2. A town in the hill-country of Judah, named with Jattir, Dannah, and Debir (Jos IS''^ B 2wx<'» A 2wxu). The Soco of 1 Ch 4'* is apparently the same place. It ia now Khurbet Shuweikeh, to the S.W. of Hebron, and near Esbtemoa. There are some insignificant remains (Rob. DRP* L 494 ; PEF Mem. iii. 410).
At Socoh, according to the Talmud, was bom Antigonus, — the first Jew known to have taken a Greek name, — who was noted as the disciple of Simon the Just, and the master of Sadok, the reputed founder of the Sadducees. It is not, how- ever, known of which of the two Socohs he was • native (Neubauer. Gcug. du Talmud, p. 121).
C. W. Wilson.
SOD, SODDEN.— See Seethe.
SODI ('^^D, perh. = ."I'Tio ' intimacy of Jab '). — The father of the Zebulu'nite spy, Nu 13" (B 2oi/«e<, A 2oi/Sl).
SODOM (D-ip, 26Jo.(ui).— One of the five 'cities of the Plain' in the time of Abraham and Lot, destroyed by fire from heaven (On 19") for the wickedness of the inhabitants.* Its position, ia
• Tlie five cities were Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiin, and Zoar (Gn 142, Dt 2923). That tlie language of St Jude is not
SODOM, VINE OF
SOLOMON
559
the ojiinion of the present writer, was on the Anibab north of the Dead Sea not far from Go- MORRAll (whicli see). Weijjhty authorities, how- ever, can be cited in favour of a site at the S. enil of theSea(Dillm. Genesis, 111 f. ; Kobinson, BnP-\\. 187 H. ; G. A. Smith, //G/7I. 505 tr. ; Blanckenhorn, ZDPV \\x. (ISlHi) 53 ir.; Baedeker-Socin, Pn/. 3, 140; Buhl, GAP 117, 271, 274; see also art. Zoar). Tho wickedness of tlie Sodomites apjiears to have been so heinous and debasing as to liave become proverbial (Gn 13'^ IS*", La 4«, Is 3», cf. 2 P 2«, Jude '). The term ' Sodomite ' (ir-ij) is used in Scrip- ture to describe oU'ences against tlie laws of nature which were frequently connected with idolatrous practices (cf. Dt 23", 1 K 14" 15", 2 K 2.3' ; see art. Sodomite). The fate of Sodom and Gomorrah is referred to by our Lord as a warning to those who reject tlie olfer of the gospel (Mt 10" ; cf. Jude', 2 P 2"). A spiritual or typical meaning is applied to the word in Revelation (11^).
E. Hull. SODOM, VINE OF.— See Vine.
SODOMITE (s'-'j, lit. 'sacred ' ; fern. np>ip, inade- quately tr. by EV 'harlot,' see note in RVm at Gn 38-^).— Tlie Eng. word is derived from SODOM [in 2 Es 7" 'Sodomites' of AV is used in lit. sense for ' people of Sodom ' (so RV)], where unnatural offences prevailed. But the Heb. kadcsh and kidhihah nave in view not ordinary immorality hnt religious prostitution, i.e. ' immorality practised in the worship of a deity and in tlie immediate precincts of a temple' (Driver, Deut. 264, where see references to authorities for the widespread existence of this practice). Such Upubov\oi. of either sex were not tolerated in Israel by the Deuteronoraic law (Dt 23"*- '" i"- '»0- The /cec/lihim are said to have been banished from Judali by Asa (1 K 15'°). References to tliem are found also in 1 K 14=^ 22''(«), 2 K 23', Job SG'\ while we meet with IfidcshOth in Gn 38="- and Hos 4".
J. A. Selbie.
SODOMITISH SEA, THE (mare Sodomitimm), 2 Es 5'. — A name for tlie Dead Sea. One of the signs of the times to come there "iven is that ' the Sodom sea shall ca-st out lish (cfT Ezk 47* for the belief that fish could not live in its waters), and make a noise in the night which many have not known.' This is the only passage in the Bible or the Apocr. which directly connects the lake with the Cities of the Plain; and even liere the name may be derived from the closeness of Sodom to the lake, and not from the incorrect theory of that city having been submerged by the Dead Sea. H. St. J. Tuackebay.
SOJOURNER.— See Ger.
SOLEMN, SOLEMNITY.— Derived through Old Fr. solenipne from Lat. sotteimtis (from sollus, entire, and annus, a year), 'solemn' means pro- perly that which occurs annually, and is tlicnce applied to any stated or regular occurrence. Thus Mt 27" Wye. ' But for a solempne day (Rhem. 'upon the solemne day') the justise was wonte to delyvere to tlie puple oon bounden'; Lk 2" Wye. 'And his fadir and raodir wenten eclie j-eer into lerusalcm, in the solenipne dale of pask'(Rheni. 'at the solemne day of Pasche'). And tlien, as that which was stated, especially when public, was frequently grand or ceremonious, ' solemn ' assumes this nieanin" ; thus Shaks. Tit. Andron. II. i. 112, •A solemn hunting is in hand'; Macbeth, III. i. 14, 'To-night we hold a solemn supper, sir.' Such
•T«ratr«ined in dcscribinp the hablta of the Gentile Inhabitanta of Eutirrn countries will be clear from tho account given by Prof. Kawlinson of the character of even the highly civilized PhaDiduis of Tyre and Sldon : Uitlory 9/ Phwnwia.
an occasion might be merry or sad, according to it« nature ; whence Chaucer, Prologue, 209 —
• A Frere ther won, a wantoun and a merye, A limitour, u ful solenipne man.'