Instructing, caring for the congregation

When writing to the congregation at Corinth, Paul compared his instruction and help to the congregation to sowing, and explained to them that, doing so, he had authority to receive material things from them to assist him in carrying on his ministry. But he did not do this, so as not to offer any hindrance to the good news.—1 Cor. 9:11, 12.

Must be done in peace

Just as a farmer sows seed in peace, so the good news is sown in peace, not with wrangling, strife, tumult and the use of force. And the men doing the sowing are men of peace, not quarrelsome, belligerent or riotous. Therefore peaceful conditions must exist in the Christian congregation in order for their sowing to produce fruitage of righteousness.—Jas. 3:18.

The resurrection

When discussing the spiritual resurrection, Paul likened the burial of the physical body to the sowing of a seed, stating: “Nevertheless, someone will say: ‘How are the dead to be raised up? Yes, with what sort of body are they coming?’ You unreasonable person! What you sow is not made alive unless first it dies; and as for what you sow, you sow, not the body that will develop, but a bare grain, it may be, of wheat or any one of the rest; but God gives it a body just as it has pleased him, and to each of the seeds its own body. . . . And there are heavenly bodies, and earthly bodies; . . . So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised up in incorruption. . . . It is sown a physical body, it is raised up a spiritual body. . . . For this which is corruptible must put on incorruption, and this which is mortal must put on immortality.”—1 Cor. 15:35-53.

Such ones who are chosen by God to be joint heirs with his Son, to receive incorruption and immortality, in order to obtain the heavenly body, must die, giving up the body of flesh, to receive the new body by a resurrection, just as a seed planted “dies,” disintegrates, and is of an entirely different form and appearance from the plant that results.—Rom. 6:3-5.

For a discussion of the sowing mentioned at Isaiah 28:24, with its illustrative significance, see PLOWING.

SPAIN

The country situated on the Iberian Peninsula in SW Europe, the southern part of which was evidently called Tarshish in ancient times. After visiting the Roman Christians, the apostle Paul hoped to be escorted part way there by his fellow believers in Rome. (Rom. 15:23, 24, 28) Whether the apostle ever reached Spain is not certain. However, Clement of Rome stated (c. 95 C.E.) that Paul “came to the extreme limit of the W[est],” which could have included Spain. If he reached that land, the visit probably occurred between Paul’s release from his first imprisonment in Rome (c. 61 C.E.) and his imprisonment there once again in c. 64 C.E. At that time Spain was under Roman rule.—See TARSHISH No. 1.

SPAN

A linear measure approximately corresponding to the distance between the end of the thumb and the end of the little finger when the hand is spread out. (Ex. 28:16; 39:9; 1 Sam. 17:4; Ezek. 43:13) Two spans equal one cubit; and three handbreadths, one span. There is evidence that the cubit commonly used by the Israelites was about 17.5 inches (44.5 centimeters) in length. (See CUBIT.) Accordingly, the span would be 8.75 inches (22.25 centimeters) in length.

When highlighting Jehovah’s greatness, the prophet Isaiah asked: “Who has . . . taken the proportions of the heavens themselves with a mere span?”—Isa. 40:12.

SPARROW

[Gr., strou·thiʹon].

The English name “sparrow” is applied to several different small birds, principally of the finch family. Similarly, the Greek word strou·thiʹon is a diminutive form meaning any small bird, but was used especially as applying to sparrows. The common house sparrow is abundant in Palestine, particularly so in the coastal towns. Small brown and gray birds, the sparrows are noisy and gregarious, chirping and twittering, fluttering from their perch on a house-top, tree or bush to the ground and back again. Their nests are to be found in orchards, vineyards, gardens, and often in cracks or ledges of homes. Their diet consists chiefly of seeds, insects and worms. Along the Jordan valley the marsh sparrows are very numerous, nesting in the thickets there.

The only direct references to sparrows in the Bible are found in a statement that Jesus made during his third Galilean tour and evidently restated about a year thereafter in his later Judean ministry. Pointing out that “two sparrows sell for a coin of small value [literally, an assarion, worth about one cent]” or, if bought in quantities of five, “for two coins of small value,” Jesus stated that, though these small birds were counted as of such little worth, “yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s knowledge,” “not one of them goes forgotten before God.” He then encouraged his disciples to be free from fear, assuring them, “You are worth more than many sparrows.”—Matt. 10:29-31; Luke 12:6, 7.

