Philistines and was with the army in the valley of Elah when David slew Goliath (1 Sam 17:13 ff). One redactor states that he was a witness of the anointing of David by Samuel (1 Sam 16:1-13). He was the father of Jonadab, the friend of Amnon (2 Sam 13:3 ff), and that Jonathan whose victory over a Philistine giant is narrated in 2 Sam 21:20 ff was also his son. His name is rendered as "Shammah" (1 Sam 16:9; 17:13), "Shimeah" (2 Sam 13:3,12), "Shimei" (2 Sam 21:21), and "Shimea" (1 Ch 2:13; 20:7).
(3) The son of Agee, a Hararite, one of the "three mighty men" of David (2 Sam 23:11, Septuagint Samaia), who held the field against the Philistines. The parallel passage (1 Ch 11:10 ff) ascribes this deed to Eleazar, the son of Dodo. The succeeding incident (2 Sam 23:13 ff), namely, the famous act of three of David's heroes who risked their lives to bring their leader water from the well of Bethlehem, has frequently been credited to Shammah and two other members of "the three"; but the three warriors are plainly said (2 Sam 23:13) to belong to "the thirty"; 2 Sam 23:33 should read "Jonathan, son of Shammah, the Hararite." Jonathan, one of David's "thirty," was a son of Shammah; the word "son" has been accidentally omitted (Driver, Budde, Kittel, etc.). The parallel passage (1 Ch 11:34) has "son of Shagee," which is probably, a misreading for "son of Agee." Lucian's version, "son of Shammah," is most plausible. "Shimei the son of Ela" (1 Ki 4:18) should also appear in this passage if Lucian's reading of "Ela" for "Agee" (2 Sam 23:11) be correct.
(4) A Harodite (2 Sam 23:25,33), i.e. probably a native of `Ain-charod (`Ain Jalud, Jdg 7:1; See HAROD ). One of "the thirty" and captain of Solomon's 5th monthly course. In the parallel lists (1 Ch 11:27) he is called "the Harorite" (this last being a scribal error for Harodite) and "Shamhuth the Izrahate" (1 Ch 27:8).
Horace J. Wolf
sham'a-i, sham'-i (shammay):
(1) A Jerahmeelite (1 Ch 2:28,32).
(2) The son of Rekem and father of Maon (1 Ch 2:44 ff).
(3) A Judahite (1 Ch 4:17).
sham'-oth, sham'-oth.
See SHAMMAH , (4).
sha-mu'-a, sham'-u-a (shammua`):
(1) The Reubenite spy (Nu 13:4, Samouel, and other forms).
(2) One of David's sons (2 Sam 5:14; 1 Ch 14:4, Sammous). In 1 Ch 3:5 he is called "Shimea."
(3) A Levite (Neh 11:17); he is called "Shemaiah" in 1 Ch 9:16.
(4) The head of a priestly family (Neh 12:18); a contemporary of Joiakim.
sham'-she-ri, sham-she-ra'-i (shamsheray): A Benjamite (1 Ch 8:26).
shap: In the King James Version the translation of eidos, "form," "appearance" (Lk 3:22; Jn 5:37), and of homoioma, "likeness," "resemblance" (Rev 9:7). The meaning of these words is not so much "tangible shape," in which sense we use the word in modern English, but rather "aspect," "appearance," the looks of a thing or a person. This is even the case where the word is joined with the adjective somatikos, "bodily" as in the passage Lk 3:22, "The Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form (i.e. "in a corporeal appearance," the King James Version "in a bodily shape"), as a dove, upon him." The second passage also refers to the "appearance" of God, and cannot therefore be regarded as material shape: "Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form" (the King James Version "shape") (Jn 5:37). As has been seen from the above quotations, the Revised Version (British and American) which retains the translation "shape" for homoioma, has translated eidos with "form," which also serves to render several other Greek synonyms, such as morphe (Mk 16:12; Phil 2:6 f), morphosis (Rom 2:20; 2 Tim 3:5), tupos (the Revised Version margin "pattern" Rom 6:17), and hupotuposis (the Revised Version (British and American) "pattern," 2 Tim 1:13). In the King James Version The Wisdom of Solomon 18:1 "shape" translates morphe, the Revised Version (British and American) "form."
H. L. E. Luering
sha'-fam (shapham; Sapham, Sabat): Name of a Gadite chief, who had the second place in command of his tribe (1 Ch 5:12). So far as the fragmentary genealogies are intelligible, they seem to indicate that Shapham and his chief, Joel, lived in the time of Saul and shared in the war against the Hagrites (1 Ch 5:7-10,18-22), but it is to be noted that these lists were first recorded between the years 750 and 740 BC, just before the eastern tribes were carried into captivity.
sha'-fan (shaphan, "rockbadger," English Versions of the Bible "coney"; Saphphan): An old totem clan name (so W.R. Smith; compare, however, the article TOTEMISM; Gray, Gray, Studies in Hebrew Proper Names, 103 ff, and Jacob's Studies in Biblical Archaeology, 84 ff).
(1) Son of Azaliah and scribe of King Josiah. He received from Hilkiah the Book of the Law which had been found in the Temple (2 Ki 22:3 ff; 2 Ch 34:8-28). It was from Shaphan's lips that Josiah heard the Law read. Shaphan was also one of those sent by the king to the prophetess Huldah (2 Ki 22; 2 Ch 34). He was undoubtedly one of the staunchest supporters of Josiah in his work of reform. He was the father of Ahikam (2 Ki 22:12; 2 Ch 34:20; Jer 26:24), who befriended and protected the prophet Jeremiah. Another son, Elasah, was one of the two men entrusted by Jeremiah with his letter to the captives in Babylon (Jer 29:3). A third son, Gemariah, vainly tried to prevent King Jehoiakim from burning "the roll" (Jer 36:10,11,12,25). The Micaiah of Jer 36:11,12, and Gedaliah, the governor of Judea after the captivity of 586 BC, were his grandsons (Jer 39:14).
(2) Perhaps the father of Jaazaniah, one of the 70 men whom Ezekiel saw, in his vision of the Temple, sacrificing to idols (Ezek 8:11).
Horace J. Wolf
sha'-fat (shaphat):iah, one of the 70 men whom Ezekiel saw, in his vision of the Temple, sacrificing to idols (Ezek 8:11).
(1) The Simeonite spy (Nu 13:5, Saphat).
(2) The father of the prophet Elisha (1 Ki 19:16; 2 Ki 3:11, Septuagint Saphath).
(3) A name in the royal genealogy of Judah (1 Ch 3:22).
(4) A Gadite (1 Ch 5:12).
(5) One of David's herdsmen (1 Ch 27:29).
sha'-fer.
See SHEPHER .
sha'-fer (shaphir, "glittering"; kalos; the King James Version Saphir): One of a group of towns mentioned in Mic 1:10-15. From the association with Gath, Achzib (of Judah) and Mareshah, it would seem that the places mentioned were in Southwestern Palestine. According to Eusebius, in Onomasticon, there was a Sapheir, "in the hill country" (from a confusion with Shamir (Josh 15:48), where Septuagint A has Sapheir) between Eleutheropolis and Ascalon. The name probably survives in that of three villages called es-Suafir, in the plain, some 3 1/2 miles Southeast of Ashdod (PEF, II, 413, Sh XV). Cheyne (EB, col. 4282) suggests the white "glittering" hill Tell ec-Cafi, at the entrance to the Wady ec-Sunt, which was known to the Crusaders as Blanchegarde, but this site seems a more probable one for GATH (which see).
E. W. G. Masterman
sha-ra'-i, sha'-ri (sharay): One of the sons of Bani who had married foreign wives (Ezr 10:40).
sha-ra'-im.
See SHAARAIM .
sha'-rar.
See SACAR .
shar.
See PLOW .
sha-re'zer (sar'etser, shar'etser): Corresponds to the Assyrian Shar-ucur, "protect the king"; found otherwise, not as a complete name, but as elements in personal names, e.g. Bel-shar-ucur, "may Bel protect the king," which is the equivalent of Belshazzar (Dan 5:1). The name is borne by two persons in the Old Testament:
(1) The son of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, who with ADRAMMELECH (which see) murdered his father (2 Ki 19:37; Isa 37:38). The Babylonian Chronicle says concerning Sennacherib's death: "On the 20th day of Tebet Sennacherib, king of Assyria, was slain by his son in a revolt." This differs from the Old Testament account in that it speaks of only one murderer, and does not give his name. How the two accounts can be harmonized is still uncertain. Hitzig, (Kritik, 194 ff), following Abydenus, as quoted by Eusebius, completed the name of Sennacherib's son, so as to read Nergal-sharezer = Nergal-shar-ucur (Jer 39:3,13), and this is accepted by many modern scholars. Johns thinks that Sharezer (shar'etser or sar'etser) may be a corruption from Shar-etir-Ashur, the name of a son of Sennacherib (1-vol HDB, under the word). The question cannot be definitely settled.
(2) A contemporary of the prophet Zechariah, mentioned in connection with the sending of a delegation to the spiritual heads of the community to inquire concerning the propriety of continuing the fasts: "They of Beth-el had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech" (Zec 7:2). This translation creates a difficulty in connection with the succeeding words, literally, "and his men." The Revisers place in the margin as an alternative rendering, "They of Beth-el, even Sharezer .... had sent." Sharezer sounds peculiar in apposition to "they of Beth-el"; hence, some have thought, especially since Sharezer seems incomplete, that in the two words Beth-el and Sharezer we have a corruption of what was originally a single proper name, perhaps Bel-sharezer = Bel-shar-ucur = Bel-shazzar. The present text, no matter how translated, presents difficulties.
See REGEM-MELECH .
