SHEBA
hills,
and
the
water
was
run
off
for
irrigation
purposes
by
dykes
which
were
cut
at
different
levels.
The
construction
of
this
work
lies
back
in
remote
antiquity,
B.C.
1700
being
the
date
given
by
one
authority,
and
B.C.
700
by
another.
About
a.d.
100
it
seems
to
have
burst,
and
the
streams
which
it
once
served
to
retain
are
now
wasted
in
the
sands.
The
Koran
(.Sura
34)
adduces
this
event
as
an
instance
of
the
punishment
of
disobedient
ingratitude.
In
addition
to
the
in-scriptions,
coins
have
been
found
and
the
names
of
the
kings
whose
monograms
they
bear
have
been
deter-mined.
From
these
two
sources
forty-five
royal
names
have
become
known,
six
kings
having
been
called
It'amara
(see
Sargon's
list
of
tributaries).
From
some
of
the
records
it
appears
that
two
kings
reigned
con-temporaneously
(cf
.
Ps
72"),
and
this
has
been
explained
by
the
fact
that
the
prince
next
m
age
to
the
king
was
designated
as
his
successor,
sometimes
to
the
temporary
exclusion
of
the
king's
son.
Experts
have
differed
with
respect
to
the
number
of
periods
into
which
the
history
of
the
Sabsean
kingdom
tails.
All
recognize
three
such
divisions;
(1)
That
of
the
mdkarib
or
priest-ldngs;
(2)
that
of
the
lungs
of
Sheba;
(3^
that
of
the
kings
of
Sheba
and
Dh<l-Raid9,n.
Glaser
{Skizze
der
Gesch.
Arabiens)
prefixes
to
the
firat
of
these
a
Minffian
empire,
and
adds
a
fifth
period,
during
which
the
dated
inscriptions
supply
a
more
exact
chronology.
These
five
ages
cover
the
time
from
about
B.C.
2000
to
the
conquest
by
Abyssinia
in
the
6th
cent.
a.d.
Many
of
the
statements
which
have
been
copied
from
the
rocks
and
slabs
relate
to
war
and
agriculture.
They
bring
before
us
a
set
of
traders
disposing
of
the
products
of
their
own
country,
and
also
carrying
goods
from
India
and
Africa
to
the
great
emporium
Tyre
and
the
powerful
empires
of
Mesopotamia.
They
give
us
a
glimpse
of
the
life
led
by
a
class
of
powerful
nobles
who
dwelt
on
their
estates
in
castles
and
towers.
And
they
furnish
a
considerable
amount
of
information
respecting
the
Sabsean
religion,
its
offerings
of
incense
and
animals,
ita
pilgrimag^
to
certain
shrines,
its
special
month
for
pilgrimage,
Dhu
Hijjatan.
The
heavenly
bodies
were
worshipped,
the
sun
as
a
female,
the
moon
as
a
male,
deity.
Many
other
divinities
were
recognized:
a
male
Athtar
(cf.
the
female
Ashtoreth),
Almakah,
Ta'lab,
Sami',
Kawim,
Bashir,^
Haubas.
The
precise
significance
of
some
of
these
titles
is
open
to
doubt.
But
the
cognate
Heb.
words
justify
us
in
saying
that
Sami'
is
'the
Hearer,'
Kawim,
'the
Sustainer,'
Bashir,
'the
Tidings-bringer';
and
the
Arabic
word
of
the
same
form
indicates
that
Ta'lab
is
a
spirit
of
the
trees.
Three
other
names,
Wadd
('Love'),
Jaghuth
('He
helps'),
and
Nasr
('Vulture'
or
Eagle'),
are
spoken
of
in
the
Koran
{Sura
72)
as
though
they
were
antediluvian
idols.
On
inscriptions
which
date
from
the
4th
and
6th
centuries
of
our
era,
Rahman
('the
Merciful')
appears.
This
is
due
to
Jewish
influence,
and
it
is
interesting
to
observe
that
the
Jews
now
living
in
Yemen
have
a
tra-dition
that
their
ancestors
left
Palestine
before
the
Christian
era.
Cf
.
also
art.
Seba.
2.
A
worthless
adventurer,
who
snatched
at
what
he
thought
was
a
chance
of
winning
the
sovereignty
of
Northern
Israel
(2
S
20"').
His
appeal
was
addressed
to
thedeep-seated'inter-tribal
jealousy.
David
took
a
serious
view
of
the
situation
thus
created
(v.*"),
but
his
rival
lacked
the
personal
qualities
which
might
have
rendered
him
formidable.
He
traversed
the
entire
centre
of
the
country
seeking
adherents
in
vain.
Knowing
that
Joab
and
Abishai
were
on
his
heels,
he
shut
himself
up
in
Abel-beth-maacah
(modern
AWl),
a
town
in
the
extreme
north.
There,
according
to
a
probable
emenda-tion
of
the
text
(v."),
he
was
supported
by
his
clansmen
the
Bichrites
(not
Berites,
cf.
'son
of
Bichri,'
v.').
The
place
would
speedily
have
been
carried
by
assault
had
not
a
woman,
whose
judgment
was
highly
esteemed
by
the
inhabitants,
persuaded
them
to
throw
Sheba's
head
over
the
wall
to
Joab
(vv."-22).
3.
A
Gadite,
(1
Ch
5").
4.
The
Sheba
of
Jos
19=
is
out
of
place
after
Beer-sheba.
V.'
shows
that
we
ought
to
find
thirteen,
not
fourteen,
names.
The
LXX
retains
that
number
by
omitting
Sharuhen
from
the
list.
