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Servant – Shur
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Servant
This word sometimes denotes a man who voluntarily dedicates himself to the service of another. Thus Joshua was the servant of Moses; Elisha of Elijah; and Peter, Andrew, Philip, and Paul were servants of Jesus Christ. The servants of Pharaoh, of Saul, and of David, were their subjects in general, and their court officers and counselors in particular. The Philistines, Syrians, and other nation were servants of David, that is, they obeyed and paid him tribute. The servants of God are those who are devoted to his service and obey his holy word.
In its primary sense, the word usually means in the Bible either a hired servant, or one whose service was the property of his master for a limited time and under various restrictions. Joseph is the first whom we read of as sold into bondage, ,. The households of some of the early patriarchs contained many servants, who were apparently treated with kindness and justice; the highest trusts were sometimes confided to them, and they might inherit their master’s estate, ; ; . They shared the religious privileges of the household, ,; , and were not transferred to other masters.
At the establishment of the Hebrew commonwealth, involuntary servitude was everywhere prevalent; and so far as it existed among the Jews, Moses sought to bring it under the restrictions demanded by religion and humanity. The mildest form of bond-service was that of a Hebrew in the house of another Hebrew. He might become bound to this service in various ways, chiefly through poverty, ; ; to acquit himself of a debt he could not otherwise pay, ; to make restitution for a theft, ; or to earn the price of his ransom for captivity among heathen. This form of service could not continue more than six or seven years; unless, when the Sabbatical year came round, the servant chose to remain permanently or until the Jubilee with his master, in token of which he suffered his ear to be bored before witnesses, ,; . The Hebrews servant was not to be made to serve with rigor, nor transferred to any harder bondage; he had an appeal to the tribunals, a right to all religious privileges, the power of demanding release on providing a pecuniary equivalent, and a donation from his master at his release, ; . Compare also ,; ; . The law likewise provided for the deliverance of a Hebrew, who was in bondage to a resident foreigner, .
From the heathen around and among them, especially from their captive enemies and the remains of the Canaanites, the Hebrew obtained many servants. These were protected by law, ,; , and might become proselytes, attend the festivals, enjoy religious instruction and privileges, ; ; ; . The servant who was mutilated by his master was to be set free, ,; the refugee from foreign oppression was to be welcomed, ,; and kidnapping or man stealing was forbidden on pain of death, ; ; .
Roman slavery, as it existed in the time of Christ, was comparatively unknown to the Jews. The Romans held in bondage captives taken in war, had purchased slaves. Their bondage was perpetual, and the master held unquestioned control of the person and life of his slaves. Yet large numbers were set free, and in many instances Roman freedmen rose to the highest honors.
The allusion of the Bible to involuntary servitude, imply that it is an evil and undesirable condition of life; yet the bondman who cannot obtain his freedom is divinely exhorted to contentment, . Meanwhile the Bible give directions as to the mutual duties of masters and servants, ; ; ; ; ; ; and proclaims the great truths of the common origin of all men, the immorality of every human soul, and its right to the Bible and to all necessary means of knowing and serving the Saviorthe application of which to all the relations of master and servant, superior and inferior, employer and employed, would prevent all oppression, which God abhors, ; ; ; ; ; .
Seth
The first son of Adam after the death of Abel, ,; ,,, and ancestor of the line of godly patriarchs.
Seven
As from the beginning this was the number of days in the week, so it often has in Scripture a sort of emphasis attached to it, and is very generally used as a round or perfect number. Clean beasts were taken into the ark by sevens, . The years of plenty and famine in Egypt were marked by sevens, . With the Jews, not only was there a seventh day Sabbath, but every seventh year was a Sabbath, and after every seven times seven years came a jubilee. Their great feasts of unleavened bread and of tabernacles were observed for seven days; the number of animals in many of their sacrifices was limited to seven. The golden candlestick had seven branches. Seven priests with seven trumpets went around the walls of Jericho seven days, and seven times on the seventh day. In the Apocalypse we find seven churches mentioned, seven candlesticks, seven spirits, seven stars, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven vials, seven plagues, and seven angels to pour them out.
