Arabia. This is also indicated by Jesus’ comment that she was the “queen of the south” and that she “came from the ends of the earth.” (Matt. 12:42) From the standpoint of persons in Jerusalem, she had truly come from a most distant part of the then-known world. (Ps. 72:10; Joel 3:8) Marib is about 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) from Ezion-geber, which is on the N shore of the Red Sea.

Jesus said of the queen of Sheba that she came “to hear the wisdom of Solomon.” (Luke 11:31) Both by what Solomon said and by what she saw of the prosperity of his kingdom, she was impressed. She pronounced the king’s servants happy for being able to hear his wisdom, and blessed Jehovah for putting him on the throne. (1 Ki. 10:2-9; 2 Chron. 9:1-9) The queen gave Solomon 120 talents of gold (worth $4,639,320) as well as balsam oil and precious stones. Solomon gave her gifts that apparently exceeded the value of the treasures she brought and then she returned to her own land.—2 Chron. 9:12, NW, AT, Mo.

Christ stated that this woman would rise up in the judgment and condemn the men of the first-century generation. (Matt. 12:42; Luke 11:31) She had made an arduous trip to hear Solomon’s wisdom, but the unbelieving Jews, who claimed to be servants of Jehovah, had present in Jesus something more than Solomon and did not pay attention to him.

7. Apparently one of the enclave cities given to the tribe of Simeon in the S part of the territory of Judah. (Josh. 19:2) The name, though, does not appear in the parallel list in 1 Chronicles 4:28-32 or among the accounts of cities at first assigned to Judah. (Josh. 15:26) Since Joshua 19:2-6 gives the sum as thirteen cities, but actually seems to list fourteen cities, some scholars have suggested that Sheba and Beer-sheba were two parts of the same city, Sheba being the older. If it was a separate location, it may have been the same as Shema, named in the list at Joshua 15:26-32.

SHEBANIAH

(Sheb·a·niʹah).

1. A priest who played a trumpet in the procession that accompanied the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem in David’s day.—1 Chron. 15:3, 24.

2. A priestly paternal house that Joseph represented in the days of High Priest Jeshua’s successor Joiakim. (Neh. 12:12, 14) In a generally similar list of priests having returned with Zerubbabel in 537 B.C.E. the name Shecaniah appears in the place of Shebaniah. (Neh. 12:1-7) During Nehemiah’s governorship, a member of the same family (or some individual priest of the same name) attested to the national covenant then made.—Neh. 10:1, 4, 8.

3. One of the Levites, or a representative of a Levitical family of the same name, contemporaneous with Ezra and Nehemiah, who led the Jews in a prayer of confession, after which they proposed and sealed a covenant of faithfulness.—Neh. 9:4, 5, 38; 10:1, 9, 10.

4. Another Levite who attested to the same trustworthy arrangement, either in his own name or that of a forefather.—Neh. 9:38; 10:9, 12.

SHEBARIM

(Shebʹa·rim) [quarries].

The place to which men of Ai chased the Israelites, when they were unable to stand before the enemy after Achan’s sin. (Josh. 7:5) The site is unknown, except that it was near Ai. Certain translators prefer to render the Hebrew term as “stone-works” or “stone-quarries” rather than as Shebarim.—The Bible in Basic English; Le.

SHEBAT

(Sheʹbat).

The postexilic name of the eleventh Jewish lunar month of the sacred calendar, but the fifth of the secular calendar. (Zech. 1:7; Deut. 1:3; 1 Chron. 27:14) It corresponds to part of January and part of February. The meaning of the name is uncertain.

This midwinter month comes somewhat after the peak of the heavy rains but is still a time of major rainfall. Mean average temperatures run about 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7.2 degrees Centigrade) in Jerusalem and about ten degrees higher along the Mediterranean coast. The pink and white flowers of the almond tree are the first to brighten up the winter scenery and herald the approach of spring.

Shebat was unmarked by any festival seasons in the Bible record.

SHEBER

(Sheʹber) [breakdown, crash].

A son of Caleb by Maacah his concubine; of the tribe of Judah.—1 Chron. 2:48.

SHEBNA(H)

(Shebʹna[h]).

An officer of King Hezekiah. At one time Shebna was the “steward . . . over the house,” presumably of Hezekiah, an influential position. Jehovah, however, directed Isaiah to denounce Shebna, prophesying that he would be ‘pushed away from his position,’ apparently because of his pride and glory-seeking, shown by building himself a conspicuous sepulcher. His robe, sash and dominion, together with “the key of the house of David,” were given instead to ‘God’s servant Eliakim.’—Isa. 22:15-24.

Shebna was not stripped of all privileges, however, for when Sennacherib threatened Jerusalem in 732 B.C.E. and Eliakim had become steward, Shebna was the royal secretary sent with Eliakim and the recorder to speak with Rabshakeh from the wall. With clothes ripped apart they reported back to Hezekiah what had been said and were then sent to Isaiah to inquire of Jehovah.—2 Ki. 18:18–19:7; Isa. 36:3–37:7.

SHEBUEL

(Shebʹu·el), Shubael (Shuʹba·el) [he returned to God; captive of God].

The two men named Shebuel are both alternately referred to as Shubael.

1. A Levitical son or descendant of Moses’ son Gershom. (1 Chron. 23:15, 16) Shebuel’s (Shubael’s) paternal house was enrolled when David reorganized the Levitical services (1 Chron. 24:20, 30b, 31), being given duties that included caring for the stores.—1 Chron. 26:24.

2. One of the sons of Heman and an expert musician selected by lot to head the thirteenth division of sanctuary musicians.—1 Chron. 25:4, 6, 9, 20.

SHECANIAH

(Shec·a·niʹah) [Jehovah has taken up his abode].

1. A descendant of Aaron whose paternal house was selected by lot as tenth of the twenty-four priestly divisions that David organized.—1 Chron. 24:1-3, 7, 11.

2. One of those entrusted with equal distribution of the tithes and other contributions in the priests’ cities during Hezekiah’s reign.—2 Chron. 31:12, 15.

3. A priest who returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel.—Neh. 12:1, 3, 7; see SHEBANIAH No. 2.

4. A paternal house represented among the group that returned with Ezra in 468 B.C.E.—Ezra 8:1, 3.

5. Head of the paternal house of Zattu, 300 males of which returned with Ezra; son of Jahaziel.—Ezra 8:1, 5.

6. “The son of Jehiel of the sons of Elam” who proposed to Ezra the covenant by which those in restored Judah having foreign wives volunteered to send them away.—Ezra 10:2-4.

7. Father of the Shemaiah who did repair work on Jerusalem’s wall.—Neh. 3:29.

8. Father-in-law of Tobiah the Ammonite; son of Arah.—Neh. 4:3; 6:17, 18.

9. A descendant of David through Zerubbabel who lived several generations after the Babylonian exile. He was a son of Obadiah and father of Shemaiah.—1 Chron. 3:5, 9, 10, 19, 21, 22.

SHECHEM

(Sheʹchem) [shoulder].

1. Son of Hivite chieftain Hamor. (Gen. 33:19; Josh. 24:32) After Jacob settled near the city of Shechem (see No. 4 below), his daughter Dinah began associating with females of that city. The man Shechem, described as being the “most honorable of the whole house of his father,” saw Dinah and “lay down with her and violated her.” Then he fell in love