Sharuhen,
however,
should
not
be
dropped,
for
it
is
identical
with
the
Shilhim
of
15".
Some
Heb.
MSS
leave
out
Sheba,
as
does
also
the
parallel
passage
1
Cb
^K
The
Shema
of
the
SHEBUEL
LXX
is
from
the
list
of
IS^.
There
can
be
little
doubt
that
Shema,
inserted
by
mistake
in
the
Heb.
text
and
transliterated
by
the
LXX,
was
subsequently
changed
to
Sheba.
j.
Taylob.
SHEBA,
QUEEN
OP.—
1
K
10'-"
narrates
a
visit
of
the
contemporary
queen
of
Sheba
to
king
Solomon.
At
the
present
day
there
is
a
strong
tendency
to
regard
this
as
a
legendary
addition
made
by
the
later
editor
for
the
purpose
of
emphasizing
Solomon's
wealth
and
wisdom.
The
reasons
adduced
are
not
quite
conclusive.
It
is
no
doubt
true
that
the
inscriptions
hitherto
dis-covered
fail
to
mention
any
queen
of
the
Sabaeans.
But
the
names
are
given
of
queens
who
reigned
over
other
Arabian
countries,
and,
curiously
enough,
in
Sargon's
inscription,
quoted
on
p.
842'',
Samsg,
queen
of
Aribu,
immediately
precedes
It'amara,
king
of
Sheba.
It
must
be
admitted,
however,
that
the
narrative
in
1
K
10
is
not
free
from
difficulties.
We
cannot
satisfactorily
explain
the
words
'concerning
the
name
of
the
Lord'
(v.'):
the
LXX
'and'
etc.
being
an
obvious
attempt
to
evade
the
difficulty,
and
the
Chronicler
(2
Ch
9')
omitting
all
the
words.
It
is
hard
to
believe
that
the
monarch
of
a
highly
civilized
and
exceedingly
wealthy
State
would
be
dumbfounded
by
the
luxury
of
the
court
of
Jerusalem
(v.');
that
reads
as
though
the
chieftain
of
a
petty
tribe
of
Arabs
was
in
question.
Moreover,
it
is
likely
enough
that
the
motive
of
the
visit
was
other
than
our
author
supposed.
Riddles,
proverbs,
apologues,
and
stories
supply
much
of
the
material
for
the
leisured
conversation
of
the
Arabs,
but
the
queen
of
Sheba
would
visit
her
brother
monarch
with
a
more
practical
object
than
these.
Commercial
intercourse
between
the
two
countries
was
of
extreme
importance
for
the
pros-perity
of
both:
Kittel
(Die
B'ucher
der
KSnige,
p.
89)
is
justified
in
suggesting
that
she
wished
to
promote
this.
The
fantastic
legends
which
gathered
round
this
journey
may
be
conveniently
read
in
Swro
27
of
the
Koran,
and
the
notes
on
that
chapter
from
Mohammedan
sources
which
Sale
has
collected.
Mohammed
himself
no
doubt
derived
his
account
from
Jewish
sources.
A
lengthy
history
of
queen
Bilkis,
from
Ta'
labi's
Lives
of
the
Prophets,
may
be
found
in
Briinnow's
Arabic
Chrestamathy.
Solomon
marries
the
queen,
and
the
Abyssinians,
to
whom
the
story
passed
from
the
Arabs,
call
her
Makeda,
and
trace
from
this
marriage
the
lineage
of
all
their
kings.
In
this
connexion
two
facta
should
be
noted.
First,
that
Abyssinia
was
undoubtedly
colonized
by
the
Sabsans.
Second,
that
Jos.
{Ant.
n.
x.
2)
speaks
of
'Saba,
a
royal
city
of
Ethiopia,'
and
(vnr.
vi.
5
f
.),
without
naming
Sheba,
gives
an
account
of
the
visit
to
Solomon
of
a
woman
who
was
'
queen
of
Egypt
and
Ethiopia.'
He
is
mistaken
as
to
the
locality,
but
it
is
interesting
to
observe
the
tradition
which
he
reports,
'that
we
possess
the
root
of
that
balsam
which
our
country
still
bears
by
this
woman's
gift.*
J.
Taylok.
SHEBANIAH.—
-1.
A
Levitical
family
(Neh
9«
10'»).
2.
A
priest
or
Levite
who
sealed
the
covenant
(Neh
10'
12"
[see
Shecaniah]).
3.
Another
Levite
who
sealed
the
covenant
(Neh
10").
4.
A
priest
(1
Ch
15^).
SHEBARIM.
—
A
place
mentioned
(Jos
7=)
in
the
description
of
the
pursuit
of
the
Israelites
by
the
men
of
Ai.
EVm
gives
'the
quarries,'
but
the
text
is
prob-ably
corrupt.
SHEBAT.—
See
Time.
SHEBER.—
A
son
of
Caleb
(1
Ch
2").
SHEBNA(in2K
IS'smSHEBNAH).—
A
major-domo
or
palace-governor
of
king
Hezekiah,
against
whom
is
directed
one
of
the
recorded
utterances
of
Isaiah
(Is
2215-M).
The
prophetic
denunciation
appears
to
have
found
its
fulfilment
in
Shebna's
degradation
to
the
office
of
'scribe'
or
secretary,
and
the
elevation
of
Eliakim
(wh.
see)
to
the
post
of
palace-governor
(2
K
Igis.
28.
11
192
=ls
36'-
"•
"^
372).
Shebna
was
in
all
probability
a
foreigner.
SHEBUEL.—
1.
A
son
of
Gershora
(1
Ch
23"
262<),
called
in
242"
Shubael,
which
is
prob.
the
original
form