Seven is often put for any round or whole number, just as we use "ten" or "a dozen;" so in ; ; ; ,; ; . In like manner, seven times, or sevenfold, means often, abundantly, completely, ,; ; ; ; . And seventy times seven is a still higher superlative, .
Shaalbim
A town of God, long held by the Amorites, ; , but in the time of Solomon the headquarters of one of his commissaries, .
Shadow
Sometimes denotes intense darkness and gloom, , and sometimes a cool retreat, , or perfect protection, ; ; .
The long shadows cast by the declining sun are alluded to in ; . The swift, never ceasing motion of a shadow is an emblem of human life, ; .
Shadrach
A Chaldean name given to Ananias at the court of Nebuchadnezzar, . See ABED-NEGO.
Shalisha
A district adjoining Mount Ephraim on the west, . Baal-shalisha is placed by Eusebius fifteen miles from Lydda, towards the north.
Shallum
1. Son of Jabesh, or a native of Jebesh, who treacherously killed Zechariah King of Israel and usurped his kingdom, B. C. 772. He held it only one month, when Menahem son of Gadi killed him in Samaria. Scripture says that Shallun was the executioner of the threatenings of the Lord against the house of Jehu, .
2. See JEHOAHAZ 2.
3. The husband of Huldah the prophetess in the time of Josiah, .
Others of the time are alluded to in ; ; ,,; ; ; ,; ; .
Shalmaneser
King of Assyria between Tiglath-pileser and Sennacherib. He ascended the throne about B. C. 728, and reigned fourteen years. Scripture reports that he came into Palestine, subdued Samaria, and obliged Hoshea to pay him tribute; but in the third year, being weary of this exaction, Hoshea combined secretly with So, King of Egypt to remove the subjection. Shalmaneser brought an army against him, ravaged Samaria, besieged Hoshea in his capital, and notwithstanding his long resistance of three years, ; , he took the city and dismantled it, put Hoshea into bonds, and dismantled it, put Hoshea into bonds, and carried away most of the people beyond the Euphrates. He thus ruined the kingdom of Samaria, which had subsisted two hundred and fifty-four years, from B. C. 975 to 721. The bas- relief copied in the next page was found on a fine Assyrian obelisk of black marble, six and a half feet high, and covered on all sides with inscriptions. It was discovered in the ruins of the northwest palace at Nimroud, and is believed from various evidences to represent Shalmaneser receiving tribute from the Jews subdued by his arms. Hezekiah king of Judah successfully resisted him, : but he appears to have ravaged Moab, ,,,; and is said in Josephus to have conquered Phoenicia, with the exception of insular Tyre, which he besieged in vain for five years.
Shambles
, a public meat-market.
Shamgar
Son of Anath, the third judge of Israel, after Ehud and shortly before Barak, in a time of great insecurity and distress, ; . Scripture only says he defended Israel, and killed six hundred Philistines with an ox-goad. See PLOUGH.
Shammah
1. One of the three chiefs of David’s thirty heroes, who shared with David and Eleazar the honor of the exploit recorded in ,; . Another feast is described in .
2. A brother of David, ; ; elsewhere called Shimeah, ,; .
Others of this name are mentioned, ,; ,; ; .
Shaphan
1. A scribe or secretary under King Josiah, to whom he read from the newly found autograph roll of the book of the law, ; ; ; .
2. The father of Ahikam, ; ; .
Shaphat
1. The father of Elisha, .
2. A descendant of David, .
3. A chief herdsmen of David in Bashan, .
Sharezer
1. A son of Sennacherib, who assisted in slaying his father, .
2. A delegate sent to Jerusalem with Regemmelec and others, probably soon after the return from the Babylonish captivity, to inquire of the priests at Jerusalem whether a certain fast was still to be observed, ; .
