A highway; a twig, only in 2Ki 12:20 If taken as a proper
name (as in the LXX. and other versions), the locality is unknown.
1. Heb. shelah; i.e., "the dart", Ne 3:15
2. with the art. _shiloah_, "sending, "Isa 8:6
(comp.) Isa 7:3 =Siloam (q.v.)
Sent or sending. Here a notable miracle was wrought by
our Lord in giving sight to the blind Joh 9:7-11 It has been identified with
the Birket Silwan in the lower Tyropoeon valley, to the south-east of the hill
of Zion. The water which flows into this pool intermittingly by a subterranean
channel springs from the "Fountain of the Virgin" (q.v.). The length
of this channel, which has several windings, is 1,750 feet, though the direct
distance is only 1,100 feet. The pool is 53 feet in length from north to south,
18 feet wide, and 19 deep. The water passes from it by a channel cut in the
rock into the gardens below.
See EN-ROGEL Many years ago (1880) a youth, while wading
up the conduit by which the water enters the pool, accidentally discovered an
inscription cut in the rock, on the eastern side, about 19 feet from the pool.
This is the oldest extant Hebrew record of the kind. It has with great care
been deciphered by scholars, and has been found to be an account of the manner
in which the tunnel was constructed.
Its whole length is said to be "twelve hundred cubits; "and
the inscription further notes that the workmen, like the excavators of the Mont
Cenis Tunnel, excavated from both ends, meeting in the middle. Some have argued
that the inscription was cut in the time of Solomon; others, with more
probability, refer it to the reign of Hezekiah. A more ancient tunnel was
discovered in 1889 some 20 feet below the ground. It is of smaller dimensions,
but more direct in its course. It is to this tunnel that Isaiah Isa 8:6 probably
refers. The Siloam inscription above referred to was surreptitiously cut from
the wall of the tunnel in 1891 and broken into fragments. These were, however,
recovered by the efforts of the British Consul at Jerusalem, and have been
restored to their original place.
Mentioned only Lu 13:4 The place here spoken of is the
village now called Silwan, or Kefr Silwan, on the east of the valley of Kidron,
and to the north-east of the pool. It stands on the west slope of the Mount of
Olives. As illustrative of the movement of small bands of Canaanites from place
to place, and the intermingling of Canaanites and Israelites even in small
towns in earlier times, M.C. Ganneau records the following curious fact:
"Among the inhabitants of the village (of Siloam) there are a hundred or
so domiciled for the most part in the lower quarter, and forming a group apart
from the rest, called Dhiabrye, i.e., men of Dhiban. It appears that at some
remote period a colony from the capital of king Mesha (Dibon-Moab) crossed the
Jordan and fixed itself at the gates of Jerusalem at Silwan. The memory of this
migration is still preserved; and I am assured by the people themselves that
many of their number are installed in other villages round Jerusalem"
(quoted by Henderson, Palestine).
Used for a great variety of purposes, as may be judged from
the frequent references to it in Scripture. It first appears in commerce in Ge
13:2 23:15,16 It was largely employed for making vessels for the sanctuary in
the wilderness Ex 26:19 27:17 Nu 7:13,19 10:2 There is no record of its having
been found in Syria or Palestine. It was brought in large quantities by foreign
merchants from abroad, from Spain and India and other countries probably.
Isa 7:23 Literally the words are "at a thousand of
silver", i.e., "pieces of silver, "or shekels.
Hearing.
1. The second son of Jacob by Leah Ge 29:33 He was associated
with Levi in the terrible act of vengeance against Hamor and the Shechemites Ge
34:25,26 He was detained by Joseph in Egypt as a hostage Ge 42:24 His father,
when dying, pronounced a malediction against him Ge 49:5-7 The words in the
Authorized Version Ge 49:6 "they digged down a wall, "ought to be, as
correctly rendered in the Revised Version, "they houghed an ox."
2. An aged saint who visited the temple when Jesus was
being presented before the Lord, and uttered lofty words of thankgiving and of
prophecy Lu 2:29-35
3. One of the ancestors of Joseph Lu 3:30
4. Surnamed Niger, i.e., "black, "perhaps from
his dark complexion, a teacher of some distinction in the church of Antioch Ac
13:1-3 It has been supposed that this was the Simon of Cyrene who bore Christ's
cross. Note the number of nationalities represented in the church at Antioch.
5. James Ac 15:14 thus designates the apostle Peter
(q.v.).
Was "divided and scattered" according to the
prediction in Ge 49:5-7 They gradually dwindled in number, and sank into a
position of insignificance among the other tribes. They decreased in the
wilderness by about two-thirds (comp.) Nu 1:23 26:14 Moses pronounces no
blessing on this tribe. It is passed by in silence De 33:1ff. This tribe
received as their portion a part of the territory already allotted to Judah Jos
19:1-9 It lay in the south-west of the land, with Judah on the east and Dan on
the north; but whether it was a compact territory or not cannot be determined.
The subsequent notices of this tribe are but few 1Ch 4:24-43 Like Reuben on the
east of Jordan, this tribe had little influence on the history of Israel.
The abbreviated form of Simeon.
1. One of the twelve apostles, called the Canaanite Mt
10:4 Mr 3:18 This word "Canaanite" does not mean a native of Canaan,
but is derived from the Syriac word Kanean or Kaneniah, which was the name of a
Jewish sect. The Revised Version has "Cananaean; " marg., "or
Zealot" He is also called "Zelotes" Lu 6:15 Ac 1:13 R.V.,
"the Zealot"), because previous to his call to the apostleship he had
been a member of the fanatical sect of the Zealots. There is no record
regarding him.
2. The father of Judas Iscariot Joh 6:71 13:2,26
3. One of the brothers of our Lord Mt 13:55 Mr 6:3
4. A Pharisee in whose house "a woman of the city
which was a sinner" anointed our Lord's feet with ointment Lu 7:36-40
5. A leper of Bethany, in whose house Mary anointed our
Lord's head with ointment "as he sat at meat" Mt 26:6-13 Mr 14:3-9
6. A Jew of Cyrene, in North Africa, then a province of
Libya. A hundred thousand Jews from Palestine had been settled in this province
by Ptolemy Soter (B.C. 323) where by this time they had greatly increased in
number. They had a synagogue in Jerusalem for such of their number as went
thither to the annual feasts. Simon was seized by the soldiers as the
procession wended its way to the place of crucifixion as he was passing by, and
the heavy cross which Christ from failing strength could no longer bear was
laid on his shoulders. Perhaps they seized him because he showed sympathy with
Jesus. He was the "father of Alexander and Rufus" Mt 27:32 Possibly
this Simon may have been one of the "men of Cyrene" who preached the
word to the Greeks Ac 11:20
7. A sorcerer of great repute for his magical arts among
the Samaritans Ac 8:9-11 He afterwards became a professed convert to the faith
under the preaching of Philip the deacon and evangelist Ac 8:12,13 His
profession was, however, soon found to be hollow. His conduct called forth from
Peter a stern rebuke Ac 8:18-23 From this moment he disappears from the
Church's history. The term "Simony, "as denoting the purchase for
money of spiritual offices, is derived from him.
8. A Christian at Joppa, a tanner by trade, with whom
Peter on one occasion lodged Ac 9:43
9. Simon Peter Mt 4:18
See PETER
Watchman, a Levite of the family of Merari 1Ch 26:10
Is "any want of conformity unto or transgression of
the law of God" 1Jo 3:4 Ro 4:15 in the inward state and habit of the soul,
as well as in the outward conduct of the life, whether by omission or
commission Ro 6:12-17 7:5-24 It is "not a mere violation of the law of our
constitution, nor of the system of things, but an offence against a personal
lawgiver and moral governor who vindicates his law with penalties. The soul
that sins is always conscious that his sin is
1. intrinsically vile and polluting, and
2. that it justly deserves punishment, and calls down the
righteous wrath of God.
Hence sin carries with it two inalienable characters,
1. ill-desert, guilt (reatus); and
2. pollution (macula).", Hodge's Outlines.
The moral character of a man's actions is determined by
the moral state of his heart. The disposition to sin, or the habit of the soul
that leads to the sinful act, is itself also sin Ro 6:12-17 Ga 5:17 Jas 1:14,15
The origin of sin is a mystery, and must for ever remain such to us. It is
plain that for some reason God has permitted sin to enter this world, and that
is all we know. His permitting it, however, in no way makes God the author of
sin. Adam's sin Ge 3:1-6 consisted in his yielding to the assaults of
temptation and eating the forbidden fruit. It involved in it,
1. the sin of unbelief, virtually making God a liar; and
2. the guilt of disobedience to a positive command. By
this sin he became an apostate from God, a rebel in arms against his Creator.
