Smith's Bible Dictionary

Shechemites The — Shishak

Shechemites The

She’chemites, The, the family of Shechem son of Gilead. Numbers 26:31; comp. Joshua 17:2.

Shechi’nah (dwelling). This term is not found in the Bible. It was used by the later Jews, and borrowed by Christians from them, to express the visible majesty of the divine Presence, especially when resting or dwelling between the cherubim on the mercy-seat in the tabernacle and in the temple of Solomon, but not in the second temple. The use of the term is first found in the Targums, where it forms a frequent periphrasis for God, considered as dwelling among the children of Israel. The idea which the different accounts in Scripture convey is that of a most brilliant and glorious light, enveloped in a cloud, and usually concealed by the cloud, so that the cloud itself was for the most part alone visible; but on particular occasions the glory appeared. The allusions in the New Testament to the shechinah are not unfrequent: Luke 2:9; John 1:14; Romans 9:4; and we are distinctly taught to connect it with the incarnation and future coming of the Messiah as type with antitype.

Shedeur

Shed’eur (darter of light), the father of Elizur, chief of the tribe of Reuben at the time of the exodus. Numbers 1:5; Numbers 2:10; Numbers 7:30, Numbers 7:35; Numbers 10:18. (b.c. 1491.)

Sheep

Sheep. Sheep were an important part of the possessions of the ancient Hebrews and of eastern nations generally. The first mention of sheep occurs in Genesis 4:2. They were used in the sacrificial offerings, both the adult animal, Exodus 20:24, and the lamb. See Exodus 29:38; Leviticus 9:3; Leviticus 12:6. Sheep and lambs formed an important article of food. 1 Samuel 25:18. The wool was used as clothing. Leviticus 13:47. “Rams’ skins dyed red” were used as a covering for the tabernacle. Exodus 25:5. Sheep and lambs were sometimes paid as tribute. 2 Kings 3:4. It is very striking to notice the immense numbers of sheep that were reared in Palestine in biblical times. (Chardin says he saw a clan of Turcoman shepherds whose flock consisted of 3,000,000 sheep and goats, besides 400,000 beasts of carriage, as horses, asses, and camels.) Sheep-shearing is alluded to Genesis 31:19. Sheep-dogs were employed in biblical times. Job 30:1. Shepherds in Palestine and the East generally go before their flocks, which they induce to follow by calling to them, comp. John 10:4; Psalm 77:20; Psalm 80:1, though they also drive them. Genesis 33:13. The following quotation from Hartley’s “Researches in Greece and the Levant,” p. 321, is strikingly illustrative of the allusions in John 10:1-16: “Having had my attention directed last night to the words in John 10:3, I asked my man if it was usual in Greece to give names to the sheep. He informed me that it was, and that the sheep obeyed the shepherd when he called them by their names. This morning I had an opportunity of verifying the truth of this remark. Passing by a flock of sheep, I asked the shepherd the same question which I had put to the servant, and he gave me the same answer. I then bade him call one of his sheep. He did so, and it instantly left its pasturage and its companions and ran up to the hands of the shepherd with signs of pleasure and with a prompt obedience which I had never before observed in any other animal. It is also true in this country that ‘a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him.’ The shepherd told me that many of his sheep were still wild, that they had not yet learned their names, but that by teaching them they would all learn them.” The common sheep of Syria and Palestine are the broad-tailed. As the sheep is an emblem of meekness, patience, and submission, it is expressly mentioned as typifying these qualities in the person of our blessed Lord. Isaiah 53:7; Acts 8:32, etc. The relation that exists between Christ, “the chief Shepherd,” and his members is beautifully compared to that which in the East is so strikingly exhibited by the shepherds to their flocks. [SHEPHERD.]

Sheep-gate The

Sheep-gate, The, one of the gates of Jerusalem as rebuilt by Nehemiah. Nehemiah 3:1, Nehemiah 3:32; Nehemiah 12:39. It stood between the tower of Meah and the chamber of the corner, ch. Nehemiah 3:1, Nehemiah 3:32, or gate of the guard-house, ch. Nehemiah 12:39; Authorized Version, “prison-gate.” The latter seems to have been at the angle formed by the junction of the wall of the city of David with that of the city of Jerusalem proper, having the sheep-gate on the north of it. The position of the sheep-gate may therefore have been on or near that of the Bab el Kattanı̂n.

Broad-tailed Sheep.

Eastern Sheepfold.

Sheep-market The

Sheep-market, The. John 5:2. The word “market” is an interpolation of our translators. We ought probably to supply the word “gate.”

Shehariah

Shehari’ah (dawning of Jehovah), a Benjamite, son of Jehoram. 1 Chronicles 8:26. (b.c. 588.)

Shekel

Shekel. [MONEY.]

Shelah

She’lah (a petition).

1. The youngest son of Judah. Genesis 38:5, Genesis 38:11, Genesis 38:14, Genesis 38:26; Genesis 46:12; Numbers 26:20; 1 Chronicles 2:3; 1 Chronicles 4:21. (b.c. before 1706.)

2. The proper form of the name of Salah. 1 Chronicles 1:18, 1 Chronicles 1:24.

Shelanites The

She’lanites, The, the descendants of Shelah,

1. Numbers 26:20.

Shelemiah

Shelemi’ah (repaid by Jehovah).

