SEMACHIAH

Our self-surrender is the condition of tlie Divine co-operation; His worliing in us 'botli to will and to do' enables us to respond to the exhortation: "work out your own salvation' (Ph 2'2'). 'Every real sacrifice is at the same time self-preservation, namely, pres-ervation of the ideal self (Paulsen, System of Ethics, p. 248). 'To yield oneself up as the organ of a higher spirit which disposes of us as may be fit constitutes the mystic ideal of perfect life ' {Martineau, Types of Ethical Theory, ii. 273). The open secret of that lite is revealed in St. Paul's profound words: 'I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me' (Gal 2^). J. G. Tasker.

SEMACHIAH. — A Korahite family of gatekeepers (1 Ch 26'). Perhaps the same name should be sub-stituted for Ismachiah in 2 Ch 31'=.

SEMEI (1 Es 9=3) =Shimei, Ezr 10™.

SEMEIAS (Ad. Est IV) =Shimei, Est 2'.

SEMEIN.— The father of Mattathias (Lk S").

SEHEIS (1 Es 9««) =Shimei, Ezr lO^'.

SENA AH. — The children of Senaah, or more correctly Haasenaah, were a clan or family who, according to Ezr 2», Neh 7>', 1 Es 62= [Sanaas], were among the exiles of the first Restoration under Zerub., and had a share in re-building the walls (Neh 3^). They are else-where unknown, unless they should be Identified with Hassenuah, a clan of Benjamm (1 Ch 9', Neh 11»). The latter would then be the correct reading. Other con-jectures are less probable. J. F. McCtjhdy.

SENATE is the tr. of Gr. gerousia in Ac S^', where ■ all the senate of the children of Israel ' is intended to explain the preceding 'council' (synedrion). See Sanhedhin. It is the Jewish 'senate' that is meant likewise in 2 Mac l'" 4". The Roman senate is alluded to in 1 Mac S'™-

SENEH. — One of the steep cliffs forming the walls of the gorge of Michmash, where Jonathan's exploit occurred (1 S 14"). The name may signify 'tooth,' though this is uncertain. The precise cliffs, called respectively Seneh and Bozez, are not identified.

H. L. WlLLETT.

SENIB. — The name of Hermon among the Amorites, according to Dt 3», but in Ca 4* and 1 Ch 5^ distinguished from Hermon. It was famous for its large fir-trees (Ezk 27»). This Amoritic name was, naturally enough, the one in vogue among the Babylonians and Assyrians. In Deut. it appears, like Hermon and Sirion, to designate the whole of Anti-Lebanon. When taken more strictly, it stood, we may assume, for the northern portion. The Arab geographers gave the name to that part of the range lying between Baalbek and Homs.

J. F. McCUBDT.

SENNACHERIB (Assyr. Sin-akhS-erba, i.e. 'Sin [the Moon-god] has increased the brothers'), son of Sargon, succeeded him on the throne of Assyria, on the 12th of Ah, B.C. 705. He was at once faced by troubles in Babylon, where Merodach-baladan had re-established himself. Sennacherib expelled him and placed Bei-ibni of the Babylonian seed royal on the throne as a vassal king. After wars against the Kassites and Elamites in b.c. 701, Sennacherib set out to reduce the West to order. The king of Tyre fied to Cyprus, Sidon and the rest of Phoenicia were taken or submitted, and placed under a king Ethbaal. Ashdod, Ammon, Moab, Edom sent tribute. Ashkelon and Ekron were cap-tured, and Hezekiah had to restore Padi to the throne of Ekron after keeping him some time in prison. The Egyptians and their allies who had moved to support Hezekiah were defeated at Eltekeh. Then Sennacherib devastated Judiea, capturing 46 cities and 200,160 prisoners. Hezekiah seems to have attempted to bribe him to retreat, sending immense tribute to Sennach-erib while he was besieging Lachish. Lachish fell, and the Tartan, the Rab-shakeh and Rab-saris were sent