He lost the favour of God and communion with him; his whole nature became
depraved, and he incurred the penalty involved in the covenant of works.
Original sin. "Our first parents being the root of all mankind, the guilt
of their sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature were
conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by ordinary
generation."
Adam was constituted by God the federal head and
representative of all his posterity, as he was also their natural head, and
therefore when he fell they fell with him Ro 5:12-21 1Co 15:22-45 His probation
was their probation, and his fall their fall. Because of Adam's first sin all
his posterity came into the world in a state of sin and condemnation, i.e.,
1. a state of moral corruption, and
2. of guilt, as having judicially imputed to them the
guilt of Adam's first sin.
"Original sin" is frequently and properly used
to denote only the moral corruption of their whole nature inherited by all men
from Adam. This inherited moral corruption consists in,
1. the loss of original righteousness; and
2. the presence of a constant proneness to evil, which is
the root and origin of all actual sin. It is called
a. "sin" Ro 6:12,14,17 Ro 7:5-17
b. the "flesh" Ga 5:17,24
c. "lust" Jas 1:14,15
d. the "body of sin" Ro 6:6
e. "ignorance, ""blindness of heart,
""alienation from the life of God" Eph 4:18,19 It influences and
depraves the whole man, and its tendency is still downward to deeper and deeper
corruption, there remaining no recuperative element in the soul. It is a total
depravity, and it is also universally inherited by all the natural descendants
of Adam Ro 3:10-23 5:12-21 8:7
Pelagians deny original sin, and regard man as by nature
morally and spiritually well; semi-Pelagians regard him as morally sick;
Augustinians, or, as they are also called, Calvinists, regard man as described
above, spiritually dead Eph 2:1 1Jo 3:14 The doctrine of original sin is
proved,
1. From the fact of the universal sinfulness of men.
"There is no man that sinneth not" 1Ki 8:46 Isa 53:6 Ps 130:3 Ro
3:19,22,23 Ga 3:22
2. From the total depravity of man. All men are declared
to be destitute of any principle of spiritual life; man's apostasy from God is
total and complete Job 15:14-16 Ge 6:5,6
3. From its early manifestation Ps 58:3 Pr 22:15
4. It is proved also from the necessity, absolutely and
universally, of regeneration Joh 3:3 2Co 5:17
5. From the universality of death Ro 5:12-20
Various kinds of sin are mentioned,
1. "Presumptuous sins, "or as literally
rendered, "sins with an uplifted hand", i.e., defiant acts of sin, in
contrast with "errors" or "inadvertencies" Ps 19:13
2. "Secret", i.e., hidden sins Ps 19:12 sins
which escape the notice of the soul.
3. "Sin against the Holy Ghost" (q.v.), or a
"sin unto death" Mt 12:31,32 1Jo 5:16 which amounts to a wilful
rejection of grace.
Sin, a city in Egypt, called by the Greeks Pelusium,
which means, as does also the Hebrew name, "clayey" or "muddy,
"so called from the abundance of clay found there. It is called by Ezekel
Eze 30:15 "the strength of Egypt, "thus denoting its importance as a
fortified city. It has been identified with the modern Tineh, "a miry
place, " where its ruins are to be found.
Of its boasted magnificence only four red granite columns remain, and
some few fragments of others.
Of Sin (the moon god), called also Horeb, the name of the
mountain district which was reached by the Hebrews in the third month after the
Exodus. Here they remained encamped for about a whole year. Their journey from
the Red Sea to this encampment, including all the windings of the route, was
about 150 miles. The last twenty-two chapters of Exodus, together with the
whole of Leviticus and Num. 1 contain a record of all the transactions which occurred
while they were here. From Rephidim Ex 17:8-13 the Israelites journeyed forward
through the Wady Solaf and Wady esh-Sheikh into the plain of er-Rahah,
"the desert of Sinai, "about 2 miles long and half a mile broad, and
encamped there "before the mountain." The part of the mountain range,
a protruding lower bluff, known as the Ras Sasafeh (Sufsafeh), rises almost
perpendicularly from this plain, and is in all probability the Sinai of
history. Dean Stanley thus describes the scene:, "The plain itself is not
broken and uneven and narrowly shut in, like almost all others in the range,
but presents a long retiring sweep, within which the people could remove and
stand afar off. The cliff, rising like a huge altar in front of the whole
congregation, and visible against the sky in lonely grandeur from end to end of
the whole plain, is the very image of the 'mount that might be touched, ' and
from which the voice of God might be heard far and wide over the plain
below." This was the scene of the giving of the law. From the Ras Sufsafeh
the law was proclaimed to the people encamped below in the plain of er-Rahah.
During the lengthened period of their encampment here the Israelites passed
through a very memorable experience. An immense change passed over them. They
are now an organized nation, bound by covenant engagement to serve the Lord
their God, their ever-present divine Leader and Protector. At length, in the
second month of the second year of the Exodus, they move their camp and march
forward according to a prescribed order. After three days they reach the
"wilderness of Paran, "the "et-Tih", i.e., "the
desert", and here they make their first encampment. At this time a spirit
of discontent broke out amongst them, and the Lord manifested his displeasure
by a fire which fell on the encampment and inflicted injury on them. Moses
called the place Taberah (q.v.), Nu 11:1-3 The journey between Sinai and the
southern boundary of the Promised Land (about 150 miles) at Kadesh was
accomplished in about a year.
Usually designated by the first letter of the Hebrew
alphabet, is one of the most valuable of ancient MSS. of the Greek New
Testament. On the occasion of a third visit to the convent of St. Catherine, on Mount Sinai, in 1859 it was
discovered by Dr. Tischendorf. He had
on a previous visit in 1844 obtained forty-three parchment leaves of the LXX.,
which he deposited in the university library of Leipsic, under the title of the
Codex Frederico-Augustanus, after his royal patron the king of Saxony. In the
year referred to (1859) the emperor of Russia sent him to prosecute his search
for MSS., which he was convinced were still to be found in the Sinai convent.
The story of his finding the manuscript of the New Testament has all the
interest of a romance. He reached the convent on 31st January; but his
inquiries appeared to be fruitless. On the 4th February he had resolved to
return home without having gained his object. "On that day, when walking
with the provisor of the convent, he spoke with much regret of his ill-success.
Returning from their promenade, Tischendorf accompanied the monk to his room,
and there had displayed to him what his companion called a copy of the LXX.,
which he, the ghostly brother, owned. The MS. was wrapped up in a piece of
cloth, and on its being unrolled, to the surprise and delight of the critic the
very document presented itself which he had given up all hope of seeing. His
object had been to complete the fragmentary LXX. of 1844 which he had declared to be the most ancient of all Greek
codices on vellum that are extant; but he found not only that, but a copy of
the Greek New Testament attached, of the same age, and perfectly complete, not
wanting a single page or paragraph." This precious fragment, after some
negotiations, he obtained possession of, and conveyed it to the Emperor
Alexander, who fully appreciated its importance, and caused it to be published
as nearly as possible in facsimile, so as to exhibit correctly the ancient
handwriting. The entire codex consists of 346 1/2 folios. Of these 199 belong
to the Old Testament and 147 1/2 to the New, along with two ancient documents
called the Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas. The books of the New
Testament stand thus: the four Gospels, the epistles of Paul, the Acts of the
Apostles, the Catholic Epistles, the Apocalypse of John. It is shown by
Tischendorf that this codex was written in the fourth century, and is thus of
about the same age as the Vatican codex; but while the latter wants the greater
part of Matthew and sundry leaves here and there besides, the Sinaiticus is the
only copy of the New Testament in uncial characters which is complete. Thus it
is the oldest extant MS. copy of the New Testament. Both the Vatican and the
Sinai codices were probably written in Egypt.
See VATICANUS
Isa 49:12 supposed by some to mean China, but more probably
Phoenicia Ge 10:17 is intended.
An inhabitant of Sin, near Arka Ge 10:17 1Ch 1:15
See ARKITE
(Heb. hattath), the law of, is given in detail in Le
4-6:13, Le 9:7-11,22-24 12:6-8 15:2,14,25-30 14:19,31 Nu 6:10-14 On the day of
Atonement it was made with special solemnity Le 16:5,11,15 The blood was then
carried into the holy of holies and sprinkled on the mercy-seat. Sin-offerings
were also presented at the five annual festivals Nu 29:5 and on the occasion of
the consecration of the priests Ex 29:10-14,36 As each individual, even the
most private member of the congregation, as well as the congregation at large,
and the high priest, was obliged, on being convicted by his conscience of any
particular sin, to come with a sin-offering, we see thus impressively disclosed
the need in which every sinner stands of the salvation of Christ, and the necessity
of making application to it as often as the guilt of sin renews itself upon his
conscience. This resort of faith to the perfect sacrifice of Christ is the one
way that lies open for the sinner's attainment of pardon and restoration to
peace. And then in the sacrifice itself there is the reality of that
incomparable worth and preciousness which were so significantly represented in
the sin-offering by the sacredness of its blood and the hallowed destination of
its flesh. With reference to this the blood of Christ is called emphatically
"the precious blood, "and the blood that "cleanseth from all
sin" 1Jo 1:7
lying between Elim and sinai Ex 16:1 comp. Nu 33:11,12
This was probably the narrow plain of el-Markha, which stretches along the
eastern shore of the Red Sea for several miles toward the promontory of Ras
Mohammed, the southern extremity of the Sinitic Peninsula. While the Israelites
rested here for some days they began to murmur on account of the want of
nourishment, as they had by this time consumed all the corn they had brought
with them out of Egypt. God heard their
murmurings, and gave them "manna" and then quails in abundance.