1. One of the sons of Bani in the time of Ezra. Ezra 10:39. (b.c. 458.)

2. The father of Hananiah. Nehemiah 3:30.

3. A priest in the time of Nehemiah. Nehemiah 13:13.

4. The father of Jehucal, or Jucal, in the time of Zedekiah. Jeremiah 37:3.

5. The father of Irijah, the captain of the ward who arrested Jeremiah. Jeremiah 37:13. (b.c. before 589.)

6. The same as Meshelemiah and Shallum, 8. 1 Chronicles 26:14.

7. Another of the sons of Bani in the time of Ezra. Ezra 10:41.

8. Ancestor of Jehudi in the time of Jehoiakim. Jeremiah 36:14.

9. Son of Abdeel; one of those who received the orders of Jehoiakim to take Baruch and Jeremiah. Jeremiah 36:26. (b.c. 604.)

Sheleph

She’leph (a drawing forth), the second in order of the sons of Joktan. Genesis 10:26; 1 Chronicles 1:20.

Shelesh

She’lesh (might), son of Helem. 1 Chronicles 7:35.

Shelomi

Shel’omi (peaceful), an Asherite, father of Ahihud. Numbers 34:27. (b.c. before 1450.)

Shelomith

Shel’omith (peaceful).

1. The daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. Leviticus 24:11.

2. The daughter of Zerubbabel. 1 Chronicles 3:19. (b.c. after 536.)

3. Chief of the Izharites. 1 Chronicles 23:18.

4. A descendant of Eliezer the son of Moses, in the reign of David. 1 Chronicles 26:25, 1 Chronicles 26:26, 1 Chronicles 26:28. (b.c. 1013.)

5. A Gershonite. 1 Chronicles 23:9.

6. One whose sons returned from Babylon with Ezra. Ezra 8:10.

Shelomoth

Shel’omoth, the same as Shelomith, 3. 1 Chronicles 24:22.

Shelumi-el

Shelu’mi-el (friend of God), the son of Zurishaddai, and prince of the tribe of Simeon at the time of the exodus. Numbers 1:6; Numbers 2:12; Numbers 7:36, Numbers 7:41; Numbers 10:19. (b.c. 1491.)

Shem

Shem (name), the eldest son of Noah. Genesis 5:32. He was 98 years old, married, and childless, at the time of the flood. After it, he, with his father, brothers, sisters-in-law and wife, received the blessing of God, Genesis 9:1, and entered into the covenant. With the help of his brother Japheth, he covered the nakedness of their father, and received the first blessing. Genesis 9:25-27. He died at the age of 600 years. The portion of the earth occupied by the descendants of Shem, Genesis 10:21, Genesis 10:31, begins at its northwestern extremity with Lydia, and includes Syria (Aram), Chaldæa (Arphaxad), parts of Assyria (Asshur), of Persia (Elam), and of the Arabian peninsula (Joktan). Modern scholars have given the name of Shemitic or Semitic to the languages spoken by his real or supposed descendants. [HEBREW.]

Shema

She’ma.

1. A Reubenite, ancestor of Bela. 1 Chronicles 5:8. (b.c. before 1090.)

2. Son of Elpaal. 1 Chronicles 8:13. Probably the same as Shimhi. (b.c. after 1450.)

3. One of those who stood at Ezra’s right hand when he read the law to the people. Nehemiah 8:4. (b.c. 458.)

4. Joshua 15:26. [SHEBA.]

Shema-ah

Shem’a-ah (the rumor), a Benjamite of Gibeah, and father of Ahiezer and Joash. 1 Chronicles 12:3. (b.c. before 1054.)

Shemaiah

Shemai’ah (heard by Jehovah).

1. A prophet in the reign of Rehoboam. 1 Kings 12:22; 2 Chronicles 11:2. (b.c. 972.) He wrote a chronicle containing the events of Rehoboam’s reign. 2 Chronicles 12:5, 2 Chronicles 12:15.

2. The son of Shechaniah, among the descendants of Zerubbabel. 1 Chronicles 3:22; Nehemiah 3:29.

3. A prince of the tribe of Simeon. 1 Chronicles 4:27.

4. Son of Joel, a Reubenite. 1 Chronicles 5:4. (b.c. after 1706.)

5. Son of Hasshub, a Merarite Levite. 1 Chronicles 9:14; Nehemiah 11:15.

6. Father of Obadiah or Abda, a Levite. 1 Chronicles 9:16.

7. Son of Elizaphan, and chief of his house in the reign of David. 1 Chronicles 15:8, 1 Chronicles 15:11. (b.c. 1043.)

8. A Levite, son of Nethaneel, and also a scribe in the time of David. 1 Chronicles 24:6. (b.c. 1014.)

9. The eldest son of Obed-edom the Gittite. 1 Chronicles 26:4, 1 Chronicles 26:6-7. (b.c. 1014.)

10. A descendant of Jeduthun the singer, who lived in the reign of Hezekiah. 2 Chronicles 29:14.

11. One of the sons of Adonikam who returned with Ezra. Ezra 8:13.

12. One of Ezra’s messengers. Ezra 8:16.

13. A priest of the family of Harim, who put away his foreign wife at Ezra’s bidding. Ezra 10:21. (b.c. 458.)

14. A layman of Israel, son of another Harim, who had also married a foreigner. Ezra 10:31. (b.c. 458.)

15. Son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, a prophet in the time of Nehemiah. Nehemiah 6:10. (b.c. 446.)

16. The head of a priestly house who signed the covenant with Nehemiah. Nehemiah 10:8; Nehemiah 12:6, Nehemiah 12:18. (b.c. 410.)

17. One of the princes of Judah at the time of the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem. Nehemiah 12:34. (b.c. 446.)