Sharon
1. A plain adjoining the seacoast of Palestine between Carmel and Joppa, about sixty miles in length and of variable width, expanding inland as it stretches from the promontory of Carmel towards the south. It contains some sandy tracts, but the soil is in general highly productive, and the plain was of old famous for its beauty and fertility, ; ; ; ; . It contained a town of the same name, called Saron in .
The whole plain was once thickly populated, but is now comparatively uninhabited. The heat of summer is excessive, and the climate somewhat unhealthy. All travellers describe the view of the plain from the tower of Ramleh as one of surpassing richness and beauty.
The frowning hills of Judah on the east confront the glittering waters of the Mediterranean on the west. Towards the north and south far as the eye can reach spreads the beautiful plain, covered in many parts with fields of green or golden grain. Near by are the immense olive-groves of Ramleh and Lydda and amid them the picturesque towers, minarets, and domes of these villages; while the hillsides towards the northeast are thickly studded with native hamlets. The uncultivated parts of the plain are covered in spring and the early summer with a rich profusion of flowers.
2. A town in the tribe of Gad, in the district of Bashan beyond the Jordan, .
Shaveh
A valley north of Jerusalem, called also the King’s Dale, ; .
Shaving
The Jews shaved their beards and hair in time of mourning, repentance, or distress, ; , and in certain ceremonial purifications, ; . At other times they wore them long, like other oriental nations—except the Egyptians, who kept their beards shaved, as we learn from Herodotus and from antique monuments. Hence Joseph shaved before he was presented to Pharaoh, . See BEARD.
Shealthiel
See SALATHIEL.
Shear-Jashub
The remnant shall return, ; , the name of one of Isaiah’s sons; supposed to have had a prophetic meaning, like Mather-shalal-hash-baz.
Sheba
1. Son of Raamah, . His posterity is supposed to have settled near the head of the Persian Gulf. See CUSH and RAAMAH.
2. Son of Joktan, of the race of Shem, . See SABEANS 2.
3. Son of Jokshan, and grandson of Abraham by Keturah, . He is supposed to have settled in Arabia Deserta.
4. A turbulent Benjamite, who after the death of Absalom made a fruitless effort to excite a rebellion in Israel against David. Being pursued, and besieged in Abel-beth-maachah, near the southern part of Lebanon, he was beheaded by the people of the city, .
Sheba, Queen Of
See SABEANS 2.
Shebat
The fifth month of the Jewish civil year, and the eleventh of the ecclesiastical year, from the new moon of February to that of March, . See MONTH.
Shebna
Steward of King Hezekiah’s palace, , afterwards his secretary, ,.
Shechem
1. A Canaanite prince, at the town of the same name, who abducted Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and was soon afterwards treacherously slain, with many of his people, by Simeon and Levi, .
2. A city of central Canaan, between the mountains Gerizim and Ebal, thirty-four miles north of Jerusalem; called also Sychar and Sychem, . It is first mentioned in the history of Abraham, who here erected his first altar in Canaan, and took possession of the country in the name of Jehovah, ; ,; . Jacob bought a field in its neighborhood, which by way of overplus, he gave to his son Joseph, who was buried here, ; . After the conquest of Canaan it became a Levitical city of refuge in Ephraim, and a gathering-place of the tribes, ; ; ,; . Here Rehoboam gave the ten tribes occasion to revolt, . In its vicinity was Jacob’s well or fountain, at which Christ discoursed with the woman of Samaria, . See also ; ; . After the ruin of Samaria by Shalmaneser, Shechem became the capital of the Samaritans; and Josephus says it was so in the time of Alexander the Great. St the present day it is also the seat of the small remnant of the Samaritans. See SAMARITANS.
It was called by the Romans Neapolis, from which the Arabs have made Napolose, or Nabulus.