Elevated.
1. Denotes Mount Hermon in De 4:48 called Sirion by the
Sidonians, and by the Amorites Shenir De 3:9 See HERMON
2. The Greek form of Zion (q.v.) in Mt 21:5 Joh 12:15
See ZION
Fruitful places, some unknown place in the south, where
David found friends when he fled from Saul 1Sa 30:28
Retiring, a well from which Joab's messenger brought back
Abner 2Sa 3:26 It is now called 'Ain Sarah, and is situated about a mile from
Hebron, on the road to the north.
A breastplate, the Sidonian name of Hermon (q.v.), De 3:9
Ps 29:6
(Egypt. Ses-Ra, "servant of Ra").
1. The captain of Jabin's army Jud 4:2 which was routed
and destroyed by the army of Barak on the plain of Esdraelon. After all was
lost he fled to the settlement of Heber the Kenite in the plain of Zaanaim.
Jael, Heber's wife, received him into her tent with apparent hospitality, and
"gave him butter" (i.e., lebben, or curdled milk) "in a lordly
dish." Having drunk the refreshing beverage, he lay down, and soon sank
into the sleep of the weary. While he lay asleep Jael crept stealthily up to
him, and taking in her hand one of the tent pegs, with a mallet she drove it
with such force through his temples that it entered into the ground where he
lay, and "at her feet he bowed, he fell; where he bowed, there he fell
down dead." The part of Deborah's song Jud 5:24-27 referring to the death
of Sisera (which is a "mere patriotic outburst, "and "is no
proof that purer eyes would have failed to see gross sin mingling with Jael's
service to Israel") is thus rendered by Professor Roberts (Old Testament
Revision): "Extolled above women be Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite,
Extolled above women in the tent. He asked for water, she gave him milk; She
brought him cream in a lordly dish. She stretched forth her hand to the nail,
Her right hand to the workman's hammer, And she smote Sisera; she crushed his
head, She crashed through and transfixed his temples. At her feet he curled
himself, he fell, he lay still; At her feet he curled himself, he fell; And
where he curled himself, there he fell dead."
2. The ancestor of some of the Nethinim who returned with
Zerubbabel Ezr 2:53 Ne 7:55
Strife, the second of the two wells dug by Isaac, whose
servants here contended with the Philistines Ge 26:21 It has been identified
with the modern Shutneh, in the valley of Gerar, to the west of Rehoboth, about
20 miles south of Beersheba.
The attitude generally assumed in Palestine by those who
were engaged in any kind of work. "The carpenter saws, planes, and hews
with his hand-adze, sitting on the ground or upon the plank he is planning. The
washerwoman sits by the tub; and, in a word, no one stands when it is possible
to sit. Shopkeepers always sit, and Levi sitting at the receipt of custom Mt
9:9 is the exact way to state the case.", Thomson, Land and Book.
A Persian word (Assyr, sivanu, "bricks"), used
after the Captivity as the name of the third month of the Jewish year, extending
from the new moon in June to the new moon in July Es 8:9
1. Coats made of Ge 3:21
2. Skins of rams and badgers were used as a covering for
the tabernacle Ex 25:5 Nu 4:8-14
See GOLGOTHA
Jer 2:14 (A.V.), but not there found in the original. In
Re 18:13 the word "slaves" is the rendering of a Greek word meaning
"bodies." The Hebrew and Greek words for slave are usually rendered
simply "servant, ""bondman, "or "bondservant."
Slavery as it existed under the Mosaic law has no modern parallel. That law did
not originate but only regulated the already existing custom of slavery Ex
21:20,21,26,27 Le 25:44-46 Jos 9:6-27 The gospel in its spirit and genius is
hostile to slavery in every form, which under its influence is gradually
disappearing from among men.
Ge 11:3 LXX., "asphalt; "R.V. marg.,
"bitumen". The vale of Siddim was full of slime pits Ge 14:10
Jochebed daubed the "ark of bulrushes" with slime Ex 2:3
See PITCH
With a sling and a stone David smote the Philistine giant
1Sa 17:40,49 There were 700 Benjamites who were so skilled in its use that with
the left hand they "could sling stones at a hair breadth, and not miss"
Jud 20:16 1Ch 12:2 It was used by the Israelites in war 2Ki 3:25
See ARMOUR The words in Pr 26:8 "As he that bindeth
a stone in a sling, " etc. (Authorized Version), should rather, as in the
Revised Version, be "As a bag of gems in a heap of stones, "etc.
The Hebrews were not permitted by the Philistines in the
days of Samuel to have a smith amongst them, lest they should make them swords
and spears 1Sa 13:19 Thus the Philistines sought to make their conquest
permanent (comp.) 2Ki 24:16
Myrrh, an ancient city of Ionia, on the western coast of Asia
Minor, about 40 miles to the north of Ephesus. It is now the chief city of
Anatolia, having a mixed population of about 200 of whom about one-third are
professed Christians. The church founded here was one of the seven addressed by
our Lord Re 2:8-11 The celebrated Polycarp, a pupil of the apostle John, was in
the second century a prominent leader in the church of Smyrna. Here he suffered
martyrdom, A.D. 155
1. Heb. homit, among the unclean creeping things Le 11:30
This was probably the sand-lizard, of which there are many species in the
wilderness of Judea and the Sinai peninsula.
2. Heb. shablul Ps 58:8 the snail or slug proper.
Tristram explains the allusions of this passage by a reference to the heat and
drought by which the moisture of the snail is evaporated. "We find,
"he says, "in all parts of the Holy Land myriads of snail-shells in
fissures still adhering by the calcareous exudation round their orifice to the
surface of the rock, but the animal of which is utterly shrivelled and wasted,
'melted away.'"
The expression Am 3:5 "Shall one take up a snare
from the earth?" etc. (Authorized Version), ought to be, as in the Revised
Version, "Shall a snare spring up from the ground?" etc.
See GIN
Common in Palestine in winter Ps 147:16 The snow on the
tops of the Lebanon range is almost always within view throughout the whole
year. The word is frequently used figuratively by the sacred writers Job 24:19
Ps 51:7 68:14 Isa 1:18 It is mentioned only once in the historical books 2Sa
23:20 It was "carried to Tyre, Sidon, and Damascus as a luxury, and
labourers sweltering in the hot harvest-fields used it for the purpose of
cooling the water which they drank Pr 25:13 Jer 18:14 No doubt Herod Antipas,
at his feasts in Tiberias, enjoyed also from this very source the modern luxury
of ice-water."
(Nubian, Sabako), an Ethiopian king who brought Egypt
under his sway. He was bribed by Hoshea to help him against the Assyrian
monarch Shalmaneser 2Ki 17:4 This was a return to the policy that had been
successful in the reign of Jeroboam I.
Jer 2:22 Mal 3:2 Heb. borith, properly a vegetable
alkali, obtained from the ashes of certain plants, particularly the salsola
kali (saltwort), which abounds on the shores of the Dead Sea and of the
Mediterranean. It does not appear that the Hebrews were acquainted with what is
now called "soap, "which is a compound of alkaline carbonates with
oleaginous matter. The word "purely" in Isa 1:25 (R.V.,
"throughly; "marg., "as with lye") is lit. "as with
_bor_." This word means "clearness, "and hence also that which
makes clear, or pure, alkali. "The ancients made use of alkali mingled
with oil, instead of soap Job 9:30 and also in smelting metals, to make them
melt and flow more readily and purely" (Gesenius).
A fence; hedge, 1Ch 4:18 R.V., Soco=So'choh 1Ki 4:10 R.V.,
Socoh, Sho'choh 1Sa 17:1 R.V., Socoh, Sho'co 2Ch 11:7 R.V., Soco, Sho'cho 2Ch
28:18 R.V., Soco, a city in the plain or lowland of Judah, where the
Philistines encamped when they invaded Judah after their defeat at Michmash. It
lay on the northern side of the valley of Elah (Wady es-Sunt). It has been
identified with the modern Khurbet Shuweikeh, about 14 miles south-west of
Jerusalem. In this campaign Goliath was slain, and the Philistines were
completely routed.