18. One of the choir on the same occasion. Nehemiah 12:36.

19. A priest. Nehemiah 12:42.

20. A false prophet in the time of Jeremiah. Jeremiah 29:24-32.

21. A Levite in the reign of Jehoshaphat. 2 Chronicles 17:8. (b.c. 909.)

22. A Levite in the reign of Hezekiah. 2 Chronicles 31:15. (b.c. 726.)

23. A Levite in the reign of Josiah. 2 Chronicles 35:9. (b.c. 628.)

24. The father of Urijah of Kirjathjearim. Jeremiah 26:20. (b.c. before 608.)

25. The father of Delaiah. Jeremiah 36:12. (b.c. before 605.)

Shemariah

Shemari’ah (kept by Jehovah).

1. A Benjamite warrior who came to David at Ziklag. 1 Chronicles 12:5. (b.c. 1054.)

2. One of the family of Harim, a layman of Israel who put away his foreign wife in the time of Ezra. Ezra 10:32. (b.c. 658.)

3. Another who did the same. Ezra 10:41.

Shemeber

Sheme’ber (lofty flight), king of Zeboiam, and ally of the king of Sodom when he was attacked by Chedorlaomer. Genesis 14:2. (b.c. 1912.)

Shemer

She’mer (preserved), the owner of the hill on which the city of Samaria was built. 1 Kings 16:24. (b.c. 917.) [SAMARIA.]

Shemida

Shemi’da (wise), a son of Gilead. Numbers 26:32; Joshua 17:2. (b.c. after 1690.)

Shemidah

Shemi’dah. Shemida the son of Gilead. 1 Chronicles 7:19.

Shemidaites The

Shemida’ites, The, the descendants of Shemida the son of Gilead. Numbers 26:32.

Sheminith

Shem’inith (eighth), a musical term found in the title of Psalm 6. A similar direction is found in the title of Psalm 12. Comp. 1 Chronicles 15:21. It seems most probable that Sheminith denotes a certain air known as the eighth, or a certain key in which the psalm was to be sung.

Shemiramoth

Shemir’amoth (name of heights, i.e., Jehovah).

1. A Levite of the second degree in the choir formed by David. 1 Chronicles 15:18, 1 Chronicles 15:20; 1 Chronicles 16:5. (b.c. 104.)

2. A Levite in the reign of Jehoshaphat. 2 Chronicles 17:8. (b.c. 909.)

Shemitic Languages

Shemit’ic Languages, the family of languages spoken by the descendants of Shem, chiefly the Hebrew, Chaldaic, Assyrian, Arabic, Phoenician, and Aramaic or Syriac. The Jews in their earlier history spoke the Hebrew, but in Christ’s time they spoke the Aramaic, sometimes called the Syro-chaldaic.

Shemuel

Shemu’el (heard by God).

1. A commissioner appointed from the tribe of Simeon to divide the land of Canaan. Numbers 34:20. (b.c. 1450.)

2. Samuel the prophet. 1 Chronicles 6:33.

3. Son of Tola, and one of the chiefs of the tribe of Issachar. 1 Chronicles 7:2. (b.c. 1014.)

Shen

Shen (tooth), a place mentioned only in 1 Samuel 7:12. Nothing is known of it.

Shenazar

Shena’zar (splendid leader), son of Salathiel or Shealtiel. 1 Chronicles 3:18. (b.c. after 606.)

Shenir

She’nir. [SENIR.]

Shepham

She’pham (fruitful), a place on the eastern boundary of the promised land. Numbers 34:10-11.

Shephathiah

Shephathi’ah, a Benjamite, father of Meshullam, 6. 1 Chronicles 9:8.

Shephatiah

Shephati’ah (judged by Jehovah).

1. The fifth son of David. 2 Samuel 3:4; 1 Chronicles 3:3. (b.c. about 1050.)

2. The family of Shephatiah, 372 in number, returned with Zerubbabel. Ezra 2:4; Nehemiah 7:9; see also Ezra 8:8. (b.c. 536.)