F. C. Eiselen
shar'-un (ha-sharon, with the definite article possibly meaning "the plain"; to pedion, ho drumos, ho Saron):
(1) This name is attached to the strip of fairly level land which runs between the mountains and the shore of the Mediterranean, stretching from Nahr Ruben in the South to Mt. Carmel in the North. There are considerable rolling hills; but, compared with the mountains to the East, it is quite properly described as a plain. The soil is a deep rich loam, which is favorable to the growth of cereals. The orange, the vine and the olive grow to great perfection. When the many-colored flowers are in bloom it is a scene of rare beauty.
Of the streams in the plain four carry the bulk of the water from the western slopes of the mountains to the sea. They are also perennial, being fed by fountains. Nahr el-`Aujeh enters the sea to the North of Jaffa; Nahr Iskanderuneh 7 miles, and Nahr el-Mefjir fully 2 miles South of Caesarea; and Nahr ez-Zerqa, the "Crocodile River," 2 1/2 miles North of Caesarea. Nahr el-Falik runs its short course about 12 miles North of Nahr el-`Aujeh. Water is plentiful, and at almost any point it may be obtained by digging. Deep, finely built wells near some of the villages are among the most precious legacies left by the Crusaders. The breadth of the plain varies from 8 to 12 miles, being broadest in the Sharon. There are traces of a great forest in the northern part, which accounts for the use of the term drumos. Josephus (Ant., XIV, xiii, 3) speaks of "the woods" (hoi drumoi) and Strabo (xvi) of "a great wood." There is still a considerable oak wood in this district. The "excellency" of Carmel and Sharon (Isa 35:2) is probably an allusion to the luxuriant oak forests. As in ancient times, great breadths are given up to the pasturing of cattle. Over David's herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite (1 Ch 27:29). In the day of Israel's restoration "Sharon shall be a fold of flocks" (Isa 65:10). Jerome speaks of the fine cattle fed in the pastures of Sharon, and also sings the praises of its wine (Comm. on Isa 33 and 65). Toward the Sharon no doubt there was more cultivation then than there is at the present day. The German colony to the North of Jaffa, preserving in its name, Sarona, the old Greek name of the plain, and several Jewish colonies are proving the wonderful productiveness of the soil. The orange groves of Jaffa are far-famed.
"The rose of Sharon" (Song 2:1) is a mistranslation: chabhatstseleth is not a "rose," but the white narcissus, which in season abounds in the plain.
Sharon is mentioned in the New Testament only in Acts 9:35.
(2) A district East of the Jordan, occupied by the tribe of Gad (1 Ch 5:16; here the name is without the article). Kittel ("Ch," SBOT) suggests that this is a corruption from "Sirion," which again is synonymous with Hermon. He would therefore identify Sharon with the pasture lands of Hermon. Others think that the mishor or table-land of Gilead is intended.
(3) In Josh 12:18 we should perhaps read "the king of Aphek in Sharon." See LASSHARON . The order seems to point to some place Northeast of Tabor. Perhaps this is to be identified with the Sarona of Eusebius, Onomasticon, in the district between Tabor and Tiberias. If so, the name may be preserved in that of Sarona on the plateau to the Southwest of Tiberias.
W. Ewing
shar'-un-it (ha-sharoni; ho Saroneites): Applied in Scripture only to Shitrai (1 Ch 27:29).
See SHARON .
sha-roo'-hen (sharuchen; hoi agroi auton): One of the cities in the territory of Judah assigned to Simeon (Josh 19:6). In Josh 15:32 it is called "Shilhim," and in 1 Ch 4:31, "Shaaraim" (which see).
sha'-shi (shashay; Sesei): One of the sons of Bani who had married foreign wives (Ezr 10:40) = "Sesis" in 1 Esdras 9:34.
sha'-shak (shashak): Eponym of a Benjamite family (1 Ch 8:14,25).
sha'-ul, sha'-ul-its (sha'ul; Saoul):
(1) A king of Edom (Gen 36:37 ff = 1 Ch 1:48 ff).
(2) A son of Simeon (Gen 46:10; Ex 6:15; Nu 26:13; 1 Ch 4:24). The clan was of notoriously impure stock, and, therefore, Shaul is called "the son of a Canaanitish woman" (Gen 46:10; Ex 6:15); the clan was of mixed Israelite and Canaanitish descent. The patronymic Shaulites is found in Nu 26:13.
(3) An ancestor of Samuel (1 Ch 6:24 (Hebrew 9)); in 1 Ch 6:36 he is called "Joel."
sha'-ve (`emeq shaweh).
See KING'S VALE .
sha'-ve-kir-ya-tha'-im (shaweh qiryathayim; en Saue te polei): Here Chedorlaomer is said to have defeated the Emim (Gen 14:5). the Revised Version margin reads "the plain of Kiriathaim." If this rendering is right, we must look for the place in the neighborhood of Kiriathaim of Moab (Jer 48:1, etc.), which is probably represented today by el-Qareiyat, about 7 miles to the North of Dibon.
shav'-ing (in Job 1:20, gazaz, usually galach; in Acts 21:24, xurao): Customs as to shaving differ in different countries, and in ancient and modern times. Among the Egyptians it was customary to shave the whole body (compare Gen 41:14). With the Israelites, shaving the head was a sign of mourning (Dt 21:12; Job 1:20); ordinarily the hair was allowed to grow long, and was only cut at intervals (compare Absalom, 2 Sam 14:26). Nazirites were forbidden to use a razor, but when their vow was expired, or if they were defiled, they were to shave the whole head (Nu 6:5,9,18 ff; compare Acts 21:24). The shaving of the beard was not permitted to the Israelites; they were prohibited from shaving off even "the corner of their beard" (Lev 21:5). It was an unpardonable insult when Hanun, king of the Ammonites, cut off the half of the beards of the Israelites whom David had sent to him (2 Sam 10:4; 1 Ch 19:4).
Shaving "with a razor that is hired" is Isaiah's graphic figure to denote the complete devastation of Judah by the Assyrian army (Isa 7:20).
James Orr
shav'-sha (shawsha'; in 2 Sam 20:25, Kethibh, sheya', Kere, shewa', English Versions of the Bible "Sheva," are refuted by the Septuagint; in 2 Sam 8:15-18, in other respects identical with Chronicles, "Seraiah" is found; the Septuagint varies greatly in all passages; it is the general consensus that Shavsha is correct): State secretary or scribe during the reign of David (1 Ch 18:16; 2 Sam 20:25). He was the first occupant of this office, which was created by David. It is significant that his father's name is omitted in the very exact list of David's officers of state (1 Ch 18:14-17 parallel 2 Sam 8:15-18); this fact, coupled with the foreign sound of his name, points to his being an "alien"; the assumption that the state secretary handled correspondence with other countries may explain David's choice of a foreigner for this post. Shavsha's two sons, Elihoreph and Ahijah, were secretaries of state under Solomon; they are called "sons of Shisha" (1 Ki 4:3), "Shisha" probably being a variant of "Shavsha."
Horace J. Wolf
shol: the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "shawls" for the King James Version "wimples" in Isa 3:22.
See DRESS .
shef, shevz ('alummah, `omer, `amir): When the grain is reaped, it is laid in handfuls back of the reaper to be gathered by children or those who cannot stand the harder work of reaping (Ps 129:7). The handfuls are bound into large sheaves, two of which are laden at a time on a donkey (compare Neh 13:15). In some districts carts are used (compare Am 2:13). The sheaves are piled about the threshing-floors until threshing time, which may be several weeks after harvest. It is an impressive sight to see the huge stacks of sheaves piled about the threshing-floors, the piles often covering an area greater than the nearby villages (seeAGRICULTURE ). The ancient Egyptians bound their grain into small sheaves, forming the bundles with care so that the heads were equally distributed between the two ends (see Wilkinson, Ancient Egyptians, 1878,II , 424; compare Joseph's dream, Gen 37:5-8). The sheaves mentioned in Gen 37:10-12,15 must have been handfuls. It is a custom in parts of Syria for the gatherers of the sheaves to run toward a passing horseman and wave a handful of grain, shouting kemshi, kemshi (literally, "handful"). They want the horseman to feed the grain to his horse. In Old Testament times forgotten sheaves had to be left for the sojourner (Dt 24:19); compare the kindness shown to Ruth by the reapers of Boaz (Ruth 2:7,15).
Figurative: "Being hungry they carry the sheaves" is a picture of torment similar to that of the hungry horse urged to go by the bundle of hay tied before him (Job 24:10). The joyful sight of the sheaves of an abundant harvest was used by the Psalmist to typify the joy of the returning captives (Ps 126:6).
James A. Patch
she'-al (she'al, "request"): One of the Israelites of the sons of Bani who had taken foreign wives (Ezr 10:29, Septuagint: Salouia; Septuagint, Lucian, Assael; 1 Esdras 9:30, "Jasaelus").
she-ol'-ti-el (she'alti'el, but in Hag 1:12,14; 2:2, shalti'el; Septuagint and the New Testament always Salathiel, hence, "Salathiel" of 1 Esdras 5:5,48,56; 6:2; the King James Version of Mt 1:12; Lk 3:27): Father of Zerubbabel (Ezr 3:2,8; 5:2; Neh 12:1; Hag 1:1,12,14; 2:2,23). But, according to 1 Ch 3:17, Shealtiel was the oldest son of King Jeconiah; in 3:19 the Massoretic Text makes Pedaiah, a brother of Shealtiel, the father of Zerubbabel (compare Curtis, ICC ).
sher.
