Thou hast forsaken me, one of the Aramaic words uttered
by our Lord on the cross Mt 27:46 Mr 15:34
The transliteration of the Hebrew word _tsebha'oth_,
meaning "hosts, " "armies" Ro 9:29 Jas 5:4 In the LXX. the
Hebrew word is rendered by "Almighty." Re 4:8 comp. Isa 6:3 It may
designate Jehovah as either
1. God of the armies of earth, or
2. God of the armies of the stars, or
3. God of the unseen armies of angels; or perhaps it may
include all these ideas.
(Heb. verb shabbath, meaning "to rest from
labour"), the day of rest. It is first mentioned as having been instituted
in Paradise, when man was in innocence Ge 2:2 "The sabbath was made for
man, "as a day of rest and refreshment for the body and of blessing to the
soul. It is next referred to in connection with the gift of manna to the
children of Israel in the wilderness Ex 16:23 and afterwards, when the law was
given from Sinai Ex 20:11 the people were solemnly charged to "remember
the sabbath day, to keep it holy." Thus it is spoken of as an institution
already existing. In the Mosaic law strict regulations were laid down regarding
its observance Ex 35:2,3 Le 23:3 26:34 These were peculiar to that
dispensation. In the subsequent history of the Jews frequent references are
made to the sanctity of the Sabbath Isa 56:2,4,6,7 58:13,14 Jer 17:20-22 Ne
13:19 In later times they perverted the Sabbath by their traditions. Our Lord
rescued it from their perversions, and recalled to them its true nature and
intent Mt 12:10-13 Mr 2:27 Lu 13:10-17 The Sabbath, originally instituted for
man at his creation, is of permanent and universal obligation. The physical
necessities of man require a Sabbath of rest. He is so constituted that his
bodily welfare needs at least one day in seven for rest from ordinary labour.
Experience also proves that the moral and spiritual necessities of men also
demand a Sabbath of rest. "I am more and more sure by experience that the
reason for the observance of the Sabbath lies deep in the everlasting
necessities of human nature, and that as long as man is man the blessedness of
keeping it, not as a day of rest only, but as a day of spiritual rest, will
never be annulled. I certainly do feel by experience the eternal obligation,
because of the eternal necessity, of the Sabbath. The soul withers without it.
It thrives in proportion to its observance. The Sabbath was made for man. God
made it for men in a certain spiritual state because they needed it. The need,
therefore, is deeply hidden in human nature. He who can dispense with it must
be holy and spiritual indeed. And he who, still unholy and unspiritual, would
yet dispense with it is a man that would fain be wiser than his Maker" (F.
W. Robertson). The ancient Babylonian calendar, as seen from recently recovered
inscriptions on the bricks among the ruins of the royal palace, was based on
the division of time into weeks of seven days. The Sabbath is in these
inscriptions designated Sabattu, and defined as "a day of rest for the
heart" and "a day of completion of labour." The change of the
day. Originally at creation the seventh day of the week was set apart and
consecrated as the Sabbath. The first day of the week is now observed as the
Sabbath. Has God authorized this change? There is an obvious distinction
between the Sabbath as an institution and the particular day set apart for its
observance. The question, therefore, as to the change of the day in no way
affects the perpetual obligation of the Sabbath as an institution. Change of
the day or no change, the Sabbath remains as a sacred institution the same. It
cannot be abrogated. If any change of the day has been made, it must have been
by Christ or by his authority. Christ has a right to make such a change Mr
2:23-28 As Creator, Christ was the original Lord of the Sabbath Joh 1:3 Heb
1:10 It was originally a memorial of creation. A work vastly greater than that
of creation has now been accomplished by him, the work of redemption. We would
naturally expect just such a change as would make the Sabbath a memorial of
that greater work. True, we can give no text authorizing the change in so many
words. We have no express law declaring the change. But there are evidences of
another kind. We know for a fact that the first day of the week has been
observed from apostolic times, and the necessary conclusion is, that it was observed
by the apostles and their immediate disciples. This, we may be sure, they never
would have done without the permission or the authority of their Lord. After
his resurrection, which took place on the first day of the week Mt 28:1 Mr 16:2
Lu 24:1 Joh 20:1 we never find Christ meeting with his disciples on the seventh
day. But he specially honoured the first day by manifesting himself to them on
four separate occasions Mt 28:9 Lu 24:34,18-33 Joh 20:19-23 Again, on the next
first day of the week, Jesus appeared to his disciples Joh 20:26 Some have
calculated that Christ's ascension took place on the first day of the week. And
there can be no doubt that the descent of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost was on
that day Ac 2:1 Thus Christ appears as instituting a new day to be observed by
his people as the Sabbath, a day to be henceforth known amongst them as the
"Lord's day." The observance of this "Lord's day" as the
Sabbath was the general custom of the primitive churches, and must have had
apostolic sanction (comp.) Ac 20:3-7 1Co 16:1,2 and authority, and so the
sanction and authority of Jesus Christ. The words "at her sabbaths"
La 1:7 A.V. ought probably to be, as in the Revised Version, "at her
desolations."
Supposed to be a distance of 2,000 cubits, or less than
half-a-mile, the distance to which, according to Jewish tradition, it was
allowable to travel on the Sabbath day without violating the law Ac 1:12 comp.
Ex 16:29 Nu 35:5 Jos 3:4
Every seventh year, during which the land, according to
the law of Moses, had to remain uncultivated Le 25:2-7 comp. Ex 23:10,11,12 Le
26:34,35 Whatever grew of itself during that year was not for the owner of the
land, but for the poor and the stranger and the beasts of the field. All debts,
except those of foreigners, were to be remitted De 15:1-11 There is little
notice of the observance of this year in Biblical history. It appears to have
been much neglected 2Ch 36:20,21
Descendants of Seba Ge 10:7 Africans Isa 43:3 They were
"men of stature, "and engaged in merchandise Isa 45:14 Their
conversion to the Lord was predicted Ps 72:10 This word, in Eze 23:42 should be
read, as in the margin of the Authorized Version, and in the Revised Version,
"drunkards." Another tribe, apparently given to war, is mentioned in
Job 1:15
Rest, the third son of Cush Ge 10:7 1Ch 1:9
The fifth son of Cush (id.). Ge 10:7 1Ch 1:9
Hire.
1. One of David's heroes 1Ch 11:35 called also Sharar 2Sa
23:33
2. A son of Obed-edom the Gittite, and a temple porter
1Ch 26:4
(Chald. sabkha; Gr. sambuke), a Syrian stringed
instrument resembling a harp Da 3:5,7,10,15 not the sackbut, which is a wind
instrument.
Cloth made of black goats' hair, coarse, rough, and
thick, used for sacks, and also worn by mourners Ge 37:34 42:25 2Sa 3:31 Es
4:1,2 Ps 30:11 etc., and as a sign of repentance Mt 11:21 It was put upon
animals by the people of Nineveh Jon 3:8
The offering up of sacrifices is to be regarded as a
divine institution. It did not originate with man. God himself appointed it as
the mode in which acceptable worship was to be offered to him by guilty man.
The language and the idea of sacrifice pervade the whole Bible. Sacrifices were
offered in the ante-diluvian age. The Lord clothed Adam and Eve with the skins
of animals, which in all probability had been offered in sacrifice Ge 3:21 Abel
offered a sacrifice "of the firstlings of his flock" Ge 4:4 Heb 11:4
A distinction also was made between clean and unclean animals, which there is
every reason to believe had reference to the offering up of sacrifices Ge 7:2,8
because animals were not given to man as food till after the Flood. The same
practice is continued down through the patriarchal age Ge 8:20 12:7 13:4,18
15:9-11 22:1-18 etc.). In the Mosaic period of Old Testament history definite
laws were prescribed by God regarding the different kinds of sacrifices that
were to be offered and the manner in which the offering was to be made. The
offering of stated sacrifices became indeed a prominent and distinctive feature
of the whole period Ex 12:3-27 Le 23:5-8 Nu 9:2-14
See ALTAR We learn from the Epistle to the Hebrews that
sacrifices had in themselves no value or efficacy. They were only the
"shadow of good things to come, "and pointed the worshippers forward
to the coming of the great High Priest, who, in the fullness of the time,
"was offered once for all to bear the sin of many." Sacrifices
belonged to a temporary economy, to a system of types and emblems which served
their purposes and have now passed away. The "one sacrifice for sins"
hath "perfected for ever them that are sanctified." Sacrifices were
of two kinds:
1. Unbloody, such as:
a. first-fruits and tithes;
b. meat and drink-offerings; and
c. incense.
2. Bloody, such as
a. burnt-offerings;
b. peace-offerings; and
c. sin and trespass offerings.