The valley of Shechem extends several miles northwest between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, and is about five hundred yards wide; so that in the pure and elastic air of Palestine the two mountains are within hailing distance of each other, one circumstance among thousands evincing the exact truthfulness of Bible narratives, ; . The winter rains which fall in the eastern part of the valley find their way to the Jordan, while in the western part are numerous springs, forming a pretty brook which flows towards the Mediterranean. "Here," says Dr. Robinson, "a scene of luxuriant and almost unparalleled verdure burst upon our view. The whole valley was filled with gardens of vegetables and orchards of all kinds of fruits, watered by several fountains, which burst forth in various parts and flow westward in refreshing streams. It came upon us suddenly, like a scene of fairy enchantment. We saw nothing to compare with it in Palestine." The modern town has several long and narrow streets, partly on the base of Mount Gerizim. It does not appear to extend so far to the east as the ancient city did. The houses are high and well built of stone, and covered with small domes. Nabulus is thought to contain eight thousand inhabitants, all Mohammedans except five hundred Greek Christians, one hundred and fifty Samaritans, and as many Jews. The rocky base of Mount Ebal on the north of the valley is full of ancient excavated tombs. On Mount Gerizim is the holy place of the Samaritans, and the ruins of a strong fortress erected by Justinian. At the foot of these mountains on the east lies the beautiful plain of Mukhna, ten miles long and a mile and a half wide; and where the valley opens on this plain, Joseph’s tomb and Jacob’s well are located, by the unanimous consent of Jews, Christians, and Mohammedans. The former spot is now covered by a Mohammedan Wely, or sacred tomb; and the latter by an arched stone chamber, entered by a narrow hole in the roof, and the mouth of the well within is covered by a large stone. The well itself is one hundred and five feet deep, and is now sometimes dry. It bears every mark of high antiquity.
The following extract is from Dr. Clarke’s description of this place: "There is nothing in the Holy Land finer than a view of Napolose from the heights around it. As the traveller descends towards it from the hills, it appears luxuriantly embosomed in the most delightful and fragrant bowers, half concealed by rich gardens, and by stately trees collected into groves, all around the bold and beautiful valley in which it stands. Trade seems to flourish among its inhabitants. Their principal employment is in making soap; but the manufactures of the town supply a very widely extended neighborhood, and are exported to a great distance upon camels. In the morning after our arrival, we met caravans coming from Grand Cairo, and noticed others reposing in the large olive plantations near the gates."
"The sacred story of events transacted in the fields of Sychem, from our earliest years is remembered with delight; but with the territory before our eyes where those events took place, and in the view of objects existing as they were described above three thousand years ago, the grateful impression kindles into ecstasy. Along the valley we beheld ‘a company of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead,’ , as in the days of Reuben and Judah, ‘with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh,’ who would gladly have purchased another Joseph of his brethren, and conveyed him as a slave to some Potiphar in Egypt. Upon the hills around, flocks and herds were feeding, as of old; nor in the simple garb of the shepherds of Samaria was there any thing repugnant to the notions we may entertain of the appearance presented by the sons of Jacob. It was indeed a scene to abstract and to elevate the mind; and under emotions so called forth by every circumstance of powerful coincidence, a single moment seemed to concentrate whole ages of existence."
"The principal object of veneration is Jacob’s well, over which a church was formerly erected. This is situated at a small distance from the town, in the road to Jerusalem, and has been visited by pilgrims of all ages, but particularly since the Christian era, as the place where our Savior revealed himself to the woman of Samaria."
"The spot is so distinctly marked by the evangelist, and so little liable to uncertainty, from the circumstance of the well itself and the features of the country, that, if no tradition existed for its identity, the site of it could hardly be mistaken. Perhaps no Christian scholar ever attentively read , without being struck with the numerous intervals evidences of truth which crowd upon the mind in its perusal. Within so small a compass it is impossible to find in other writings so many sources of reflection and of interest. Independently of its importance as a theological document, it concentrates so much information, that a volume might be filled with illustration it reflects on the history of the Jews and on the geography of their country. All that can be gathered on these subjects from Josephus seems but as a comment to illustrate this chapter. The journey of our Lord from Judea into Galilee; the cause of it; his passage through the territory of Samaria; his approach to the metropolis of this country; its name; his arrival at the Amorite field which terminates the narrow valley of Sychem; the ancient custom of halting at a well; the female employment of drawing water; the disciples sent into the city for food, by which its situation out of the town is obviously implied; the question of the woman referring to existing prejudices which separated the Jews from the Samaritans; the depth of the well; the oriental allusion contained in the expression, ‘living water;’ the history of the well, and the customs thereby illustrated; the worship upon Mount Gerizim; all these occur within the space of twenty verses."
