SBAMEW

A series of excellent reproductions of typical seals found in Palestine is given byBenzinger in his Heb.Arch.'ll907],82, 179 f., 225-230, while a collection of twenty seal inscnptions, dating from9th-6th cent. B.c.with ample references, will be found in Lidzbarski's Altsemit. Texte, part i., 10 f .

The engraving of seals was done by means of a graver with a diamond point (Jer 17'). Ben-Sira (c. B.C. 180-175) makes honourable mention of them 'that cut gravings of signets' (Sir 38" RV).

As regards the varied uses of the seal in antiquity, one of the most important was to authenticate written documents CI K 21', Jer 32'»'-), after the manner of a modern signature (of. Neh 10')- A roll or other docu-ment intended for preservation was sealed up before it was parted with (Dn 12*); the seals, accordingly, had to be broken before it could be read (Rev 6^ etc.). In the ordinary business of life sealing was continually employed as a precaution against a deposit of any sort being tampered with by unauthorized persons. Wine jars, for example, invariably had their stoppers covered with soft clay, on which the owner impressed his seal. Such impressions are referred to in Job 38".

Newberry in his Scarabs illustrates the Egyptian (and doubtless Hebrew) practice of sealing doors by means of a piece of string attaching the door to the jamb, and sealed with a clay seal. Darius' ' den of lions ' (Dn 6") and the sepulchre of our Lord (Mt 2T') were both in all probability sealed in this way by means of a cord which passed over the stone covering the entrance, and was sealed at either end by a lump of clay im-pressed with one or more seals (cf. Dn. I.e.).

From the universal use of the seal in ratifying and authenticating documents, and safeguarding deposits, the writers both of the OT and of the NT have derived a rich variety of figures. Thus, in Dn 9", sealing is a figure for the ratification of prophecy; in Jn 6^' the figure is based on the public acknowledgment of the seal as one nowadays acknowledges one's signature. St. Paul's converts, again, are the 'seal' of his Apostle-ship ( 1 Co 9«) , in other words, they authenticate his stat us and mission as a true Apostle. As a document or vessel, finally, is sealed up until the time for opening it arrives, so the Christian believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit 'unto the day of redemption' (Eph i^; cf. 1", 2 Co 122). A. R. S. Kennedy.

SEAMEW.— See Cuckow.

SEA-MONSXEB. — See Dkagon, Leviathan, Rahab, Sea.

SEBA.— The eldest son of Cush in Gn 10' (1 Ch 1»), named along with Sheba in Ps 72i», and with Egypt and Cush in Is 43' 45". In the latter passage its people are referred to as of high stature. A comparison with Is 18' points to a supposed connexion with the tall Cushites or Nubians, though there is no evidence which directly associates either the people or the country with Nubia proper, in the region of the Nile. More specific seem to be the references by Strabo and Ptolemy to a seaport Saba and Sabat, near the modern Massowa on the west of the Red Sea. This location, nearly opposite the ancient Sheba, gives some colour to the hypothesis that Seba is an African differentiation of Sheba (wh. see), the latter being naturally the parent community.

J. F. McCtJBDY.

SEBAM. — A place in the east-Jordan territory of Reuben (Nu 32'). In all the other passages (Nu 32»«, Jos 13", Is 16»- «, Jer 48»2) the name appears in the fem. form Sibmah. The 'vine of Sibmah' is mentioned by Isaiah and Jeremiah as one of the possessions of Moab on which destruction was to fall. The place has been located near Heshbon. H. L. Willett.

SEGACAH. — A town mentioned (Jos 15"') among the possessions of Judah 'in the wilderness' {.midbOr). It was probably in the rocky district above the W. shore of the Dead Sea. H. L. Willett.

SEIR

8ECHENIAS.— 1. 1 Es S^s^Shecajiiah, Ezr 8> 2. 1 Es 8'2=Shecaniah, Ezr 8».

SECOND COMING.— See Paeousia.

SECT. — See Heresy.

SECU. — A place name which appears only in the late narrative of 1 S 192^ in connexion with Ramah, Samuel's home, and especially with the ' great cistern ' or 'well of the threshing-floor.' Perhaps the name represents a word in the original best rendered 'the height,' referring to the highest part of the town of Ramah. H. L. Willett.

SECUNDTJS. — A man of Thessalonica who accom-panied St. Paul on his journey to Jerusalem (Ac 20'), perhaps as a delegate to carry alms from his city. The Greek of the verse is obscure, but the meaning probably is that Aristarchus and Secundus and those mentioned afterwards went direct to Troas from Corinth and waited there for the Apostle, who came with Sopater by way of Macedonia. See Sopater. A. J. Maclean.

SECTJBE. — To be secure, in the language of AV, does not mean to be free from danger; it means not to anticipate danger. Thus, Jg 8" ' Gideon smote the host, for the host was secure.' The vb. 'to secure' occurs in Mt 28" 'And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you,' where the Greek means literally make you free from care, i.e. make it all right for you.

SEDEKIAS. — 1. An ancestor of Baruch (Bar !')• 2. 1 Es 1«, Bar 1» =Zedekiah (wh. see), king of Judah.

SEDUCTION. — See Crimes and Punishments, § 3.

SEED, SEEDTIME (Heb. zera' ; Gr. sperma, spores-spm-a). — 1. Literal.— (a) Vegetable (Gn 1" S^^etc). See Agriculture, § 1. (6) Animal (Lv 15"-'* etc.). 2. Meta-phorical. — (a) Offspring, race, family (Gn 3" 9' 12' etc.; Mk 12'sff-, Lk 15», Jn 7« etc.). In NT it is especially frequent in the phrase 'the seed of Abraham' — a favourite Pauline equivalent for 'Israel' (cf. Ro 11', 2 Co 1122). In Gal 3'8 St. Paul argues from the use of the sing, 'seed' instead of the plur. 'seeds' in Gn 13" 17', that the Messiah in person is denoted and not Abraham's progeny in general. As a proof the argu-ment has no force, for the same word zera' occurs in the sing, form in every passage in the OT where it expresses the idea of offspring. It is a verbal subtlety due to the Apostle's Rabbinical training. But the argument as a whole is independent of this gram-matical refinement. St. Paul's meaning is that the Messiah was clearly in view in the promises made to Abraham. Israel was the type of Christ, and in Him the seed of Abraham was summed up. From this follows that further extension of the fig. 'seed of Abraham' to denote those united to Christ by faith (Gal 3'' 29)^ the spiritual Israel or 'Israel of God' (Ro 228, Gal 618). (ft) Yital energy. In 1 Jn 3' 'seed' denotes the indwelling principle of the Divine life by which the Christian is kept from sin.

J. C. Lambert.

SEER.— See pp. ilS", 757''.

SEETHE. — This verb, which means to boil, occurs occasionally in AV, especially in the command (Ex 23" etc.), 'Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.' The past tense was sod, as Gn 252' 'Jacob sod pottage'; and the past part, sodden, as La 4'" 'The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children.'

SEGUB. — 1. The youngest son of Hiel who re-built Jericho (1 K 16"). He died, or was possibly sacrificed by his father, when the gates were set up. See House, p. 369*. 2. Son of Hezron (1 Ch 2 2'f.).

SEIB. — 1. The name of a mountainous district east of the 'Arabah, peopled by the Edomites. It was originally occupied by Horites or 'cave-dwellers' (Gn 14«). Mt. Seir is practically synonymous with

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