See OFFERINGS
The origin of this Jewish sect cannot definitely be
traced. It was probably the outcome of the influence of Grecian customs and
philosophy during the period of Greek domination. The first time they are met
with is in connection with John the Baptist's ministry. They came out to him
when on the banks of the Jordan, and he said to them, "O generation of
vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" Mt 3:7 The
next time they are spoken of they are represented as coming to our Lord
tempting him. He calls them "hypocrites" and "a wicked and
adulterous generation" Mt 16:1-4 Mt 22:23 The only reference to them in
the Gospels of Mark Mr 12:18-27 and Luke Lu 20:27-38 is their attempting to
ridicule the doctrine of the resurrection, which they denied, as they also
denied the existence of angels. They are never mentioned in John's Gospel.
There were many Sadducees among the "elders" of the Sanhedrin. They
seem, indeed, to have been as numerous as the Pharisees Ac 23:6 They showed
their hatred of Jesus in taking part in his condemnation Mt 16:21 26:1-3,59 Mr
8:31 15:1 Lu 9:22 22:66 They endeavoured to prohibit the apostles from
preaching the resurrection of Christ Ac 2:24,31,32 4:1,2 5:17,24-28 They were
the deists or sceptics of that age. They do not appear as a separate sect after
the destruction of Jerusalem.
Just, mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord Mt 1:14
Heb. karkom, Arab. zafran (i.e., "yellow"),
mentioned only in So 4:13,14 the Crocus sativus. Many species of the crocus are
found in Palestine. The pistils and stigmata, from the centre of its flowers,
are pressed into "saffron cakes, "common in the East. "We found,
"says Tristram, "saffron a very useful condiment in travelling
cookery, a very small pinch of it giving not only a rich yellow colour but an
agreable flavour to a dish of rice or to an insipid stew."
One separated from the world and consecrated to God; one
holy by profession and by covenant; a believer in Christ Ps 16:3 Ro 1:7 8:27
Php 1:1 Heb 6:10 The "saints" spoken of in Jude 1:14 are probably not
the disciples of Christ, but the "innumerable company of angels" Heb
12:22 Ps 68:17 with reference to De 33:2 This word is also used of the holy
dead Mt 27:52 Re 18:24 It was not used as a distinctive title of the apostles
and evangelists and of a "spiritual nobility" till the fourth
century. In that sense it is not a scriptural title.
A shoot, a descendant of Arphaxed Lu 3:35,36 called also
Shelah 1Ch 1:18,24
A city on the south-east coast of Cyprus Ac 13:5 where
Saul and Barnabas, on their first missionary journey, preached the word in one of
the Jewish synagogues, of which there seem to have been several in that place.
It is now called Famagusta.
Whom I asked of God, the son of Jeconiah Mt 1:12 1Ch 3:17
also called the son of Neri Lu 3:27 The probable explanation of the apparent
discrepancy is that he was the son of Neri, the descendant of Nathan, and thus
heir to the throne of David on the death of Jeconiah (comp.) Jer 22:30
Wandering, a city of Bashan assigned to the half tribe of
Manasseh De 3:10 Jos 12:5 13:11 identified with Salkhad, about 56 miles east of
Jordan.
Peace, commonly supposed to be another name of Jerusalem
Ge 14:18 Ps 76:2 Heb 7:1,2
Peaceful, a place near AEnon (q.v.), on the west of
Jordan, where John baptized Joh 3:23 It was probably the Shalem mentioned in Ge
33:18 about 7 miles south of AEnon, at the head of the great Wady Far'ah, which
formed the northern boundary of Judea in the Jordan valley.
Basket-maker.
1. A Benjamite Ne 11:8
2. A priest in the days of Joshua and Zerubbabel Ne 12:20
Weighed.
1. A priest Ne 12:7
2. A Benjamite 1Ch 9:7 Ne 11:7
Garment, the son of Nashon Ru 4:20 Mt 1:4,5 possibly the
same as Salma in 1Ch 2:51
Shady; or Zalmon (q.v.), a hill covered with dark
forests, south of Shechem, from which Abimelech and his men gathered wood to
burn that city Jud 9:48 In Ps 68:14 the change from war to peace is likened to
snow on the dark mountain, as some interpret the expression. Others suppose the
words here mean that the bones of the slain left unburied covered the land, so
that it seemed to be white as if covered with snow. The reference, however, of
the psalm is probably to Jos 11:1ff. and Jos 12:1 ff The scattering of the
kings and their followers is fitly likened unto the snow-flakes rapidly falling
on the dark Salmon. It is the modern Jebel Suleiman.
A promontory on the east of Crete, under which Paul
sailed on his voyage to Rome Ac 27:7 the modern Cape Sidero.
Perfect.
1. The wife of Zebedee (Mary) and mother of James and
John Mt 27:56 and probably the sister of Mary, the mother of our Lord Joh 19:25
She sought for her sons places of honour in Christ's kingdom Mt 20:20,21 comp.
Mt 19:28 She witnessed the crucifixion Mr 15:40 and was present with the other
women at the sepulchre Mt 27:56
2. "The daughter of Herodias, "not named in the
New Testament. On the occasion of the birthday festival held by Herod Antipas,
who had married her mother Herodias, in the fortress of Machaerus, she
"came in and danced, and pleased Herod" Mr 6:14-29 John the Baptist,
at that time a prisoner in the dungeons underneath the castle, was at her
request beheaded by order of Herod, and his head given to the damsel in a
charger, "and the damsel gave it to her mother, "whose revengeful
spirit was thus gratified. "A luxurious feast of the period" (says
Farrar, Life of Christ) "was not regarded as complete unless it closed
with some gross pantomimic representation; and doubtless Herod had adopted the
evil fashion of his day. But he had not anticipated for his guests the rare
luxury of seeing a princess, his own niece, a grand-daughter of Herod the Great
and of Mariamne, a descendant, therefore, of Simon the high priest and the
great line of Maccabean princes, a princess who afterwards became the wife of a
tetrarch [Philip, tetrarch of Trachonitis] and the mother of a king, honouring
them by degrading herself into a scenic dancer."
1. Used to season food Job 6:6
2. mixed with the fodder of cattle Isa 30:24 "clean;
"in marg. of R.V. "salted").
3. All meat-offerings were seasoned with salt Le 2:13
4. To eat salt with one is to partake of his hospitality,
to derive subsistence from him; and hence he who did so was bound to look after
his host's interests Ezr 4:14 "We have maintenance from the king's palace;
"A.V. marg., "We are salted with the salt of the palace; "R.V.,
"We eat the salt of the palace").
5. A "covenant of salt" Nu 18:19 2Ch 13:5 was a
covenant of perpetual obligation.
6. New-born children were rubbed with salt Eze 16:4
7. Disciples are likened unto salt, with reference to its
cleansing and preserving uses Mt 5:13
8. When Abimelech took the city of Shechem, he sowed the
place with salt, that it might always remain a barren soil Jud 9:45
9. Sir Lyon Playfair argues, on scientific grounds, that
under the generic name of "salt, "in certain passages, we are to
understand petroleum or its residue asphalt. Thus in Ge 19:26 he would read
"pillar of asphalt; "and in Mt 5:13 instead of "salt, "
"petroleum, "which loses its essence by exposure, as salt does not,
and becomes asphalt, with which pavements were made. The Jebel Usdum, to the south of the Dead Sea, is a mountain of
rock salt about 7 miles long and from 2 to 3 miles wide and some hundreds of
feet high.
Jos 3:16
See DEAD SEA
One of the cities of Judah Jos 15:62 probably in the
Valley of Salt, at the southern end of the Dead Sea.
A place where it is said David smote the Syrians 2Sa 8:13
This valley (the' Arabah) is between Judah and Edom on the south of the Dead
Sea. Hence some interpreters would insert the words, "and he smote Edom,
"after the words, "Syrians" in the above text. It is conjectured
that while David was leading his army against the Ammonites and Syrians, the
Edomites invaded the south of Judah, and that David sent Joab or Abishai
against them, who drove them back and finally subdued Edom. (Comp. title to) Ps
60:1 Here also Amaziah "slew of Edom ten thousand men" 2Ki 14:7 comp.
2Ki 8:20-22 2Ch 25:5-11
"Eastern modes of salutation are not unfrequently so
prolonged as to become wearisome. The profusely polite Arab asks so many
questions after your health, your happiness, your welfare, your house, and other
things, that a person ignorant of the habits of the country would imagine there
must be some secret ailment or mysterious sorrow oppressing you, which you
wished to conceal, so as to spare the feelings of a dear, sympathizing friend,
but which he, in the depth of his anxiety, would desire to hear of. I have
often listened to these prolonged salutations in the house, the street, and the
highway, and not unfrequently I have experienced their tedious monotony, and I
have bitterly lamented useless waste of time" (Porter, Through Samaria,
etc.). The work on which the disciples were sent forth was one of urgency,
which left no time for empty compliments and prolonged greetings Lu 10:4
This word is used of the deliverance of the Israelites
from the Egyptians Ex 14:13 and of deliverance generally from evil or danger.