Sheep
Of the Syrian sheep, according to Dr. Russell, there are two varieties; the one called Bedaween sheep, which differ in no respect from the larger kinds of sheep among us, except that their tails are somewhat longer and thicker; the others are those often mentioned by travellers on account of their extraordinary tails; and this species is by far the most numerous. The tail of one of these animals is very broad and large, terminating in a small appendage that turns back upon it. It is of a substance between fat and marrow, and is not eaten separately, but mixed with the lean meat in many of their dishes, and also often used instead of butter. A common sheep of this sort, without the head, feet, skin, and entrails, weighs from sixty to eighty pounds, of which the tail itself is usually ten or fifteen pounds, and when the animal is fattened, twice or thrice that weight, and very inconvenient to its owner.
The sheep or lamb was the common sacrifice under the Mosaic law; and it is to be remarked, that when the divine legislator speaks of this victim, he never omits to appoint that the rump or tail be laid whole on the fire of the altar, ; . The reason for this is seen in the account just given from Dr. Russell; from which it appears that this was the most delicate part of the animal, and therefore the most proper to be presented in sacrifice to Jehovah.
The innocence, mildness, submission, and patience of the sheep or lamb, rendered it peculiarly sheep and lamb, rendered it peculiarly suitable for a sacrifice, and an appropriate type of the Lamb of God, . A recent traveller in Palestine witnessed the shearing of a sheep in the immediate vicinity of Gethsemane; and the silent, unresisting submission of the poor animal, thrown with its feet bound upon the earth, its sides rudely pressed by the shearer’s knees, while every movement threatened to lacerate the flesh, was a touching commentary on the prophet’s description of Christ, ; .
There are frequent allusions in Scripture to these characteristics of the sheep, and to its proneness to go astray, ; . It is a gregarious animal also; and as loving the companionship of the flock and dependant of the protection and guidance of its master, its name is often given to the people of God, ; ; ; . Sheep and goats are still found in Syria feeding indiscriminately together, as in ancient times, ; ,. The season of sheep shearing was one of great joy and festivity, ,,; .
Sheep-cotes or folds, among the Israelites, appear to have been generally open houses, or enclosures walled round, often in front of rocky caverns, to guard the sheep from beasts of prey by night, and the scorching heat of noon, ; ; ,; . See SHEPHERD.
Sheep Market
. The original might with at least equal propriety be rendered sheep gate; and a gate so called is mentioned in ; . It was adjacent to the temple, and was so named from the number of sheep introduced through it for the temple service. Dr. Barclay thinks the "sheep market" was an enclosure for sheep and other animals designed for sacrifice, outside the temple area on the east.
Shekel
The shekel was properly and only a weight. It was used especially in weighing uncoined gold and silver: "The land is worth 400 shekels of silver...Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver-in the audience of the sons of Heth," ,. In such cases the word shekel is often omitted in the Hebrew, as in ; , where our translators have supplied the word "pieces," but improperly, because coined money was not then known. See MONEY.
Between the sacred shekel, , and the shekel after the "king’s weight," , there would seem to have been a difference; but this and many think the phrase "shekel of the sanctuary" simply means a full and just shekel, according to the temple standards. The first coin, which bore the name of shekel was struck after the exile in the time of the Maccabees, and bore the inscription, Shekel of Israel. Bockh, whose authority in matters pertaining to ancient weights and measures is very high, fixes it proximately at 274 Paris grains. It is the coin mentioned in the New Testament, , etc., where our translators have rendered it by "pieces of silver."
