became the present saline morass (6 m. broad by 10 long), es-Sebkha," S. of the Dead Sea ;t a tradi-
• The word ' Sebkha ' means salt and watery grouruL
I Against the view that these cities were at the Sorth CDd of
(ion of this prehistoric event is preserved in Gn 19, wlieie it is connected with the history of Lot IJlanckeuhorn considers that this earthquake wa< ' lekl'jnic,' i.e. connected with a dislocation of the earth's crust, taking place at a 'fault' (such as pass along both the E. and the W. sides of ths Dead Sea).* Diener, in a criticism of his article.t while agieeing that it was an earthquake which destroyed the four cities, regards it not aa ' tektonic,' but rather as a local suljsidence, accom- panied by an effusion of underground water, which may well have taken place in the age of Abraham (pp. 13-16, '22) ; as a [larallel he quotes the earth- quake near Lake Baikal (in Central Asia) in 1862, which broke up a large area of the atljacent alluvial soil, so that it sank, and the lake covered it. Blanckenhorn in his reply (ZDPV, 1898, H. 2, pp. 65-83) maintains (pp. 70-76) that this view is improbable, and inconsistent with the fact that all the conditions for a 'tektonic' earthquake are present in the Jordan Valley ; and he supports his opinion by quotations from two high geological authorities, SUss and Homes. Which of these two views is the more probable, a writer who is no geologist is naturally not in a position to say ; perhaps some one sulhciently conversant with the geology of the district could explain whether it might not be possible to combine them, or, in other word.s, to sup] lose that the ' tektonic ' dislocation, producing the broader features of the S. end of the Dead Sea, took place at the beginning of the post- glacial period, while the local subsidence, producing the submergence of the ' Vale of Siddim ' under the present lagoon, and overthrowing the four cities, may have followed long aftierwards, in the dajs of Abraham-t S. R. DRIVER.
SIDE {'ZlSri ; Side).— One of the towns to which the Roman Senate sent letters in favour of Simon Maccabiieus and the Jews (1 Mac 15'-^). It was colonized by Cyme, surrendered to Alexander, be- came the chief port of the pirates, — who used it as a market to dispose of their plunder, — and was an important town under the Roman emperors. It was closely connected with Aradus in Phoenicia, and the men of Side and Aradus fought side by side in the fleet of Antiochus the Great when it was defeated by the Rhodians off the harbour of Side. The town occupied a low triangular pro- montory on the coast of Pamphylia. It had two harbours, and was strongly fortified. The ruins, now known as Eski Adalia, are about 10 miles east of the Kcu/iri Sti, the river Eurymedon, and are extensive and interesting. They include the remains of a very large theatre, the city walls and their gates, temples, a nymphiBum, streets A-ith covered porticoes, etc. (Murray, Hbk. to Asia Minor, p. 173). C. W. WiLSOS.
SIDON, SIDONIANS.— See Zidon, Zidonians.
SIGN (n'lN, atinetov, signum) is used throughout the IJible of any sj'mbol or token, but more especi- ally of such as mark the relation of man to God anil the providential care which God lavishes upon men. Tlie rainbow was the first sign of this (Gn 9'-) as the token of a Divine covenant. The Jews, from the beginning of their chequered hiscory, counted themselves God's chosen people ; and
the Dead Sea, see vol. iii. p. 151»- >>, and art. Zoar ; it is at the S.\V. corner of the Dead Sea, also, that, accordintr to Blancken- hom (pp. 60, 63, and Profll iv. in Tafel iv.), bitumen deposit* (cf. Gn 141^) are particularly abundant.
• See Blanckenhorn's Geol. map.
t ilMh. der kaU. kiin. Uuogr. GV«. in Wim, 1897, pp. 1-22.
i Prof. Hull does not seem either in his PEF Memoir nn tht Geol. 0/ Arabia I'etrma and PaJestiru or in ilount Seir (pp. inDff., 133) to have discussed the special question of the forma- tion of the Sebkha. Ulanckenhorn (1898, p. 76) denies that it U a purely alluvial formation.
SIGNET
SIHON
513
circumcision wiia the sign of the covenant relation in wliich a .Jew stood to the God of Abraliam (Gn 17", Ko 4"). Living under the direct rule of J", they looked for signs of His power and pledges of Uis care at every crisis of their fortunes. Such were the plagues of Egypt (Ex 10-) ; such was the visitation vouchsafed to Gideon (Jg 6") ; sucli were the events b^' which Saul was assured of his future dignity as king (1 S lU'). The projihets frequently allege their forecasts of the future as signs that their message is from J" (Is 7" 38', Jer 44=^, Ezk 14"). St. Paul's observation that '.lews ask for signs' (1 Co I—) is abund.antly illustrated by the Gospels (Mt 12™ 16', Lk ll''*- =», Jn 4«) ; they demanded of Christ credentials of His authority to speak in the name of God. It will be observecl that a sign need not nccessarilv be miraculous (see I S 2", and esn. Is 8" 20* where the expression sign and wonder is applied to events which were only extraordinary because unexpected) ; the dis- tinction between nntunU and supernatural pheno- mena was not clearly conceived by the simple piety of the Jews.* But (although Joiin did no si^n, Jn W) a sign is closely associated with the idea of prophetical prediction and warning. That was the motive of the sign of Jonah (Mt 12"). A sign was given to the shepherds (Lk 2'-); Simeon de- clared that Jesus Himself was tls a-rjfietoi' di'TiXeyi- luvov (Lk 2^). Christ's miraculous works are spoken of all through St. John's Gospel as His signs (Jn 3' 4" etc.) ; they are the signs of one who declares 'His almighty power most chiefly in showing mercy and pity.' So signs were >vrought in His name by the apostles (ilk 16-*, Ac 4'"), by Stephen (Ac 6*), and by Philip (Ac 8«- ") ; and the signs of an apostle are claimed by St. Paul (2 Co 12'*, cf. Ac 15'*). And, though we m.ay not recog- nize them when they come, the end of the present dispensation shall be ushered in by signs (Mt 24'", Lk 21", 2 Th 2», Rev 12' \Z^ 15' 16" ly-"*). To seek a sign is not necessarily a mark of faithlessness (see Jn 6*) ; on the contrary, faith will naturally look for .such tokens of the Divine protection. It is the demand for prodigies, ripara, which is the mark of an ill-instructed and undisciplined mind (Jn 4*"). See Miracle, Nature.