In the New Testament it is specially used with reference to the great
deliverance from the guilt and the pollution of sin wrought out by Jesus
Christ, "the great salvation" Heb 2:3
See REDEMPTION See REGENERATION
A watch-mountain or a watch-tower. In the heart of the mountains
of Israel, a few miles north-west of Shechem, stands the "hill of
Shomeron, "a solitary mountain, a great "mamelon." It is an
oblong hill, with steep but not inaccessible sides, and a long flat top. Omri,
the king of Israel, purchased this hill from Shemer its owner for two talents
of silver, and built on its broad summit the city to which he gave the name of
"Shomeron", i.e., Samaria, as the new capital of his kingdom instead
of Tirzah 1Ki 16:24 As such it possessed many advantages. Here Omri resided
during the last six years of his reign. As the result of an unsuccessful war
with Syria, he appears to have been obliged to grant to the Syrians the right
to "make streets in Samaria", i.e., probably permission to the Syrian
merchants to carry on their trade in the Israelite capital. This would imply
the existence of a considerable Syrian population. "It was the only great
city of Palestine created by the sovereign. All the others had been already
consecrated by patriarchal tradition or previous possession. But Samaria was
the choice of Omri alone. He, indeed, gave to the city which he had built the
name of its former owner, but its especial connection with himself as its
founder is proved by the designation which it seems Samaria bears in Assyrian
inscriptions, Beth-khumri('the house or palace of Omri').",Stanley.
Samaria was frequently besieged. In the days of Ahab, Benhadad II. came up
against it with thirty-two vassal kings, but was defeated with a great
slaughter 1Ki 20:1-21 A second time, next year, he assailed it; but was again
utterly routed, and was compelled to surrender to Ahab 1Ki 20:28-34 whose army,
as compared with that of Benhadad, was no more than "two little flocks of
kids." In the days of Jehoram this Benhadad again laid siege to Samaria,
during which the city was reduced to the direst extremities. But just when
success seemed to be within their reach, they suddenly broke up the seige,
alarmed by a mysterious noise of chariots and horses and a great army, and
fled, leaving their camp with all its contents behind them. The famishing
inhabitants of the city were soon relieved with the abundance of the spoil of
the Syrian camp; and it came to pass, according to the word of Elisha, that
"a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barely
for a shekel, in the gates of Samaria" 2Ki 7:1-20 Shalmaneser invaded
Israel in the days of Hoshea, and reduced it to vassalage. He laid siege to
Samaria (B.C. 723) which held out for three years, and was at length captured
by Sargon, who completed the conquest Shalmaneser had begun 2Ki 18:9-12 17:3
and removed vast numbers of the tribes into captivity.
See SARGON This city, after passing through various
vicissitudes, was given by the emperor Augustus to Herod the Great, who rebuilt
it, and called it Sebaste (Gr. form of Augustus) in honour of the emperor. In
the New Testament the only mention of it is in Ac 8:5-14 where it is recorded
that Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached there. It is now
represented by the hamlet of Sebustieh, containing about three hundred
inhabitants. The ruins of the ancient town are all scattered over the hill,
down the sides of which they have rolled. The shafts of about one hundred of
what must have been grand Corinthian columns are still standing, and attract
much attention, although nothing definite is known regarding them. (Comp.) Mic 1:6 In the time of Christ,
Western Palestine was divided into three provinces, Judea, Samaria, and
Galilee. Samaria occupied the centre of Palestine Joh 4:4 It is called in the
Talmud the "land of the Cuthim, "and is not regarded as a part of the
Holy Land at all. It may be noticed that the distance between Samaria and
Jerusalem, the respective capitals of the two kingdoms, is only 35 miles in a
direct line.
On the return from the Exile, the Jews refused the
Samaritans participation with them in the worship at Jerusalem, and the latter
separated from all fellowship with them, and built a temple for themselves on
Mount Gerizim. This temple was razed to the ground more than one hundred years
B.C. Then a system of worship was instituted similar to that of the temple at
Jerusalem. It was founded on the Law, copies of which had been multiplied in
Israel as well as in Judah. Thus the Pentateuch was preserved among the
Samaritans, although they never called it by this name, but always "the
Law, "which they read as one book. The division into five books, as we now
have it, however, was adopted by the Samaritans, as it was by the Jews, in all
their priests' copies of "the Law, "for the sake of convenience. This
was the only portion of the Old Testament which was accepted by the Samaritans
as of divine authority. The form of the letters in the manuscript copies of the
Samaritan Pentateuch is different from that of the Hebrew copies, and is
probably the same as that which was in general use before the Captivity. There
are other peculiarities in the writing which need not here be specified. There
are important differences between the Hebrew and the Samaritan copies of the
Pentateuch in the readings of many sentences. In about two thousand instances
in which the Samaritan and the Jewish texts differ, the LXX. agrees with the
former. The New Testament also, when quoting from the Old Testament, agrees as
a rule with the Samaritan text, where that differs from the Jewish. Thus Ex
12:40 in the Samaritan reads, "Now the sojourning of the children of
Israel and of their fathers which they had dwelt in the land of Canaan and in
Egypt was four hundred and thirty years" (comp.) Ga 3:17 It may be noted
that the LXX. has the same reading of this text.
See EXODUS
The name given to the new and mixed inhabitants whom
Esarhaddon (B.C. 677) the king of Assyria, brought from Babylon and other
places and settled in the cities of Samaria, instead of the original
inhabitants whom Sargon (B.C. 721) had removed into captivity 2Ki 17:24 comp.
Ezr 4:2,9,10 These strangers (comp.) Lu 17:18 amalgamated with the Jews still
remaining in the land, and gradually abandoned their old idolatry and adopted
partly the Jewish religion. After the return from the Captivity, the Jews in
Jerusalem refused to allow them to take part with them in rebuilding the
temple, and hence sprang up an open enmity between them. They erected a rival
temple on Mount Gerizim, which was, however, destroyed by a Jewish king (B.C.
130) They then built another at Shechem. The bitter enmity between the Jews and
Samaritans continued in the time of our Lord: the Jews had "no dealings
with the Samaritans" Joh 4:9 comp. Lu 9:52,53 Our Lord was in contempt
called "a Samaritan" Joh 8:48 Many of the Samaritans early embraced
the gospel Joh 4:5-42 Ac 8:25 9:31 15:3 Of these Samaritans there still remains
a small population of about one hundred and sixty, who all reside in Shechem,
where they carefully observe the religious customs of their fathers. They are
the "smallest and oldest sect in the world."
Be gracious, O Nebo! or a cup-bearer of Nebo, probably
the title of Nergal-sharezer, one of the princes of Babylon Jer 39:3
An island in the AEgean Sea, which Paul passed on his
voyage from Assos to Miletus Ac 20:15 on his third missionary journey. It is
about 27 miles long and 20 broad, and lies about 42 miles south-west of Smyrna.
An island in the AEgean Sea, off the coast of Thracia,
about 32 miles distant. This Thracian Samos was passed by Paul on his voyage
from Troas to Neapolis Ac 16:11 on his first missionary journey. It is about 8
miles long and 6 miles broad. Its modern name is Samothraki.
Of the sun, the son of Manoah, born at Zorah. The
narrative of his life is given in Jud 13-16. He was a "Nazarite unto
God" from his birth, the first Nazarite mentioned in Scripture Jud 13:3-5
comp. Nu 6:1-21 The first recorded event of his life was his marriage with a
Philistine woman of Timnath Jud 14:1-5 Such a marriage was not forbidden by the
law of Moses, as the Philistines did not form one of the seven doomed Canaanite
nations Ex 34:11-16 De 7:1-4 It was, however, an ill-assorted and unblessed
marriage. His wife was soon taken from him and given "to his
companion" Jud 14:20 For this Samson took revenge by burning the
"standing corn of the Philistines" Jud 15:1-8 who, in their turn, in
revenge "burnt her and her father with fire." Her death he terribly
avenged Jud 15:7-19 During the twenty years following this he judged Israel;
but we have no record of his life. Probably these twenty years may have been
simultaneous with the last twenty years of Eli's life. After this we have an
account of his exploits at Gaza Jud 16:1-3 and of his infatuation for Delilah,
and her treachery Jud 16:4-20 and then of his melancholy death Jud 16:21-31 He
perished in the last terrible destruction he brought upon his enemies. "So
the dead which he slew at his death were more [in social and political
importance=the elite of the people] than they which he slew in his life."
"Straining all his nerves, he bowed: As with the force of winds and waters
pent, When mountains tremble, those two massy pillars With horrible convulsion
to and fro He tugged, he shook, till down they came, and drew The whole roof
after them, with burst of thunder Upon the heads of all who sat beneath, Lords,
ladies, captains, counsellors, or priests, Their choice nobility and
flower." Milton's Samson Agonistes.