Shem
A son of Noah, ; , always named before Ham and Japheth, as the eldest son; or, as some think, because he was the forefather of the Hebrews. In , the word elder may be applied to Shem, instead of Japheth. He received a blessing from his dying father, , and of his line the Messiah was born. He had five sons, and their posterity occupied the central regions between Ham and Japheth, and peopled the finest provinces of the East. The languages of some of these nations are still called the Shemitic languages, including the Hebrew, Chalee, Syriac, Arabic, Ethiopic, etc.; but in this general class are found several languages spoken by nations descended from Ham.
Shemaiah
1. A prophet of Israel, by whom God forbade Rehoboam to endeavor to coerce the ten tribes back to their allegiance, and called the king and his court to repent at the invasion of Shishak. He is said to have written the history of Rehoboam’s reign, ; ,.
2. A Levite, who made a registry of the twenty-four priestly classes, ,; .
3. A false prophet among the exiled Jews in Babylon, who opposed the prophet Jeremiah, and incurred divine judgments on himself and his family. For his name, Nehelamite, a dreamer, .
4. A false prophet in the pay of Sanballat and Tobiah, who sought to terrify Nehemiah into the cowardly in forbidden step of taking refuge within the temple, ; .
Shemer
The former owner of the hill on which Omri built Samaria, .
Sheminith
In the titles of ; , and in . It means properly the eighth, and seems to have been not an instrument, but a part in music, perhaps the lowest.
Shenir
See HERMON.
Shephatiah
The name of seven distinguished Jews, alluded to in the following passages: ; ; ; ; ,; ; .
Shepherd
Or PASTOR.
Abel was a keeper of sheep, , as were the greater number of the ancient patriarchs. When men began to multiply, and to follow different employments, Jabal son of Lamech was acknowledged as father, that is, founder of shepherd and nomads, . A large part of the wealth of ancient patriarchs consisted in flocks and herds, the care of which was shared by their sons, daughters, and servants. Rachel the bride of Jacob was a shepherdess, ; his sons, the fathers of the tribes of Israel were shepherds, and so was David their king, . The employment is highly honored in the Bible, . In the time of the kings, the "chief herdsman" occupies a post of some importance, ; ; . In Palestine and its vicinity, besides those who united the keeping of flocks and herds with the tillage of the ground, there were and still are numbers of nomads or wandering shepherds confining themselves to no settled home. These dwellers in tents often had a wide range of pasture grounds, from one to another of which they drove their flocks as occasion required, . In the vast deserts east and south of Palestine they found many spots which in winter and spring were clothed with verdure, ; . But the heat of summer withered these "pastures of the wilderness," and drove the shepherds and their flocks to seek for highlands and streams. There are many indications in the Scripture of the conscious strength and independence of he ancient shepherd patriarchs, of the extent of their households, and the consideration in which they were held, ; ; ; ; .
God sometimes takes the name of Shepherd of Israel, ; ; and kings, both in Scripture and ancient writers, are distinguished by the title of "Shepherds of the people." The prophets often inveigh against the "shepherds of Israel," that is, the kings, who feed themselves and neglect their flocks; who distress, illtreat, seduce, and lead them astray, . In like manner Christ, as the Messiah, is often called a shepherd,
, and also takes on himself the title of "the Good Shepherd," who gives his life for his sheep, ,,. Paul calls him the great Shepherd of the sheep, , and Peter gives him the appellation of Prince of shepherds, . His ministers are in like manner the pastors or under-shepherds of the flock, ; ; .
In , our Savior says the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep; that he knows them, and they know him; that they hear his voice, and follow him; that he goes before them; that no one shall force them out of his hands, and that he calls them by their names. These, however, being all incidents taken from the customs of the country, are by no means so striking to us as they must have been to those who heard our Lord, and who every day witnessed such methods of conducting this domesticated animal. Modern travelers in the East meet with many pleasing confirmation of the truth of Scripture in respect to these particulars; they see the shepherd walking before his flock, any one of which will instantly run to him when called by its own name. The hireling, or bad shepherd, forsakes the sheep, and the thief enters not by the door of the sheepfold, but climbs in another way. See SHEEP.