See SHEEP ;SHEEP TENDING .
she-ar-ja'-shub or jash'-ub (she'ar yashubh, "a remnant shall return"; Septuagint ho kataleiphtheis Iasoub): The son of Isaiah, who accompanied him when he set out to meet Ahaz (Isa 7:3). The name like that of other children of prophets (compare "Immanuel," "Mahershalal-hash-baz," "Lo-ruhamah," etc.) is symbolic of a message which the prophet wishes to emphasize. Thus Isaiah uses the very words she'ar yashubh to express his oft-repeated statement that a remnant of Israel will return to Yahweh (Isa 10:21).
she-a-ri-a, she-ar'-ya (she`aryah; Saraia): A descendant of Saul (1 Ch 8:38; 9:44).
sher'-ing (beth `eqedh ha-ro`im, "house of binding of the shepherds"; Codex Vaticanus Baithakath (Codex Alexandrinus Baithakad) ton poimenon): Here in the course of his extinction of the house of Ahab, Jehu met and destroyed 42 men, "the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah" (2 Ki 10:12-14). Eusebius (in Onomasticon) takes the phrase as a proper name, Bethacath, and locates the village 15 miles from Legio in the plain. This seems to point to identification with Beit Kad, about 3 miles East of Jenin.
sheth.
See SWORD .
she'-ba (shebha'; Saba): (1) Sheba and Dedan are the two sons of Raamah son of Cush (Gen 10:7). (2) Sheba and Dedan are the two sons of Jokshan the son of Abraham and Keturah (Gen 25:3). (3) Sheba is a son of Joktan son of Eber who was a descendant of Shem (Gen 10:28).
From the above statements it would appear that Sheba was the name of an Arab tribe, and consequently of Semitic descent. The fact that Sheba and Dedan are represented as Cushite (Gen 10:7) would point to a migration of part of these tribes to Ethiopia, and similarly their derivation from Abraham (Gen 25:3) would indicate that some families were located in Syria. In point of fact Sheba was a South-Arabian or Joktanite tribe (Gen 10:28), and his own name and that of some of his brothers (e.g. Hazarmaveth = Hadhramaut) are place-names in Southern Arabia.
The Sabeans or people of Saba or Sheba, are referred to as traders in gold and spices, and as inhabiting a country remote from Palestine (1 Ki 10:1 f; Isa 60:6; Jer 6:20; Ezek 27:22; Ps 72:15; Mt 12:42), also as slave-traders (Joel 3:8), or even desert-rangers (Job 1:15; 6:19; compare CIS 84 3).
By the Arab genealogists Saba is represented as great-grandson of Qachtan (= Joktan) and ancestor of all the South-Arabian tribes. He is the father of Chimyar and Kahlan. He is said to have been named Saba because he was the first to take prisoners (shabhah) in war. He founded the capital of Saba and built its citadel Marib (Mariaba), famous for its mighty barrage.
The authentic history of the Sabeans, so far as known, and the topography of their country are derived from South-Arabian inscriptions, which began to be discovered about the middle of the last century, and from coins dating from about 150 BC to 150 AD, the first collection of which was published in 1880, and from the South-Arabian geographer Hamdani, who was later made known to European scholars. One of the Sabean kings is mentioned on Assyrian inscriptions of the year 715 BC; and he is apparently not the earliest. The native monuments are scattered over the period extending from before that time until the 6th century AD, when the
Sabean state came to an end, being most numerous about the commencement of our era. Saba was the name of the nation of which Marib was the usual capital. The Sabeans at first shared the sovereignty of South Arabia with Himyar and one or two other nations, but gradually absorbed the territories of these some time after the Christian era. The form of government seems to have been that of a republic or oligarchy, the chief magistracy going by a kind of rotation, and more than one "king" holding office simultaneously (similarly Dt 4:47 and often in the Old Testament). The people seem to have been divided into patricians and plebeians, the former of whom had the right to build castles and to share in the government.
A number of deities are mentioned on the inscriptions, two chief being Il-Maqqih and Ta`lab. Others are Athtar (masculine form of the Biblical `ashtaroth), Rammon (the Biblical Rimmon), the Sun, and others. The Sun and Athtar were further defined by the addition of the name of a place or tribe, just as Baal in the Old Testament. Worship took the form of gifts to the temples, of sacrifices, especially incense, of pilgrimages and prayers. Ceremonial ablution, and abstinence from certain things, as well as formal dedication of the worshipper and his household and goods to the deity, were also religious acts. In return the deity took charge of his worshipper's castle, wells, and belongings, and supplied him with cereals, vegetables and fruits, as well as granted him male issue.
(1) The chief occupations of the Sabeans were raiding and trade. The chief products of their country are enumerated in Isa 60:6, which agrees with the Assyrian inscriptions. The most important of all commodities was incense, and it is significant that the same word which in the other Semitic languages means "gold," in Sabean means "perfume" (and also "gold"). To judge, however, from the number of times they are mentioned upon the inscriptions, agriculture bulked much more largely in the thoughts of the Sabean than commerce, and was of equal importance with religion.
(2) The high position occupied by women among the Sabeans is reflected in the story of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon. In almost all respects women appear to have been considered the equal of men, and to have discharged the same civil, religious and even military functions. Polygamy does not seem to have been practiced. The Sabean inscriptions do not go back far enough to throw any light upon the queen who was contemporary with Solomon, and the Arabic identification of her with Bilqis is merely due to the latter being the only Sabean queen known to them. Bilqis must have lived several centuries later than the Hebrew monarch.
(3) The alphabet used in the Sabean inscriptions is considered by Professor Margoliouth to be the original Semitic alphabet, from which the others are derived. In other respects Sabean art seems to be dependent on that of Assyria, Persia and Greece. The coins are Greek and Roman in style, while the system of weights employed is Persian.
See furtherSABAEANS .
LITERATURE.
Rodiger and Osidander in ZDMG, volumes XX and XXI; Halevy in Journal Asiatique, Serie 6, volume IX; Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum, pt. IV, edition by J. and H. Derenbourg; Hamdani, edition by D. H. Muller, 1891; Mordtmann, Himyarische Inschriften, 1893; Hommel, Sudarabische Chresthomathie, 1893; Glaser, Abyssinien in Arabien, 1895; D. H. Muller, Sudarabische Alterthumer, 1899; Derenbourg, Les monuments sabeens, 1899. On the coins, Schlumberger, Le tresor de San'a, 1880; Mordtmann in Wiener numismatische Zeitschrift, 1880.
Thomas Hunter Weir
she'-ba (shebha`; Sabee, or Samaa): The name of one of the towns allotted to Simeon (Josh 19:2). the King James Version mentions it as an independent town, but as it is not mentioned at all in the parallel list (1 Ch 4:28), and is omitted in Josh 19:2 in some manuscripts, it is probable that the Revised Version (British and American) is correct in its translation "Beer-sheba or Sheba." Only in this way can the total of towns in this group be made 13 (Josh 19:6). If it is a separate name, it is probably the same as SHEMA (which see).
E. W. G. Masterman
See QUEEN OF SHEBA .
she'-ba.
See SHIBAH .
she'-bam.
See SEBAM .
sheb-a-ni'-a, she-ban'-ya (shebhanyah, in 1 Ch 15:24, shebhanyahu):
(1) Name of a Levite or a Levitical family that participated in the religious rites that followed the reading of the Law (Neh 9:4). The name is given in Neh 10:10 among those that sealed the covenant.
(2) A priest or Levite who took part in the sealing of the covenant (Neh 10:4; 12:14).
See SHECANIAH .
(3) Another Levite who sealed the covenant (Neh 10:12).
(4) A priest in the time of David (1 Ch 15:24).
sheb'-a-rim, she-ba'-rim (ha-shebharim; sunetripsan): After the repulse of the first attack on their city the men of Ai chased the Israelites "even unto Shebarim" (Josh 7:5). the Revised Version margin reads "the quarries"; so Keil, Steuernagel, etc. Septuagint reads "until they were broken," i.e. until the rout was complete. The direction of the flight was of course from Ai toward Gilgal in the Jordan valley. No trace of such name has yet been found.
she-bat' (shebhat): The 11th month of the Jewish year (Zec 1:7), corresponding to February.
See CALENDAR .
she'-ber (shebher; Codex Vaticanus Saber, Codex Alexandrinus Seber): A son of Caleb by his concubine Maacah (1 Ch 2:48).
sheb'-na (shebhna'; Somnas; but shebhnah, in 2 Ki 18:18,26; meaning uncertain (2 Ki 18:18,26,37 and 19:2 = Isa 36:3,11,22 and 37:2; lsa 22:15)):
In Isa 22:15 Shebna is referred to as he "who is over the house," or household, apparently that of the king. The phrase is translated "steward of the house" in the Revised Version (British and American) of Gen 43:16,19; 44:1, and occurs also in 39:4, "overseer"; 44:4. It is used of an officer of the Northern Kingdom in 1 Ki 16:9; 18:3; 2 Ki 10:5. This officer is distinguished from him "that was over the city" in 2 Ki 10:5, and it is said in 2 Ki 15:5 that after his father Azariah was stricken with leprosy, "Jotham, the king's son, was over the household, judging all the people of the land." Again Isa 22:15 speaks of "this cokhen," a phrase that must apply to Shebna if the prophecy refers to him. This word is the participle of a verb meaning "to be of use or service," so "to benefit" in Job 15:3; 22:2; 34:9. The feminine participle is employed of Abishag in 1 Ki 1:2,4, where King James Version, margin translates "cherisher"; BDB renders it "servitor" or "steward" in Isa 22:15. It occurs also as a Canaanite gloss in the Tell el-Amarna Letters (Winckler, number 237,9). The cokhen was evidently a high officer: Shebna had splendid chariots (22:18), but what the office exactly was is not certain. The other reference to Shebna in the title of the prophecy would lead one to conclude that it denoted him "who was over the household," i.e. governor of the palace, probably, or major-domo. The word cokhen is thus a general title; others deny this, maintaining that it would then occur more frequently.
