4. One of those (apparently laymen) who stood at Ezra's right hand while he read the law to the people (Neh. viii, 4). B.C. 458.
5. A town in the south of Judah, named between Amam and Moladah (Josh, xv, 26). The place seems to have no connection with No. 1 above (see Keil, ad loc, Chron.), In the parallel list of towns set off from Jiidah to Simeon (Josh. xix. 2), the name appears as Sheba (q. v.), which is perhaps the more correct, as Shema never elsewhere appears as the appellation of a town. Knobel (in the Kurzgef. exeg. Hundh. ad loc.) suggests that it may be the present ruins Sameh, between Milh and Beer-sheba (Van de Velde, Syria, ii, 148).
Shema. Of themanypraj-ers now constituting the Jewish ritual, the Shema, so called from the first word, "■^w, i.e. ^ea?', occurring in it, was the only really fixed form of daily prayer which is mentioned at an early period. Being a kind of confession of faith, every Is- raelite was to repeat it morning and evening. The Shema itself consists of three passages from the Penta- teuch : 1, Shema Israel (Deut. vi, 4^9); 2, Vehayah im shamoa (xi, 13-21); and 3, Vayomer Jehovah el Mosheh (Numb. XV, 37-41). In the morning it was preceded by two and succeeded by one, and in the evening both pre- ceded and succeeded by two, prayers, which, although considerably enlarged, are still in use. We quote them (omitting all later additions), as probably in use at the time of our Lord :
Before the Shema, Morninq and Evening.— "'B]essed art thou, O Lord, King of the world, who formest the light and createst darkness, who makest peace and Greatest every tliiii":; who in mercy givest light to the earth and to tliiise who dwell upon it, and in thy goodness renew- est day by day, and continually, the works of creation. Blessed be the Lord our God for the glory of his handi- works, and for the light-giving lights which he hath made for his praise, Selab ! Blessed be the Lord who formed the lights !"
Subjecting the second praj-er to the same criticism, we read it :
"With great love thou hast loved ns, O Lord our God ! and with thy great compassion thou hast abundance of pity on us. O our Father ! our King ! for the sake of our fathers who trusted in thee, to whom thou didst teach the statutes of life, have compaKi<i(m on us, and enlighten our eyes iu thy law, and bind our hearts in thy command- ments. O unite our hearts to love and fear thy name, that we may not he abashed for evermore. For thou art a God who prei)aiest salvation, and us hast thou chosen from among all nations and tongues, and hast in truth brought us near to thy great name, Selah, in order that we in love may praise thee and praise thy unity. Blessed be the Lord who in love chose his people Israel."
Then follows the Shema :
" Hear, O Israel : the Lord thy God is one Lord. And
SHEMAAH
651
SHEMAIAH
thou Shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might, and these words, whicli I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And tliou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest iu thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upim thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates" (Dent, vi, 4-9). " And It shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my coniinandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the lirst rain and the latter rain, that thou mayust gather iu thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. Take heed to yourselves that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside and serve other gods, and worship them ; and then the Lord's wrath be kindled against yon, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from ofl" the good land which the Lord giveth you. Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets be- tween your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest iu thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upou the door-posts of thine house, and upon thy gates : that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your chil- dreu, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth" (Dent, xi, 13-21). "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying. Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: and it shall be uuto you for a fringe, that ye may look ni)on it, and re- member all the commandments of the Lord, and do them ; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye used to go astray: that ye may re- member aud do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God : I am the Lord your God" (Numb, xv, HV-^l).