Smith's Bible Dictionary

Shimrith–Shobek

4,561 terms total · page 157 of 183

On this page — tap a term to jump:

Shimrith

(feminine of Shimri, vigilant), a Moabitess, mother of Jehozabad, one of the assassins of King Joash. (2 Chronicles 24:26) In (2 Kings 12:21) she is called Shomer. (B.C. 839.)

A city of Zebulun. (Joshua 11:1; 19:15) Its full appellation was perhaps Shimron-meron. The fourth son of Issachar according to the lists of Genesis, (Genesis 46:13) and Numbers, (Numbers 26:24) and the head of the family of the Shimronites.

Shimronites, The

[Shimron]

Shimronmeron

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

Shimshai, Or Shimshai

(sunny), the scribe or secretary of Kehum, who was a kind of satrap of the conquered province of Judea and of the colony of Samaria, supported by the Persian court. (Ezra 4:8,13,17,23) He was apparently an Aramaean, for the letter which he wrote to Artaxerxes was in Syriac. (Ezra 4:7) (B.C. 529.)

Shinab

(splendor of the father, i.e. God), the king of Admah in the time of Abraham. (Genesis 14:2) (B.C. 1912.)

Shinar

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

Ship

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

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

Shiphi

(abundant), a Simeonite, father of Ziza, a prince of the tribe in the time of Hezekiah. (1 Chronicles 4:37) (B.C. 726.)

Shiphmite The

probably, though not certainly, the native of Shepham. (1 Chronicles 27:27)

Shiphrah

(brightness), (Exodus 1:15) the name of one of the two midwives of the Hebrews who disobeyed the command of Pharaoh to kill the mule children. vs. (Exodus 1:15-21) (B.C. 1570.)

Shiphtan

(judicial), father of Kemuel, a prince of the tribe of Ephraim. (Numbers 34:24) (B.C. before 1450.)

Shiramoth

(name of heights, i.e. Jehovah).

A Levite of the second degree in the choir formed by David. (1 Chronicles 15:18,20; 16:5) (B.C. 104.) A Levite in the reign of Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 17:8) (B.C. 909.)

Shisha

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

Shishak

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

Shittah Tree, Shittim

(Heb. shittah, the thorny), is without doubt correctly referred to some species of Acacia, of which three or four kinds occur in the Bible lands. The woof of this tree—perhaps the Acacia seyal is more definitely signified—was extensively employed in the construction of the tabernacle. See Exod 25,26,36,37,38. (This tree is sometimes three or four feet in diameter (Tristram). The wood is close-grained and hard, of a fine orange-brown color, and admirably adapted to cabinet work.—ED.) The A. seyal is very common in some parts of the peninsula of Sinai. It yields the well-known substance called gum arabic, which is obtained by incisions in the bark, but it is impossible to say whether the ancient Jews were acquainted with its use. From the tangled thicket into which the stem of this tree expands, Stanley well remarks that hence is to be traced the use of the plural form of the Heb. noun shittim, the singular number occurring once only in the Bible. This acacia must not be confounded with the tree (Robinia pseudo-acacia) popularly known by this name in England, which is a North American plant, and belongs to a different genus and suborder. The true acacias belong to the order Leguminosae, sub-order Mimoseae .

Shittim

(the acacias), the place of Israel’s encampment between the conquest of the transjordanic highlands and the passage of the Jordan. (Numbers 25:1; 33:49; Joshua 2:1; 3:1; Micah 6:5) Its full name appears to be given in the first of these passage—Abel has-Shittim, “the meadow, or moist place, of the acacias.” it was “in the Arboth-moab, by Jordan-Jericho,” (Numb 22:1; 26:3; 31:12; 33:48,49 That is to say, it was in the Arabah or Jordan valley, opposite Jericho.

Shiza

(splendor), a Reubenite, father of Adina, (1 Chronicles 11:42) one of David’s warriors. (B.C. 1043.)

Shoa

(rich), a proper name which occurs only in (Ezekiel 23:23) in connection with Pekod and Koa. The three apparently designate districts of Assyria with which the southern kingdom of Judah has been intimately connected, and which were to be arrayed against it for punishment.

Shobab

(rebellious).

Son of David by Bath-sheba. (2 Samuel 5:14; 1 Chronicles 3:5; 14:4) (B.C. about 1046.) Apparently the son of Caleb the son of Hezron by his wife Azubah. (1 Chronicles 2:18) (B.C. after 1706.)

Shobach

(expansion), the general of Hadarezer king of the Syrians of Zoba, who was defeated by David. (2 Samuel 10:15-18) In (1 Chronicles 19:16) he is called Shophach. (B.C. 1034.)

Shobai

(glorious). The children of Shobai were a family of the door-keepers of the temple, who returned with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:42; Nehemiah 7:45) (B.C. before 536.)

Shobal

(flowing).

Second son of Seir the Horite, (Genesis 36:20; 1 Chronicles 1:38) and one of the “dukes” of the Horites (Genesis 36:29) Son of Caleb the son of Hur and founder or prince of Kirjath-jearim. (1 Chronicles 2:50,52) (B.C. about 1445.) In (1 Chronicles 4:1,2) Shobal appears with Hur among the sons of Judah. He is possibly the same as the preceding.

Shobek

(free), one of the heads of the people who sealed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:24) (B.C. 446.)