Shephatiah - judged of the Lord. (1.) A son of David by Abital (2 Sam. 3:4).

(2.) A Benjamite who joined David at Ziklag (1 Chr. 12:5).

(3.) A Simeonite prince in David's time (1 Chr. 27:16).

(4.) One of Jehoshaphat's sons (2 Chr. 21:2).

(5.) Ezra 2:4.

(6.) Ezra 2:57; Neh. 7:59.

(7.) One of the princes who urged the putting of Jeremiah to death ( Jer. 38:1-4).

Shepherd - a word naturally of frequent occurence in Scripture. Sometimes the word "pastor" is used instead ( Jer. 2:8;Jer 3:15;Jer 10:21;Jer 12:10;Jer 17:16). This word is used figuratively to represent the relation of rulers to their subjects and of God to his people ( Ps. 23:1;Ps 80:1; Isa. 40:11; Isa 44:28; Jer. 25:34, Jer. 25:35; Nahum 3:18; John 10:11, John 10:14; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25;1 Pet 5:4).

The duties of a shepherd in an unenclosed country like Palestine were very onerous. "In early morning he led forth the flock from the fold, marching at its head to the spot where they were to be pastured. Here he watched them all day, taking care that none of the sheep strayed, and if any for a time eluded his watch and wandered away from the rest, seeking diligently till he found and brought it back. In those lands sheep require to be supplied regularly with water, and the shepherd for this purpose has to guide them either to some running stream or to wells dug in the wilderness and furnished with troughs. At night he brought the flock home to the fold, counting them as they passed under the rod at the door to assure himself that none were missing. Nor did his labours always end with sunset. Often he had to guard the fold through the dark hours from the attack of wild beasts, or the wily attempts of the prowling thief (see 1 Sam. 17:34).", Deane's David.

Sherebiah - flame of the Lord, a priest whose name is prominent in connection with the work carried on by Ezra and Nehemiah at Jerusalem ( Ezra 8:17,Ezra 8:18,Ezra 8:24-30; Neh. 8:7; Neh 9:4, Neh. 8:5; Neh 10:12).

Sheresh - root, a descendant of Manasseh (1 Chr. 7:16).

Sherezer - one of the messengers whom the children of the Captivity sent to Jerusalem "to pray for them before the Lord" ( Zech. 7:2).

Sheriffs - ( Dan. 3:2), Babylonian officers.

Sheshach - ( Jer. 25:26), supposed to be equivalent to Babel (Babylon), according to a secret (cabalistic) mode of writing among the Jews of unknown antiquity, which consisted in substituting the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet for the first, the last but one for the second, and so on. Thus the letters sh, sh, ch become b, b, l, i.e., Babel. This is supposed to be confirmed by a reference to Jer. 51:41, where Sheshach and Babylon are in parallel clauses. There seems to be no reason to doubt that Babylon is here intended by this name. (See Streane's Jeremiah, l.c.)

Sheshai - whitish, one of the sons of Anak ( Num. 13:22). When the Israelites obtained possession of the country the sons of Anak were expelled and slain ( Josh. 15:14; Judg. 1:10).

Sheshbazzar - O sun-god, defend the lord! ( Ezra 1:8,Ezra 1:11), probably another name for Zerubbabel (q.v.), Ezra 2:2; Hag. 1:12, Hag. 1:14; Zech. 4:6, Zech. 4:10.

Sheth - tumult. (1.) "The children of Sheth" ( Num. 24:17); R.V., "the sons of tumult," which is probably the correct rendering, as there is no evidence that this is a proper name here.

(2.) The antediluvian patriarch (1 Chr. 1:1).

Shethar - a star, a prince at the court of Ahasuerus ( Esther 1:14).

Shethar-boznai - star of splendour, a Persian officer who vainly attempted to hinder the rebuilding of the temple ( Ezra 5:3,Ezra 5:6;Ezra 6:6,Ezra 5:13).

Sheva - Heb. Shebher. (1.) The son of Caleb (1 Chr. 2:49).

(2.) Heb. Sheva', one of David's scribes (2 Sam. 20:25).

Shewbread - Ex. 25:30 (R.V. marg., "presence bread"); 1 Chr. 9:32 (marg., "bread of ordering"); Num. 4:7: called "hallowed bread" (R.V., "holy bread") in 1 Sam. 21:1-6.

This bread consisted of twelve loaves made of the finest flour. They were flat and thin, and were placed in two rows of six each on a table in the holy place before the Lord. They were renewed every Sabbath ( Lev. 24:5-9), and those that were removed to give place to the new ones were to be eaten by the priests only in the holy place (see 1 Sam. 21:3-6; comp. Matt. 12:3, Matt. 12:4).