Burning; the walled, a city in the vale of Siddim Ge
13:10 14:1-16 The wickedness of its inhabitants brought down upon it fire from
heaven, by which it was destroyed Ge 18:16-33 19:1-29 De 23:17 This city and
its awful destruction are frequently alluded to in Scripture De 29:23 32:32 Isa
1:9,10 3:9 13:19 Jer 23:14 Eze 16:46-56 Zep 2:9 Mt 10:15 Ro 9:29 2Pe 2:6 etc.
No trace of it or of the other cities of the plain has been discovered, so
complete was their destruction. Just opposite the site of Zoar, on the
south-west coast of the Dead Sea, is a range of low hills, forming a mass of
mineral salt called Jebel Usdum, "the hill of Sodom." It has been
concluded, from this and from other considerations, that the cities of the
plain stood at the southern end of the Dead Sea.
Ro 9:29 R.V., "Sodom", the Greek form for
Sodom.
Those who imitated the licentious wickedness of Sodom De
23:17 1Ki 14:24 Ro 1:26,27 Asa destroyed them "out of the land" 1Ki
15:12 as did also his son Jehoshaphat 1Ki 22:46
Isa 1:13 the convocation on the eighth day of the Feast
of Tabernacles Le 23:36 Nu 29:35 R.V., "solemn assembly; "marg.,
"closing festival". It is the name given also to the convocation held
on the seventh day of the Passover De 16:8
Peaceful, (Heb. Shelomoh), David's second son by
Bathsheba, i.e., the first after their legal marriage 2Sa 12:1ff. He was
probably born about B.C. 1035 1Ch 22:5 29:1 He succeeded his father on the throne
in early manhood, probably about sixteen or eighteen years of age. Nathan, to
whom his education was intrusted, called him Jedidiah, i.e., "beloved of
the Lord" 2Sa 12:24,25 He was the first king of Israel "born in the
purple." His father chose him as his successor, passing over the claims of
his elder sons: "Assuredly Solomon my son shall reign after me." His
history is recorded in 1Ki 11ff. and 2Ch 1:1ff. His elevation to the throne
took place before his father's death, and was hastened on mainly by Nathan and
Bathsheba, in consequence of the rebellion of Adonijah 1Ki 1:5-40 During his
long reign of forty years the Hebrew monarchy gained its highest splendour.
This period has well been called the "Augustan age" of the Jewish
annals. The first half of his reign was, however, by far the brighter and more
prosperous; the latter half was clouded by the idolatries into which he fell,
mainly from his heathen intermarriages 1Ki 11:1-8 14:21,31 Before his death
David gave parting instructions to his son 1Ki 2:1-9 1Ch 22:7-16, 28:1ff. As
soon as he had settled himself in his kingdom, and arranged the affairs of his
extensive empire, he entered into an alliance with Egypt by the marriage of the
daughter of Pharaoh 1Ki 3:1 of whom, however, nothing further is recorded. He
surrounded himself with all the luxuries and the external grandeur of an
Eastern monarch, and his government prospered. He entered into an alliance with
Hiram, king of Tyre, who in many ways greatly assisted him in his numerous
undertakings.
See HIRAM For some years before his death David was
engaged in the active work of collecting materials 1Ch 29:6-9 2Ch 2:3-7 for
building a temple in Jerusalem as a permanent abode for the ark of the
covenant. He was not permitted to build the house of God 1Ch 22:8 that honour
was reserved to his son Solomon.
See TEMPLE After the completion of the temple, Solomon
engaged in the erection of many other buildings of importance in Jerusalem and
in other parts of his kingdom. For the long space of thirteen years he was
engaged in the erection of a royal palace on Ophel 1Ki 7:1-12 It was 100 cubits
long, 50 broad, and 30 high. Its lofty roof was supported by forty-five cedar
pillars, so that the hall was like a forest of cedar wood, and hence probably
it received the name of "The House of the Forest of Lebanon." In
front of this "house" was another building, which was called the
Porch of Pillars, and in front of this again was the "Hall of Judgment,
"or Throne-room 1Ki 7:7 10:18-20 2Ch 9:17-19 "the King's Gate,
"where he administered justice and gave audience to his people. This
palace was a building of great magnificence and beauty. A portion of it was set
apart as the residence of the queen consort, the daughter of Pharaoh. From the
palace there was a private staircase of red and scented sandal wood which led
up to the temple. Solomon also constructed great works for the purpose of
securing a plentiful supply of water for the city Ec 2:4-6 He then built Millo
(LXX., "Acra") for the defence of the city, completing a line of
ramparts around it 1Ki 9:15,24 11:27 He erected also many other fortifications
for the defence of his kingdom at various points where it was exposed to the
assault of enemies 1Ki 9:15-19 2Ch 8:2-6 Among his great undertakings must also
be mentioned the building of Tadmor (q.v.) in the wilderness as a commercial
depot, as well as a military outpost. During his reign Palestine enjoyed great
commercial prosperity. Extensive traffic was carried on by land with Tyre and
Egypt and Arabia, and by sea with Spain and India and the coasts of Africa, by
which Solomon accumulated vast stores of wealth and of the produce of all
nations 1Ki 9:26-28 10:11,12 2Ch 8:17,18 9:21 This was the "golden
age" of Israel. The royal magnificence and splendour of Solomon's court were
unrivalled. He had seven hundred wives
and three hundred concubines, an evidence at once of his pride, his wealth, and
his sensuality. The maintenance of his household involved immense expenditure.
The provision required for one day was "thirty measures of fine flour, and
threescore measures of meal, ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures,
and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and fallow-deer, and fatted
fowl" 1Ki 4:22,23 Solomon's reign was not only a period of great material
prosperity, but was equally remarkable for its intellectual activity. He was the leader of his people also in this
uprising amongst them of new intellectual life. "He spake three thousand
proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spake of trees, from
the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of
the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of
fishes" 1Ki 4:32,33 His fame was spread abroad through all lands, and men
came from far and near "to hear the wisdom of Solomon." Among others
thus attracted to Jerusalem was "the queen of the south" Mt 12:42 the
queen of Sheba, a country in Arabia Felix. "Deep, indeed, must have been
her yearning, and great his fame, which induced a secluded Arabian queen to
break through the immemorial custom of her dreamy land, and to put forth the
energy required for braving the burdens and perils of so long a journey across
a wilderness. Yet this she undertook, and carried it out with safety." 1Ki
10:1-13 2Ch 9:1-12 She was filled with amazement by all she saw and heard:
"there was no more spirit in her." After an interchange of presents
she returned to her native land. But that golden age of Jewish history passed
away. The bright day of Solomon's glory ended in clouds and darkness. His
decline and fall from his high estate is a sad record. Chief among the causes of his decline were
his polygamy and his great wealth. "As he grew older he spent more of his
time among his favourites. The idle king living among these idle women, for
1,000 women, with all their idle and mischievous attendants, filled the palaces
and pleasure-houses which he had built 1Ki 11:3 learned first to tolerate and
then to imitate their heathenish ways. He did not, indeed, cease to believe in
the God of Israel with his mind. He did not cease to offer the usual sacrifices
in the temple at the great feasts. But his heart was not right with God; his
worship became merely formal; his soul, left empty by the dying out of true
religious fervour, sought to be filled with any religious excitement which
offered itself. Now for the first time a worship was publicly set up amongst
the people of the Lord which was not simply irregular or forbidden, like that
of Gideon Jud 8:27 or the Danites Jud 18:30,31 but was downright
idolatrous." 1Ki 11:7 2Ki 23:13 This brought upon him the divine
displeasure. His enemies prevailed against him 1Ki 11:14-22,23-25,26-40 and one
judgment after another fell upon the land. And now the end of all came, and he
died, after a reign of forty years, and was buried in the city of David, and
"with him was buried the short-lived glory and unity of Israel."
"He leaves behind him but one weak and worthless son, to dismember his
kingdom and disgrace his name." "The kingdom of Solomon, "says
Rawlinson, "is one of the most striking facts in the Biblical history. A
petty nation, which for hundreds of years has with difficulty maintained a
separate existence in the midst of warlike tribes, each of which has in turn
exercised dominion over it and oppressed it, is suddenly raised by the genius
of a soldier-monarch to glory and greatness. An empire is established which
extends from the Euphrates to the borders of Egypt, a distance of 450 miles;
and this empire, rapidly constructed, enters almost immediately on a period of
peace which lasts for half a century.
Wealth, grandeur, architectural magnificence, artistic excellence,
commercial enterprise, a position of dignity among the great nations of the earth,
are enjoyed during this space, at the end of which there is a sudden collapse.