Both anciently and modernly, sparrows have been sold in the markets of the East. As an item of food, they were plucked and spitted on wooden skewers and roasted (like shish kebabs). An ancient inscription of Emperor Diocletian’s tariff law (301 C.E.) shows that, of all the birds sold for food, sparrows were the cheapest. Often sold in lots of ten, the maximum price for this number was fixed in the law at sixteen denarii, evidently the copper denarii introduced by Diocletian and worth about one-fifth of a cent each. At this fourth-century rate, five sparrows would have cost somewhat less than two cents, or about the same price as was current when Jesus was on earth.

Although the sparrow appears in the Hebrew Scriptures in the Authorized Version (Ps. 84:3; 102:7) and in other translations, the Hebrew term so rendered (tsip·pohrʹ) is evidently a generic term referring to small birds in general and not specifically identifying the sparrow.

SPEAR

See ARMS, ARMOR.

SPEARMEN

These soldiers anciently comprised a section of the light infantry, and were backed up by archers and slingers. Charioteers and cavalrymen often carried spears. Spearmen were a part of the Roman occupational forces in Palestine, two hundred of whom were included in secretly escorting Paul out of Jerusalem.—Acts 23:23; see ARMS, ARMOR, pages 128, 129.

SPELL

See CHARM.

SPELT

An inferior kind of wheat, the kernels of which are not readily separated from the chaff. Spelt was anciently cultivated in Egypt (Ex. 9:32), where, according to the Greek historian Herodotus (Book II, par. 39), it was made into bread. (See Ezekiel 4:9.) The Israelites seem to have planted it as a border around their fields to serve as a kind of fence.—Isa. 28:25.

SPICE

Any of a variety of fragrant plant products, including aloe, balsam, calamus, cassia, cinnamon, frankincense, galbanum, labdanum, myrrh and stacte. Spices were employed in making the holy anointing oil and the incense designated for exclusive sanctuary use. (Ex. 30:23-25, 34-37) They were also used in preparing the dead for burial, myrrh and aloes being specifically mentioned in Jesus’ case. (John 19:39, 40; see also Mark 16:1; Luke 23:56; 24:1.) In connection with the burial of King Asa of Judah there was an extraordinarily great funeral burning, not a cremation, however, but a burning of spices. (2 Chron. 16:14) Anciently spices were added to wines to increase their “headiness.”—Song of Sol. 8:2.

The garden spice or spice plants referred to in The Song of Solomon (5:1, 13; 6:2) may denote fragrant herbs generally, or, as suggested by some scholars, balsam (Balsamodendron opobalsamum). Although condiments such as cummin, mint, dill and salt are mentioned in the Bible, the various original-language words translated “spice” and “spices” are not applied to food seasonings.

SPIDER

A small, eight-legged, wingless animal that, according to strict biological definition, is not an insect but an arachnid. Most spiders spin webs to catch their prey. They are beneficial to man by keeping the insect population in check. Spiders generally have three pairs of spinnerets or spinning organs located on the rear underside of the abdomen. These are linked with the silk glands inside the creature’s body by means of many minute tubes. To spin its thread, the spider presses its spinning organs against an object and forces out some liquid silk. Moving away from the object, it draws out the liquid, which, in turn, hardens in the air. By keeping its spinnerets together the spider can produce one thick thread. A band of fine threads results when the spinning organs are held apart. Comparatively, the spider’s silken thread has a tensile strength far greater than steel and can be stretched a fifth beyond its normal length before breakage occurs.

The web, differing according to the variety of spider making it, is beautiful in symmetry and complex in design, displaying the complicated principles of logarithms. At equidistant intervals on the silken strands are drops of glue, likewise made by the spider. After having laid a line between two spokes and smeared it with glue, the spider pulls down the thread and then lets it snap back. This results in the equidistant spacing of the tiny glue droplets. The sticky thread serves to trap the spider’s prey.

In its two occurrences in Scripture the spider figures in an illustrative setting. Bildad, in speaking to Job, referred to an apostate as one who trusts in or leans upon a “spider’s house,” or web, something that would be too frail to keep him standing. (Job 8:14, 15) The hurtful and violent works of unfaithful Israelites are likened to the weaving of a spider’s web. However, such unfaithful ones could not cover themselves with their works, any more than a cobweb would be suitable for a garment.—Isa. 59:5, 6.

