shim´shı̄ , shim´shā́ - ı̄ ( שׁמשׁי , shimshay ; Codex Vaticanus Σαμασά , Samasá , Σαμαέ , Samaé , Σαμεαίς , Sameaı́s Σαμεσά , Samesá ; Codex Alexandrinus Σαμσαί , Samsaı́ ; Lucian, Σαμαίας , Samaı́as , throughout; in 1 Esdras 2:17 he is called "Semellius," the Revised Version (British and American) "Samellius"; a number of explanations of this name have been offered, but no one has been generally favored. One conjecture traces it to an Old Iranian caritative שׁשׁמי , conformed to שׁמשׁ ; another prefers the Old Bactrian simēzhi = simaēzhi ; compare BDB , under the word The name looks as though it were derived from שׁמשׁ , shemesh , "the sun"): A state secretary who, with REHUM (which see) and others, wrote to Artaxerxes to persuade him to prohibit the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 4:8 , Ezra 4:9 , Ezra 4:17 , Ezra 4:23 ).
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) was edited by James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle and was published complete in 1939. This web site includes the complete text.
WikipediaThe ISBE is a classic Bible reference compiled from nearly 10,000 entries written by over 200 different Bible scholars and teachers. In addition to the encyclopedia articles, all of the major words of the Bible are represented and defined.
The historical, cultural, and linguistic information in the ISBE can be of great value in Bible study and research.
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