The ruling nation is split in twain, the subject-races fall off, the
pre-eminence lately gained being wholly lost, the scene of struggle, strife,
oppression, recovery, inglorious submission, and desperate effort, re-commences.",
Historical Illustrations.
Called also, after the Vulgate, the
"Canticles." It is the "song of songs" So 1:1 as being the
finest and most precious of its kind; the noblest song, "das Hohelied,
"as Luther calls it. The Solomonic authorship of this book has been called
in question, but evidences, both internal and external, fairly establish the
traditional view that it is the product of Solomon's pen. It is an allegorical
poem setting forth the mutual love of Christ and the Church, under the emblem
of the bridegroom and the bride. (Compare) Mt 9:15 Joh 3:29 Eph 5:23,27,29 Re
19:7-9 21:2,9 22:17 Compare also Ps 45:1ff. Isa 54:4-6 62:4,5 Jer 2:2 3:1,20
Eze 16:1ff. Ho 2:16,19,20
Joh 10:23 Ac 3:11 5:12 a colonnade, or cloister probably,
on the eastern side of the temple. It is not mentioned in connection with the first
temple, but Josephus mentions a porch, so called, in Herod's temple (q.v.).
1. Of Moses Ex 15:1-19 Nu 21:17 De 32:1-44 Re 15:3
2. DeborahJud 5:1-31
3. Hannah 1Sa 2:1-10
4. David 2Sa 22:1-51
And Psalms,
1. Mary Lu 1:46-55
2. Zacharias Lu 1:68-79
3. the angels Lu 2:13
4. Simeon Lu 2:29
5. the redeemed Re 5:9 19:1-3
6. Solomon See SOLOMON, SONGS OF
The plural, "sons of God, "is used Ge 6:2,4 to
denote the pious descendants of Seth. In Job 1:6 38:7 this name is applied to
the angels. Hosea uses the phrase Ho 1:10 to designate the gracious relation in
which men stand to God. In the New Testament this phrase frequently denotes the
relation into which we are brought to God by adoption Ro 8:14,19 2Co 6:18 Ga
4:5,6 Php 2:15 1Jo 3:1,2 It occurs thirty-seven times in the New Testament as
the distinctive title of our Saviour. He does not bear this title in
consequence of his miraculous birth, nor of his incarnation, his resurrection,
and exaltation to the Father's right hand. This is a title of nature and not of
office. The sonship of Christ denotes his equality with the Father. To call
Christ the Son of God is to assert his true and proper divinity. The second
Person of the Trinity, because of his eternal relation to the first Person, is
the Son of God. He is the Son of God as to his divine nature, while as to his
human nature he is the Son of David Ro 1:3,4 Comp. Ga 4:4 Joh 1:1-14 5:18-25
Joh 10:30-38 which prove that Christ was the Son of God before his incarnation,
and that his claim to this title is a claim of equality with God). When used
with reference to creatures, whether men or angels, this word is always in the
plural. In the singular it is always used of the second Person of the Trinity,
with the single exception of Lu 3:38 where it is used of Adam.
1. Denotes mankind generally, with special reference to
their weakness and frailty Job 25:6 Ps 8:4 144:3 146:3 Isa 51:12 etc.
2. It is a title frequently given to the prophet Ezekiel,
probably to remind him of his human weakness.
3. In the New Testament it is used forty-three times as a
distinctive title of the Saviour. In the Old Testament it is used only in Ps
80:17 Da 7:13 with this application. It denotes the true humanity of our Lord.
He had a true body Heb 2:14 Lu 24:39 and a rational soul. He was perfect man.
One who pretends to prognosticate future events. Baalam
is so called Jos 13:22 Heb. kosem, a "diviner, "as rendered 1Sa 6:2
rendered "prudent, "Isa 3:2 In Isa 2:6 Mic 5:12 (Heb. yonenim, i.e.,
"diviners of the clouds") the word is used of the Chaldean diviners
who studied the clouds. In Da 2:27 5:7 the word is the rendering of the Chaldee
gazrin, i.e., "deciders" or "determiners", here applied to Chaldean
astrologers, "who, by casting nativities from the place of the stars at
one's birth, and by various arts of computing and divining, foretold the
fortunes and destinies of individuals.", Gesenius, Lex. Heb.
See SORCERER
A morsel of bread Joh 13:26 comp. Ru 2:14 Our Lord took a
piece of unleavened bread, and dipping it into the broth of bitter herbs at the
Paschal meal, gave it to Judas. (Comp.) Ru 2:14
The father who saves, probably the same as Sosipater, a
kinsman of Paul Ro 16:21 a Christian of the city of Berea who accompanied Paul
into Asia Ac 20:4-6
From the Latin sortiarius, one who casts lots, or one who
tells the lot of others.
See DIVINATION In Da 2:2 it is the rendering of the
Hebrew mekhashphim, i.e., mutterers, men who professed to have power with evil
spirits. The practice of sorcery exposed to severest punishment Mal 3:5 Re 21:8
22:15
Choice vine, the name of a valley, i.e., a torrent-bed,
now the Wady Surar, "valley of the fertile spot, "which drains the
western Judean hills, and flowing by Makkedah and Jabneel, falls into the sea
some eight miles south of Joppa. This was the home of Deliah, whom Samson loved
Jud 16:4
See SOPATER
Safe in strength, the chief ruler of the synagogue at
Corinth, who was seized and beaten by the mob in the presence of Gallio, the Roman
governor, when he refused to proceed against Paul at the instigation of the
Jews Ac 18:12-17 The motives of this assault against Sosthenes are not
recorded, nor is it mentioned whether it was made by Greeks or Romans. Some
identify him, but without sufficient grounds, with one whom Paul calls
"Sosthenes our brother, "a convert to the faith 1Co 1:1
Heb. Negeb, that arid district to the south of Palestine through
which lay the caravan route from Central Palestine to Egypt Ge 12:9 13:1,3 Ge
46:1-6 "The Negeb comprised a considerable but irregularly-shaped tract of
country, its main portion stretching from the mountains and lowlands of Judah
in the north to the mountains of Azazemeh in the south, and from the Dead Sea
and southern Ghoron the east to the Mediterranean on the west." In Eze
20:46 (21:1 in Heb.) three different Hebrew words are all rendered
"south."
1. "Set thy face toward the south" (Teman, the region
on the right,)
2. "Drop thy word toward the south" (Negeb, the
region of dryness,)
3. "Prophesy against the forest of the south
field" (Darom, the region of brightness,) In Job 37:9 the word
"south" is literally "chamber, "used here in the sense of
treasury (comp.) Job 38:22 Ps 135:7 This verse is rendered in the Revised
Version "out of the chamber of the south."
His absolute right to do all things according to his own
good pleasure Da 4:25,35 Ro 9:15-23 1Ti 6:15 Re 4:11
Paul expresses his intention Ro 15:24,28 to visit Spain.
There is, however, no evidence that he ever carried it into effect, although
some think that he probably did so between his first and second imprisonment.
See TARSHISH
Mentioned among the offerings made by the very poor. Two
sparrows were sold for a farthing Mt 10:29 and five for two farthings Lu 12:6
The Hebrew word thus rendered is _tsippor_, which properly denotes the whole
family of small birds which feed on grain Le 14:4 Ps 84:3 102:7 The Greek word
of the New Testament is _strouthion_ Mt 10:29-31 which is thus correctly
rendered.
Ge 37:25 Heb. nechoth, identified with the Arabic
naka'at, the gum tragacanth, obtained from the astralagus, of which there are about
twenty species found in Palestine. The tragacanth of commerce is obtained from
the A. tragacantha. "The gum exudes plentifully under the heat of the sun
on the leaves, thorns, and exteremity of the twigs."
Aromatic substances, of which several are named in Ex
30:1ff. They were used in the sacred anointing oil Ex 25:6 35:8 1Ch 9:29 and in
embalming the dead 2Ch 16:14 Lu 23:56 24:1 Joh 19:39,40 Spices were stored by
Hezekiah in his treasure-house 2Ki 20:13 Isa 39:2
The trust of the hypocrite is compared to the spider's
web or house Job 8:14 It is said of the wicked by Isaiah that they "weave the
spider's web" Isa 59:5 i.e., their works and designs are, like the
spider's web, vain and useless. The Hebrew word here used is _'akkabish_,
"a swift weaver." In Pr 30:28 a different Hebrew word (semamith) is
used. It is rendered in the Vulgate by stellio, and in the Revised Version by
"lizard." It may, however, represent the spider, of which there are,
it is said, about seven hundred species in Palestine.