Heard of God. The peculiar circumstances connected with
his birth are recorded in 1Sa 1:20 Hannah, one of the two wives of Elkanah, who
came up to Shiloh to worship before the Lord, earnestly prayed to God that she
might become the mother of a son. Her prayer was graciously granted; and after
the child was weaned she brought him to Shiloh nd consecrated him to the Lord
as a perpetual Nazarite 1Sa 1:23-28 1Sa 2:1-11 Here his bodily wants and
training were attended to by the women who served in the tabernacle, while Eli
cared for his religious culture. Thus, probably, twelve years of his life
passed away. "The child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the
Lord, and also with men" 1Sa 2:26 comp. Lu 2:52 It was a time of great and
growing degeneracy in Israel Jud 21:19-21 1Sa 2:12-17,22 The Philistines, who
of late had greatly increased in number and in power, were practically masters
of the country, and kept the people in subjection 1Sa 10:5 13:3 At this time
new communications from God began to be made to the pious child. A mysterious
voice came to him in the night season, calling him by name, and, instructed by
Eli, he answered, "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth." The message
that came from the Lord was one of woe and ruin to Eli and his profligate sons. Samuel told it all to Eli, whose only answer
to the terrible denunciations 1Sa 3:11-18 was, "It is the Lord; let him do
what seemeth him good", the passive submission of a weak character, not,
in his case, the expression of the highest trust and faith. The Lord revealed
himself now in divers manners to Samuel, and his fame and his influence
increased throughout the land as of one divinely called to the prophetical
office. A new period in the history of the kingdom of God now commenced. The
Philistine yoke was heavy, and the people, groaning under the wide-spread
oppression, suddenly rose in revolt, and "went out against the Philistines
to battle." A fierce and disastrous battle was fought at Aphek, near to
Ebenezer 1Sa 4:1,2 The Israelites were defeated, leaving 4,000 dead "in
the field." The chiefs of the people thought to repair this great disaster
by carrying with them the ark of the covenant as the symbol of Jehovah's
presence. They accordingly, without consulting Samuel, fetched it out of Shiloh
to the camp near Aphek. At the sight of the ark among them the people
"shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again." A second
battle was fought, and again the Philistines defeated the Israelites, stormed
their camp, slew 30,000 men, and took the sacred ark. The tidings of this fatal
battle was speedily conveyed to Shiloh; and so soon as the aged Eli heard that
the ark of God was taken, he fell backward from his seat at the entrance of the
sanctuary, and his neck brake, and he died. The tabernacle with its furniture
was probably, by the advice of Samuel, now about twenty years of age, removed
from Shiloh to some place of safety, and finally to Nob, where it remained many
years 1Sa 21:1 The Philistines followed up their advantage, and marched upon Shiloh,
which they plundered and destroyed (comp.) Jer 7:12 Ps 78:59 This was a great
epoch in the history of Israel. For twenty years after this fatal battle at
Aphek the whole land lay under the oppression of the Philistines. During all
these dreary years Samuel was a spiritual power in the land. From Ramah, his
native place, where he resided, his influence went forth on every side among
the people. With unwearied zeal he went up and down from place to place,
reproving, rebuking, and exhorting the people, endeavouring to awaken in them a
sense of their sinfulness, and to lead them to repentance. His labours were so
far successful that "all the house of Israel lamented after the
Lord." Samuel summoned the people to Mizpeh, one of the loftiest hills in
Central Palestine, where they fasted and prayed, and prepared themselves there,
under his direction, for a great war against the Philistines, who now marched
their whole force toward Mizpeh, in order to crush the Israelites once for all.
At the intercession of Samuel God interposed in behalf of Israel. Samuel
himself was their leader, the only occasion in which he acted as a leader in
war. The Philistines were utterly routed. They fled in terror before the army
of Israel, and a great slaughter ensued. This battle, fought probably about
B.C. 1095 put an end to the forty years of Philistine oppression. In memory of
this great deliverance, and in token of gratitude for the help vouchsafed,
Samuel set up a great stone in the battlefield, and called it "Ebenezer,
"saying, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us" 1Sa 7:1-12 This was
the spot where, twenty years before, the Israelites had suffered a great
defeat, when the ark of God was taken. This victory over the Philistines was
followed by a long period of peace for Israel 1Sa 7:13,14 during which Samuel
exercised the functions of judge, going "from year to year in
circuit" from his home in Ramah to Bethel, thence to Gilgal (not that in
the Jordan valley, but that which lay to the west of Ebal and Gerizim), and returning
by Mizpeh to Ramah. He established
regular services at Shiloh, where he built an altar; and at Ramah he gathered a
company of young men around him and established a school of the prophets. The
schools of the prophets, thus originated, and afterwards established also at
Gibeah, Bethel, Gilgal, and Jericho, exercised an important influence on the
national character and history of the people in maintaining pure religion in
the midst of growing corruption. They continued to the end of the Jewish
commonwealth. Many years now passed, during which Samuel exercised the
functions of his judicial office, being the friend and counsellor of the people
in all matters of private and public interest. He was a great statesman as well
as a reformer, and all regarded him with veneration as the "seer,
"the prophet of the Lord. At the
close of this period, when he was now an old man, the elders of Israel came to
him at Ramah 1Sa 8:4,5,19-22 and feeling how great was the danger to which the
nation was exposed from the misconduct of Samuel's sons, whom he had invested
with judicial functions as his assistants, and had placed at Beersheba on the
Philistine border, and also from a threatened invasion of the Ammonites, they
demanded that a king should be set over them. This request was very displeasing
to Samuel. He remonstrated with them, and warned them of the consequences of
such a step. At length, however, referring the matter to God, he acceded to
their desires, and anointed Saul (q.v.) to be their king 1Sa 11:15 Before
retiring from public life he convened an assembly of the people at Gilgal 1Sa
12:1ff. and there solemnly addressed them with reference to his own relation to
them as judge and prophet. The remainder of his life he spent in retirement at
Ramah, only occasionally and in special circumstances appearing again in public
1Sa 13:1ff. 1Sa 15:1ff. with communications from God to king Saul. While
mourning over the many evils which now fell upon the nation, he is suddenly
summoned 1Sa 16:1ff. to go to Bethlehem and anoint David, the son of Jesse, as
king over Israel instead of Saul. After this little is known of him till the
time of his death, which took place at Ramah when he was probably about eighty
years of age. "And all Israel gathered themselves together, and lamented
him, and buried him in his house at Ramah" 1Sa 25:1 not in the house
itself, but in the court or garden of his house. (Comp.) 2Ki 21:18 2Ch 33:20
1Ki 2:34 Joh 19:41 Samuel's devotion to God, and the special favour with which
God regarded him, are referred to in Jer 15:1 Ps 99:6
1. The LXX. translators regarded the books of Samuel and
of Kings as forming one continuous history, which they divided into four books,
which they called "Books of the Kingdom." The Vulgate version
followed this division, but styled them "Books of the Kings." These
books of Samuel they accordingly called the "First" and
"Second" Books of Kings, and not, as in the modern Protestant
versions, the "First" and "Second" Books of Samuel.
2. The authors of the books of Samuel were probably
Samuel, Gad, and Nathan. Samuel penned the first twenty-four chapters of the
first book. Gad, the companion of David 1Sa 22:5 continued the history thus
commenced; and Nathan completed it, probably arranging the whole in the form in
which we now have it 1Ch 29:29
3. The contents of the books.
a. The first book comprises a period of about a hundred
years, and nearly coincides with the life of Samuel. It contains
1. the history of Eli (1-4)
2. the history of Samuel (5-12)
3. the history of Saul, and of David in exile (13-31)
b. The second book, comprising a period of perhaps fifty
years, contains a history of the reign of David
1. over Judah (1-4) and
2. over all Israel (5-24) mainly in its political
aspects.
c. The last four chapters of Second Samuel may be
regarded as a sort of appendix recording various events, but not
chronologically.
4. These books do not contain complete histories.
Frequent gaps are met with in the record, because their object is to present a
history of the kingdom of God in its gradual development, and not of the events
of the reigns of the successive rulers. It is noticeable that the section 2Sa
11:2-12:29 containing an account of David's sin in the matter of Bathsheba is
omitted in the corresponding passage in 1Ch 20:1ff.
Held some place of authority in Samaria when Nehemiah
went up to Jerusalem to rebuild its ruined walls. He vainly attempted to hinder
this work Ne 2:10,19 4:1-12 6:1ff. His daughter became the wife of one of the
sons of Joiada, a son of the high priest, much to the grief of Nehemiah Ne
13:28
Involves more than a mere moral reformation of character,
brought about by the power of the truth: it is the work of the Holy Spirit
bringing the whole nature more and more under the influences of the new
gracious principles implanted in the soul in regeneration. In other words,
sanctification is the carrying on to perfection the work begun in regeneration,
and it extends to the whole man Ro 6:13 2Co 4:6 Col 3:10 1Jo 4:7 1Co 6:19 It is
the special office of the Holy Spirit in the plan of redemption to carry on
this work 1Co 6:11 2Th 2:13 Faith is instrumental in securing sanctification,
inasmuch as it
1. secures union to Christ Ga 2:20 and
2. brings the believer into living contact with the
truth, whereby he is led to yield obedience "to the commands, trembling at
the threatenings, and embracing the promises of God for this life and that
which is to come."