3. The family of another Shephatiah, who came up with Zerubbabel. Ezra 2:57; Nehemiah 7:59.

4. A descendant of Judah. Nehemiah 11:4.

5. One of the princes of Judah who counselled Zedkiah to put Jeremiah in the dungeon. Jeremiah 38:1. (b.c. 589.)

6. One of the Benjamite warriors who joined David in his retreat at Ziklag. 1 Chronicles 12:5. (b.c. 1054.)

7. Chief of the Simeonites in the reign of David. 1 Chronicles 27:16.

8. Son of Jehoshaphat. 2 Chronicles 21:2. (b.c. 887.)

Shepherd

Shepherd. In a nomadic state of society every man, from the sheikh down to the slave, is more or less a shepherd. The progenitors of the Jews in the patriarchal age were nomads, and their history is rich in scenes of pastoral life. The occupation of tending the flocks was undertaken, not only by the sons of wealthy chiefs, Genesis 30:29-31ff.; Genesis 37:12-14ff., but even by their daughters. Genesis 29:6-8ff.; Exodus 2:19. The Egyptian captivity did much to implant a love of settled abode, and consequently we find the tribes which still retained a taste for shepherd life selecting their own quarters apart from their brethren in the transjordanic district. Numbers 32:1-3ff. Thenceforward in Palestine proper the shepherd held a subordinate position. The office of the eastern shepherd, as described in the Bible, was attended with much hardship, and even danger. He was exposed to the extremes of heat and cold, Genesis 31:40; his food frequently consisted of the precarious supplies afforded by nature, such as the fruit of the “sycamore” or Egyptian fig, Amos 7:14, the “husks” of the carob tree, Luke 15:16, and perchance the locusts and wild honey which supported the Baptist, Matthew 3:4; he had to encounter the attacks of wild beasts, occasionally of the larger species, such as lions, wolves, panthers, and bears, 1 Samuel 17:34; Isaiah 31:4; Jeremiah 5:6; Amos 3:12; nor was he free from the risk of robbers or predatory hordes. Genesis 31:39. To meet these various foes the shepherd’s equipment consisted of the following articles: a mantle, made probably of sheepskin with the fleece on, which he turned inside out in cold weather, as implied in the comparison in Jeremiah 43:12 (cf. Juv. xiv. 187); a scrip or wallet, containing a small amount of food, 1 Samuel 17:40; a sling, which is still the favorite weapon of the Bedouin shepherd, 1 Samuel 17:40; and lastly, a staff, which served the double purpose of a weapon against foes and a crook for the management of the flock. 1 Samuel 17:40; Psalm 23:4; Zechariah 11:7. If the shepherd was at a distance from his home, he was provided with a light tent, Cant. Song of Solomon 1:8; Jeremiah 35:7, the removal of which was easily effected. Isaiah 38:12. In certain localities, moreover, towers were erected for the double purpose of spying an enemy at a distance and of protecting the flock; such towers were erected by Uzziah and Jothan, 2 Chronicles 26:10; 2 Chronicles 27:4, while their existence in earlier times is testified by the name Migdal-edar, Genesis 35:21, Authorized Version “a tower of Edar;” Micah 4:8, Authorized Version “tower of the flock.” The routine of the shepherd’s duties appears to have been as follows: In the morning he led forth his flock from the fold, John 10:4, which he did by going before them and calling to them, as is still usual in the East; arrived at the pasturage, he watched the flock with the assistance of dogs, Job 30:1, and should any sheep stray, he had to search for it until he found it, Ezekiel 34:12; Luke 15:4; he supplied them with water, either at a running stream or at troughs attached to wells, Genesis 29:7; Genesis 30:38; Exodus 2:16; Psalm 23:2; at evening he brought them back to the fold, and reckoned them to see that none were missing, by passing them “under the rod” as they entered the door of the enclosure, Leviticus 27:32; Ezekiel 20:37, checking each sheep, as it passed, by a motion of the hand, Jeremiah 33:13; and, finally, he watched the entrance of the fold throughout the night, acting as porter. John 10:3. [See Sheepfold, under SHEEP.] The shepherd’s office thus required great watchfulness, particularly by night. Luke 2:8; cf. Nahum 3:18. It also required tenderness toward the young and feeble, Isaiah 40:11, particularly in driving them to and from the pasturage. Genesis 33:13. In large establishments there are various grades of shepherds, the highest being styled “rulers,” Genesis 47:6, or “chief shepherds,” 1 Peter 5:4; in a royal household the title of abbir, “mighty,” was bestowed on the person who held the post. 1 Samuel 21:7. [SHEEP.]

Eastern Shepherd.

Shephi

She’phi (bareness), son of Shobal, of the sons of Seir. 1 Chronicles 1:40. Called also SHEPHO. Genesis 36:23.

She-pho

She-pho. Genesis 36:23. [SHEPHI.]

Shephuphan

Shephu’phan (an adder), one of the sons of Bela the first-born of Benjamin. 1 Chronicles 8:5. His name is also written SHEPHUPHAM (Authorized Version “Shupham”), Numbers 26:39; SHUPPIM, 1 Chronicles 7:12, 1 Chronicles 7:15; and MUPPIM. Genesis 46:21. [MUPPIM.]

Sherah

She’rah (kinswoman), daughter of Ephraim, 1 Chronicles 7:24, and foundress of the Beth-horons and of a town called after her Uzzen-sherah. (b.c. about 1445.)

Sherebiah

Sherebi’ah (heat of Jehovah), a Levite in the time of Ezra. Ezra 8:18, Ezra 8:24. (b.c. 459.) When Ezra read the law to the people, Sherebiah was among the Levites who assisted him. Nehemiah 8:7. He signed the covenant with Nehemiah. Nehemiah 10:12.

Sheresh

She’resh (root), son of Machir the son of Manasseh by his wife Maachah. 1 Chronicles 7:16. (b.c. before 1419.)

Sherezer

Shere’zer (prince of fire), one of the people’s messengers mentioned in Zechariah 7:2.

Sheshach

She’shach (from the goddess Shach, reduplicated) is a term which occurs only in Jeremiah 25:26; Jeremiah 51:41, where it is evidently used as a synonym for either Babylon or Babylonia.

Shesha-i

She’sha-i (noble), one of the three sons of Anak who dwelt in Hebron. Numbers 13:22. (b.c. 1445.)

Sheshan

She’shan (noble), a descendant of Jerahmeel the son of Hezron. 1 Chronicles 2:31, 1 Chronicles 2:34-35. (b.c. after 1690.)

Sheshbazzar

Sheshbaz’zar (worshipper of fire), the Chaldæan or Persian name given to Zerubbabel in Ezra 1:8, Ezra 1:11; Ezra 5:14, Ezra 5:16. [ZERUBBABEL.]

Sheth

Sheth (compensation).

1. The patriarch Seth. 1 Chronicles 1:1.

2. In the Authorized Version of Numbers 24:17, not a proper name, but there is reason to regard it as an appellative. Read instead of “the sons of Sheth,” “the sons of tumult.” Comp. Jeremiah 48:45.

Shethar

She’thar (Pers. a star), one of the seven princes of Persia and Media. Esther 1:14. (b.c. 483.)

