The memorable queen of Sheba renders this name familiar to the lover of the Bible. See her history, (1 Kings x. 1, &c.) Our Lord’s honourable mention of her we have, Matt. x2: 42. Sheba signifies captivity, from Shaba.
Of “the queen of Sheba,” mention is made 1Ki 10:1-2, &c; 2Ch 9:1-2, &c; Mat 12:42; Luk 11:31. She is called “queen of the south,” and was, according to some, a queen of Arabia; and, according to others, a queen of Ethiopia. Josephus says, that Sheba was the ancient name of the city of Meroe, before Cambyses gave it that of his sister; and that it was from thence the queen came of whom we are speaking. This opinion has much prevailed. The Abyssinians at this day, maintain, that this princess was of their country, and that her posterity reigned there a long time. They preserve a catalogue of them, their names and successions.
She´ba, Sabeans. As much confusion has been introduced by the variety of meanings which the name Sabeans has been made to bear, it may be proper to specify in this place their distinctive derivations and use. In our Authorized Version of Scripture the term seems to be applied to three different tribes. First, to the Sebaiim, the descendants of Seba or Saba, son of Cush, who ultimately settled in Ethiopia. Second, to the Shebaiim, the descendants of Sheba, son of Joktan, the Sabœi of the Greeks and Romans, who settled in Arabia Felix. They are the ’Sabeans’ of Joe 3:8, to whom the Jews were to sell the captives of Tyre. Third, to another tribe of Shebans, a horde of Bedouin marauders in the days of Job (Job 1:15); for whether we place the land of Uz in Idumea or in Ausitis, it is by no means likely that the Arabs of the south would extend their excursions so very far. We must, therefore, look for this tribe in Desert Arabia; and it is singular enough, that besides the Seba of Cush, and the Shaba of Joktan, there is another Sheba, son of Jokshan, and grandson of Abraham, by Keturah (Gen 25:3); and his posterity appear to have been ’men of the wilderness,’ as were their kinsmen of Midian, Ephah, and Dedan.
Yet, as if to increase the confusion in the use of this name of ’Sabeans,’ it has also been applied—Fourth, to the ancient star-worshippers of Western Asia, though they ought properly to be styled Tsabians, and their religion not Sabaism but Tsabaism. Fifth, the name of Sabeans, or Sabians, has also been given to a modern sect in the East, the Mandaites, or, as they are commonly but incorrectly called, the ’Christians’ of St. John; for they deny the Messiahship of Christ, and pay superior honor to John the Baptist.
1. Son of Raamah, Gen 10:7 . His posterity is supposed to have settled near the head of the Persian Gulf. See CUSH and RAAMAH.\par 2. Son of Joktan, of the race of Shem, Gen 10:28 . See SABEANS 2.\par 3. Son of Jokshan, and grandson of Abraham by Keturah, Gen 25:3 . He is supposed to have settled in Arabia Deserta.\par 4. A turbulent Benjamite, who after the death of Absalom made a fruitless effort to excite a rebellion in Israel against David. Being pursued, and besieged in Abel-beth-maachah, near the southern part of Lebanon, he was beheaded by the people of the city, 2Sa 20:1-26 .\par
She’ba. (seven, all oath or on oath).
1. The son of Bichri, a Benjamite, 2Sa 20:1-22, the last chief of the Absalom insurrection. The occasion seized by Sheba was the emulation between the northern and southern tribes on David’s return. 2Sa 20:1-2, Sheba traversed the whole of Palestine apparently rousing the population, Joab following in full pursuit to the fortress Abel Beth-maachah, where Sheba was beheaded. 2Sa 20:3-22.
2. A son of Raamah, son of Cush. Gen 10:7; 1Ch 1:9.
3. A son of Joktan. Gen 10:28; 1Ch 1:22.
4. A son of Jokshan, son of Keturah. Gen 25:3; 1Ch 1:32.
We shall consider, first, the history of the Joktanite Sheba; and secondly, the Cushite Sheba and the Keturahite Sheba together.