SPIES

From Israel’s encampment in the wilderness of Paran, in 1512 B.C.E., Moses sent twelve chieftains (representing all the tribes except Levi) to search out the land of Canaan. This was permitted by Jehovah at the request of the Israelites, who said: “Do let us send men ahead of us that they may search out the land for us and bring us back word concerning the way by which we should go up and the cities to which we will come.” (Deut. 1:22, 23) Probably separating, perhaps into twos, they traveled through the land as far N as Hamath and W toward the sea. On returning, though all agreed that the land was indeed “flowing with milk and honey,” ten of the spies gave a faithless report that put fear into the Israelites. Only Joshua and Caleb encouraged them to go on into the land and take it. For Israel’s lack of faith in listening to the bad report, God decreed that all the men who were twenty years of age and above should die in the wilderness during an extended period of forty years’ wandering. Joshua and Caleb were excepted and the tribe of Levi was not included.—Num. 13:1-33; 14:6-38; Deut. 1:24-40.

Joshua sent two spies across the Jordan to spy out Jericho in 1473 B.C.E. Rahab the harlot assisted the spies, and was delivered with her household when Jericho fell. (Josh. 2:1-24; 6:1, 22-25; Heb. 11:31) Other instances of spying are mentioned at Judges 1:22-26; 18:1-10, 14, 17; 1 Samuel 26:4. David’s messengers to King Hanun of Ammon were charged with being spies and mistreated. (2 Sam. 10:1-7) Absalom sent spies throughout Israel, not so much to gain information for his conspiracy against David, as to stir up support for his subversive cause.—2 Sam. 15:10-12.

The apostle Paul wrote about his visit to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus, mentioning that at the time there were “false brothers brought in quietly, who sneaked in to spy upon our freedom which we have in union with Christ Jesus.”—Gal. 2:1-5.

SPIKENARD

A small aromatic plant (Nardostachys jatamansi) found in the Himalaya mountains. The stems and roots of this plant are generally considered to be the source of the nard or spikenard mentioned in Scripture. (Song of Sol. 1:12; 4:13, 14; Mark 14:3) The spikenard plant is distinguished by its clusters of blackish, hairy stems, about two inches (c. 5 centimeters) long, that branch out from the top of the root. The leaves sprout from the upper portion of the plant, which is terminated by heads of pink flowers.

To preserve its fragrance, nard, a light, fragrant, reddish-colored liquid, was sealed in cases of alabaster, a soft, usually whitish, marblelike stone named after Alabastron, Egypt, where vessels of this material were manufactured. The pound of perfumed oil, “genuine nard,” poured by Mary from an alabaster case upon the head and feet of Jesus Christ, ‘in view of his burial,’ was evaluated at 300 denarii ($48.00), the equivalent of about a year’s wages. (Mark 14:3-9; John 12:3-8; Matt. 20:2) The fact that this perfumed oil was so expensive suggests that its source may have been distant India.

SPINNING

The process of drawing out and twisting together into thread or yarn plant or animal fibers (flax, cotton, wool, goat’s hair, and so forth). Spun threads were used for weaving, sewing, embroidering or the making of rope. Among the Hebrews and others the distaff and spindle were employed in this process. It is said concerning the capable wife: “Her hands she has thrust out to the distaff, and her own hands take hold of the spindle.”—Prov. 31:19.

The distaff was a stick on which the cleansed and combed or carded (Isa. 19:9) fibers were loosely wound. Methods varied, but one way was to hold the distaff in the left hand. The fibers were drawn from it to some length and attached to the spindle. This was a shorter stick with a hook at one end to hold the fibers and a whorl (a disc of heavy material such as stone) near the other end. Using the right hand, the spinner twirled the hanging spindle, thus twisting the fibers into thread. This spun thread was next wound around the shank of the spindle and fastened. Then the operation was repeated until all the fibers on the distaff had been made into one long thread.

Both men and women of ancient Egypt spun thread, but among the Hebrews women particularly seem to have done the spinning. Israelite women were privileged to spin and contribute materials when the tabernacle was to be constructed.—Ex. 35:25, 26.

Jesus Christ referred to spinning when he urged his disciples not to be unduly anxious about clothing, but to trust in God to clothe them. Jesus said: “Mark well how the lilies grow; they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, Not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these.”—Luke 12:27, 28; Matt. 6:28-30.

SPIRIT

[Heb., ruʹahh; Gr., pneuʹma].

The English word “spirit” is from the Latin spirare, meaning “to breathe” (noun form spiritus, “a breath,” “breathing”), the words “respiration,” “expiration” and “inspiration”