Shethar-bozna-i

She’thar-boz’na-i (Pers. star of splendor), a Persian officer of rank in the reign of Darius Hystaspes. Ezra 5:3, Ezra 5:6; Ezra 6:6, Ezra 5:13. (b.c. 320.)

Sheva

She’va (Jehovah contends).

1. The scribe or royal secretary of David. 2 Samuel 20:25. He is called elsewhere SERAIAH, 2 Samuel 8:17; SHISHA, 1 Kings 4:3; and SHAVSHA. 1 Chronicles 18:16. (b.c. 1015.)

2. Son of Caleb ben-Hezron by his concubine Maachah. 1 Chronicles 2:49. (b.c. about 1445.)

Shew-bread

Shew-bread, Exodus 25:30; Exodus 35:13; Exodus 39:36, etc., literally “bread of the face” or “faces.” Shew-bread was unleavened bread placed upon a table which stood in the sanctuary together with the seven-branched candlestick and the altar of incense. See Exodus 25:23-30 for description of this table. Every Sabbath twelve newly-baked loaves, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, were put on it in two rows, six in each, and sprinkled with incense, where they remained till the following Sabbath. Then they were replaced by twelve new ones, the incense was burned, and they were eaten by the priests in the holy place, out of which they might not be removed. The title “bread of the face” seems to indicate that bread through which God is seen, that is, with the participation of which the seeing of God is bound up, or through the participation of which man attains the sight of God; whence it follows that we have not to think of bread merely as such, as the means of nourishing the bodily life, but as spiritual food, as a means of appropriating and retaining that life which consists in seeing the face of God.

Table of Shew-bread.

Shibboleth

Shibboleth (a stream), Judges 12:6, is the Hebrew word which the Gileadites under Jephthah made use of at the passage of the Jordan, after a victory over the Ephraimites, to test the pronunciation of the sound sh by those who wished to cross over the river. The Ephraimites, it would appear, in their dialect substituted for sh the simple sound s; and the Gileadites, regarding every one who failed to pronounce sh as an Ephraimite, and therefore an enemy, put him to death accordingly. In this way there fell 42,000 Ephraimites. There is no mystery in this particular word. Any word beginning with the sound sh would have answered equally well as a test.

Shibmah

Shib’mah (properly SIBMAH). [SHEBAM.]

Shicron

Shi’cron (drunkenness), one of the landmarks at the western end of the north boundary of Judah. Joshua 15:11 only. It lay between Ekron (Akir) and Jabneel (Yebna).

Shield

Shield. The ordinary shield consisted of a framework of wood covered with leather; it thus admitted of being burnt. Ezekiel 39:9. It was frequently cased with metal, either brass or copper; its appearance in this case resembled gold when the sun shone on it, 1 Maccabees 6:39, and to this, rather than to the practice of smearing blood on the shield, we may refer the redness noticed by Nahum. Nahum 2:3. The surface of the shield was kept bright by the application of oil, as implied in Isaiah 21:5. The shield was worn on the left arm, to which it was attached by a strap. Shields of state were covered with beaten gold. Shields were suspended about public buildings for ornamental purposes. 1 Kings 10:17. In the metaphorical language of the Bible the shield generally represents the protection of God: e.g., Psalm 3:3; Psalm 28:7; but in Psalm 47:9 it is applied to earthly rulers, and in Ephesians 6:16 to faith. [ARMS.]

Shiggaion

Shigga’ion, Psalm 7:1, a particular kind of psalm, the specific character of which is now not known; perhaps a “wild, mournful ode.”

Shihon

Shi’hon (ruin), a town of Issachar, named only in Joshua 19:19. Eusebius mentions it as then existing “near Mount Tabor.”

Shihor of Egypt

Shi’hor of Egypt. [SIHOR.]

Shihor-libnath

Shi’hor-lib’nath (black of whitness), named only in Joshua 19:26 as one of the landmarks of the boundary of Asher. (Probably the little stream called on the map of Pal. Ord. Survey Wady en Nebra, “which enters the Mediterranean a little south of Athlit.” The name would come from the turgid character of the stream contrasted with the white and glistening sands of its shore.—Ed.)

Shilhi

Shil’hi (armed), the father of Azubah the mother of Jehoshaphat, 1 Kings 22:42; 2 Chronicles 20:31. (b.c. before 946.)

Shilhim

Shil’him (fountains), one of the cities in the southern portion of the tribe of Judah. Joshua 15:32.

Shillem

Shil’lem (requital), son of Naphtali and an ancestor of the family of the Shillemites. Genesis 46:24; Numbers 26:49.

Shillemites The

Shil’lemites, The. [SHILLEM.]

Shiloah The waters of

Shilo’ah, The waters of, a certain soft-flowing stream, Isaiah 8:6, better known under the later name of Siloam—the only perennial spring of Jerusalem.

Shiloh

Shi’loh. In the Authorized Version of the Bible Shiloh is once used as the name of a person, in a very difficult passage, in Genesis 49:10, “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” Supposing that the translation is correct, the meaning of the word is peaceable or pacific, and the allusion is either to Solomon, whose name has a similar signification, or to the expected Messiah, who in Isaiah 9:6 is expressly called the Prince of Peace. [MESSIAH.] Other interpretations, however, of the passage are given, one of which makes it refer to the city of this name. [See the following article.] It might be translated, “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, till he shall go to Shiloh.” In this case the allusion would be to the primacy of Judah in war, Judges 1:1-2; Judges 20:18; Numbers 2:3; Numbers 10:14, which was to continue until the promised land was conquered and the ark of the covenant was solemnly deposited at Shiloh.