I. The Joktanites were among the early colonists of southern Arabia, and the kingdom, which they there founded, was, for many centuries, called the kingdom of Sheba, after one of the sons of Joktan. The visit of the queen of Sheba to King Solomon, 1Ki 10:1, is one of the familiar Bible incidents. The kingdom of Sheba embraced the greater part of the Yemen, or Arabia Felix. It bordered on the Red Sea, and was one of the most fertile districts of Arabia. Its chief cities, and probably, successive capitals, were Seba, San’a (Uzal), and Zafar (Sephar). Seba was, probably, the name of the city, and generally of the country, and nation.
II. Sheba, son of Raamah, son of Cush, settled somewhere on the shores of the Persian Gulf. It was this Sheba that carried on the great Indian traffic with Palestine, in conjunction with, as we hold, the other Sheba, son of Jokshan, son of Keturah, who, like Dedan, appears to have formed, with the Cushite of the same name, one tribe.
5. 0ne of the towns of the allotment of Simeon, Jos 19:2, probably, the same as Shema. Jos 15:26. See Shema.
1. Son of Bichri a Benjamite, a man of Belial (2Sa 20:1-22). The tribe of Benjamin through Sheba sought to regain the ascendancy which it lost at Saul’s fall. Judah alone remained faithful to David "from Jordan even to Jerusalem"; the rest of Israel followed Sheba. The division between Israel and Judah already had shown itself under Ishbosheth (2Sa 2:4-9), again at the close of Absalom’s rebellion (2Sa 19:41-43), David felt the greatness of the crisis, "now shall Sheba do us more harm than did Absalom." Sheba traversed the country gathering followers, and finally aimed at fortifying himself in Abel Beth Maachah in the far N., which was probably connected with Absalom’s rebellion through Maacah his mother, and was famed for worldly wisdom.
2. 1Ch 5:13.
Sheba (shç’ba), seven or an oath. 1. A wealthy region in Arabia bordering on the Bed Sea. The queen of Sheba visited Solomon, coming "to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bear spices, and very much gold, and precious stones." 1Ki 10:1-13; 2Ch 9:1-12. Many ancient writers noted the abundance of spices in the Yemen or Sabæan country. Strabo asserts that the enormous profits of the spice trade made the Sabæans one of the wealthiest nations on the face of the earth. They used gold and silver most lavishly in their furniture, their utensils, and even on the doors and roofs of their houses. 2. A town in Simeon, mentioned between Beer-sheba and Moladah. Jos 19:2. Shema is named next to Moladah in Jos 15:26, and is probably identical with this Sheba.
[Sheba’]
1. Son of Raamah, a son of Cush. Gen 10:7; 1Ch 1:9. His descendants are generally held to have settled on the shores of the Persian Gulf.
2. Son of Joktan, a descendant of Shem. Gen 10:28; 1Ch 1:22. His descendants have been traced to Southern Arabia, or Arabia Felix. The metropolis of the district was at or near the modern Mareb, about 15° 45’ N, 45° 35’ E.
3. Son of Jokshan, a son of Abraham and Keturah. Gen 25:3; 1Ch 1:32. Some judge his descendants to have settled ’far north’; others place them ’somewhere in Arabia.’ (The name ’Sheba’ occurs also in Job 6:19; Psa 72:10; Psa 72:15; Isa 60:6; Jer 6:20; Eze 27:22-23; Eze 38:13; but it is uncertain to which of the above three races each passage refers.)
4. The country from whence the queen came who visited Solomon. She brought gold, precious stones, and a great store of spices. The Lord spoke of her as ’the queen of the south.’ 1Ki 10:1-13; 2Ch 9:1; 2Ch 9:3; 2Ch 9:9; 2Ch 9:12; Mat 12:42; Luk 11:31. The ’south’ well agrees with the locality of the descendants of Sheba, the son of Joktan.
[She’ba]
1. Son of Bichri, a Benjamite: he revolted against David after Absalom. David said, "Sheba, the son of Bichri, shall do us more harm than did Absalom," but he was pursued by Joab, and was beheaded at Abel. 2Sa 20:1-22.