When the Israelites reached Kadesh for the first time,
and were encamped there, Moses selected twelve spies from among the chiefs of
the divisions of the tribes, and sent them forth to spy the land of Canaan Nu
13:1ff. and to bring back to him a report of its actual condition. They at once
proceeded on their important errand, and went through the land as far north as
the district round Lake Merom. After about six weeks' absence they returned.
Their report was very discouraging, and the people were greatly alarmed, and in
a rebellious spirit proposed to elect a new leader and return to Egypt. Only
two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, showed themselves on this occasion
stout-hearted and faithful. All their appeals and remonstrances were in vain.
Moses announced that as a punishment for their rebellion they must now wander
in the wilderness till a new generation should arise which would go up and
posses the land. The spies had been forty days absent on their expedition, and
for each day the Israelites were to be wanderers for a year in the desert.
See ESHCOL Two spies were sent by Joshua
"secretly" i.e., unknown to the people Jos 2:1 "to view the land
and Jericho" after the death of Moses, and just before the tribes under
his leadership were about to cross the Jordan. They learned from Rahab (q.v.),
in whose house they found a hiding-place, that terror had fallen on all the
inhabitants of the land because of the great things they had heard that Jehovah
had done for them Ex 15:14-16 comp. Ex 23:27 De 2:25 11:25 As the result of
their mission they reported: "Truly Jehovah hath delivered into our hands
all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of
us."
(Heb. nerd), a much-valued perfume So 1:12 4:13,14 It was
"very precious", i.e., very costly Mr 14:3 Joh 12:3,5 It is the root
of an Indian plant, the Nardostachys jatamansi, of the family of Valeriance,
growing on the Himalaya mountains. It is distinguished by its having many hairy
spikes shooting out from one root. It is called by the Arabs sunbul Hindi,
"the Indian spike." In the New Testament this word is the rendering
of the Greek nardos pistike. The margin of the Revised Version in these
passages has "pistic nard, "pistic being perhaps a local name. Some
take it to mean genuine, and others liquid. The most probable opinion is that
the word pistike designates the nard as genuine or faithfully prepared.
(Heb. ruah; Gr. pneuma), properly wind or breath.
1. In 2Th 2:8 it means "breath, "
2. in Ec 8:8 the vital principle in man.
3. It also denotes the rational, immortal soul by which
man is distinguished Ac 7:59 1Co 5:5 6:20 7:34
4. the soul in its separate state Heb 12:23
5. an apparition Job 4:15 Lu 24:37,39
6. an angel Heb 1:14
7. a demon Lu 4:36 10:20
8. This word is used also metaphorically as denoting a
tendency Zec 12:10 Lu 13:11
9. In Ro 1:4 1Ti 3:16 2Co 3:17 1Pe 3:18 it designates the
divine nature.
See HOLY GHOST
Occurs only in the narrative of the crucifixion Mt 27:48 Mr
15:36 Joh 19:29 It is ranked as a zoophyte. It is found attached to rocks at
the bottom of the sea.
So 4:8-12 Ho 4:13,14 may denote either husband or wife,
but in the Scriptures it denotes only the latter.
1. (Heb. 'ain, "the bright open source, the eye of
the landscape"). To be carefully distinguished from "well"
(q.v.).
2. "Springs" mentioned in Jos 10:40 (Heb.
'ashdoth) should rather be "declivities" or "slopes"
(R.V.), i.e., the undulating ground lying between the lowlands (the shephelah)
and the central range of hills.
Spike; an ear of corn, a convert at Rome whom Paul
salutes Ro 16:9
(Heb. nataph), one of the components of the perfume which
was offered on the golden altar Ex 30:34 R.V. marg., "opobalsamum").
The Hebrew word is from a root meaning "to distil, "and it has been
by some interpreted as distilled myrrh. Others regard it as the gum of the
storax tree, or rather shrub, the Styrax officinale. "The Syrians value
this gum highly, and use it medicinally as an emulcent in pectoral complaints,
and also in perfumery."
Isa 47:13 those who pretend to tell what will occur by
looking upon the stars. The Chaldean astrologers "divined by the rising
and setting, the motions, aspects, colour, degree of light, etc., of the
stars."
A name figuratively given to Christ Re 22:16 comp. 2Pe 1:19
When Christ promises that he will give the "morning star" to his
faithful ones, he "promises that he will give to them himself, that he
will give to them himself, that he will impart to them his own glory and a
share in his own royal dominion; for the star is evermore the symbol of royalty
Mt 2:2 being therefore linked with the sceptre Nu 24:17 All the glory of the
world shall end in being the glory of the Church." Trench's Comm.
1. The eleven stars Ge 37:9
2. the seven Am 5:8
3. wandering Jude 1:13
4. seen in the east at the birth of Christ, probably some
luminous meteors miraculously formed for this specific purpose Mt 2:2-10
5. stars worshipped De 4:19 2Ki 17:16 21:3 Jer 19:13
6. spoken of symbolically Nu 24:17 Re 1:16,20 12:1
See ASTROLOGERS
Greek word rendered "piece of money" Mt 17:27
A.V.; and "shekel" in R.V.). It was equal to two didrachmas
("tribute money, ")Mt 17:24 or four drachmas, and to about 2s. 6d. of
our money.
See SHEKEL
See THEFT
The "bow of steel" in (A.V.) 2Sa 22:35 Job
20:24 Ps 18:34 is in the Revised Version "bow of brass" (Heb.
kesheth-nehushah). In Jer 15:12 the same word is used, and is also rendered in
the Revised Version "brass." But more correctly it is copper (q.v.),
as brass in the ordinary sense of the word (an alloy of copper and zinc) was
not known to the ancients.
Crown, a member of the church at Corinth, whose family were
among those the apostle had baptized 1Co 1:16 16:15,17 He has been supposed by
some to have been the "jailer of Philippi" (comp.) Ac 16:33 The First
Epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi some six years after the
jailer's conversion, and he was with the apostle there at that time.
One of the seven deacons, who became a preacher of the
gospel. He was the first Christian martyr. His personal character and history are
recorded in Ac 6:1-7:60 "He fell asleep" with a prayer for his
persecutors on his lips Ac 7:60 Devout men carried him to his grave Ac 8:2 It
was at the feet of the young Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, that those who stoned
him laid their clothes (comp.) De 17:5-7 before they began their cruel work.
The scene which Saul then witnessed and the words he heard appear to have made
a deep and lasting impression on his mind Ac 22:19,20 The speech of Stephen
before the Jewish ruler is the first apology for the universalism of the gospel
as a message to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. It is the longest speech
contained in the Acts, a place of prominence being given to it as a defence.
Ac 17:18 A sect of Greek philosophers at Athens, so
called from the Greek word stoa i.e., a "porch" or "portico,
"where they have been called "the Pharisees of Greek paganism."
The founder of the Stoics was Zeno, who flourished about B.C. 300 He taught his
disciples that a man's happiness consisted in bringing himself into harmony
with the course of the universe. They were trained to bear evils with
indifference, and so to be independent of externals. Materialism, pantheism,
fatalism, and pride were the leading features of this philosophy.
Isa 3:24 an article of female attire, probably some sort
of girdle around the breast.
1. Stones were commonly used for buildings, also as
memorials of important events Ge 28:18 Jos 24:26,27 1Sa 7:12 etc. They were
gathered out of cultivated fields Isa 5:2 comp. 2Ki 3:19
2. This word is also used figuratively of believers 1Pe
2:4,5
3. and of the Messiah Ps 118:22 Isa 28:16 Mt 21:42 Ac
4:11 etc.
4. In Da 2:45 it refers also to the Messiah. He is there
described as "cut out of the mountain." See ROCK
5. A "heart of stone" denotes great
insensibility 1Sa 25:37
6. Stones were set up to commemorate remarkable events,
as
a. by Jacob
1. at Bethel Ge 28:18
2. at Padan-aram Ge 35:4
3. on the occasion of parting with Laban Ge 31:45-47
b. by Joshua
1. at the place on the banks of the Jordan where the
people first "lodged" after crossing the river Jos 4:7-8
2. also in "the midst of Jordan, "where he
erected another set of twelve stones Jos 4:9
c. by Samuel at "Ebenezer" 1Sa 7:12
Frequently referred to 1Ki 10:2 2Ch 3:6 9:10 Re 18:16
21:19 There are about twenty different names of such stones in the Bible. They
are figuratively introduced to denote value, beauty, durability So 5:14 Isa
54:11,12 La 4:7
A form of punishment Le 20:2 24:14 De 13:10 17:5 22:21
prescribed for certain offences. Of
1. Achan Jos 7:25
2. Naboth 1Ki 21:9-14
3. Stephen Ac 7:59
4. Paul Ac 14:19 2Co 11:25
Heb. hasidah, meaning "kindness, "indicating
thus the character of the bird, which is noted for its affection for its young.