Shiloh

Shi’loh (place of rest), a city of Ephraim. In Judges 21:19 it is said that Shiloh is “on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.” In agreement with this the traveller of our own day, going north from Jerusalem, lodges the first night at Beitín, the ancient Bethel; the next day, at the distance of a few hours, turns aside to the right, in order to visit Seilûn, the Arabic for Shiloh; and then passing through the narrow wady which brings him to the main road, leaves el-Lebbân, the Lebonah of Scripture, on the left, as he pursues “the highway” to Nablûs, the ancient Shechem. [SHECHEM.] Shiloh was one of the earliest and most sacred of the Hebrew sanctuaries. The ark of the covenant, which had been kept at Gilgal during the progress of the conquest, Joshua 17:1, seq., was removed thence on the subjugation of the country, and kept at Shiloh from the last days of Joshua to the time of Samuel. Joshua 18:10; Judges 18:31; 1 Samuel 4:3. It was here the Hebrew conqueror divided among the tribes the portion of the west Jordan region which had not been already allotted. Joshua 18:10; Joshua 19:51. In this distribution, or an earlier one, Shiloh fell within the limits of Ephraim. Joshua 16:5. The ungodly conduct of the sons of Eli occasioned the loss of the ark of the covenant, which had been carried into battle against the Philistines, and Shiloh from that time sank into insignificance. It stands forth in the Jewish history as a striking example of the divine indignation. Jeremiah 7:12.

Shiloh.

Shiloni

Shilo’ni. This word occurs in the Authorized Version only in Nehemiah 11:5, where it should be rendered—as it is in other cases—“the Shilonite,” that is, the descendant of Shelah the youngest son of Judah.

Shilonite The

Shi’lonite, The, that is, the native or resident of Shiloh; a title ascribed only to Ahijah. 1 Kings 11:29; 1 Kings 12:15; 1 Kings 15:29; 2 Chronicles 9:29; 2 Chronicles 10:15.

Shilonites The

Shi’lonites, The, are mentioned among the descendants of Judah dwelling in Jerusalem at a date difficult to fix. 1 Chronicles 9:5. They are doubtless the members of the house of Shelah, who in the Pentateuch are more accurately designated Shelanites.

Shilshah

Shil’shah (strong), son of Zophah of the tribe of Asher. 1 Chronicles 7:37. (b.c. before 1015.)

Shimea

Shim’ea (fame).

1. Son of David by Bath-sheba. 1 Chronicles 3:5. (b.c. 1045.)

2. A Merarite Levite. 1 Chronicles 6:30 (1 Chronicles 6:15).

3. A Gershonite Levite, ancestor of Asaph the minstrel. 1 Chronicles 6:39 (1 Chronicles 6:24). (b.c. before 1200.)

4. The brother of David, 1 Chronicles 20:7, elsewhere called Shammah, Shimma, and Shimeah.

Shimeah

Shim’eah.

1. Brother of David, and father of Jonathan and Jonadab, 2 Samuel 21:21; called also Shammah, Shimea, and Shimma. (b.c. about 1060.)

2. A descendant of Jehiel, the father or founder of Gibeon. 1 Chronicles 8:32. (b.c. perhaps 536.)

Shimeam

Shim’eam (their fame), a descendant of Jehiel, the founder or prince of Gibeon. 1 Chronicles 9:38. Called SHIMEAH in 1 Chronicles 8:32.

Shimeath

Shim’eath (feminine of Shimeah), an Ammonitess, mother of Jozachar or Zabad, one of the murderers of King Joash. 2 Kings 12:21 (2 Kings 12:22); 2 Chronicles 24:26. (b.c. 609.)

Shimei

Shim’ei (renowned).

1. Son of Gershon the son of Levi, Numbers 3:18; 1 Chronicles 6:17, 1 Chronicles 6:29; 1 Chronicles 23:7, 1 Chronicles 23:9-10; Zechariah 12:13; called SHIMI in Exodus 6:17. (b.c. after 1706.)

2. Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of the house of Saul, who lived at Bahurim. (b.c. 1023.) When David and his suite were seen descending the long defile, on his flight from Absalom, 2 Samuel 16:5-13, the whole feeling of the clan of Benjamin burst forth without restraint in the person of Shimei. He ran along the ridge, cursing and throwing stones at the king and his companions. The next meeting was very different. The king was now returning from his successful campaign. Just as he was crossing the Jordan. 2 Samuel 19:18, the first person to welcome him was Shimei, who threw himself at David’s feet in abject penitence. But the king’s suspicions were not set at rest by this submission; and on his death-bed he recalls the whole scene to the recollection of his son Solomon. Solomon gave Shimei notice that from henceforth he must consider himself confined to the walls of Jerusalem, on pain of death. 1 Kings 2:36, 1 Kings 2:37. For three years the engagement was kept. At the end of that time, for the purpose of capturing two slaves who had escaped to Gath, he went out on his ass, and made his journey successfully. Ibid. 1 Kings 2:40. On his return the king took him at his word, and he was slain by Benaiah. Ibid. 1 Kings 2:41-46.

