CAMLAH (^^05'). — An Edomite king, described fts of Miusrekah ' (which see), Gn SB^'- (B deest, A ZaXai^, D i:oMo\d) = l Ch l*"- (B om., A io^d).
SAMMUS (SoMMoi^, B SoM/wii), 1 E8 9"=Shema,
Neh 8*.
SAMOS (Sd/iot), one of the most important islands in the ^•Ega,>an, is separated from the coast of Ionia by the narrow straits in which the Greeks met the Persian lleet and won the decisive victory of Mycale, B.C. 479. It was the centre of Ionian luxury, art, and science ; and, from the moment when it became a member of the Ionic confederacy to the time when it was deprived of its freedom by Vespasian, its history is full of interest. In n.c. 84 it was united to the province of Asia, and in B.C. 17 it was made a free city by Augustus. This was the political status when St. Paul, after pa-^ising Chios, touched at Samos (Ac 20" UV) on his return from his third niis- ■ionary journey. There were many Jewish residents on the island (1 Mac IS'"), who ob- tained numerous privileges when Marcus Agrippa and Herod visite<f Samos. The latter also made presents to the Samians (Ant. XVI. ii. 2, 4 ; BJ I. xxi. 11). Descriptions of the island and its his- toiy will be found in Tournefort, Vuyiige de Lecanle, ii. 103 etc.; Boss, lieise an/ die griech. Inndn, iL 139 etc. ; Murray, Handbook to Asia Minor, etc. pp. 359-361. C. W. WiLSON.
8AM0THRACE CZaiioBpiKr,, i.e. the Thracian Samos).— An island of considerable size in the ii^^gaan Si:i, lo the south of the coast of Thrace, and north-west from the city of Troas. St. Paul * Oil the Himilarity of the Dames Shamgar aod ^mgar Me Voora, Judiie4, lua
and his companions, sailing from Troas, made a straight run, without tacking (see Rhegium), across the sea to Samotlirace (Ac 16") ; and the next day they sailed north to Neapolis, on the Thracian coast, which, according to Pliny {Xat. Hist. iv. 23), was about 38 miles from the island, though the actual distance is hardly more than about 20 miles. At the northern end of the island was the town, called by the same name ; and here, doubtless, it was that the ship which carried St. Paul cast anchor for the night. Ac 20', also, probably implies that the ship anchored for a night at Samothrace ; but no details are recorded. There was no good harbour at anj- point round the island, which therefore was ditiicult of approach {importuosi.ixima omnium, as Pliny says) ; but the ancient Greek sailors always liked to amhor for the night, if convenient or possible (Ac 20'''- '").
Samothrace is a mountainous island ; and in the view from the Trojan coast it forms a huge mass behind and towering over the intermediate island of Inibros. Its summit rises to 5240 ft.; and there Homer describes the sea-god Poseidon taking his seat to survei' the battle before Troy. In a similar way the island of Samos on the coast of Ionia forms a huge mass rising boldly out of the sea ; and the common name Samos is probably due, not to colonization from one to tlie other, nor to common stock in the inhabitants, but to the character of the islands, each in the distance look- ing like a single huge mountain.*
Samothrace, being unsuited for a tradii^ centre by its harbourless nature, played little part in Greek history. Its only importance is due to the cult of the mysterious gods called Cabiri, who were said to have been worshipped by the original Pelasgian inhabitants of the island (Herod, ii. 51). The Slysteries of the Cabiri rivalled those of Eleusis in reputation and attractiveness during the later centuries of Greek history ; and Philip of Macedon was initiated at Samothrace.
W. M. Ramsay.
SAMPSAMES (nV So/i^tdMlt, which is followed by A V and RV ; A Zafi\pdi:ri^ ; Lat. VSS Lampsacus). — One of the places to which the Romans are said to have written in favour of the Jews, 1 Mac 15^. It is usually identilied with Samsun, a seaport town on the Black Sea, between Sinope and Tre- bizond (cf. Ramsay, Mist. Geog. of Asia minor, 273).
SAMSON.—
i. The Dame. IL The narrativa. UL The sources. iv. The historical hack(rround. V. Historical importance. vi. Sijfnificance lor the history of rellcrion. vii. 8iirni8cance for the history of civilization, viii. Mytbolojfical traces. Literature.
L The Name. — The pronunciation Samson is derived from the Vulgate, which follows the LXX Vo/i^iii', using a vowel older than the { of the Heb. |Wct;> H/nnuihun. The name is not to be derived from po, or cc», or a-v ' serve ' (cf. Moore on Jg 13**), but is formed from a-:;' ' sun ' bj' means of the denominating ending ['i ; a diminutive sense = ' little sun' (cf. the Arab, name Shumnis in Niildeke, ZDMG xl. p. lOG) is less probable than a derivation with the sense ' sunny, ' sun's man ' (cf. Ges. - Kautzsch, Gram.^ § 86f. g.). It is natural to think of the Danite city Betiisiieme.sh, which was not far from Samson's birthplace. The name SanLson is cimlincd in the OT to the judge (but cf. •e'v*' Shim.i/iai, Ezr 4"'- "•'^), and is found nowhere but in Jg 13-16, which have him for