It is in the list of birds forbidden to be eaten by the Levitical law Le 11:19
De 14:18 It is like the crane, but larger in size. Two species are found in
Palestine, the white, which are dispersed in pairs over the whole country; and
the black, which live in marshy places and in great flocks. They migrate to
Palestine periodically (about the 22nd of March). Jeremiah alludes to this Jer
8:7 At the appointed time they return with unerring sagacity to their old
haunts, and re-occupy their old nests. "There is a well-authenticated
account of the devotion of a stork which, at the burning of the town of Delft,
after repeated and unsuccessful attempts to carry off her young, chose rather
to remain and perish with them than leave them to their fate. Well might the
Romans call it the pia avis!" In Job 39:13 (A.V.), instead of the
expression "or wings and feathers unto the ostrich" (marg., "the
feathers of the stork and ostrich"), the Revised Version has "are her
pinions and feathers kindly" (marg., instead of "kindly, " reads
"like the stork's"). The object of this somewhat obscure verse seems
to be to point out a contrast between the stork, as distinguished for her
affection for her young, and the ostrich, as distinguished for her
indifference. Zechariah Zec 5:9 alludes to the beauty and power of the stork's
wings.
Simply a misprint for "strain out" Mt 23:24
This word generally denotes a person from a foreign land residing
in Palestine. Such persons enjoyed many privileges in common with the Jews, but
still were separate from them. The relation of the Jews to strangers was
regulated by special laws De 23:3 24:14-21 25:5 De 26:10-13 A special
signification is also sometimes attached to this word.
1. In Ge 23:4 it denotes one resident in a foreign land;
2. Ex 23:9 one who is not a Jew;
3. Nu 3:10 one who is not of the family of Aaron;
4. Ps 69:8 an alien or an unknown person.
The Jews were allowed to purchase strangers as slaves Le
25:44,45 and to take usury from them De 23:20
1. Used in brick-making Ex 5:7-18
2. Used figuratively in Job 41:27 Isa 11:7 25:10 65:25
Isa 27:12 the Wady el-'Arish, called also "the river
of Egypt, " R.V., "brook of Egypt" Nu 34:5 Jos 15:4 2Ki 24:7 It
is the natural boundary of Egypt. Occasionally in winter, when heavy rains have
fallen among the mountains inland, it becomes a turbulent rushing torrent. The
present boundary between Egypt and Palestine is about midway between el-'Arish
and Gaza.
The street called "Straight" at Damascus Ac
9:11 is "a long broad street, running from east to west, about a mile in
length, and forming the principal thoroughfare in the city." In Oriental
towns streets are usually narrow and irregular and filthy Ps 18:42 Isa 10:6
"It is remarkable, "says Porter, "that all the important cities
of Palestine and Syria Samaria, Caesarea, Gerasa, Bozrah, Damascus, Palmyra,
had their 'straight streets' running through the centre of the city, and lined
with stately rows of columns. The most perfect now remaining are those of
Palmyra and Gerasa, where long ranges of the columns still stand.",
Through Samaria, etc.
As a punishment were not to exceed forty De 25:1-3 and
hence arose the custom of limiting them to thirty-nine 2Co 11:24 Paul claimed
the privilege of a Roman citizen in regard to the infliction of stripes Ac
16:37,38 22:25-29 Our Lord was beaten with stripes Mt 27:26
The subscriptions to Paul's epistles are no part of the
original. In their present form they are ascribed to Euthalius, a bishop of the
fifth century. Some of them are obviously incorrect.
The immediate vicinity of a city or town Nu 35:3,7 Eze
45:2 In 2Ki 23:11 the Hebrew word there used (parvarim) occurs nowhere else.
The Revised Version renders it "precincts." The singular form of this
Hebrew word (parvar) is supposed by some to be the same as Parbar (q.v.), which
occurs twice in 1Ch 26:18
Booths.
1. The first encampment of the Israelites after leaving
Ramesses Ex 12:37 the civil name of Pithom (q.v.).
2. A city on the east of Jordan, identified with Tell
Dar'ala, a high mound, a mass of debris, in the plain north of Jabbok and about
one mile from it Jos 13:27 Here Jacob Ge 32:17,30 Ge 33:17 on his return from
Padan-aram after his interview with Esau, built a house for himself and made
booths for his cattle. The princes of this city churlishly refused to afford
help to Gideon and his 300 men when "faint yet pursuing" they
followed one of the bands of the fugitive Midianites after the great victory at
Gilboa. After overtaking and routing this band at Karkor, Gideon on his return
visited the rulers of the city with severe punishment. "He took the elders
of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught
the men of Succoth" Jud 8:13-16 At this place were erected the foundries
for casting the metal-work for the temple 1Ki 7:46
Tents of daughters, supposed to be the name of a
Babylonian deity, the goddess Zir-banit, the wife of Merodach, worshipped by
the colonists in Samaria 2Ki 17:30
Dwellers in tents, (Vulg. and LXX., "troglodites;
"i.e., cave-dwellers in the hills along the Red Sea). Shiskak's army, with
which he marched against Jerusalem, was composed partly of this tribe 2Ch 12:3
(Heb. shemesh), first mentioned along with the moon as
the two great luminaries of heaven Ge 1:14-18 By their motions and influence
they were intended to mark and divide times and seasons. The worship of the sun
was one of the oldest forms of false religion Job 31:26,27 and was common among
the Egyptians and Chaldeans and other pagan nations. The Jews were warned
against this form of idolatry De 4:19 17:3 comp. 2Ki 23:11 Jer 19:13
De 1:1 R.V.; marg., "some ancient versions have the
Red Sea, "as in the A.V. Some identify it with Suphah Nu 21:14 marg., A.V.
as probably the name of a place. Others identify it with es-Sufah
Maaleh-acrabbim Jos 15:3 and others again with Zuph 1Sa 9:5 It is most
probable, however, that, in accordance with the ancient versions, this word is
to be regarded as simply an abbreviation of Yam-suph, i.e., the "Red
Sea."
Nu 21:14 marg.; also R.V., a place at the south-eastern
corner of the Dead Sea, the Ghor es-Safieh. This name is found in an ode quoted
from the "Book of the Wars of the Lord, "probably a collection of
odes commemorating the triumphs of God's people (comp.) Nu 21:14,17,18,27-30
The principal meal of the day among the Jews. It was
partaken of in the early part of the evening Mr 6:21 Joh 12:2 1Co 11:21
See LORD'S SUPPER
One who becomes responsible for another. Christ is the
surety of the better covenant Heb 7:22 In him we have the assurance that all
its provisions will be fully and faithfully carried out. Solomon warns against
incautiously becoming security for another Pr 6:1-5 11:15 17:18 20:16
The inhabitants of Shushan, who joined the other adversaries
of the Jews in the attempt to prevent the rebuilding of the temple Ezr 4:9
Lily, with other pious women, ministered to Jesus Lu 8:3
The father of Gaddi, who was one of the twelve spies Nu
13:11
1. Heb. sis Isa 38:14 Jer 8:7 the Arabic for the swift,
which "is a regular migrant, returning in myriads every spring, and so
suddenly that while one day not a swift can be seen in the country, on the next
they have overspread the whole land, and fill the air with their shrill
cry." The swift (cypselus) is ordinarily classed with the swallow, which
it resembles in its flight, habits, and migration.
2. Heb. deror, i.e., "the bird of freedom" Ps
84:3 Pr 26:2 properly rendered swallow, distinguished for its swiftness of
flight, its love of freedom, and the impossibility of retaining it in
captivity. In Isa 38:14 Jer 8:7 the word thus rendered('augr) properly means
"crane" (as in the R.V.).
Mentioned in the list of unclean birds Le 11:18 De 14:16
is sometimes met with in the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee.
Jer 12:5 literally the "pride" of Jordan (as in
R.V.), i.e., the luxuriant thickets of tamarisks, poplars, reeds, etc., which
were the lair of lions and other beasts of prey. The reference is not to the
overflowing of the river banks. (Comp.) Jer 49:19 50:44 Zec 11:3
(Heb. hazir), regarded as the most unclean and the most
abhorred of all animals Le 11:7 Isa 65:4 66:3,17 Lu 15:15,16 A herd of swine
were drowned in the Sea of Galilee Lu 8:32,33 Spoken of figuratively in Mt 7:6
Pr 11:22 It is frequently mentioned as a wild animal, and is evidently the wild
boar (Arab. khanzir), which was common among the marshes of the Jordan valley
Ps 80:13
1. Of the Hebrew was pointed, sometimes two-edged, was
worn in a sheath, and suspended from the girdle Ex 32:27 1Sa 31:4 1Ch 21:27 Ps
149:6 Pr 5:4 Eze 16:40 21:3-5
2. It is a symbol of divine chastisement De 32:25 Ps 7:12
78:62
3. and of a slanderous tongue Ps 57:4 64:3 Pr 12:18
4. The word of God is likened also to a sword Heb 4:12
Eph 6:17 Re 1:16 Gideon's watchword was, "The sword of the Lord" Jud
7:20
Mentioned only in Lu 17:6 It is rendered by Luther
"mulberry tree" (q.v.), which is most probably the correct rendering.
