Man  noted  these  phenomena  in  the  earliest
times,  adopted  them  into  his  daily  life  and
language,  and  celebrated  certain  of  them
with  religious  festivals.  In  Babylonia  man
even  made  twelve  the  basis  of  an  arithmeti
cal  system,  and  in  Assyria  his  pantheon  con
tained  twelve  great-  gods.  Notwithstanding
all  this,  twelve  did  not  become  a  sacred
number  ;  but  seven  did  become  a  sacred  num
ber,  and  the  seventh  portion  of  time  a  sacred
season  ;  and  not  merely  was  the  recurring
seventh  portion  of  time  sacred,  but  it  in
volved  a  benediction.  It  was  cherished  in
hoary  antiquity  as  a  season  of  divine  favor
toward  man,  when  the  manifestation  of  God's
good  will  was  to  be  expected.  See  SABBATH.
Se-ve'neh,  in  A.  V.  Sy-e'ne  [Egyptian
sun,  affording  entrance].
A  town  constituting  the  extreme  limit  of
Egypt  in  one  direction.  Which  direction  de
pends  on  the  translation  of  Ezek.  xxix.  10;
xxx.  6.  If,  as  is  probable,  the  preferable  ren
dering  is  that  of  the  margin,  "from  Migdol  to
Syene,"  then  the  town  of  Seveneh  is  in  the
south  of  Egypt,  on  the  borders  of  Ethiopia,
and  is  the  Roman  Syene,  the  modern  Assouan,
on  the  Egyptian  side  of  the  first  cataract,
where  a  few  remains  of  the  ancient  city  ex
ist.  Here,  or  on  the  island  hard  by,  the  bor
der  garrison  was  stationed  (Herod,  ii.  30).
Sha-al'bim,  once  Sha-al-ab'bin  (Josh.
xix.  42)  [foxes].
An  Amorite  city  within  the  territory  of  Dan
(Josh.  xix.  42),  which  the  Amorites  did  not
yield  (Judg.  i.  35)  until  some  time  after  the
settlement  of  the  Hebrews  in  the  land  (1


Kin.  iv.  9).     Not  identified.     Selbit,  3  miles
northwest  of  Aijalou,  has  little  in  its  favor.
Sha-al'bo-nite.
