LnERATHRK. — Keil, Bib. Arch. ii. 199 ff.; Benzingrer, Efh. Ari-h. iiji. 103 ff., 224-227; Stade, GVl i. pp. 14, 15 fl.; Schwally, Das LeU'ii nach devi Tvd^, pp. 54-fi6 ; Conder, Syrian Stmie Lore ; K. H. Cll.arles. Eschatolofry : Hebrew, Jewish, and Christian; Thomson, Land and Book; Bliss, Eaxavatimis at Jerws.; SlfP, vols. i. andiv.; PEFSt, passim; ZDPV,paisim.
Thomas Nicol. SERAH (n-ii;').— A daughter of Asher, Gn 46" (A laap, JJ i:dppa), Nu 26«i»l (B Kdpa, B"'' AF £dpa, AV Sarah), 1 Ch ?*> (B Sipe, A Zdpai).
SERAIAH (t-i.Tf, "n'r. LXX Sapotos or Sapaid).— 1. Scribe or secretary in the reign of David, 2S 8" (B 'A(Td, A 2apaias). In 2 S 20'^ he is called Sheva il^erS Nitr, Keth. k'P), B Ttjitous, A 'I<roCs. In 1 K 4' the name appears as Shisha x'i"P (B -afii, A -fi<rd). This form or Shasha would be restored else- where by Thenius, Wellhausen, and Stade ; while Klostermann prefers the form Shavsha kv'ic' (B 'l7)(roCs, X 2oi)s, A -oi'ffd), which is found in 1 Ch 18". 2. High priest in the reign of Zedekiah. He was put to death with otlier distinguished captives by order of Nebuchadnezzar at Kiblah, 2 K 25"*--', Jer 52-''". He is mentioned in the list of high priests, 1 Ch G". Ezra clainjed descent from him, Ezr7' (1 Es8' Azaraia8,2Es 1' Saraias). His name also occurs in 1 Es 5'' Saraias. 3. One of ' the cap- tains of the forces ' who joined Gedaliah at Mizpah after his ajipointment as governor by Nebuchad- nezzar, 2 K 2.5'^, Jer 40*. The text of Kings is evi- dently abridged from that of Jeremiah. The epithet 'the Netophathite' applied to his father in Kings really lielongs to a dili'erent person. 4. Second son of Kenaz, and brother of Othniel, 1 Ch 4"- ". He was father of Joab, who was the 'father 'of the
• PEFSl, 1893, p. 119 ff. t Handbook to the Bible, p. 856.
t The Land and the Book (Southern Palestine and Jeru- salem).
Valley of Craftsmen, cf. Neh 11''. 5. Grandfather of Jeliu, a prince of Simeon, 1 Ch 4". 6. One of the twelve leaders who returned with Zerubbabel, Ezr 2-. In the corresponding list, Neh V, he is called Azariah (1 Es 5* Zaraias). 7. A priestly clan, probably named after the high priest of No. 2. This course of priests was lirst in order in the times of Zerubbabel (Neh 12-, 1 Es 5'), Joiakim (Neh 12i=), and Nehemiah (Neh 10"). This family is noted as one of those that .settled in Jerusalem (Neh 11"). In the corresiionding list, 1 Ch 9", Azariah is substituted. ' Very probably they were father and son, and the two lists hava selected ditlerent names to represent the priestly house, cf. 1 Ch 7"' (Ryle). 8. One of the three princes whom Jehoiakim sent to ai)prehend Jere- miah and Baruch (Jer 36-"). 9. Son of Neriah and brother of Baruch, Jer SP""**. He held the office of .irii:p Hi' (AV 'a quiet prince,' ni. 'or prince of Me- nuclia or chief chamberlain ' ; RV ' chief chamber- lain,' m. 'or quartermaster'). TheVulg. tr. prinre/js prophelke; the Targ. (N.7?-ip-n an) and LXX (S.px'^' Siipux), followed by Gratz and Cheyne, read ' in command over(tlje)gifts,'i.e. r.:n:z-yj. In this official capacity he attended Zedekiah when that prince went to Babylon to pay homage to Nebuchadnezzar. Like his brother Baruch, he was a friend of Jere- miah ; and the prophet having written in a book the denunciations against Babylon that are now contained in Jer 50-5P*, entrusted the volume to Seraiah, and bade him on his arrival at Babylon to read the prophecies, publicly, as it would seem, and then with the symbolic action of a prophet to cast the book into the Euphrates and proclaim, ' Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise again because of the evil that I will bring upon her.' This scene suggested to St. John the imagery of Rev WK N. J. D. White.
SERAPHIM (D'9-i!7 ; 2fpa0c(;U and ^epatpelv ; sera- phim).— The seraphim are an order of celestial ueings referred to only in Is 6-"'. In his vision of .1 " the prophet sees them as attendants of the heavenly court, ministers of the ideal sanctuary. They are apparently human in form — they have faces, hands, and feet (w."-'); each of them has three pairs of wings (v.^) ; they stand or hover above J" as He sits upon His throne (v.-) ; and they proclaim His holmess in antiphonal chant (v.»).
Opinion varies as to the origin of the word and the conception. Gesenius was doubtful, but thought it best to connect the term with the Arab.
i__j-..i 'to be noble,' thus viewing the seraphim as the princes or nobles of the heavenly court. A considerable number of Jewish writers, such aa Abulwalid and Kimchi, derived the word from •p.-;', regarding the seraphim as bright or shininrj angels. But ''{Vf means 'to bum,' not 'to shine,' and ac- cordingly others have supposed the word to denote the ardent love or burning zeal of the Divine attendants. The verbal root, however, is not in- transitive, but active ; it means not to rjlotv with heat, but to consume toith fire. Hence the seraphim would have rather to be regarded as agents of purification by fire. This is in accordance with Is 6', where one of the spirits is represented as carrying celestial fire from oft' the altar to purify the lips of the prophet and purge away his sin (but see Dillm.-Kittel, ad loc).