It is found of two species, the black mulberry (Morus nigra) and the white
mulberry (Mourea), which are common in Palestine. The silk-worm feeds on their
leaves. The rearing of them is one of the chief industries of the peasantry of
Lebanon and of other parts of the land. It is of the order of the fig-tree.
Some contend, however, that this name denotes the sycamore-fig of Lu 19:4
More properly sycomore (Heb. shikmoth and shikmim, Gr.
sycomoros), a tree which in its general character resembles the fig-tree, while
its leaves resemble those of the mulberry; hence it is called the fig-mulberry
(Ficus sycomorus). At Jericho, Zacchaeus climbed a sycomore-tree to see Jesus
as he passed by Lu 19:4 This tree was easily destroyed by frost Ps 78:47 and
therefore it is found mostly in the "vale" 1Ki 10:27 2Ch 1:15 in both
passages the R.V. has properly "lowland"), i.e., the "low
country, "the shephelah, where the climate is mild. Amos Am 7:14 refers to
its fruit, which is of an inferior character; so also probably Jeremiah Jer
24:2 It is to be distinguished from our sycamore (the Acer pseudo-platanus),
which is a species of maple often called a plane-tree.
Liar or drunkard (see) Isa 28:1,7 has been from the time
of the Crusaders usually identified with Sychem or Shechem Joh 4:5 It has now,
however, as the result of recent explorations, been identified with 'Askar, a
small Samaritan town on the southern base of Ebal, about a mile to the north of
Jacob's well.
See SHECHEM
Opening Eze 29:10 30:6 a town of Egypt, on the borders of
Ethiopia, now called Assouan, on the right bank of the Nile, notable for its quarries
of beautiful red granite called "syenite." It was the frontier town
of Egypt in the south, as Migdol was in the north-east.
(Gr. sunagoge, i.e., "an assembly"), found only
once in the Authorized Version of Ps 74:8 where the margin of Revised Version
has "places of assembly, "which is probably correct; for while the
origin of synagogues is unknown, it may well be supposed that buildings or
tents for the accommodation of worshippers may have existed in the land from an
early time, and thus the system of synagogues would be gradually developed.
Some, however, are of opinion that it was specially during the Babylonian
captivity that the system of synagogue worship, if not actually introduced, was
at least reorganized on a systematic plan Eze 8:1 14:1 The exiles gathered
together for the reading of the law and the prophets as they had opportunity,
and after their return synagogues were established all over the land Ezr 8:15 Ne
8:2 In after years, when the Jews were dispersed abroad, wherever they went
they erected synagogues and kept up the stated services of worship Ac 9:20 13:5
17:1 17:17 18:4 The form and internal arrangements of the synagogue would
greatly depend on the wealth of the Jews who erected it, and on the place where
it was built. "Yet there are certain traditional pecularities which have
doubtless united together by a common resemblance the Jewish synagogues of all
ages and countries. The arrangements for the women's place in a separate
gallery or behind a partition of lattice-work; the desk in the centre, where
the reader, like Ezra in ancient days, from his 'pulpit of wood, 'may 'open the
book in the sight of all of people and read in the book of the law of God distinctly,
and give the sense, and cause them to understand the reading' Ne 8:4,8 the
carefully closed ark on the side of the building nearest to Jerusalem, for the
preservation of the rolls or manuscripts of the law; the seats all round the
building, whence 'the eyes of all them that are in the synagogue' may 'be
fastened' on him who speaks Lu 4:20 the 'chief seats' Mt 23:6 which were
appropriated to the 'ruler' or 'rulers' of the synagogue, according as its
organization may have been more or less complete; ",these were features
common to all the synagogues. Where perfected into a system, the services of
the synagogue, which were at the same hours as those of the temple, consisted,
1. of prayer, which formed a kind of liturgy, there were
in all eighteen prayers;
2. the reading of the Scriptures in certain definite
portions; and
3. the exposition of the portions read. Lu 4:15,22 Ac
13:14 The synagogue was also sometimes used as a court of judicature, in which
the rulers presided Mt 10:17 Mr 5:22 Lu 12:11 21:12 Ac 13:15 22:19 also as
public schools. The establishment of synagogues wherever the Jews were found in
sufficient numbers helped greatly to keep alive Israel's hope of the coming of
the Messiah, and to prepare the way for the spread of the gospel in other
lands. The worship of the Christian Church was afterwards modelled after that
of the synagogue. Christ and his disciples frequently taught in the synagogues
Mt 13:54 Mr 6:2 Joh 18:20 Ac 13:5,15,44 14:1 17:2-4,10,17 18:4,26 19:8 To be
"put out of the synagogue, "a phrase used by John Joh 9:22 12:42 16:2
means to be excommunicated.
Fortunate; affable, a female member of the church at
Philippi, whom Paul beseeches to be of one mind with Euodias Php 4:2,3
A city on the south-east coast of Sicily, where Paul
landed and remained three days when on his way to Rome Ac 28:12 It was
distinguished for its magnitude and splendour. It is now a small town of some
13,000 inhabitants.
(Heb. Aram), the name in the Old Testament given to the whole
country which lay to the north-east of Phoenicia, extending to beyond the
Euphrates and the Tigris. Mesopotamia is called Ge 24:10 De 23:4
Aram-naharain(=Syria of the two rivers), also Padan-aram Ge 25:20 Other
portions of Syria were also known by separate names, as Aram-maahah 1Ch 19:6
Aram-beth-rehob 2Sa 10:6 Aram-zobah 2Sa 10:6,8 All these separate little
kingdoms afterwards became subject to Damascus. In the time of the Romans,
Syria included also a part of Palestine and Asia Minor. "From the historic
annals now accessible to us, the history of Syria may be divided into three
periods:
1. The first, the period when the power of the Pharaohs
was dominant over the fertile fields or plains of Syria and the merchant cities
of Tyre and Sidon, and when such mighty conquerors as Thothmes III. and Rameses
II. could claim dominion and levy tribute from the nations from the banks of
the Euphrates to the borders of the Libyan desert.
2. Second, this was followed by a short period of
independence, when the Jewish nation in the south was growing in power, until
it reached its early zenith in the golden days of Solomon; and when Tyre and
Sidon were rich cities, sending their traders far and wide, over land and sea,
as missionaries of civilization, while in the north the confederate tribes of
the Hittites held back the armies of the kings of Assyria.
3. The third, and to us most interesting, period is that
during which the kings of Assyria were dominant over the plains of Syria; when
Tyre, Sidon, Ashdod, and Jerusalem bowed beneath the conquering armies of
Shalmaneser, Sargon, and Sennacherib; and when at last Memphis and Thebes
yielded to the power of the rulers of Nineveh and Babylon, and the kings of
Assyria completed with terrible fulness the bruising of the reed of Egypt so
clearly foretold by the Hebrew prophets.", Boscawen.
2Ki 18:26 Ezr 4:7 Da 2:4 more correctly rendered
"Aramaic, "including both the Syriac and the Chaldee languages. In
the New Testament there are several Syriac words, such as
1. "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" Mr 15:34 Mt
27:46 gives the Heb. form, "Eli, Eli"),
2. "Raca" Mt 5:22
3. "Ephphatha" Mr 7:34
4. "Maran-atha" 1Co 16:22
A Syriac version of the Old Testament, containing all the
canonical books, along with some apocryphal books (called the Peshitto, i.e.,
simple translation, and not a paraphrase), was made early in the second
century, and is therefore the first Christian translation of the Old Testament.
It was made directly from the original, and not from the LXX. Version. The New Testament was also translated from
Greek into Syriac about the same time. It is noticeable that this version does
not contain the Second and Third Epistles of John, 2 Peter, Jude, and the
Apocalypse. These were, however,
translated subsequently and placed in the version.
See VERSION
"a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation" Mr 7:26
i.e., a Gentile born in the Phoenician part of Syria.
See PHENICIA When our Lord retired into the borderland of
Tyre and Sidon Mt 15:21 a Syro-phoenician woman came to him, and earnestly
besought him, in behalf of her daughter, who was grievously afflicted with a
demon. Her faith in him was severely tested by his silence Mt 15:23 refusal Mt
15:24 and seeming reproach that it was not meet to cast the children's bread to
dogs Mt 15:26 But it stood the test, and her petition was graciously granted,
because of the greatness of her faith Mt 15:28