Perfect sanctification is not attainable in this life 1Ki
8:46 Pr 20:9 Ec 7:20 Jas 3:2 1Jo 1:8 See Paul's account of himself in Ro
7:14-25 Php 3:12-14 1Ti 1:15 also the confessions of David Ps 19:12,13 51:1ff.
of Moses Ps 90:8 of Job Job 42:5,6 and of Daniel Da 9:3-20 "The more holy
a man is, the more humble, self-renouncing, self-abhorring, and the more
sensitive to every sin he becomes, and the more closely he clings to Christ.
The moral imperfections which cling to him he feels to be sins, which he
laments and strives to overcome.
Believers find that their life is a constant warfare, and they need to
take the kingdom of heaven by storm, and watch while they pray. They are always
subject to the constant chastisement of their Father's loving hand, which can
only be designed to correct their imperfections and to confirm their
graces. And it has been notoriously the
fact that the best Christians have been those who have been the least prone to
claim the attainment of perfection for themselves.", Hodge's Outlines.
Denotes,
1. the Holy Land Ex 15:17 comp. Ps 114:2
2. the temple 1Ch 22:19 2Ch 29:21
3. the tabernacle Ex 25:8 Le 12:4 21:12
4. the holy place, the place of the Presence (Gr. hieron,
the temple-house; not the _naos_, which is the temple area, with its courts and
porches), Le 4:6 Eph 2:21 R.V., marg.;
5. God's holy habitation in heaven Ps 102:19 In the final
state there is properly "no sanctuary" Re 21:22 for God and the Lamb
"are the sanctuary" (R.V., "temple"). All is there hallowed
by the Divine Presence; all is sancturary.
Mentioned only in Mr 6:9 Ac 12:8 The sandal was simply a
sole, made of wood or palm-bark, fastened to the foot by leathern straps.
Sandals were also made of seal-skin Eze 16:10 lit. tahash, "leather;
"A.V., "badger's skin; "R.V., "sealskin, "or marg.,
"porpoise-skin").
See SHOE
More correctly Sanhedrin (Gr. synedrion), meaning "a
sitting together, "or a "council." This word (rendered
"council, "A.V.) is frequently used in the New Testament Mt 5:22
26:59 Mr 15:1 etc. to denote the supreme judicial and administrative council of
the Jews, which, it is said, was first instituted by Moses, and was composed of
seventy men Nu 11:16,17 But that seems to have been only a temporary
arrangement which Moses made. This council is with greater probability supposed
to have originated among the Jews when they were under the domination of the
Syrian kings in the time of the Maccabees. The name is first employed by the
Jewish historian Josephus. This "council" is referred to simply as
the "chief priests and elders of the people" Mt 26:3,47,57,59 27:1,3,12,20
etc., before whom Christ was tried on the charge of claiming to be the Messiah.
Peter and John were also brought before it for promulgating heresy Ac 4:1-23
5:17-41 as was also Stephen on a charge of blasphemy Ac 6:12-15 and Paul for
violating a temple by-law Ac 22:30 23:1-10 The Sanhedrin is said to have
consisted of seventy-one members, the high priest being president. They were of
three classes
1. the chief priests, or heads of the twenty-four
priestly courses 1Ch 24:1ff.
2. the scribes, and
3. the elders. As the highest court of judicature,
"in all causes and over all persons, ecclesiastical and civil, supreme,
"its decrees were binding, not only on the Jews in Palestine, but on all
Jews wherever scattered abroad. Its jurisdiction was greatly curtailed by
Herod, and afterwards by the Romans. Its usual place of meeting was within the
precincts of the temple, in the hall "Gazith, "but it sometimes met
also in the house of the high priest Mt 26:3 who was assisted by two
vice-presidents.
A palm branch, or a thorn bush, a town in the south (the
negeb) of Judah Jos 15:31 called also Hazarsusah Jos 19:5 or Hazar-susim 1Ch
4:31
Extension, the son of the giant whom Sibbechai slew 2Sa
21:18 called also Sippai 1Ch 20:4
Beautiful, a town of Judah Mic 1:11 identified with es-Suafir,
5 miles south-east of Ashdod.
Beautiful, the wife of Ananias (q.v.). She was a partner
in his guilt and also in his punishment Ac 5:1-11
Associated with diamonds Ex 28:18 and emeralds Eze 28:13
one of the stones in the high priest's breastplate. It is a precious stone of a
sky-blue colour, probably the lapis lazuli, brought from Babylon. The throne of
God is described as of the colour of a sapphire Ex 24:10 comp. Eze 1:26
Princess, the wife and at the same time the half-sister
of Abraham Ge 11:29 20:12 This name was given to her at the time that it was
announced to Abraham that she should be the mother of the promised child. Her
story is from her marriage identified with that of the patriarch till the time
of her death. Her death, at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven years (the
only instance in Scripture where the age of a woman is recorded), was the
occasion of Abraham's purchasing the cave of Machpelah as a family
burying-place. In the allegory of Ga 4:22-31 she is the type of the
"Jerusalem which is above." She is also mentioned as Sara in Heb
11:11 among the Old Testament worthies, who "all died in faith."
See ABRAHAM
My princess, the name originally borne by Sarah Ge 11:31
17:15
Re 4:3 R.V., "sardius; "Heb. 'odhem; LXX., Gr.
sardion, from a root meaning "red"), a gem of a blood-red colour. It
was called "sardius" because obtained from Sardis in Lydia. It is
enumerated among the precious stones in the high priest's breastplate Ex 28:17
39:10 It is our red carnelian.
The metropolis of Lydia in Asia Minor. It stood on the river
Pactolus, at the foot of mount Tmolus. Here was one of the seven Asiatic
churches Re 3:1-6 It is now a ruin called Sert-Kalessi.
Re 21:20 a species of the carnelian combining the sard
and the onyx, having three layers of opaque spots or stripes on a transparent
red basis. Like the sardine, it is a variety of the chalcedony.
Lu 4:26
See ZAREPHATH
(In the inscriptions, "Sarra-yukin" [the god]
has appointed the king; also "Sarru-kinu, "the legitimate king.) On
the death of Shalmaneser (B.C. 723) one of the Assyrian generals established
himself on the vacant throne, taking the name of "Sargon, "after that
of the famous monarch, the Sargon of Accad, founder of the first Semitic
empire, as well as of one of the most famous libraries of Chaldea. He forthwith
began a conquering career, and became one of the most powerful of the Assyrian
monarchs. He is mentioned by name in the Bible only in connection with the
siege of Ashdod Isa 20:1 At the very beginning of his reign he besieged and took
the city of Samaria 2Ki 17:6 2Ki 18:9-12 On an inscription found in the palace
he built at Khorsabad, near Nieveh, he says, "The city of Samaria I
besieged, I took; 27,280 of its inhabitants I carried away; fifty chariots that
were among them I collected, "etc. The northern kingdom he changed into an
Assyrian satrapy. He afterwards drove Merodach-baladan (q.v.), who kept him at
bay for twelve years, out of Babylon, which he entered in triumph. By a
succession of victories he gradually enlarged and consolidated the empire,
which now extended from the frontiers of Egypt in the west to the mountains of
Elam in the east, and thus carried almost to completion the ambitious designs
of Tiglath-pileser (q.v.). He was murdered by one of his own soldiers (B.C.
705) in his palace at Khorsabad, after a reign of sixteen years, and was
succeeded by his son Sennacherib.
Adversary; accuser.
1. When used as a proper name, the Hebrew word so
rendered has the article "the adversary" Job 1:6-12 2:1-7
2. In the New Testament it is used as interchangeable
with Diabolos, or the devil, and is so used more than thirty times. He is also
called
a. "the dragon, ""the old serpent" Re
12:9 20:2
b. "the prince of this world" Joh 12:31 14:30
c. "the prince of the power of the air" Eph 2:2
d. "the god of this world" 2Co 4:4
e. "the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience" Eph 2:2
3. The distinct personality of Satan and his activity
among men are thus obviously recognized.
a. He tempted our Lord in the wilderness Mt 4:1-11
b. He is "Beelzebub, the prince of the devils"
Mt 12:24
c. He is "the constant enemy of God, of Christ, of the
divine kingdom, of the followers of Christ, and of all truth; full of falsehood
and all malice, and exciting and seducing to evil in every possible way."
4. His power is very great in the world.
a. He is a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour" 1Pe 5:8
b. Men are said to be "taken captive by him"
2Ti 2:26
c. Christians are warned against his "devices"
2Co 2:11 and called on to "resist" him Jas 4:7
d. Christ redeems his people from "him that had the
power of death, that is, the devil" Heb 2:14
e. Satan has the "power of death, "not as lord,
but simply as executioner.
Hairy one. Mentioned in Greek mythology as a creature
composed of a man and a goat, supposed to inhabit wild and desolate regions.