In 2 Ki 18 f = Isa 36 f we find too a Shebna mentioned among the officers of Hezekiah. There he is called the copher, "scribe" or "secretary," i.e. a minister of state of some kind, whereas Eliakim is he "who is over the household." Is then the Shebna of Isa 22 the same as this officer? It is of course possible that two men of the same name should hold high office about the same time. We find a Joshua (ben Asaph) "recorder" under Hezekiah (2 Ki 18:18) and a Joshua (ben Joahaz) having the very same position under Josiah a century later (2 Ch 34:8). But such a coincidence is rare. Had there been two high officers of state bearing this name, it is most probable that they would somehow have been distinguished one from the other. Shebna's name is thought to be Aramaic, thus pointing to a foreign descent, but G. B. Gray, "Isa," ICC, 373 ff, denies this. We can perhaps safely infer that he was a parvenu from the fact that he was hewing himself a sepulcher in Jerusalem, apparently among those of the nobility, whereas a native would have an ancestral burial-place in the land.
However, in 2 Kings, Shebna is the scribe and not the governor of the palace. How is this to be explained? The answer is in Isaiah's prophecy.
The prophecy of Isa 22 divides itself into 3 sections. The words "against (not as the Revised Version (British and American) "unto") Shebna who is over the house," or palace, are properly the title of the prophecy, and should come therefore at the very beginning of verse 15.
(1) Isa 22:15-18 form one whole. In 22:16 the words "hewing him out a sepulchre," etc., should be placed immediately before the rest of the verse as 22:16a with the rest of the section is in the second person. We thus read (22:15-17): `Against Shebna who was over the house. Thus saith the Lord, Yahweh of hosts, Go unto this steward (Revised Version margin) that is hewing him out a sepulchre on high, graying a habitation for himself in the rock, (and say) What doest thou here and whom hast thou here that thou hast hewed thee out here a sepulchre? Behold, Yahweh of hosts, ....' etc. G.H. Box (Isaiah) would further transpose some parts of 22:17 f. Shebna is to be tossed like a ball into "a land wide of sides," i.e. a broad extensive land. He is addressed as a disgrace to the house of his royal master. The prophet's language is that of personal invective, and one asks what had made him so indignant. Some (e.g. Dillmann, Delitzsch) suggest that Shebna was the leader of a pro-Egyptian party, while others (e.g. Cheyne) believe that the party was pro-Assyrian (compare Isa 8:5-8a). The actual date of the prophecy can only be inferred.
(2) Isa 22:19-23 contains a prophecy which states that Eliakim is to be given someone's post, apparently that of Shebna, if this section be by Isaiah; 22:23, however, is held by many to be a gloss. These verses are not so vehement in tone as the previous ones. Some maintain that the section is not by Isaiah (Duhm, Marti). It can, however, be Isaianic, only later in date than 22:15 ff, being possibly meant to modify the former utterance. The palace governor is to lose his office and to be succeeded by Eliakim, who is seen to hold that post in 2 Ki 18 f.
See ELIAKIM .
(3) Isa 22:24 f are additions to the two utterances by a later hand; they predict the ruin of some such official as Eliakim owing to his own family.
There is nothing a priori against believing that these three sections are entirely independent one of another, but there seems to be some connection between (1) and (2), and again between (2) and (3). Now the question that has to be solved is that of the relation of Isa 22:15 ff with 2 Ki 18 f = Isa 36 f, where are given the events of 701 BC. We have the following facts: (a) Shebna is scribe in 701, and Eliakim is governor of the palace; (b) Shebna is governor of the palace in Isa 22:15, and is to be deposed; (c) if Isa 22:18-22 be by Isaiah, Eliakim was to succeed Shebna in that post. Omitting for the moment everything but (a) and (b), the only solution that is to any extent satisfactory is that Isa 22:15-18 is to be dated previous to 701 BC. This is the view preferred by G.B. Gray, in the work quoted And this is the most satisfactory theory if we take (2) above into consideration. The prophecy then contained in (1) had not been as yet fulfilled in 701, but (2) had come to pass; Shebna was no longer governor of the palace, but held the position of scribe. Exile might still be in store for him.
Another explanation is put forward by K. Fullerton in AJT, IX, 621-42 (1905) and criticized by E. Konig in X, 675-86 (1906). Fullerton rejects verses 24 f as not due to Isaiah, and maintains that Isa 22:15-18 was spoken by the prophet early in the reign of Manasseh, i.e. later than 2 Ki 18 f, "not so much as a prophecy, a simple prediction, as an attempt to drive Shebna from office. .... It must be admitted that Isaiah probably did not succeed. The reactionary party seems to have remained in control during the reign of Manasseh. .... Fortunately, the moral significance of Isaiah does not depend on the fulfillment of this or that specific prediction. We are dealing not with a walking oracle, but with a great character and a noble life" (p. 639). He then infers from the massacres of Manasseh (2 Ki 21:16) "that a conspiracy had been formed against him by the prophetic party which proposed to place Eliakim on the throne" (p. 640). Isaiah he thinks would not "resort to such violent measures," and so the character of Isaiah makes it questionable whether he was the author of 22:20-23. This part would then be due to the prophetic party "who went a step farther than their great leader would approve." This view assumes too much, (a) that the terms in 22:20-23 refer to kingly power; (b) that Eliakim was of Davidic descent, unless we have a man of non-Davidic origin aiming at the throne, which is again a thing unheard of in Judah; and (c) that there was such a plot in the reign of Manasseh, of which we have no proof.
David Francis Roberts
she-bu'-el, sheb'-u-el (shebhu'el; Soubael):
(1) A son of Gershom and grandson of Moses (1 Ch 23:16). He was "ruler over the treasures" (1 Ch 26:24). In 1 Ch 24:20 he is called "Shubael," which is probably the original form of the name (see Gray, HPN , 310).
(2) A son of Heman (1 Ch 25:4), called in 1 Ch 25:20 "Shubael" (Septuagint as in 25:4).
shek-a-ni'-a, shekan'-ya (shekhanyah (in 1 Ch 24:11; 2 Ch 31:15, shekhanyahu); Codex Vaticanus Ischania, Sekenia):
(1) A descendant of Zerubbabel (1 Ch 3:21,22). This is the same Shecaniah mentioned in Ezr 8:3.
(2) "The sons of Shecaniah," so the Massoretic Text of Ezr 8:5 reads, were among those who returned with Ezra, but a name appears to have been lost from the text, and we should probably read "of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah the son of Jahaziel" (compare 1 Esdras 8:32, "of the sons of Zathoes, Sechenias the son of Jezelus").
(3) Chief of the tenth course of priests (1 Ch 24:11).
(4) A priest in the reign of Hezekiah (2 Ch 31:15).
(5) A contemporary of Ezra who supported him in his opposition to foreign marriages (Ezr 10:2).
(6) The father of Shemaiah, "the keeper of the east gate" (Neh 3:29).
(7) The father-in-law of Tobiah the Ammonite (Neh 6:18).
(8) The eponym of a family which returned with Zerubbabel (Neh 12:3). It is the same name which, by an interchange of "bh" and "kh", appears as Shebaniah (See SHEBANIAH , (2)) in Neh 10:4,12,14.
Horace J. Wolf
she'-kem (shekhem, "shoulder"; Suchem, he Sikima, ta Sikima, etc.; the King James Version gives "Sichem" in Gen 12:6; and "Sychem" in Acts 7:16):
This place is first mentioned in connection with Abraham's journey from Haran. At the oak of Moreh in the vicinity he reared his first altar to the Lord in Palestine (Gen 12:6 f). It was doubtless by this oak that Jacob, on his return from Paddan-aram, buried "the strange (the American Standard Revised Version "foreign") gods" (Gen 35:4). Hither he had come after his meeting with Esau (Gen 33:18). Eusebius, in Onomasticon, here identifies Shechem with Shalem; but See SHALEM . To the East of the city Jacob pitched his tent in a "parcel of ground" which he had bought from Hamor, Shechem's father (Gen 33:19). Here also he raised an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel, "God, the God of Israel" (Gen 33:20). Then follows the story of Dinah's defilement by Shechem, son of the city's chief; and of the treacherous and terrible vengeance exacted by Simeon and Levi (Genesis 34). To the rich pasture land near Shechem Joseph came to seek his brethren (Gen 37:12 ff). It is mentioned as lying to the West of Michmethath (el-Makhneh) on the boundary of Manasseh (Josh 17:7). It was in the territory of Ephraim; it was made a city of refuge, and assigned to the Kohathite Levites (Josh 20:7; 21:21). Near the city the Law was promulgated (Dt 27:11; Josh 8:33). When his end was approaching Joshua gathered the tribes of Israel here and addressed to them his final words of counsel and exhortation (chapter 24). Under the oak in the neighboring sanctuary he set up the stone of witness (24:26). The war of conquest being done, Joseph's bones were buried in the parcel of ground which Jacob had bought, and which fell to the lot of Joseph's descendants (24:33). Abimelech, whose mother was a native of the city, persuaded the men of Shechem to make him king (Jdg 9:1-6), evidently seeking a certain consecration from association with "the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem." Jotham's parable was spoken from the cliff of Gerizim overhanging the town (Jdg 9:7 ff). After a reign of three years Abimelech was rejected by the people. He captured the city, razed it to the foundations, and sowed it with salt. It was then the seat of Canaanite idolatry, the temple of Baal-berith being here (Jdg 9:4,46). In the time of the kings we find that the city was once more a gathering-place of the nation. It was evidently the center, especially for the northern tribes; and hither Rehoboam came in the hope of getting his succession to the throne confirmed (1 Ki 12:1; 2 Ch 10:1). At the disruption Jeroboam fortified the city and made it his residence (2 Ch 10:25; Ant, VIII, viii, 4). The capital of the Northern Kingdom was moved, however, first to Tirzah and then to Samaria, and Shechem declined in political importance. Indeed it is not named again in the history of the monarchy. Apparently there were Israelites in it after the captivity, some of whom on their way to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem met a tragic fate at the hands of Ishmael ben Nethaniah (Jer 41:5 ff). It became the central city of the Samaritans, whose shrine was built on Mt. Gerizim (Sirach 50:26; Ant, XI, viii, 6; XII, i, 1; XIII, iii, 4). Shechem was captured by John Hyrcanus in 132 BC (Ant., XIII, ix, 1; BJ, I, ii, 6). It appears in the New Testament only in the speech of Stephen (Acts 7:16, King James Version "Sychem"). Some (e.g. Smith, DB, under the word) would identify it with Sychar of Jn 4:5; but See SYCHAR . Under the Romans it became Flavia Neapolis. In later times it was the seat of a bishopric; the names of five occupants of the see are known.
