Smith's Bible Dictionary

406

SOLOMONS PORCH

[PALACE; TEMPLE].

407

SOLOMONS SERVANTS

(CHILDREN OF). (Ezra 2:55,58; Nehemiah 7:57,60) The persons thus named appear in the lists of the exiles who returned from the captivity. They were the descendants of the Canaan...

408

SOLOMONS SONG

[CANTICLES]

409

SON

The term "son" is used in Scripture language to imply almost any kind of descent or succession, as ben shanah, "son of a year," i.e. a year old; ben kesheth, "son of a bow," i.e...

410

SOOTHSAYER

[DIVINATION]

411

SOP

In eastern lands where our table utensils are unknown, the meat, with the broth, is brought upon the table in a large dish, and is eaten usually by means of pieces of bread clip...

412

SOPATER

(saviour of his father), son or Pyrrhus or Berea, was one of the companions of St. Paul on his return from Greece into Asia. (Acts 20:4) (A.D. 55.)

413

SOPHERETH

(writing). "The children of Sophereth" were a family who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel among the descendants of Solomon’s servants. (Ezra 2:55; Nehemiah 7:57) (B.C. befo...

414

SORCERER

[DIVINATION]

415

SOREK

(red), The valley of, a wady in which lay the residence of Delilah. (Judges 16:4) It was possibly nearer Gaza than any other of the chief Philistine cities, since thither Samson...

416

SOSIPATER

(saviour of his father), kinsman or fellow tribesman of St. Paul, (Romans 16:21) is probably the same person as Sopater of Berea. (A.D. 54.)

417

SOSTHENES

(saviour of his nation) was a Jew at Corinth who was seized and beaten in the presence of Gallio. See (Acts 18:12-17) (A.D. 49.)

418

SOTAI

(changeful). The children of Sotai were a family of the descendants of Solomon’s servants who returned with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:55; Nehemiah 7:57) (B.C. before 536.)

419

SOUTH RAMOTH

[RAMATH OF THE SOUTH OF THE SOUTH]

420

SOW

[SWINE]

421

SOWER, SOWING

The operation of a sowing with the hand is one of so simple a character as to need little description. The Egyptian paintings furnish many illustrations of the mode in which it ...

422

SPAIN

1 Macc. 8:3; (Romans 15:24,28) The local designation, Tarshish, representing the Tartessus of the Greeks, probably prevailed until the fame of the Roman wars in that country rea...

423

SPARROW

(Heb. tzippor, from a root signifying to "chirp" or "twitter," which appears to be a phonetic representation of the call-note of any passerine (sparrow-like) bird). This Hebrew ...

424

SPARTA

a celebrated city of Greece, between whose inhabitants and the Jews a relationship was believed to subsist. Between the two nations a correspondence ensued.--Whitney. The act of...

425

SPEAR

[ARMS, ARMOR]

426

SPEARMEN

(Acts 23:23) These were probably troops so lightly armed as to be able to keep pace on the march with mounted soldiers.

427

SPICE, SPICES

Heb. basam, besem or bosem. In (Solomon 5:1) "I have gathered my myrrh with my spice," the word points apparently to some definite substance. In the other places, with the excep...

428

SPIDER

The Hebrew word ’accabish in (Job 8:24; Isaiah 59:5) is correctly rendered "spider." Put semamith is wrongly translated "spider" in (Proverbs 30:28) it refers probably to some k...

429

SPIKENARD

(Heb. nerd) is mentioned twice in the Old Testament viz. in (Solomon 1:12; 4:13,14) The ointment with which our Lord was anointed as he sat at meat in Simon’s house at Bethany c...

430

SPINNING

The notices of spinning in the Bible are confined to (Exodus 35:25,26; Proverbs 31:19; Matthew 6:28) The latter passage implies (according to the Authorized Version) the use of ...

431

SPONGE

a soft, porous marine substance. Sponges were for a long time supposed to be plants, but are now considered by the best naturalists to belong to the animal kingdom. Sponge is me...

432

SPOUSE

[MARRIAGE]