The Hebrew word is rendered also "goat" Le 4:24 and
"devil", i.e., an idol in the form of a goat Le 17:7 2Ch 11:15 When
it is said Isa 13:21 comp. Isa 34:14 "the satyrs shall dance there,
"the meaning is that the place referred to shall become a desolate waste.
Some render the Hebrew word "baboon, "a species of which is found in
Babylonia.
Asked for.
1. A king of Edom Ge 36:37,38 called Shaul in 1Ch 1:48
2. The son of Kish (probably his only son, and a child of
prayer, "asked for"), of the tribe of Benjamin, the first king of the
Jewish nation. The singular providential circumstances connected with his
election as king are recorded in 1Sa 8ff. His father's she-asses had strayed,
and Saul was sent with a servant to seek for them. Leaving his home at Gibeah
1Sa 9:1-5 "the hill of God, "A.V.; lit., as in R.V. marg.,
"Gibeah of God"), Saul and his servant went toward the north-west
over Mount Ephraim, and then turning north-east they came to "the land of
Shalisha, "and thence eastward to the land of Shalim, and at length came
to the district of Zuph, near Samuel's home at Ramah 1Sa 9:5-10 At this point
Saul proposed to return from the three days' fruitless search, but his servant
suggested that they should first consult the "seer." Hearing that he
was about to offer sacrifice, the two hastened into Ramah, and "behold,
Samuel came out against them, "on his way to the "bamah", i.e.,
the "height", where sacrifice was to be offered; and in answer to
Saul's question, "Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is,
"Samuel made himself known to him. Samuel had been divinely prepared for
his coming 1Sa 9:15-17 and received Saul as his guest. He took him with him to
the sacrifice, and then after the feast "communed with Saul upon the top
of the house" of all that was in his heart. On the morrow Samuel
"took a vial of oil and poured it on his head, "and anointed Saul as
king over Israel 1Sa 9:25-10:8 giving him three signs in confirmation of his
call to be king. When Saul reached his home in Gibeah the last of these signs
was fulfilled, and the Sprit of God came upon him, and "he was turned into
another man." The simple countryman was transformed into the king of
Israel, a remarkable change suddenly took place in his whole demeanour, and the
people said in their astonishment, as they looked on the stalwart son of Kish,
"Is Saul also among the prophets?", a saying which passed into a
"proverb." (Comp.) 1Sa 19:24 The intercourse between Saul and Samuel
was as yet unknown to the people. The "anointing" had been in secret.
But now the time had come when the transaction must be confirmed by the nation.
Samuel accordingly summoned the people to a solemn assembly "before the
Lord" at Mizpeh. Here the lot was drawn 1Sa 10:17-27 and it fell upon
Saul, and when he was presented before them, the stateliest man in all Israel,
the air was rent for the first time in Israel by the loud cry, "God save
the king!" He now returned to his home in Gibeah, attended by a kind of
bodyguard, "a band of men whose hearts God had touched." On reaching
his home he dismissed them, and resumed the quiet toils of his former life.
Soon after this, on hearing of the conduct of Nahash the Ammonite at
Jabeshgilead (q.v.), an army out of all the tribes of Israel rallied at his
summons to the trysting-place at Bezek, and he led them forth a great army to
battle, gaining a complete victory over the Ammonite invaders at Jabesh 1Sa
11:1-11 Amid the universal joy occasioned by this victory he was now fully
recognized as the king of Israel. At the invitation of Samuel "all the
people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in
Gilgal." Samuel now officially anointed him as king 1Sa 11:15 Although
Samuel never ceased to be a judge in Israel, yet now his work in that capacity
practically came to an end. Saul now undertook the great and difficult
enterprise of freeing the land from its hereditary enemies the Philistines, and
for this end he gathered together an army of 3,000 men 1Sa 13:1,2 The
Philistines were encamped at Geba. Saul, with 2,000 men, occupied Michmash and
Mount Bethel; while his son Jonathan, with 1,000 men, occupied Gibeah, to the
south of Geba, and seemingly without any direction from his father
"smote" the Philistines in Geba. Thus roused, the Philistines, who
gathered an army of 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen, and "people as the
sand which is on the sea-shore in multitude, "encamped in Michmash, which
Saul had evacuated for Gilgal. Saul now tarried for seven days in Gilgal before
making any movement, as Samuel had appointed 1Sa 10:8 but becoming impatient on
the seventh day, as it was drawing to a close, when he had made an end of
offering the burnt offering, Samuel appeared and warned him of the fatal
consequences of his act of disobedience, for he had not waited long enough 1Sa
13:13,14 When Saul, after Samuel's departure, went out from Gilgal with his 600
men, his followers having decreased to that number 1Sa 13:15 against the Philistines
at Michmash (q.v.), he had his head-quarters under a pomegrante tree at Migron,
over against Michmash, the Wady esSuweinit alone intervening. Here at
Gibeah-Geba Saul and his army rested, uncertain what to do. Jonathan became
impatient, and with his armour-bearer planned an assault against the
Philistines, unknown to Saul and the army 1Sa 14:1-15 Jonathan and his
armour-bearer went down into the wady, and on their hands and knees climbed to
the top of the narrow rocky ridge called Bozez, where was the outpost of the
Philistine army. They surprised and then slew twenty of the Philistines, and
immediately the whole host of the Philistines was thrown into disorder and fled
in great terror. "It was a very great trembling; "a supernatural
panic seized the host. Saul and his 600 men, a band which speedily increased to
10,000 perceiving the confusion, pursued the army of the Philistines, and the
tide of battle rolled on as far as to Bethaven, halfway between Michmash and
Bethel. The Philistines were totally routed. "So the Lord saved Israel
that day." While pursuing the Philistines, Saul rashly adjured the people,
saying, "Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening." But
though faint and weary, the Israelites "smote the Philistines that day
from Michmash to Aijalon" (a distance of from 15 to 20 miles). Jonathan
had, while passing through the wood in pursuit of the Philistines, tasted a
little of the honeycomb which was abundant there 1Sa 14:27 This was afterwards
discovered by Saul ver. 1Sa 14:42 and he threatened to put his son to death.
The people, however, interposed, saying, "There shall not one hair of his
head fall to the ground." He whom God had so signally owned, who had
"wrought this great salvation in Israel, "must not die. "Then Saul went up from following the
Philistines: and the Philistines went to their own place" 1Sa 14:24-46 and
thus the campaign against the Philistines came to an end. This was Saul's
second great military success. Saul's reign, however, continued to be one of almost
constant war against his enemies round about 1Sa 14:47,48 in all of which he
proved victorious. The war against the Amalekites is the only one which is
recorded at length 1Sa 15:1ff. These oldest and hereditary Ex 17:8 Nu 14:43-45
enemies of Israel occupied the territory to the south and south-west of
Palestine. Samuel summoned Saul to execute the "ban" which God had
pronounced De 25:17-19 on this cruel and relentless foe of Israel. The cup of
their iniquity was now full. This command was "the test of his moral
qualification for being king." Saul proceeded to execute the divine
command; and gathering the people together, marched from Telaim 1Sa 15:4
against the Amalekites, whom he smote "from Havilah until thou comest to
Shur, "utterly destroying "all the people with the edge of the
sword", i.e., all that fell into his hands. He was, however, guilty of
rebellion and disobedience in sparing Agag their king, and in conniving at his
soldiers' sparing the best of the sheep and cattle; and Samuel, following Saul
to Gilgal, in the Jordan valley, said unto him, "Because thou hast
rejected the word of the Lord, he also hath rejected thee from being king"
1Sa 15:23 The kingdom was rent from Saul and was given to another, even to
David, whom the Lord chose to be Saul's successor, and whom Samuel anointed 1Sa
16:1-13 From that day "the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an
evil spirit from the Lord troubled him." He and Samuel parted only to meet
once again at one of the schools of the prophets. David was now sent for as a
"cunning player on an harp" 1Sa 16:16,18 to play before Saul when the
evil spirit troubled him, and thus was introduced to the court of Saul. He
became a great favourite with the king.
At length David returned to his father's house and to his wonted
avocation as a shepherd for perhaps some three years. The Philistines once more
invaded the land, and gathered their army between Shochoh and Azekah, in
Ephes-dammim, on the southern slope of the valley of Elah. Saul and the men of
Israel went forth to meet them, and encamped on the northern slope of the same
valley which lay between the two armies. It was here that David slew Goliath of
Gath, the champion of the Philistines 1Sa 17:4-54 an exploit which led to the
flight and utter defeat of the Philistine army. Saul now took David permanently
into his service 1Sa 18:2 but he became jealous of him 1Sa 18:9 and on many
occasions showed his enmity toward him 1Sa 18:10,11 his enmity ripening into a
purpose of murder which at different times he tried in vain to carry out. After some time the Philistines
"gathered themselves together" in the plain of Esdraelon, and pitched
their camp at Shunem, on the slope of Little Hermon; and Saul "gathered
all Israel together, "and "pitched in Gilboa" 1Sa 28:3-14 Being
unable to discover the mind of the Lord, Saul, accompanied by two of his
retinue, betook himself to the "witch of Endor, "some 7 or 8 miles
distant. Here he was overwhelmed by the startling communication that was
mysteriously made to him by Samuel 1Sa 28:16-19 who appeared to him. "He
fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the
words of Samuel" 1Sa 28:20 The Philistine host "fought against
Israel: and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell down slain
in Mount Gilboa" 1Sa 31:1 In his despair at the disaster that had befallen
his army, Saul "took a sword and fell upon it." And the Philistines
on the morrow "found Saul and his three sons fallen in Mount Gilboa."