2. Location and Physical Features:
There is no doubt as to the situation of ancient Shechem. It lay in the pass which cuts through Mts. Ephraim, Ebal and Gerizim, guarding it on the North and South respectively. Along this line runs the great road which from time immemorial has formed the easiest and the quickest means of communication between the East of the Jordan and the sea. It must have been a place of strength from antiquity. The name seems to occur in Travels of a Mohar (Max Muller, Asien u. Europa, 394), "Mountain of Sahama" probably referring to Ebal or Gerizim. The ancient city may have lain somewhat farther East than the modern Nablus, in which the Roman name Neapolis survives. The situation is one of great beauty. The city lies close to the foot of Gerizim. The terraced slopes of the mountain rise steeply on the South. Across the valley, musical with the sound of running water, the great bulk of Ebal rises on the North, its sides, shaggy with prickly pear, sliding down into grain fields and orchards. The copious springs which supply abundance of water rise at the base of Gerizim. The fruitful and well-wooded valley winds westward among the hills. It is traversed by the carriage road leading to Jaffa and the sea. Eastward the valley opens upon the plain of Makhneh. To the East of the city, in a recess at the base of Gerizim, is the sanctuary known as Rijal el-`Amud, literally, "men of the column" or "pillar," where some would locate the ancient "oak of Moreh" or "of the pillar." Others would find it in a little village farther East with a fine spring, called BalaTa, a name which may be connected with balluT, "oak." Still farther to the East and near the base of Ebal is the traditional tomb of Joseph, a little white-domed building beside a luxuriant orchard. On the slope of the mountain beyond is the village of `Askar; See SYCHAR . To the South of the vale is the traditional Well of Jacob; See JACOB'S WELL . To the Southwest of the city is a small mosque on the spot where Jacob is said to have mourned over the blood-stained coat of Joseph. In the neighboring minaret is a stone whereon the Ten Commandments are engraved in Samaritan characters. The main center of interest in the town is the synagogue of the Samaritans, with their ancient manuscript of the Pentateuch.
The modern town contains about 20,000 inhabitants, the great body of them being Moslems. There are some 700 or 800 Christians, chiefly belonging to the Greek Orthodox church. The Samaritans do not total more than 200. The place is still the market for a wide district, both East and West of Jordan. A considerable trade is done in cotton and wool. Soap is manufactured in large quantities, oil for this purpose being plentifully supplied by the olive groves. Tanning and the manufacture of leather goods are also carried on. In old times the slopes of Ebal were covered with vineyards; but these formed a source of temptation to the "faithful." They were therefore removed by authority, and their place taken by the prickly pears mentioned above.
W. Ewing
she'-kem-its (hashikhmi; Suchemei): The descendants of Shechem the son of Gilead, a clan of Eastern Manasseh (Nu 26:31; Josh 17:2).
The three Hebrew words, naghar, sim or sum and shaphakh, translated "shed" in many Old Testament passages, always mean a "pouring out," and in nearly every case point to the effusion of blood (Gen 9:6; Nu 35:33; Dt 21:7; 2 Sam 20:10; 1 Ch 22:8; Prov 1:16, etc.). The Greek words ekcheo, and ekchuno, have precisely the same specific meaning (Mt 23:35; 26:28; Mk 14:24; Lk 11:50; Heb 9:22; Rev 16:6). Sometimes they are tropically used in reference to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33 the King James Version; Tit 3:6), and to the outpouring of the love of God in the believer's heart (Rom 5:5).
Henry E. Dosker
shed'-e-ur, she-de'-ur (shedhe'ur, "daybreak"; Codex Vaticanus Sediour, Ediour): The father of Elizur, the chief of Reuben (Nu 1:5; 2:10; 7:30). French Delitzsch correctly conceives the name as an Assyrian compound, sad uri, "daybreak." Cf, however, Gray, HPN, 169, 197, who emends the text to read Shaddai 'Ur, "Shaddai is flame."
shep:
The usual Hebrew word is tso'n, which is often translated "flock," e.g. "Abel .... brought of the firstlings of his flock" (Gen 4:4); "butter of the herd, and milk of the flock" (Dt 32:14). The King James Version and the English Revised Version have "milk of sheep." Compare Arabic da'n. The Greek word is probaton. For other names, see notes underCATTLE ;EWE ;LAMB ;RAM .
The origin of domestic sheep is unknown. There are 11 wild species, the majority of which are found in Asia, and it is conceivable that they may have spread from the highlands of Central Asia to the other portions of their habitat. In North America is found the "bighorn," which is very closely related to a Kamschatkan species. One species, the urial or sha, is found in India. The Barbary sheep, Ovis tragelaphus, also known as the aoudad or arui, inhabits the Atlas Mountains of Northwest Africa. It is thought by Tristram to be zemer, English Versions of the Bible "chamois" of Dt 14:5, but there is no good evidence that this animal ranges eastward into Bible lands. Geographically nearest is the Armenian wild sheep, Ovis gmelini, of Asia Minor and Persia. The Cyprian wild sheep may be only a variety of the last, and the mouflon of Corsica and Sardinia is an allied species. It is not easy to draw the line between wild sheep and wild goats. Among the more obvious distinctions are the chin beard and strong odor of male goats. The pelage of all wild sheep consists of hair, not wool, and this indeed is true of some domestic sheep as the fat-rumped short-tailed sheep of Abyssinia and Central Asia. The young lambs of this breed have short curly wool which is the astrachan of commerce. Sheep are geologically recent, their bones and teeth not being found in earlier deposits than the pleiocene or pleistocene. They were, however, among the first of domesticated animals.
The sheep of Syria and Palestine are characterized by the possession of an enormous fat tail which weighs many pounds and is known in Arabic as 'alyat, or commonly, liyat. This is the 'alyah, "fat tail" (the King James Version "rump") (Ex 29:22; Lev 3:9; 7:3; 8:25; 9:19), which was burned in sacrifice. This is at the present day esteemed a great delicacy. Sheep are kept in large numbers by the Bedouin, but a large portion of the supply of mutton for the cities is from the sheep of Armenia and Kurdistan, of which great droves are brought down to the coast in easy stages. Among the Moslems every well-to-do family sacrifices a sheep at the feast of al-'adcha', the 10th day of the month dhu-l-chijjat, 40 days after the end of ramadan, the month of fasting. In Lebanon every peasant family during the summer fattens a young ram, which is literally crammed by one of the women of the household, who keeps the creature's jaw moving with one hand while with the other she stuffs its mouth with vine or mulberry leaves. Every afternoon she washes it at the village fountain. When slaughtered in the fall it is called ma`luf, "fed," and is very fat and the flesh very tender. Some of the meat and fat are eaten at once, but the greater part, fat and lean, is cut up fine, cooked together in a large vessel with pepper and salt, and stored in an earthen jar. This, the so-called qauramat, is used as needed through the winter.
In the mountains the sheep are gathered at night into folds, which may be caves or enclosures of rough stones. Fierce dogs assist the shepherd in warding off the attacks of wolves, and remain at the fold through the day to guard the slight bedding and simple utensils. In going to pasture the sheep are not driven but are led, following the shepherd as he walks before them and calls to them. "When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice" (Jn 10:4).
The sheepfolds of Reuben on the plain of Gilead are referred to in Nu 32:16 and Jdg 5:16. A cave is mentioned in 1 Sam 24:3 in connection with the pursuit of David by Saul. The shepherd origin of David is referred to in Ps 78:70:
"He chose David also his servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds."
Compare also 2 Sam 7:8 and 1 Ch 17:7.
The shearing of the sheep was a large operation and evidently became a sort of festival. Absalom invited the king's sons to his sheep-shearing in Baal-hazor in order that he might find an opportunity to put Amnon to death while his heart was "merry with wine" (2 Sam 13:23-29). The character of the occasion is evident also from the indignation of David at Nabal when the latter refused to provide entertainment at his sheep-shearing for David's young men who had previously protected the flocks of Nabal (1 Sam 25:2-13). There is also mention of the sheep-shearing of Judah (Gen 38:12) and of Laban (Gen 31:19), on which occasion Jacob stole away with his wives and children and his flocks.
Sheep were the most important sacrificial animals, a ram or a young male being often specified. Ewes are mentioned in Lev 3:6; 4:32; 5:6; 14:10; 22:28; Nu 6:14.
In the Books of Chronicles we find statements of enormous numbers of animals consumed in sacrifice: "And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep" (2 Ch 7:5); "And they sacrificed unto Yahweh in that day (in the reign of Asa) .... seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep" (2 Ch 15:11); at the cleansing of the temple by Hezekiah "the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep. But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt-offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them" (2 Ch 29:33 f); and "Hezekiah king of Judah did give to the assembly for offerings a thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the assembly a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep" (2 Ch 30:24). In the account of the war of the sons of Reuben and their allies with the Hagrites, we read: "And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men a hundred thousand" (1 Ch 5:21). Mesha king of Moab is called a "sheep-master," and we read that "he rendered unto the king of Israel the wool of a hundred thousand lambs, and of a hundred thousand rams" (2 Ki 3:4).