836

SERAIAH

to demand the surrender of Jerusalem (2 K ig™). The miraculous dispersion of his army compelled Sennach-erib to retreat without accomplishing the capture of Jerusalem. There is some reason to think that the Biblical accounts refer partly to a second campaign of Sennacherib after b.c. 690. His annals, however, do not extend so far. Troubles in Babylonia led him to recall BSl-ibni and set his own son Ashur-nadin-shum on the throne. He then had once more to expel Merodach-baladan from Lower Babylonia. Building a fleet on the Tigris and Euphrates, he pursued the Chaldsean to the mouth of the Eulseus, and there captured and destroyed the Chaldasan stronghold, thus invading Lower Elam. He was too far from his base, and the Elamites tell on his rear and captured Babylon, carried off Ashur-nadin-shum to Elam, making a Chaldaean Nergal-ushEzib king in his stead; b.c. 694. The Assyrians soon re-asserted their supremacy, but a fresh rebellion placed a Babylonian on the throne of Babylon. In B.C. 691 Sennacherib brought both Elamites and Babylonians to bay at Ehalule. Two years later he invaded Elam. In b.c. 689 Babylon was captured and razed to the ground. From that time till b.c. 681, when Sennacherib was murdered (2 K 19"), we have no history of his reign. His great achievement was the creation of Nineveh as a metropolis of the Empire. He built the great palace of Kouyimjik and the great wall of Nineveh. Cf. Adeammelech. C. H. W. Johns.

SEOBQI. — The name of the fourth priestly course (1 Ch 248).

SEPARATION, WATER OF.— See Red Heifer.

SEPHAB. — Mentioned as a boundary of the de-scendants of Joktan in Gn lO'". The most probable identification is that with Zafar, the ancient capital of the Himyarites, which is probably the seaport of Hadramaut of the same name (see Hazarmaveth).

J. F. McCURDT.

SEPHAEAD, — A country in which was a community of exiles from Judah in the days of the prophet Obadiah (Ob^n). It is probably to be understood as Sparda (.Cparda) , a Persian province of Asia Minor, not definitely treated in its earliest use, but in the time of the Seleucida employed for Asia Minor as a whole. Cf. Obadiah, p. 664i>. J. F. McCuRDY.

SEPHARVADB.— 1. A city mentioned hi 2 K 18" (Is 36'") and 19" (Is 37") as among those captured by the Assyrians, all apparently in Syria. Probably it answers to the Shabara'in named in the Babylonian Chronicle as faken just before the fall of Samaria. Sibraim of Ezk 47" may then be the same city. 2. A word of exactly the same form as the above occurs in 2 K l7"-!» as the name of a place whose inhabitants were deported to Samaria. The context favours the supposition that the famous city Sippar in North Baby-lonia is intended. Probably the similarity between the words led some early copyist to write Sepharvaim by mistake. J. F. McCnRoy.

SEPTXJAGINT.— See Greek Versions of OT, § 1.

SEPULCHRE.— See Tomb.

SERAH, — A daughter of Asher (Gn 46", Nu 26« (">). 1 Ch 7").

SERAIAH.— 1. (2 S 8") See Shavsha. 2. High priest in the reign of Zedekiah. He was put to death, with other distinguished captives, by order of Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah, 2 K 25i8- a, Jer 62"- ". He is mentioned in the list of high priests, 1 Ch 6". Ezra claimed descent from him, Ezr T- (1 Es 8' Azarias, 2 Es 1' Saraiaa). His name occurs also in 1 Es 5* Saraias. 3. One of 'the captains of the forces' who joined Gedaliah at Mizpah (2 K 25'', Jer 40'). 4. Second son of Kenaz father of Joab, and brother of Othniel (1 Ch 4"- ") 6. Grandfather of Jehu, a prince of Simeon (1 Ch 4'') 6. One of the twelve leaders who returned with Zerub babel, Ezr 22=Neh 7» Azariah, l Es 5» Zaraias