The Bible applies many of the excellences of the faithful shepherd in illustration of the Savior’s care of his flock. The shepherd was responsible for each member of the flock intrusted to him, ; ; ; he had need of great courage and endurance, ; ,; ; he exercised a tender care towards the feeble, and carried the lambs in his arms, ; ; ,; and searched for the lost sheep, bringing it back from the "land of drought and the shadow of death" into green pastures and still waters, ; .
Sheshach
A poetical name for Babylon, signifying, as some judge, house or court of the prince, ; .
Sheshbazzar
See ZERUBBABEL.
Shetharboznai
See TATNAI.
Shibboleth
A stream. In a war between the Ephraimites and the men of Gilead under Jephthah, the former were discomfited, and fled towards the fords of the Jordan. The Gileadites took possession of all these fords, and when an Ephraimite who had escaped came to the riverside and desired to pass over, they asked him if he were not an Ephraimite. It he said, No, they bade him pronounce shibboleth; but he pronouncing it sibboleth, according to the dialect of the Ephraimites, they killed him. In this war there fill 42,000 Ephraimites, . This incident should mot be passed over without observing, that it affords proof of dialectical variations among the tribes of the same nation, and speaking the same language, in those early days. There can be no wonder, therefore, if we find in later ages the same word written different ways, according to the pronunciation of different tribes. That this continued, is evident from the peculiarities of the Galilean dialect, by which Peter was discovered to be of that district, .
Shield
A piece of defensive armor. God is often called the shield of his people, ; ; , as are also princes and great men, ; . See ARMOR.
Shiggaion
, title, and SHIGGIONOTH, ; probably song, or song of praise; perhaps some particular species of ode.
Shiloh
1. This term is used, , to denote the Messiah, the coming of whom Jacob foretells in these words: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be;" that is, until the time of Christ, Judah’s self-governments as a tribe should not ceases. It must be admitted, however, that the literal signification of the word is not well ascertained. Some translate, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah till he comes to whom it belongs." Others, with more probability, till the coming of the Peacemaker, or of the One desired.
2. A famous city of Ephraim, about ten miles south of Shechem, and twenty-four north of Jerusalem. Here Joshua assembled the people to make the second distribution of the Land of Promise; and her the tabernacle of the Lord was set up, when they were settled in the country, ; . The ark and the tabernacle continued at Shiloh, from B. C. 1444 to B. C. 1116, when it was taken by the Philistines, under the administration of the high priest Eli. In honor of the presence of the ark, there was "a feast of the Lord in Shiloh yearly;" and at one of these festivals the daughters of Shiloh were seized by a remnant of the Benjamites, . At Shiloh Samuel began to prophesy, , and here the prophet Ahijah dwelt, .
Shimel
1. A Benjamite kinsman of Saul, who insulted king David when fleeing before Absalom, and humbled himself on David’s return. On both occasions David spared and forgave him; but when dying he cautioned Solomon against a man who knew no restraints but those of fear. Shimei gave his parole never to leave Jerusalem; but broke it by pursuing his fugitive servants to Gath, and was put to death on returning, ; ; ,,.
2. An officer under David, and perhaps under Solomon, ; .
3. A distinguished family at Jerusalem, .
Shinar
A level region of indefinite extent around Babylon and the junction of the Euphrates and Tigris, ; ; ; ; ; ; . See MESOPOTAMIA.
Ship
The ships of the ancients were very imperfect in comparison with modern ones. Navigators crept carefully along the shores, from one headland or prominent point to another, making a harbor if practicable every night; and when out of sight of land, being ignorant of the compass and quadrant, they guided their course by the sun and certain stars. Even in St. Paul’s time, vessels passing from Palestine to Italy, sometimes wintered on the way!