Christ is represented as the Lamb of God (Isa 53:7; Jn 1:29; Rev 5:6). Some of the most beautiful passages in the Bible represent God as a shepherd: "From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel" (Gen 49:24); "Yahweh is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Ps 23:1; compare Isa 40:11; Ezek 34:12-16). Jesus said "I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own, and mine own know me .... and I lay down my life for the sheep" (Jn 10:14 f). The people without leaders are likened to sheep without a shepherd (Nu 27:17; 1 Ki 22:17; 2 Ch 18:16; Ezek 34:5). Jesus at the Last Supper applies to Himself the words of Zec 13:7; "I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad" (Mt 26:31; Mk 14:27). The enemies of Yahweh are compared to the fat of the sacrifice that is consumed away in smoke (Ps 37:20). God's people are "the sheep of his pasture" (Ps 79:13; 95:7; 100:3). In sinning they become like lost sheep (Isa 53:6; Jer 50:6; Ezek 34:6; Lk 15:3 ff). In the mouth of Nathan the poor man's one little ewe lamb is a vivid image of the treasure of which the king David has robbed Uriah the Hittite (2 Sam 12:3). In Song 6:6, the teeth of the bride are likened to a flock of ewes. It is prophesied that "the wolf shall dwell with the lamb" (Isa 11:6) and that "the wolf and the lamb shall feed together" (Isa 65:25). Jesus says to His disciples, "I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves" (Mt 10:16; compare Lk 10:3). In the parable of the Good Shepherd we read: "He that is a hireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth" (Jn 10:12).
Alfred Ely Day
(sha`ar ha-tso'-n (Neh 3:1,32; 12:39)): One of the gates of Jerusalem, probably near the northeast corner. See JERUSALEM . For the "sheep gate" of Jn 5:2, See BETHESDA ;SHEEP MARKET .
(Jn 5:2, the Revised Version (British and American) "sheep gate"): The Greek (he probatike) means simply something that pertains to sheep.
See BETHESDA ;SHEEP GATE .
ten'-ding: The Scriptural allusions to pastoral life and the similes drawn from that life are the most familiar and revered in the Bible. Among the first verses that a child learns is "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not wants" (Ps 23:1 the King James Version, the English Revised Version). What follower of the Master does not love to dwell on the words of the "Good Shepherd" chapter in the Gospel of John (Jn 10)? Jesus must have drawn a sympathetic response when He referred to the relationship of sheep to shepherd, a relationship familiar to all His hearers and doubtless shared by some of them with their flocks. As a rule the modern traveler in the Holy Land meets with disappointment if he comes expecting to see things as they were depicted in the Bible. An exception to this is the pastoral life, which has not changed one what since Abraham and his descendants fed their flocks on the rich plateaus East of the Jordan or on the mountains of Palestine and Syria. One may count among his most prized experiences the days and nights spent under the spell of Syrian shepherd life.
James A. Patch
(noqedh, "herdsman," 2 Ki 3:4).
See SHEEP-SHEARING .
shep'-sher-ing: The sheep-shearing is done in the springtime, either by the owners (Gen 31:19; 38:13; Dt 15:19; 1 Sam 25:2,4) or by regular "shearers" (gazaz) (1 Sam 25:7,11; Isa 53:7). There were special houses for this work in Old Testament times (2 Ki 10:12,14). The shearing was carefully done so as to keep the fleece whole (Jdg 6:37). The sheep of a flock are not branded but spotted. Lime or some dyestuff is painted in one or more spots on the wool of the back as a distinguishing mark. In 2 Ki 3:4, Mesha, the chief or sheikh of Moab, was a sheep-master, literally, "a sheep spotter."
James A. Patch
shep'-kot, shep'-kot, shep'-fold (gedherah, mikhlah, mishpethayim, naweh; aule): At night the sheep are driven into a sheepfold if they are in a district where there is danger from robbers or wild beasts. These folds are simple walled enclosures (Nu 32:16; Jdg 5:16; 2 Ch 32:28; Ps 78:70; Zeph 2:6; Jn 10:1). On the top of the wall is heaped thorny brushwood as a further safeguard. Sometimes there is a covered hut in the corner for the shepherd. Where there is no danger the sheep huddle together in the open until daylight, while the shepherd watches over them (Gen 31:39; Lk 2:8). In the winter time caves are sought after (1 Sam 24:3; Zeph 2:6). The antiquity of the use of some of the caves for this purpose is indicated by the thick deposit of potassium nitrate formed from the decomposition of the sheep dung.
James A. Patch
shep'-skin.
See BOTTLE ;DRESS ;RAMS' SKINS , etc.
she'-e-ra (she'erah; Codex Alexandrinus Saara, Codex Vaticanus omits): A daughter of Ephraim, who, according to the Massoretic Text of 1 Ch 7:24 (the King James Version "Sherah"), built the two Beth-horons and Uzzen-sheerah. The verse has been suspected because elsewhere in the Old Testament the founders of cities are men. Uzzen-sheerah as a place is unidentified; Conder suggests as the site Bet Sira, a village 2 miles Southwest of the Lower Beth-horon (Mem 3 16).
shet. See DRESS ; compare Acts 10:11, "as it were a great sheet" (othone).
she-ha-ri'-a (sheharyah): A Benjamite (1 Ch 8:26).
shek'-'-l, shek'-el, she'-kel, she'-kul (sheqel): A weight and a coin. The Hebrew shekel was the 50th part of a mina, and as a weight about 224 grains, and as money (silver) was worth about 2 shillings 9d., or 66 cents (in 1915). No gold shekel has been found, and hence, it is inferred that such a coin was not used; but as a certain amount of gold, by weight, it is mentioned in 2 Ch 3:9 and is probably intended to be supplied in 2 Ki 5:5. The gold shekel was 1/60 of the heavy Babylonian mina and weighed about 252 grains. In value it was about equal to 2 British pounds and 1 shilling, or about $10.00 (in 1915). See MONEY ;WEIGHTS AND MEASURES . In the Revised Version (British and American) of Mt 17:27 "shekel" replaces "piece of money" of the King James Version, the translation of stater.
See STATER .
H. Porter
SHEKEL OF THE KING'S WEIGHT, ROYAL SHEKEL
('ebhen ha-melekh, "stone (i.e. weight) of the king"): The shekel by which Absalom's hair was weighed (2 Sam 14:26), probably the light shekel of 130 grains.
See WEIGHTS AND MEASURES .
SHEKEL OF THE SANCTUARY; SACRED SHEKEL
(sheqel ha-qodhesh (Nu 7 passim)): The same as the silver shekel mentioned under SHEKEL (which see), except in Ex 38:24, where it is used in measuring gold. The term is used for offerings made for sacred purposes.
she-ki'-na (shekhinah, "that which dwells," from the verb shakhen, or shakhan, "to dwell," "reside"): This word is not found in the Bible, but there are allusions to it in Isa 60:2; Mt 17:5; Lk 2:9; Rom 9:4. It is first found in the Targums.
See GLORY .
she'-la (shelah; Sala):
(1) The youngest son of Judah and the daughter of Shua the Canaanite (Gen 38:5,11,14,26; 46:12; Nu 26:20 (16); 1 Ch 2:3; 4:21). He gave his name to the family of the Shelanites (Nu 26:20 (16)). Probably "the Shelanite" should be substituted for "the Shilonite" of Neh 11:5; 1 Ch 9:5.
(2) (shelach): The son or (Septuagint) grandson of Arpachshad and father of Eber (Gen 10:24; 11:13 (12),14,15; 1 Ch 1:18,24; Lk 3:35).
(3) Neh 3:15 = "Shiloah" of Isa 8:6.
See SILOAM .
she'-lan-its, she-la'-nits.
See SHELAH .
shel-e-mi'-a, she-lem'-ya (shelemyah; Codex Vaticanus Selemia, Codex Alexandrinus (Selemias):
(1) One of the sons of Bani who married foreign wives in the time of Ezra (Ezr 10:39), called "Selemias" in 1 Esdras 9:34.
(2) Father of Hananiah who restored part of the wall of Jerusalem (Neh 3:30) (Codex Vaticanus Telemia, ..., Telemias).
(3) A priest who was appointed one of the treasurers to distribute the Levitical tithes by Nehemiah (Neh 13:13).
(4) The father of Jehucal (or Jucal) in the reign of Zedekiah (Jer 37:3; 38:1; in the second passage the name is Shelemyahu).
(5) The father of Irijah, the captain of the ward, who arrested Jeremiah as a deserter to the Chaldeans (Jer 37:13).
(6) 1 Ch 26:14.
See MESHELEMIAH .
(7) Another of the sons of Bani who married foreign wives in the time of Ezra (Ezr 10:41). It is of interest to note that the order of names in this passage--Sharai, Azarel, and Shelemiah--is almost identical with the names in Jer 36:26, namely, Seraiah, Azriel, Shelemiah.
(8) Ancestor of Jehudi (Jer 36:14).
(9) Septuagint omits.) Son of Abdeel, one of the men sent by Jehoiakim to seize Baruch and Jeremiah after Baruch had read the "roll" in the king's presence (Jer 36:26).