Having cut off his head, they sent it with his weapons to Philistia, and hung
up the skull in the temple of Dagon at Ashdod. They suspended his headless
body, with that of Jonathan, from the walls of Bethshan. The men of
Jabesh-gilead afterwards removed the bodies from this position; and having
burnt the flesh, they buried the bodies under a tree at Jabesh. The remains
were, however, afterwards removed to the family sepulchre at Zelah 2Sa 21:13,14
See DAVID
3. "Who is also called Paul" (q.v.), the
circumcision name of the apostle, given to him, perhaps, in memory of King Saul
Ac 7:58 8:1 9:1
One who saves from any form or degree of evil. In its
highest sense the word indicates the relation sustained by our Lord to his
redeemed ones, he is their Saviour. The great message of the gospel is about
salvation and the Saviour. It is the "gospel of salvation." Faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ secures to the sinner a personal interest in the work of
redemption. Salvation is redemption made effectual to the individual by the
power of the Holy Spirit.
Le 16:8-26 R.V., "the goat for Azazel" (q.v.),
the name given to the goat which was taken away into the wilderness on the day
of Atonement Le 16:20-22 The priest made atonement over the scapegoat, laying
Israel's guilt upon it, and then sent it away, the goat bearing "upon him
all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited." At a later period an
evasion or modification of the law of Moses was introduced by the Jews.
"The goat was conducted to a mountain named Tzuk, situated at a distance
of ten Sabbath days' journey, or about six and a half English miles, from
Jerusalem. At this place the Judean desert was supposed to commence; and the
man in whose charge the goat was sent out, while setting him free, was
instructed to push the unhappy beast down the slope of the mountain side, which
was so steep as to insure the death of the goat, whose bones were broken by the
fall. The reason of this barbarous custom was that on one occasion the
scapegoat returned to Jerusalem after being set free, which was considered such
an evil omen that its recurrence was prevented for the future by the death of
the goat" (Twenty-one Years' Work in the Holy Land). This mountain is now
called el-Muntar.
This dye was obtained by the Egyptians from the
shell-fish Carthamus tinctorius; and by the Hebrews from the Coccus ilicis, an
insect which infests oak trees, called kermes by the Arabians.
1. This colour was early known Ge 38:28
2. It was one of the colours of
a. the ephod Ex 28:6
b. the girdle Ex 28:8
c. the breastplate Ex 28:15 of the high priest.
3. It is also mentioned in various other connections Jos
2:18 2Sa 1:24 La 4:5 Na 2:3
4. A scarlet robe was in mockery placed on our Lord Mt
27:28 Lu 23:11
5. "Sins as scarlet" Isa 1:18 i.e., as scarlet
robes "glaring and habitual." Scarlet and crimson were the firmest of
dyes, and thus not easily washed out.
(Heb. shebet Gr. skeptron), properly a staff or rod. As a
symbol of authority, the use of the sceptre originated in the idea that the
ruler was as a shepherd of his people Ge 49:10 Nu 24:17 Ps 45:6 Isa 14:5 There
is no example on record of a sceptre having ever been actually handled by a
Jewish king.
An implement, a Jew, chief of the priests at Ephesus Ac
19:13-16 i.e., the head of one of the twenty-four courses of the house of Levi.
He had seven sons, who "took upon them to call over them which had evil
spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, "in imitation of Paul. They tried their
method of exorcism on a fierce demoniac, and failed. His answer to them was to
this effect Ac 19:15 "The Jesus whom you invoke is One whose authority I
acknowledge; and the Paul whom you name I recognize to be a servant or
messenger of God; but what sort of men are ye who have been empowered to act as
you do by neither?" (Lindsay on the Acts of the Apostles.)
A separation, an alienation causing divisions among
Christians, who ought to be united 1Co 12:25
The law so designated by Paul Ga 3:24,25 As so used, the
word does not mean teacher, but pedagogue (shortened into the modern page),
i.e., one who was intrusted with the supervision of a family, taking them to
and from the school, being responsible for their safety and manners. Hence the
pedagogue was stern and severe in his discipline. Thus the law was a pedagogue
to the Jews, with a view to Christ, i.e., to prepare for faith in Christ by
producing convictions of guilt and helplessness. The office of the pedagogue
ceased when "faith came", i.e., the object of that faith, the seed,
which is Christ.
1Sa 19:18-24 2Ki 2:3,5,7,12,15 were instituted for the
purpose of training young men for the prophetical and priestly offices.
See PROPHET See SAMUEL
Mentioned along with serpents De 8:15 Used also
figuratively to denote wicked persons Eze 2:6 Lu 10:19 also a particular kind
of scourge or whip 1Ki 12:11 Scorpions were a species of spider. They abounded
in the Jordan valley.
1Ki 12:11 Variously administered. In no case were the
stripes to exceed forty De 25:3 comp. 2Co 11:24 In the time of the apostles, in
consequence of the passing of what was called the Porcian law, no Roman citizen
could be scourged in any case Ac 16:22-37
See BASTINADO
In the scourging of our Lord Mt 27:26 Mr 15:15 the words
of prophecy Isa 53:5 were fulfilled.
Anciently held various important offices in the public
affairs of the nation. The Hebrew word so rendered (sopher) is first used to
designate the holder of some military office Jud 5:14 A.V., "pen of the
writer; "R.V., "the marshal's staff; "marg., "the staff of
the scribe"). The scribes acted as secretaries of state, whose business it
was to prepare and issue decrees in the name of the king 2Sa 8:17 2Sa 20:25 1Ch
18:16 24:6 1Ki 4:3 2Ki 12:9-11 18:18-37 etc. They discharged various other
important public duties as men of high authority and influence in the affairs
of state. There was also a subordinate class of scribes, most of whom were
Levites. They were engaged in various ways as writers. Such, for example, was
Baruch, who "wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the
Lord" Jer 36:4,32 In later times, after the Captivity, when the nation
lost its independence, the scribes turned their attention to the law, gaining
for themselves distinction by their intimate acquaintance with its contents. On
them devolved the duty of multiplying copies of the law and of teaching it to
others Ezr 7:6,10-12 Ne 8:1,4,9,13 It is evident that in New Testament times
the scribes belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, who supplemented the ancient
written law by their traditions Mt 23:1ff. thereby obscuring it and rendering
it of none effect. The titles "scribes" and "lawyers"
(q.v.) are in the Gospels interchangeable Mt 22:35 Mr 12:28 Lu 20:39 etc. They
were in the time of our Lord the public teachers of the people, and frequently
came into collision with him. They afterwards showed themselves greatly hostile
to the apostles Ac 4:5 6:12 Some of the scribes, however, were men of a
different spirit, and showed themselves friendly to the gospel and its
preachers. Thus Gamaliel advised the Sanhedrin, when the apostles were before
them charged with "teaching in this name, "to "refrain from
these men and let them alone" Ac 5:34-39 comp. Ac 23:9
A small bag or wallet usually fastened to the girdle 1Sa
17:40 "a shepherd's bag." In the New Testament it is the rendering of
Gr. pera, which was a bag carried by travellers and shepherds, generally made
of skin Mt 10:10 Mr 6:8 Lu 9:3 10:4 The name "scrip" is meant to
denote that the bag was intended to hold scraps, fragments, as if scraped off
from larger articles, trifles.
Invariably in the New Testament denotes that definite
collection of sacred books, regarded as given by inspiration of God, which we
usually call the Old Testament 2Ti 3:15,16 Joh 20:9 Ga 3:22 2Pe 1:20 It was
God's purpose thus to perpetuate his revealed will. From time to time he raised
up men to commit to writing in an infallible record the revelation he gave. The
"Scripture, "or collection of sacred writings, was thus enlarged from
time to time as God saw necessary. We have now a completed "Scripture,
"consisting of the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament canon in the
time of our Lord was precisely the same as that which we now possess under that
name. He placed the seal of his own authority on this collection of writings,
as all equally given by inspiration Mt 5:17 7:12 22:40 Lu 16:29,31
See BIBLE See CANON
The Scythians consisted of "all the pastoral tribes who
dwelt to the north of the Black Sea and the Caspian, and were scattered far
away toward the east. Of this vast country but little was anciently known. Its
modern representative is Russia, which, to a great extent, includes the same
territories." They were the descendants of Japheth Ge 9:27 It appears that
in apostolic times there were some of this people that embraced Christianity
Col 3:11
In land measure, a space of 50 cubits long by 50 broad.