3. One of the adherents of Solomon at the time of Adonijah’s usurpation. 1 Kings 1:8. (b.c. 1015.)

4. Solomon’s commissariat officer in Benjamin. 1 Kings 4:18.

5. Son of Pedaiah, and brother of Zerubbabel. 1 Chronicles 3:19. (b.c. 536.)

6. A Simeonite, son of Zacchur. 1 Chronicles 4:26, 1 Chronicles 4:27.

7. Son of Gog, a Reubenite. 1 Chronicles 5:4.

8. A Gershonite Levite, son of Jahath. 1 Chronicles 6:42.

9. Son of Jeduthun, and chief of the tenth division of the singers. 1 Chronicles 25:17.

10. The Ramathite who was over David’s vineyards. 1 Chronicles 27:27.

11. A Levite of the sons of Heman, who took part in the purification of the temple under Hezekiah. 2 Chronicles 29:14. (b.c. 726.)

12. The brother of Cononiah the Levite, in the reign of Hezekiah. 2 Chronicles 31:12-13. Perhaps the same as the preceding.

13. A Levite in the time of Ezra who had married a foreign wife. Ezra 10:23.

14. One of the family of Hashum, who put away his foreign wife at Ezra’s command. Ezra 10:33.

15. A son of Bani, who had also married a foreign wife, and put her away. Ezra 10:38. (b.c. 459.)

16. Son of Kish, a Benjamite, and ancestor of Mordecai. Esther 2:5. (b.c. before 479.

Shimeon

Shim’eon (hearing (prayer)), a layman of Israel, of the family of Harim, who had married a foreign wife, and divorced her in the time of Ezra. Ezra 10:31. (b.c. 458.)

Shimhi

Shim’hi (renowned), a Benjamite, apparently the same as Shema the son of Elpaal. 1 Chronicles 8:21.

Shimi

Shi’mi = SHIMEI,

1. Exodus 6:17.

Shimites The

Shim’ites, The, the descendants of Shimei the son of Gershon. Numbers 3:21.

Shimma

Shim’ma, the third son of Jesse, and brother of David. 1 Chronicles 2:13. Same as Shimeah.

Shimon

Shi’mon (desert). The four sons of Shimon are enumerated in an obscure genealogy of the tribe of Judah. 1 Chronicles 4:20.

Shimrath

Shim’rath (guard), a Benjamite, of the sons of Shimhi. 1 Chronicles 8:21.

Shimri

Shim’ri (vigilant).

1. A Simeonite, son of Shemaiah. 1 Chronicles 4:37. (b.c. after 1450.)

2. The father of Jediael, one of David’s guard. 1 Chronicles 11:45. (b.c. before 1043.)

3. A Kohathite Levite in the reign of Hezekiah. 2 Chronicles 29:13. (b.c. 726.)

Shimrith

Shim’rith (feminine of Shimri, vigilant), a Moabitess, mother of Jehozabad, one of the assassins of King Joash. 2 Chronicles 24:26. In 2 Kings 12:21 she is called SHOMER. (b.c. 839.)

Shimrom

Shim’rom. 1 Chronicles 7:1. [SHIMRON.]

Shimron

Shim’ron (watch-height).

1. A city of Zebulun. Joshua 11:1; Joshua 19:15. Its full appellation was perhaps Shimron-meron.

2. The fourth son of Issachar according to the lists of Genesis, Genesis 46:13, and Numbers, Numbers 26:24, and the head of the family of the Shimronites.

Shimronites The

Shim’ronites, The. [SHIMRON.]

Shimron-meron

Shim’ron-me’ron (watch-height of Meron). The king of Shimron-meron is mentioned as one of the thirty-one kings vanquished by Joshua. Joshua 12:20. It is probably the complete name of the place elsewhere called Shimron, a city of Zebulun. Joshua 11:1; Joshua 19:15.

Shimsha-i

Shim’sha-i, or Shimsha’i (sunny), the scribe or secretary of Rehum, who was a kind of satrap of the conquered province of Judea and of the colony of Samaria, supported by the Persian court. Ezra 4:8-9, Ezra 4:17, Ezra 4:23. He was apparently an Aramæan, for the letter which he wrote to Artaxerxes was in Syriac. Ezra 4:7. (b.c. 529.)

Shinab

Shi’nab (splendor of the father, i.e., God), the king of Admah in the time of Abraham. Genesis 14:2. (b.c. 1912.)

Shinar

Shi’nar (country of two rivers), the ancient name of the great alluvial tract through which the Tigris and Euphrates pass before reaching the sea—the tract known in later times as Chaldæa or Babylonia. It was a plain country, where brick had to be used for stone and slime for mortar. Genesis 11:3. Among the cities were Babel (Babylon), Erech or Orech (Orchoe), Calneh or Calno (probably Niffer), and Accad, the site of which is unknown. It may be suspected that Shinar was the name by which the Hebrews originally knew the lower Mesopotamian country where they so long dwelt, and which Abraham brought with him from “Ur of the Chaldees.”

Ship

Ship. No one writer in the whole range of Greek and Roman literature has supplied us with so much information concerning the merchant-ships of the ancients as St. Luke in the narrative of St. Paul’s voyage to Rome. Acts 27-28. It is important to remember that he accomplished it in three ships: first, the Adramyttian vessel which took him from Cæsarea to Myra, and which was probably a coasting-vessel of no great size, Acts 27:1-6; secondly, the large Alexandrian corn-ship, in which he was wrecked on the coast of Malta, Acts 27:6; and third, another large Alexandrian corn-ship, in which he sailed from Malta by Syracuse and Rhegium to Puteoli. Acts 28:11-13.