Horace J. Wolf
she'-lef (shaleph, in pause; Septuagint Saleph): Son of Joktan (Gen 10:26; 1 Ch 1:20). Sheleph is the name of a Yemenite tribe or district, named on Sabean inscriptions and also by Arabian geographers, located in Southern Arabia.
she'-lesh (shelesh; Codex Vaticanus Seme; Codex Alexandrinus Selles, Lucian, Selem): An Asherite, son of Helem (1 Ch 7:35).
she-lo'-mi, shel'-o-mi (shelomi): An Asherite (Nu 34:27).
she-lo'-mith, shel'-o-mith (shelomith; in Ezr 8:10, shelomith):
(1) The mother of the man who was stoned for blasphemy (Lev 24:11) (BAF, Salomeith, Lucian, Salmith).
(2) Daughter of Zerubbabel (1 Ch 3:19) (Codex Vaticanus Salomethei; Codex Alexandrinus Salomethi, Lucian, Salomith).
(3) One of the "sons of Izhar" (1 Ch 23:18) (Codex Vaticanus Salomoth; Codex Alexandrinus Saloumoth, Lucian, Salomith), called "Shelomoth" in 24:22.
(4) The name of a family whose representatives returned with Ezra (Ezr 8:10) (Codex Vaticanus Saleimouth; Lucian, Salimoth). The Massoretic Text here should read, "and the sons of Bani; Shelomith, son of Josiphiah"; and in 1 Esdras 8:36, "of the sons of Banias, Salimoth, son of Josaphias."
Horace J. Wolf
she-lo'-moth, shel'-o-moth, -moth (shelomoth):
(1) An Izharite (1 Ch 24:22, Codex Vaticanus and Codex Alexandrinus Salomoth; Lucian, Salomith = "Shelomith" of 1 Ch 23:18).
(2) A Levite descended from Eliezer ben Moses (1 Ch 26:25, Qere shelomith; 1 Ch 26:28).
(3) A Gershonite (1 Ch 23:9, Qere Shelomith; Codex Vaticanus Alotheim, Codex Alexandrinus Salomeith).
she-lu'-mi-el (shelumi'el; both the punctuation and interpretation are in doubt. Massoretic Text punctuates the first element as a passive participle; the use of the participle in compounds is common in Assyrian but rare in Heb (compare Gray, HPN , 200). The meaning of the present form, if it be correct, is "at peace with God" (Hommel, Ancient Hebrew Tradition, 200, "my friend is God"). Septuagint reads Salamiel: Prince of the tribe of Simeon (Nu 1:6; 2:12; 7:36,41; 10:19). The genealogy of Judith (8:1) is carried back to this Shelumiel or Shelamiel, called there "Salamiel."
Horace J. Wolf
shem (shem; Sem):
1. Position in Noah's Family: His Name:
The eldest son of Noah, from whom the Jews, as well as the Semitic ("Shemitic") nations in general have descended. When giving the names of Noah's three sons, Shem is always mentioned first (Gen 9:18; 10:1, etc.); and though "the elder" in "Shem the brother of Japheth the elder" (Gen 10:21 margin) is explained as referring to Shem, this is not the rendering of Onkelos. His five sons peopled the greater part of West Asia's finest tracts, from Elam on the East to the Mediterranean on the West. Though generally regarded as meaning "dusky" (compare the Assyr-Babylonian samu--also Ham--possibly = "black," Japheth, "fair"), it is considered possible that Shem may be the usual Hebrew word for "name" (shem), given him because he was the firstborn--a parallel to the Assyr-Babylonian usage, in which "son," "name" (sumu) are synonyms (W. A. Inscriptions, V, plural 23, 11,29-32abc).
2. History, and the Nations Descended from Him:
Shem, who is called "the father of all the children of Eber," was born when Noah had attained the age of 500 years (Gen 5:32). Though married at the time of the Flood, Shem was then childless. Aided by Japheth, he covered the nakedness of their father, which Ham, the youngest brother, had revealed to them; but unlike the last, Shem and Japheth, in their filial piety, approached their father walking backward, in order not to look upon him. Two years after the Flood, Shem being then 100 years old, his son Arpachshad was born (Gen 11:10), and was followed by further sons and daughters during the remaining 500 years which preceded Shem's death. Noah's prophetic blessing, on awakening from his wine, may be regarded as having been fulfilled in his descendants, who occupied Syria (Aramaic), Palestine (Canaan), Chaldea (Arpachshad), Assyria (Asshur), part of Persia (Elam), and Arabia (Joktan). In the first three of these, as well as in Elam, Canaanites had settled (if not in the other districts mentioned), but Shemites ruled, at some time or other, over the Canaanites, and Canaan thus became "his servant" (Gen 9:25,26). The tablets found in Cappadocia seem to show that Shemites (Assyrians) had settled in that district also, but this was apparently an unimportant colony. Though designated sons of Shem, some of his descendants (e.g. the Elamites) did not speak a Semitic language, while other nationalities, not his descendants (e.g. the Canaanites), did.
See HAM ;JAPHETH ;TABLE OF NATIONS .
T. G. Pinches
she'-ma (shema`; Samaa): A city of Judah in the Negeb (Josh 15:26). If, as some think, identical with SHEBA (which see) of Josh 19:2, then the latter must have been inserted here from Josh 15:26. It is noticeable that the root letters (sh-m-`) were those from which Simeon is derived. Shema is probably identical with Jeshua (Neh 11:26). The place was clearly far South, and it may be Kh. Sa`wah, a ruin upon a prominent hilltop between Kh. `Attir and Khirbet el-Milch. There is a wall around the ruins, of large blocks of conglomerate flint (PEF, III, 409, Sh XXV).
E. W. G. Masterman
(shema`):
(1) A Reubenite (1 Ch 5:8, Codex Vaticanus and Codex Alexandrinus Sama, Lucian, Semeei).
See SHIMEI .
(2) One of the heads of "fathers' houses" in Aijalon, who put to flight the inhabitants of Gath (1 Ch 8:13, Codex Vaticanus and Codex Alexandrinus Sama, Lucian, Samoa); in 1 Ch 8:21 he is called "Shimei." The statement is very obscure and the whole incident is probably due to some marginal note.
(3) One of those who stood at Ezra's right during the reading of the Law (Neh 8:4, Samaias). He is called "Sammus" in 1 Esdras 9:43.
Horace J. Wolf
she-ma'-a, shem'-a-a (ha-shema`-ah; Codex Vaticanus Ama, Codex Alexandrinus Samaa, Lucian, Asma): A Benjamite, who was the father, according to the Massoretic Text, of Ahiezer and Joash; but according to the Septuagint huios = (ben) instead of (bene) of Joash alone (1 Ch 12:3). The original text may have read ben yeho-shama` (compare hoshama`, of 1 Ch 3:18); then a dittography of the following (h) caused the error (Curtis, ICC).
she-ma'-ya, she-mi'-a (shema`yah (in 2 Ch 11:2; 17:8; 31:15; 35:9; Jer 26:20; 29:24; 36:12, shema`yahu), "Jahveh hears"): The name is most frequently borne by priests, Levites and prophets.
(1) Codex Vaticanus Sammaias; Codex Alexandrinus Samaias (2 Ch 12:5,7). A prophet who, together with Ahijah, protested against Rehoboam's contemplated war against the ten revolted tribes (1 Ki 12:22-24 = 2 Ch 11:2-4). He declared that the rebellion had divine sanction. The second Greek account knows nothing of Ahijah in this connection and introduces Shemaiah at the gathering at Shechem where both Jeroboam and Rehoboam were present; it narrates that on this occasion Shemaiah (not Ahijah) rent his garment and gave ten parts to Jeroboam to signify the ten tribes over which he was to become king. (This version, however, is not taken very seriously, because of its numerous inconsistencies.) Shemaiah also prophesied at the invasion of Judah by Shishak (2 Ch 12:5-7). His message was to the effect that as the princes of Israel had humbled themselves, God's wrath against their idolatrous practices would not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak (2 Ch 13:7). He is mentioned as the author of a history of Rehoboam (2 Ch 12:15).
(2) Son of Shecaniah (1 Ch 3:22, Samaia), a descendant of Zerubbabel. This is also the name of one of the men who helped to repair the wall (Neh 3:29, Semeia (...) (compare Curtis, ICC , in 1 Ch 3:17-24)).
(3) A Simeonite (1 Ch 4:37, Codex Vaticanus Sumeon; Codex Alexandrinus Samaias), identical, perhaps, with the Shimei of 1 Ch 4:26,27.
(4) A Reubenite (1 Ch 5:4, Codex Vaticanus Semeei; Codex Alexandrinus Semein), called Shema in 1 Ch 5:8.
(5) A Merarite Levite (1 Ch 9:14; Neh 11:15, Samaia), one of those who dwelt in Jerusalem.
(6) A Levite of the family of Jeduthun, father of Obadiah or Abda (1 Ch 9:16, Sameia, Codex Alexandrinus Samias, called "Shammua" in Neh 11:17).
(7) Head of the Levitical Kohathite clan of Elizaphan in the time of David (1 Ch 15:8, Codex Vaticanus Samaias; Codex Alexandrinus Samaia; Codex Sinaiticus Sameas; 1 Ch 15:11, Codex Vaticanus Samias; Codex Alexandrinus Semeias; Codex Sinaiticus Samai). He may be the same person as (8).
(8) The scribe (1 Ch 24:6), the son of Nethanel, who registered the names of the priestly courses.
(9) A Korahite Levite, eldest son of Obed-edom (1 Ch 26:4,6, Codex Vaticanus Samaias; Codex Alexandrinus Sameias; 1 Ch 26:7, Codex Vaticanus Samai; Codex Alexandrinus Semeia).
(10) A Levite (2 Ch 17:8, Codex Vaticanus Samouas; Codex Alexandrinus Samouias). One of the commission appointed by Jehoshaphat to teach the book of the Law in Judah. The names of the commissioners as a whole belong to a period later than the 9th century. (Gray, HPN, 231).
(11) One of the men "over the free-will offerings of God" (2 Ch 31:15, Semeei).