; . The ancient ships were in general small, though a few large ships are on record. They were often highly ornamented both at the prow and the stern; and the figurehead or "sign," by which the vessel was known, was sometimes an image of its tutelar divinity. They were usually propelled by oars often in several "banks" or rows one above another, as well as by sails. In war, the galley tried to pierce and run down its antagonist.
The Phoenicians were celebrated for their ships and their extensive commerce, as appears from Ezekiel’s description, , as well as from numerous ancient historians. Though Joppa and in Christ’s time Caesarea were Jewish ports, ; , yet the Jews were never a maritime people, and most of their foreign navigation would appear to have been carried on by the aid of Phoenicians, ; ; ,. Paul’s graphic and faithful description of his voyage and shipwreck in , discloses many of the peculiarities of ancient navigation. For the "ship of Tarshish," see TARSHISH.
Shiphrah And Puah
Midwives in Egypt, who through the fear of God spared the newborn sons of the Hebrews, contrary to the orders of the king. God rewarded their kindness to his people, though condemning no doubt the untruthfulness of their excuse to the king. He "made them houses," that is, probably gave each of them a numerous family, .
Shishak
A king of Egypt, who declared war against Rehoboam king of Judah in the fifth year of his reign. He entered Judah, B. C. 971, with an innumerable multitude of people out of Egypt, the countries of Lubim, of Suchim, and of Cush, captured the strongest places in the country, and carried away from Jerusalem the treasures of the Lord’s house and of the king’s palace, as well as the golden bucklers of Solomon.
Jeroboam having secured the friendship of Shishak, his territories were not invaded, ; ,; . Shishak is generally believed to have been the Sesonchis of secular history, the first king of the twenty-second or Budastine line. He dethroned the dynasty into which Solomon married, , and made many foreign conquests. In the palace-temple of Karnak in Egypt, the walls of which are yet standing, Sesonchis is represented in a large basrelief, dragging captive kings in triumph before the three chief Theban gods. Each country or city is personified, and its name written in an oval above it. One of these figures, with Jewish features, has an inscription, which Campollion interprets, "kingdom of Judah." Several other symbols are thought to denote as many walled towns of Judah, captured by Shishak. See PHARAOH.
Shittah And Shittim
A valuable kind of wood, of which Moses made the greater part of the tables, altars, and planks belonging to the tabernacle. Jerome says, "The wood is hard, tough, smooth, and without knots, and extremely beautiful; so that the rich and curious make screws of it for their presses. It does not grow in cultivated places, nor in any other places of the Roman Empire, but only in the deserts of Arabia." It is thought he means the black acacia, the Acacia Seyal, which is found in the deserts of Arabia, and the wood of which is very common about Mount Sinai and the mountains which border on the Red Sea, and is so hard and solid as to be almost incorruptible.
Shoes
See SANDALS.
Shoshannim-Eduth
Lilies of testimony, . See SHUSHAN.
Shrine
See DIANA.
Shulamite
Peaceful, in Hebrew a feminine name, corresponding to Solomon as Julia does to Julius. It is the figurative name of the bride in Solomon’s Song, ; and the bridegroom is represented by SOLOMON, also meaning peaceful.
Shunem
A city of Issachar, . The Philistines encamped at Shunem, in the great field or Plain of Esdraelon, ; and Saul encamped at Gilboa. Abishag, king of David’s nurse, was of Shunem, ; so also was the woman whose son Elisha restored to life, . Eusebius and Jerome place it five miles south of Tabor; and it is now recognized in a poor village called Solam, on a declivity at the northwest corner of a smaller valley of Jezreel.
Shur
A city on the northeast border of Egypt, not far from the modern Suez, ; ; ; ; . It gave its name to the desert between it and Canaan, towards the Mediterranean, .
William W. Rand (ed.), A Dictionary of the Holy Bible, for General Use in the Study of the Scriptures (American Tract Society, 1859). Public domain. Text from the CrossWire Bible Society.