The number of the loaves represented the twelve tribes of Israel, and also the entire spiritual Israel, "the true Israel;" and the placing of them on the table symbolized the entire consecration of Israel to the Lord, and their acceptance of God as their God. The table for the bread was made of acacia wood, 3 feet long, 18 inches broad, and 2 feet 3 inches high. It was plated with pure gold. Two staves, plated with gold, passed through golden rings, were used for carrying it.

Shibboleth - river, or an ear of corn. The tribes living on the east of Jordan, separated from their brethren on the west by the deep ravines and the rapid river, gradually came to adopt peculiar customs, and from mixing largely with the Moabites, Ishmaelites, and Ammonites to pronounce certain letters in such a manner as to distinguish them from the other tribes. Thus when the Ephraimites from the west invaded Gilead, and were defeated by the Gileadites under the leadership of Jephthah, and tried to escape by the "passages of the Jordan," the Gileadites seized the fords and would allow none to pass who could not pronounce "shibboleth" with a strong aspirate. This the fugitives were unable to do. They said "sibboleth," as the word was pronounced by the tribes on the west, and thus they were detected ( Judg. 12:1-6). Forty-two thousand were thus detected, and

"Without reprieve, adjudged to death, For want of well-pronouncing shibboleth."

Shibmah - fragrance, a town of Reuben, east of Jordan ( Num. 32:38).

Shield - used in defensive warfare, varying at different times and under different circumstances in size, form, and material (1 Sam. 17:7; 2 Sam. 1:21; 1 Kings 10:17; 1 Chr. 12:8,1 Chr. 12:24,1 Chr. 12:34; Isa. 22:6; Ezek. 39:9; Nahum 2:3).

Used figuratively of God and of earthly princes as the defenders of their people ( Gen. 15:1; Deut. 33:29; Ps. 33:20; Ps 84:11). Faith is compared to a shield ( Eph. 6:16).

Shields were usually "anointed" ( Isa. 21:5), in order to preserve them, and at the same time make the missiles of the enemy glide off them more easily.

Shiggaion - from the verb shagah, "to reel about through drink," occurs in the title of Ps. 7. The plural form, shigionoth, is found in Hab. 3:1. The word denotes a lyrical poem composed under strong mental emotion; a song of impassioned imagination accompanied with suitable music; a dithyrambic ode.

Shihon - overturning, a town of Issachar ( Josh. 19:19).

Shihor - dark, (1 Chr. 13:5), the southwestern boundary of Canaan, the Wady el-'Arish. (See SIHOR ; NILE.)

Shihor-Libnath - black-white, a stream on the borders of Asher, probably the modern Nahr Zerka, i.e., the "crocodile brook," or "blue river", which risesin the Carmel range and enters the Mediterranean a little to the north of Caesarea ( Josh. 19:26). Crocodiles are still found in the Zerka. Thomson suspects "that long ages ago some Egyptians, accustomed to worship this ugly creature, settled here (viz., at Caesarea), and brought their gods with them. Once here they would not easily be exterminated" (The Land and the Book).

Shilhim - aqueducts, a town in the south of Judah ( Josh. 15:32); called also Sharuhen and Shaaraim ( Josh 19:6).

Shiloah, The waters of - =Siloah, ( Neh. 3:15) and Siloam (q.v.)

Shiloh - generally understood as denoting the Messiah, "the peaceful one," as the word signifies ( Gen. 49:10). The Vulgate Version translates the word, "he who is to be sent," in allusion to the Messiah; the Revised Version, margin, "till he come to Shiloh;" and the LXX., "until that which is his shall come to Shiloh." It is most simple and natural to render the expression, as in the Authorized Version, "till Shiloh come," interpreting it as a proper name (comp. Isa. 9:6).

Shiloh, a place of rest, a city of Ephraim, "on the north side of Bethel," from which it is distant 10 miles ( Judg. 21:19); the modern Seilun (the Arabic for Shiloh), a "mass of shapeless ruins." Here the tabernacle was set up after the Conquest ( Josh. 18:1-10), where it remained during all the period of the judges till the ark fell into the hands of the Philistines. "No spot in Central Palestine could be more secluded than this early sanctuary, nothing more featureless than the landscape around; so featureless, indeed, the landscape and so secluded the spot that from the time of St. Jerome till its re-discovery by Dr. Robinson in 1838 the very site was forgotten and unknown." It is referred to by Jeremiah ( Josh 7:12,Josh 7:14;Josh 26:4-9) five hundred years after its destruction.