1. Size of ancient ships.—The narrative which we take as our chief guide affords a good standard for estimating this. The ship in which St. Paul was wrecked had 276 persons on board, Acts 27:37, besides a cargo of wheat, ibid. Acts 10, Acts 38; and all these passengers seem to have been taken on to Puteoli in another ship, ibid. Acts 28:11, which had its own crew and its own cargo. Now, in modern transport-ships, prepared for carrying troops, it is a common estimate to allow a ton and a half per man. On the whole, if we say that an ancient merchant-ship might range from 500 to 1000 tons, we are clearly within the mark. 2. Steering apparatus.—Some commentators have fallen into strange perplexities from observing that in Acts 27:40 (“the fastenings of the rudders”) St. Luke uses the plural. Ancient ships were in truth not steered at all by rudders fastened or hinged to the stern, but by means of two paddle-rudders, one on each quarters, acting in a rowlock or through a port-hole, as the vessel might be small or large. 3. Build and ornaments of the hull.—It is probable that there was no very marked difference between the bow and the stern. The “hold,” Jonah 1:5, would present no special peculiarities. That personification of ships which seems to be instinctive led the ancients to paint an eye on each side of the bow. Comp. Acts 27:15. An ornament of the ship which took Paul from Malta to Pozzuoli is more explicitly referred to. The “sign” of that ship, Acts 28:11, was Castor and Pollux; and the symbols of these heroes were doubtless painted or sculptured on each side of the bow. 4. Under-girders.—The imperfection of the build, and still more (see below, 6) the peculiarity of the rig, in ancient ships, resulted in a greater tendency than in our times to the starting of the planks, and consequently to leaking and foundering. Hence it was customary to take on board peculiar contrivances, suitably called “helps,” Acts 27:17, as precautions against such dangers. These were simply cables or chains, which in case of necessity could be passed round the frame of the ship, at right angles to its length, and made tight. 5. Anchors.—Ancient anchors were similar in form to those which we use now, except that they were without flukes. The ship in which Paul was sailing had four anchors on board. The sailors on this occasion anchored by the stern. Acts 27:29. 6. Masts, sails, ropes, and yards.—The rig of an ancient ship was more simple and clumsy than that employed in modern times. Its great feature was one large mast, with one large square sail fastened to a yard of great length. Hence the strain upon the hull, and the danger of starting the planks, were greater than under the present system, which distributes the mechanical pressure more evenly over the whole ship. Not that there were never more masts than one, or more sails than one on the same mast, in an ancient merchantman; but these were repetitions, so to speak, of the same general unit of rig. Another feature of the ancient, as of the modern, ship is the flag at the top of the mast. Isa. l.c., and Isaiah 30:17. We must remember that the ancients had no compass, and very imperfect charts and instruments, if any at all. 7. Rate of sailing.—St. Paul’s voyages furnish excellent data for approximately estimating this; and they are quite in harmony with what we learn from other sources. We must notice here, however—what commentators sometimes curiously forget—that winds are variable. Thus the voyage between Troas and Philippi, accomplished on one occasion, Acts 16:11-12, in two days, occupied on another occasion, Acts 20:6, five days. With a fair wind an ancient ship would sail fully seven knots an hour. 8. Sailing before the wind, and near the wind.—The rig which has been described is, like the rig of Chinese junks, peculiarly favorable to a quick run before the wind. Acts 16:11; Acts 27:16. It would, however, be a great mistake to suppose that ancient ships could not work to windward. The superior rig and build, however, of modern ships enable them to sail nearer to the wind than was the case in classical times. A modern ship, if the weather is not very boisterous, will sail within six points of the wind. To an ancient vessel, of which the hull was more clumsy and the yards could not be braced so tight, it would be safe to assign seven points as the limit. Boats on the Sea of Galilee.—In the narrative of the call of the disciples to be “fishers of men,” Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11, there is no special information concerning the characteristics of these. With the large population round the Lake of Tiberias, there must have been a vast number of both fishing-boats and pleasure-boats, and boat-building must have been an active trade on its shores.

Roman Galley.

Shiphi

Shi’phi (abundant), a Simeonite, father of Ziza, a prince of the tribe in the time of Hezekiah. 1 Chronicles 4:37. (b.c. 726.)

Shiphmite The

Shiph’mite, The, probably, though not certainly, the native of Shepham. 1 Chronicles 27:27.

Shiphrah

Shiph’rah (brightness), Exodus 1:15, the name of one of the two midwives of the Hebrews who disobeyed the command of Pharaoh to kill the male children. vs. Exodus 1:15-21. (b.c. 1570.)

Shiphtan

Shiph’tan (judicial), father of Kemuel, a prince of the tribe of Ephraim. Numbers 34:24. (b.c. before 1450.)

Shisha

Shi’sha (Jehovah contends), father of Elihoreph and Ahiah, the royal secretaries in the reign of Solomon. 1 Kings 4:3. He is apparently the same as Shavsha, who held the same position under David. (b.c. 1000.)

Shishak

Shi’shak, king of Egypt, the Sheshonk I of the monuments, first sovereign of the Bubastite twenty-second dynasty. His reign offers the first determined synchronism of Egyptian and Hebrew history. The first year of Shishak would about correspond to the 26th of Solomon (b.c. 989), and the 20th of Shishak to the 5th of Rehoboam. Shishak at the beginning of his reign received the fugitive Jeroboam, 1 Kings 11:40; and it was probably at the instigation of Jeroboam that he attacked Rehoboam. “He took the fenced cities which [pertained] to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.” He exacted all the treasures of his city from Rehoboam, and apparently made him tributary. 1 Kings 14:25, 1 Kings 14:26; 2 Chronicles 12:2-9. Shishak has left a record of this expedition sculptured on the wall of the great temple of El-Karnak. It is a list of the countries, cities, and tribes conquered or ruled by him, or tributary to him.

Head of Shishak. (From temple of Karnak.)