Smith's Bible Dictionary.pdf - Online Christian Library

Smith's Bible Dictionary
Lachish and Libnah he sent an insulting letter to Hezekiah at Jerusalem. In answer to Hezekiah’s
prayer an event occurred which relieved both Egypt and Judea from their danger. In one night the
Assyrians lost, either by a pestilence or by some more awful manifestation of divine power, 185,000
men! The camp immediately broke up; the king fled. Sennacherib reached his capital in safety, and
was not deterred by the terrible disaster which had befallen his arms from engaging in other wars,
though he seems thenceforward to have carefully avoided Palestine. Sennacherib reigned 22 years
and was succeeded by Esar-haddon, B.C. 680. Sennacherib was one of the most magnificent of the
Assyrian kings. Seems to have been the first who fixed the seat of government permanently at
Nineveh, which he carefully repaired and adorned with splendid buildings. His greatest work is the
grand palace Kouyunjik. Of the death of Sennacherib nothing is known beyond the brief statement
of Scripture that “as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer
his sons smote him with the sword and escaped into the land of Armenia.” (2 Kings 19:37; Isaiah
37:38)
Senuah
(bristling, properly Hassenuah, with the definite article), a Benjamite. (Nehemiah 11:9)
Seorim
(barley), the chief of the fourth of the twenty-four courses of priests. (1 Chronicles 24:8)
Sephar
(a numbering). It is written after the enumeration of the sons of Joktan, “And their dwelling
was from Mesha as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.” (Genesis 10:30) The Joktanites
occupied the southwestern portion of the peninsula of Arabia. The undoubted identifications of
Arabian places and tribes with their Joktanite originals are included within these limits, and point
to Sephar, on the shore of the Indian Ocean, as the eastern boundary. The ancient seaport town
called Zafar represents the biblical site or district.
Sepharad
(separated), a name which occurs in (Obadiah 1:20) only. Its situation has always been a matter
of uncertainty.
Sepharvaim
(the two Sipparas) is mentioned by Sennacherib in his letter to Hezekiah as a city whose king
had been unable to resist the Assyrians. (2 Kings 19:13; Isaiah 37:13) comp. 2Kin 18:34 It is
identified with the famous town of Sippara., on the Euphrates above Babylon, which was near the
site of the modern Mosaib. The dual form indicates that there were two Sipparas, one on either side
of the river. Berosus celled Sippara “a city of the sun;” and in the inscriptions it bears the same
title, being called Tsipar sha Shamas, or “Sippara of the Sun”—the sun being the chief object of
worship there. Comp. (2 Kings 17:31)
Sephela
the Greek form of the ancient word has-Shefelah, the native name for the southern division of
the low-lying flat district which intervenes between the central highlands of the holy land and the
Mediterranean, the other and northern portion of which was known as Sharon. The name occurs
throughout the topographical records of Joshua. The historical works, and the topographical passages
in the prophets always with the article prefixed, and always denoting the same region. In each of
these passages, however, the word is treated in the Authorized Version not as a proper name,
analogous to the Campagna, the Wolds, the Carse, but as a mere appellative, and rendered “the
vale,” “the valley,” “the plain,” “the low plains,” and “the low country.” The Shefelah was and is
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William Smith