(12) A Levite of the family of Jeduthun in the reign of Hezekiah (2 Ch 29:14), one of those who assisted in the purification of the Temple.
(13) A chief of the Levites (2 Ch 35:9), called "Samaias" in Septuagint and 1 Esdras 1:9.
(14) A "chief man" under Ezra (Ezr 8:16), called "Maasmas" and "Samaias" in 1 Esdras 8:43,44.
(15) A member of the family of Adonikam (Ezr 8:13, Codex Vaticanus Samaia; Codex Alexandrinus Samaeia; "Samaias" in 1 Esdras 8:39).
(16) A priest of the family of Harim who married a foreign wife (Ezr 10:21), called "Sameus" in 1 Esdras 9:21.
(17) A layman of the family of Harim who married a foreign wife (Ezr 10:31), called "Sabbeus" in 1 Esdras 9:32.
(18) A prophet (Neh 6:10-14, Codex Vaticanus Semeei; Codex Alexandrinus Semei), employed by Sanballat and Tobiah to frighten Nehemiah and hinder the rebuilding of the wall.
(19) One of the 24 courses of priests, 16th under Zerubbabel (Neh 12:6, Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Alexandrinus Semeias), 15th under Joiakim (Neh 12:18; Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Alexandrinus Semeia), and 21st under Nehemiah (Neh 10:8, Samaia), mentioned in connection with the dedication of the wall.
(20) A priest, descendant of Asaph (Neh 12:35).
(21) A singer (or clan) participating in the dedication of the wall (Neh 12:36).
(22) Father of the prophet Urijah (Jer 26:20, Codex Vaticanus and Codex Alexandrinus Samaias; Codex Sinaiticus Maseas).
(23) A false prophet who was upbraided by Jeremiah (29:24-32) for attempting to hinder his work. He is styled "the Nehelamite" and was among those carried into captivity with Jehoiachin. In opposition to Jeremiah, he predicted a speedy ending to the captivity. Jeremiah foretold the complete destruction of Shemaiah's family.
(24) Father of Delaiah, who was a prince in the reign of Zedekiah (Jer 36:12).
(25) "The great," kinsman of Tobias (Tobit 5:13).
Horace J. Wolf
shem-a-ri'-a, she-mar'-ya (shemaryah and shemaryahu, "whom Jahveh guards"):
(1) A Benjamite warrior who joined David at Ziklag (1 Ch 12:5, Codex Vaticanus Sammaraia; Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Alexandrinus Samaria; Lucian, Samarias).
(2) A son of Rehoboam (2 Ch 11:19).
(3) One of the sons of Harim who had married foreign wives (Ezr 10:32, Codex Vaticanus Samareia, Lucian, Samarias; Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Alexandrinus Semaria).
(4) One of the sons of Bani who had married foreign wives (Ezr 10:41, Codex Alexandrinus Samareias; Codex Vaticanus Samareia; Lucian, Samarias).
Horace J. Wolf
shem-e'-ber, shem'-e-ber (shem'-ebher): The king of Zeboiim (Gen 14:2).
See SHINAB .
she'-med.
See SHEMER , (4).
she'-mer (shemer; Semer, Lucian, Semmer):
(1) The owner of the hill which Omri bought and which became the site of Samaria (1 Ki 16:24, shomeron). Shemer may be an ancient clan name. The fact, however, that the mountain was called Shomeron when Omri bought it makes one doubt that the city of Samaria was named after Shemer; the passage is questionable. The real etymology of Samaria roots it in "watch mountain" (see Stade, Zeitschrift, 165 f).
(2) A Merarite (1 Ch 6:46 (31), Semmer).
(3) An Asherite (1 Ch 7:34, A and Lucian, Somer), called "Shomer" in 1 Ch 7:32.
(4) A Benjamite (1 Ch 8:12, Codex Vaticanus Semer; Codex Alexandrinus Semmer; Lucian, Samaiel); the Revised Version (British and American) "Shemed," the King James Version "Shamed."
The Hebrew manuscripts differ; some read "Shemer," others "Shemedh."
Horace J. Wolf
SHEMIDA; SHEMIDAH; SHEMIDAITES
she-mi'-da, she-mi'-da-its (shemidha): A Gileadite clan belonging to Manasseh (Nu 26:32; Josh 17:2, Codex Vaticanus Sumareim; Codex Alexandrinus Semirae; Lucian, Samidae; 1 Ch 7:19, the King James Version "Shemidah," after whom the Shemidaites (Nu 26:32) were called).
shem'-i-nith.
she-mir'-a-moth, she-mi'-ra-moth, shem-i-ra'-moth (shemiramoth; in 2 Ch 17:8, Kethibh shemiramoth; Semeiramoth): The name of a Levitical family. In 1 Ch 15:18,20; 16:5 Shemiramoth is listed among the names of David's choirs; in 2 Ch 17:8 the same name is given among the Levites delegated by Jehoshaphat to teach the Law in the cities of Judah. According to Schrader (KAT (2), 366) the name is to be identified with the Assyrian Sammuramat; the latter occurs as a woman's name on the monuments, more especially on the statues of Nebo from Nimrod. Another suggestion is that Shemiramoth was originally a place-name meaning "image of Shemiram" (= name of Ram or "the Exalted One").
Horace J. Wolf
shem'-its.
See SEMITES .
she-mu'-el, shem'-u-el (shemu'el, "name of God" (?) (1 Ch 6:33 (18)); the Revised Version (British and American) Samuel, the prophet (See SAMUEL ); compare Gray, HPN , 200, note 3):
(1) The Simeonite appointed to assist in the division of the land (Nu 34:20). The Massoretic Text should be emended to shelumi'el, to correspond with the form found in Nu 1:6; 2:12; 7:36,41; 10:19. Septuagint has uniformly Salamiel.
(2) Grandson of Issachar (1 Ch 7:2) (Codex Vaticanus Isamouel; Codex Alexandrinus and Lucian, Samouel).
shen (ha-shen, "the tooth" or "peak"; tes palaias): A place named only in 1 Sam 7:12 to indicate the position of the stone set up by Samuel in connection with the victory over the Philistines, "between Mizpah and Shen." The Septuagint evidently reads yashan, "old." Probably we should here read yeshanah, as in 2 Ch 13:19 (OHL, under the word). Then it may be represented by `Ain Sinia, to the North of Beitin.
she-na'-zar: the King James Version = the Revised Version (British and American) SHENAZZAR (which see).
she-naz'-ar (shen'atstsar): A son of Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) and uncle of Zerubbabel (1 Ch 3:18, Codex Vaticanus and Codex Alexandrinus Sanesar; Lucian, Sanasar; Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) Sennaser, Senneser). It is highly probable that Sheshbazzar (Ezr 1:8,11), "the prince of Judah," and Shenazzar are identical (so Meyer, Rothstein, etc.). The name is difficult; some suggest a corruption of shushbalatstsar, and as equivalent to Sin-usur, "Sin (the moon-god) protect."
she'-ner (senir, shenir): Only found in Song 4:8 (Massoretic Text).
See SENIR .
she'-ol (she'ol):
1. The Name
2. The Abode of the Dead
(1) Not a State of Unconsciousness
(2) Not Removed from God's Jurisdiction
(3) Relation to Immortality
3. Post-canonical Period
This word is often translated in the King James Version "grave" (e.g. Gen 37:35; 1 Sam 2:6; Job 7:9; 14:13; Ps 6:5; 49:14; Isa 14:11, etc.) or "hell" (e.g. Dt 32:22; Ps 9:17; 18:5; Isa 14:9; Am 9:2, etc.); in 3 places by "pit" (Nu 16:30,33; Job 17:16). It means really the unseen world, the state or abode of the dead, and is the equivalent of the Greek Haides, by which word it is translated in Septuagint. The English Revisers have acted somewhat inconsistently in leaving "grave" or "pit" in the historical books and putting "Sheol" in the margin, while substituting "Sheol" in the poetical writings, and putting "grave" in the margin ("hell" is retained in Isa 14). Compare their "Preface." The American Revisers more properly use "Sheol" throughout. The etymology of the word is uncertain. A favorite derivation is from sha'al, "to ask" (compare Prov 1:12; 27:20; 30:15,16; Isa 5:14; Hab 2:5); others prefer the sha'al, "to be hollow." The Babylonians are said to have a similar word Sualu, though this is questioned by some.
Into Sheol, when life is ended, the dead are gathered in their tribes and families. Hence, the expression frequently occurring in the Pentateuch, "to be gathered to one's people," "to go to one's fathers," etc. (Gen 15:15; 25:8,17; 49:33; Nu 20:24,28; 31:2; Dt 32:50; 34:5). It is figured as an under-world (Isa 44:23; Ezek 26:20, etc.), and is described by other terms, as "the pit" (Job 33:24; Ps 28:1; 30:3; Prov 1:12; Isa 38:18, etc.), ABADDON (which see) or Destruction (Job 26:6; 28:22; Prov 15:11), the place of "silence" (Ps 94:17; 115:17), "the land of darkness and the shadow of death" (Job 10:21 f). It is, as the antithesis of the living condition, the synonym for everything that is gloomy, inert, insubstantial (the abode of Rephaim, "shades," Job 26:5;, Prov 2:18; 21:16; Isa 14:9; 26:14). It is a "land of forgetfulness," where God's "wonders" are unknown (Ps 88:10-12). There is no remembrance or praise of God (Ps 6:5; 88:12; 115:17, etc.). In its darkness, stillness, powerlessness, lack of knowledge and inactivity, it is a true abode of death (See DEATH ); hence, is regarded by the living with shrinking, horror and dismay (Ps 39:13; Isa 38:17-19), though to the weary and troubled it may present the aspect of a welcome rest or sleep (Job 3:17-22; 14:12 f). The Greek idea of Hades was not dissimilar.