2. A chief of the Gadites. 1Ch 5:13.
3. City in Simeon. Jos 19:2. Identified with Tell es Seba, 31° 15’ N, 34° 50’ E.
See SABEANS:
SHEBA.—1. The OT name for the people and country of the Sabæans in S.W. Arabia, the modern Yemen. In Gen. and Chron. the racial relationships of the people are diversely given. Gen 10:7 (P
The following are the salient points in the information which the OT gives us. The country was rich in gold (Psa 72:15) and incense (Jer 6:20); the people were great traders (Eze 27:22 f.), dealing in costly wares (Eze 38:13); their caravans were well known throughout the East (Job 6:19); they were given to raiding (Job 1:15), possibly uniting trade and robbery, when convenient (cf. Odyss. xv. 415 ff.); and they were not averse to the slave-trade (Joe 3:8); eventually, it was hoped, they would become tributaries of Israel (Isa 60:6, Psa 72:10).
The notices in Greek and Latin authors correspond with the Biblical statements. Strabo, e.g., mentions myrrh, incense, cinnamon, balsam, amongst the products of the land, and states that their commerce made them exceedingly wealthy; that they had abundant furniture of gold and silver, beds, tables, bowls, cups, in costly houses. The panels, walls, and ceilings were adorned with ivory, gold, silver, mosaics. He affirms that they frequently laid waste the Syrian desert.
The Sabæans are also mentioned in Assyrian inscriptions. Tiglath-pileser iii. (b.c. 745–727) enumerates the articles which he received from them in tribute: ‘gold, silver, camels, female camels, spices of all sorts.’ In an inscription of b.c. 707, Sargon declares that he ‘received the tribute of Pir’u, king of the land of Musuru (Egypt), Samsç, queen of the land of Aribu (Arabia), It’amara, king of the land of the Saba’aa (Sabæans), gold, products of the mountains, horses, camels.’
During the 19th century a few European travellers succeeded in penetrating Yemen and bringing back a moderately full account of its natural features, and a large amount of material for reconstructing its history. It is incomparably superior to the rest of Arabia, both in climate and in soil. The central district is a highland region, with mountains some 8000 ft. above the sea level. Fertile valleys branch out from the hills, ‘well timbered in places, and threaded by silvery streams of dancing waters; sloping fields, gay with crops and wild flowers; terraced or jungle-covered slopes.’ Here are grown the hest vines that Arabia produces. The air is pure and comparatively cool. The present capital is Sana, a town of about 20,000 inhabitants, on the southernmost of three great plateaux. The ancient capital, Marib, N.E. of Sana, lies between the rich valleys of the west and the ‘wadys of Hadramant, which were the sources of Arabian gum.’ Inscriptions relating to the Sabæan kingdom have been found in various parts of the Arabian peninsula. They are written in a dialect which closely resembles Ethiopic, but there are no vowel letters, or modifications of the consonants, to indicate vowel sounds. Many come from the vicinity of Marib, where the ruins are of astonishing extent. The remains of its great dam, in particular, are very striking: a gigantic wall, two miles long and 175 paces wide, was built to connect two 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 inscriptions, coins have been found and the names of the kings whose monograms they bear have been determined. 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 contemporaneously (cf. Psa 72:10), and this has been explained by the fact that the prince next in 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 Sabæan kingdom falls. All recognize three such divisions: (1) That of the mâkarib or priest-kings; (2) that of the kings of Sheba; (3) that of the kings of Sheba and Dhû-Raidân. Glaser (Skizze der Gesch. Arabiens) prefixes to the first of these a Minæan 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 Sab¿an religion, its offerings of incense and animals, its pilgrimages to certain shrines, its special month for pilgrimage, Dhu Hijjatân. 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 antedilnvian idols. On inscriptions which date from the 4th and 5th 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 tradition 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 (2Sa 20:1 ff.). His appeal was addressed to the deep-seated inter-tribal jealousy. David took a serious view of the situation thus created (2Sa 20:4 ff.), 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 Abil), a town in the extreme north. There, according to a probable emendation of the text (2Sa 20:14), he was supported by his clansmen the Bichriles (not Berites, cf. ‘son of Bichri,’ 2Sa 20:1). 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 (2Sa 20:16-22). 3. A Gadite, (1Ch 5:13). 4. The Sheba of Jos 19:2 is out of place after Beer-sheba. Jos 19:6 shows that we ought to find thirteen, not fourteen, names. The LXX
J. Taylor.
From the above statements it would appear that Sheba was the name of an Arab tribe, and consequently of Semitic descent. The fact that Sheba and Dedan are represented as Cushite (Gen 10:7) would point to a migration of part of these tribes to Ethiopia, and similarly their derivation from Abraham (Gen 25:3) would indicate that some families were located in Syria. In point of fact Sheba was a South-Arabian or Joktanite tribe (Gen 10:28), and his own name and that of some of his brothers (e.g. Hazarmaveth = Hadhramaut) are place-names in Southern Arabia.