In measure of capacity, a seah was a little over one peck.
See MEASURE
Commonly a ring engraved with some device Ge 38:18,25
Jezebel "wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal"
1Ki 21:8 Seals are frequently mentioned in Jewish history De 32:34 Ne 9:38 Ne
10:1 Es 3:12 So 8:6 Isa 8:16 Jer 22:24 32:44 etc. Sealing a document was
equivalent to the signature of the owner of the seal. "The use of a signet-ring
by the monarch has recently received a remarkable illustration by the discovery
of an impression of such a signet on fine clay at Koyunjik, the site of the
ancient Nineveh. This seal appears to have been impressed from the bezel of a
metallic finger-ring. It is an oval, 2 inches in length by 1 inch wide, and
bears the image, name, and titles of the Egyptian king Sabaco"
(Rawlinson's Hist. Illus. of the O.T., p. 46) The actual signet-rings of two
Egyptian kings (Cheops and Horus) have been discovered.
See SIGNET The use of seals is mentioned in the New
Testament only in connection with the record of our Lord's burial Mt 27:66 The
tomb was sealed by the Pharisees and chief priests for the purpose of making
sure that the disciples would not come and steal the body away Mt 27:63,64 The
mode of doing this was probably by stretching a cord across the stone and
sealing it at both ends with sealing-clay.
When God is said to have sealed the Redeemer, the meaning is, that he
has attested his divine mission Joh 6:27 Circumcision is a seal, an attestation
of the covenant Ro 4:11 Believers are sealed with the Spirit, as God's mark put
upon them Eph 1:13 4:30 Converts are by Paul styled the seal of his
apostleship, i.e., they are its attestation 1Co 9:2 Seals and sealing are
frequently mentioned in the book of Revelation Re 5:1 6:1 7:3 10:4 22:10
A figurative expression used in Re 4:6 15:2 According to
the interpretation of some, "this calm, glass-like sea, which is never in
storm, but only interfused with flame, represents the counsels of God, those
purposes of righteousness and love which are often fathomless but never
obscure, always the same, though sometimes glowing with holy anger."
(Comp.) Ps 36:6 77:19 Ro 11:33-36
Jer 48:32 a lake, now represented by some ponds in the
high valley in which the Ammonite city of Jazer lies, the ruins of which are
called Sar.
Ge 8:22
See AGRICULTURE See MONTH
(Heb. yam), signifies
1. "the gathering together of the waters, "the
ocean Ge 1:10
2. a river, as the Nile Isa 19:5 the Euphrates Isa 21:1
Jer 51:36
3. the Red Sea Ex 14:16,27 15:4 etc.
4. the Mediterranean Ex 23:31 Nu 34:6,7 Jos 15:47 Ps
80:11 etc.
5. the "sea of Galilee, "an inland fresh-water
lake
6. the Dead Sea or "salt sea" Ge 14:3 Nu
34:3,12 etc.
The word "sea" is used symbolically in Isa 60:5
where it probably means the nations around the Mediterranean. In Da 7:3 Re 13:1
it may mean the tumultuous changes among the nations of the earth.
The great laver made by Solomon for the use of the
priests in the temple, described in 1Ki 7:23-26 2Ch 4:2-5 It stood in the
south-eastern corner of the inner court. It was 5 cubits high, 10 in diameter
from brim to brim, and 30 in circumference. It was placed on the backs of
twelve oxen, standing with their faces outward. It was capable of containing
two or three thousand baths of water (comp.) 2Ch 4:5 which was originally
supplied by the Gibeonites, but was afterwards brought by a conduit from the
pools of Bethlehem. It was made of "brass" (copper), which Solomon
had taken from the captured cities of Hadarezer, the king of Zobah 1Ch 18:8 Ahaz
afterwards removed this laver from the oxen, and placed it on a stone pavement
2Ki 16:17 It was destroyed by the Chaldeans 2Ki 25:13
1. One of the sons of Cush Ge 10:7
2. The name of a country and nation Isa 43:3 45:14
mentioned along with Egypt and Ethiopia, and therefore probably in
north-eastern Africa. The ancient name of Meroe. The kings of Sheba and Seba
are mentioned together in Ps 72:10
The eleventh month of the Hebrew year, extending from the
new moon of February to that of March Zec 1:7 Assyrian sabatu,
"storm."
See MONTH
Enclosure, one of the six cities in the wilderness of
Judah, noted for its "great cistern" Jos 15:61 It has been identified
with the ruin Sikkeh, east of Bethany.
A hill or watch-tower, a place between Gibeah and Ramah
noted for its "great well" 1Sa 19:22 probably the modern Suweikeh,
south of Beeroth.
(Gr. hairesis, usually rendered "heresy",)Ac
24:14 1Ch 11:19 Ga 5:20 etc., meaning properly "a choice, "then
"a chosen manner of life, " and then "a religious party,
"as the "sect" of the Sadducees Ac 5:17 of the Pharisees Ac 15:5
the Nazarenes, i.e., Christians Ac 24:5 It afterwards came to be used in a bad
sense, of those holding pernicious error, divergent forms of belief 2Pe 2:1 Ga
5:20
Second, a Christian of Thessalonica who accompanied Paul
into Asia Ac 20:4
A name sometimes applied to the prophets because of the
visions granted to them. It is first found in 1Sa 9:9 It is afterwards applied
to Zadok, Gad, etc. 2Sa 15:27 24:11 1Ch 9:22 25:5 2Ch 9:29 Am 7:12 Mic 3:7 The
"sayings of the seers" 2Ch 33:18,19 is rendered in the Revised
Version "the history of Hozai" (marg., the seers; so the LXX.), of
whom, however, nothing is known.
See PROPHET
To boil Ex 16:23
A vessel for boiling provisions in Job 41:20 Jer 1:13
Elevated.
1. The youngest son of Hiel the Bethelite. His death is
recorded in 1Ki 16:34 (comp.) Jos 6:26
2. A descendant of Judah 1Ch 2:21,22
Rough; hairy.
1. A Horite; one of the "dukes" of Edom Ge
36:20-30
2. The name of a mountainous region occupied by the
Edomites, extending along the eastern side of the Arabah from the south-eastern
extremity of the Dead Sea to near the Akabah, or the eastern branch of the Red
Sea. It was originally occupied by the Horites Ge 14:6 who were afterwards
driven out by the Edomites Ge 32:3 33:14,16 It was allotted to the descendants
of Esau De 2:4,22 Jos 24:4 2Ch 20:10 Isa 21:11 Ex 25:8
3. A mountain range (not the Edomite range,)Ge 32:3 lying
between the Wady Aly and the Wady Ghurab Jos 15:10
Woody district; shaggy, a place among the mountains of
Ephraim, bordering on Benjamin, to which Ehud fled after he had assassinated
Eglon at Jericho Jud 3:26,27
=Se'lah, rock, the capital of Edom, situated in the great
valley extending from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea 2Ki 14:7 It was near Mount
Hor, close by the desert of Zin. It is called "the rock" Jud 1:36
When Amaziah took it he called it Joktheel (q.v.) It is mentioned by the
prophets Isa 16:1 Ob 1:3 as doomed to destruction. It appears in later history
and in the Vulgate Version under the name of Petra. "The caravans from all
ages, from the interior of Arabia and from the Gulf of Persia, from Hadramaut
on the ocean, and even from Sabea or Yemen, appear to have pointed to Petra as
a common centre; and from Petra the tide seems again to have branched out in
every direction, to Egypt, Palestine, and Syria, through Arsinoe, Gaza, Tyre,
Jerusalem, and Damascus, and by other routes, terminating at the
Mediterranean."
See EDOM
A word frequently found in the Book of Psalms, and also
in Hab 3:9,13 about seventy-four times in all in Scripture. Its meaning is
doubtful. Some interpret it as meaning "silence" or "pause;
"others, "end, ""a louder strain, ""piano,
"etc. The LXX. render the word by daplasma i.e., "a division."
Cliff of divisions the name of the great gorge which lies
between Hachilah and Maon, south-east of Hebron. This gorge is now called the
Wady Malaky. This was the scene of the interview between David and Saul
mentioned in 1Sa 26:13 Each stood on an opposing cliff, with this deep chasm
between.
The sea-port of Antioch, near the mouth of the Orontes.
Paul and his companions sailed from this port on their first missionary journey
Ac 13:4 This city was built by Seleucus Nicator, the "king of Syria."
It is said of him that "few princes have ever lived with so great a
passion for the building of cities. He is reputed to have built in all nine
Seleucias, sixteen Antiochs, and six Laodiceas." Seleucia became a city of
great importance, and was made a "free city" by Pompey. It is now a
small village, called el-Kalusi.
Mentioned in the genealogy of our Lord Lu 3:26