The Sabeans or people of Saba or Sheba, are referred to as traders in gold and spices, and as inhabiting a country remote from Palestine (1Ki 10:1 f; Isa 60:6; Jer 6:20; Eze 27:22; Psa 72:15; Mat 12:42), also as slave-traders (Joe 3:8), or even desert-rangers (Job 1:15; Job 6:19; compare CIS 84 3).
By the Arab genealogists Saba is represented as great-grandson of
1. History:
The authentic history of the Sabeans, so far as known, and the topography of their country are derived from South-Arabian inscriptions, which began to be discovered about the middle of the last century, and from coins dating from about 150 BC to 150 AD, the first collection of which was published in 1880, and from the South-Arabian geographer
2. Religion:
A number of deities are mentioned on the inscriptions, two chief being
3. Civilization:
(1) The chief occupations of the Sabeans were raiding and trade. The chief products of their country are enumerated in Isa 60:6, which agrees with the Assyrian inscriptions. The most important of all commodities was incense, and it is significant that the same word which in the other Semitic languages means “gold,” in Sabean means “perfume” (and also “gold”). To judge, however, from the number of times they are mentioned upon the inscriptions, agriculture bulked much more largely in the thoughts of the Sabean than commerce, and was of equal importance with religion.
(2) The high position occupied by women among the Sabeans is reflected in the story of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon. In almost all respects women appear to have been considered the equal of men, and to have discharged the same civil, religious and even military functions. Polygamy does not seem to have been practiced. The Sabean inscriptions do not go back far enough to throw any light upon the queen who was contemporary with Solomon, and the Arabic identification of her with
(3) The alphabet used in the Sabean inscriptions is considered by Professor Margoliouth to be the original Semitic alphabet, from which the others are derived. In other respects Sabean art seems to be dependent on that of Assyria, Persia and Greece. The coins are Greek and Roman in style, while the system of weights employed is Persian. See further SABAEANS.
Literature.
Rodiger and Osidander in ZDMG, volumes XX and XXI; Halevy in Journal Asiatique, Serie 6, volume IX; Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum, pt. IV, edition by J. and H. Derenbourg; Hamdani, edition by D. H. Muller, 1891; Mordtmann, Himyarische Inschriften, 1893; Hommel, Sudarabische Chresthomathie, 1893; Glaser, Abyssinien in Arabien, 1895; D. H. Muller, Sudarabische Alterthumer, 1899; Derenbourg, Les monuments sabeens, 1899. On the coins, Schlumberger, Le tresor de San’a, 1880; Mordtmann in Wiener numismatische Zeitschrift, 1880.
In south-western Arabia was the land known in Bible times as Sheba. It was located in the region of present-day Yemen and was occupied by a tribal group known as the Sabeans. Like people of other Arab tribal groups, those of Sheba were merchants and traders. They travelled widely throughout the East, dealing in gold, precious stones, cloth, spices and other merchandise (1Ki 10:1-2; Psa 72:15; Isa 60:6; Jer 6:20; Eze 27:22). They even engaged in slave trade (Joe 3:8) and, like other Arab nomads, they raided farms and villages (Job 1:15). When their queen on one occasion visited Israel’s king Solomon, the two monarchs took the opportunity to have some useful trade exchanges (1Ki 10:10; 1Ki 10:13). (Some African legends have connected this queen with Ethiopia.)
Sheba was also the name of a number of individuals mentioned in the Old Testament. The best known of these was the Benjaminite who tried unsuccessfully to lead the northern tribes to break away from the rule of David (2Sa 20:1-22).