Objects — S

Sabbath

The seventh day, blessed and made sacred because Yahweh rested after making the heavens, earth and sea. Moses tells Israel it is a holy day of complete rest; whoever works is put to death, and no fire may be lit in the homes.

sackcloth

Jacob puts sackcloth around his waist when he mourns Joseph, believing a wild animal has devoured him in Genesis 37.

sacred-poles

Israel must cut down the sacred poles of the nations whose land they enter, along with tearing down their altars and smashing their cultic stones.

sand

Sand on the seashore pictures Abraham's and Jacob's descendants; Joseph gathers grain like sand in Genesis 41; in Exodus 2 Moses hides the Egyptian he killed in the sand.

sandals

At Horeb Yahweh tells Moses to take off his sandals; in Exodus 12 Israel eats the Passover with sandals on their feet, ready to leave.

sapphire

A precious stone in the second row of the breastplate of judgement, with garnet and diamond.

sapphire-pavement

When Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy elders see the God of Israel, beneath his feet there is what looks like a sapphire pavement, pure as the heavens.

sard

A precious stone in the first row of the breastplate of judgement, with topaz and emerald.

scarlet-thread

A scarlet thread tied to the hand of Tamar's first twin at birth marks which child seemed to come first in Genesis 38.

scented-reed

Scented reed, two hundred and fifty shekels, is blended with myrrh, cinnamon, cassia and a hin of olive oil into the holy anointing oil. Distinct from the Nile reeds among which Moses' basket was laid.

sceptre

Symbol of royal or tribal rule; in Genesis 49 Jacob declares the sceptre shall not pass from Judah until tribute and the peoples' obedience come to him.

screen

A screen of finely woven linen embroidered with violet-purple, red-purple and crimson. One hangs on five gold-overlaid poles at the tent entrance; another, twenty cubits wide on four poles, closes the gateway of the court.

seal

Judah's seal is one of the personal items Tamar keeps as a pledge when he sleeps with her at Enaim in Genesis 38.

seed

Joseph gives seed to the Egyptians after acquiring their land for Pharaoh in Genesis 47, so they can sow the land and return one-fifth of the harvest.

she-goat

She-goats appear in Abram's covenant rite, in Rebekah's meal for Isaac, among the droves Jacob sends to Esau, and as the kid Judah promises Tamar at Enaim in Genesis 38.

sheaves

Sheaves of grain appear in Joseph's first dream in Genesis 37; in Genesis 41 ears of grain fill Pharaoh's second dream and Joseph stores grain against the coming famine.

sheep

Sheep mark pastoral wealth; a stolen animal from the flock found alive is paid back double, and disputed flock ownership is laid before God.

shekel

Shekels of silver are used to value Abraham's purchase from Ephron, to pay for Joseph when his brothers sell him, and Joseph gives Benjamin three hundred shekels of silver in Genesis 45.

shield

Yahweh identifies himself as Abram's shield in the opening promise of Genesis 15.

silver

Silver marks wealth and worship furnishings; Israel gives silver as a freewill contribution. The Dwelling's frames rest on silver sockets; the court's poles are joined by silver rods, with silver hooks. Bezalel is filled with God's spirit to work in gold, silver and bronze.

sin-offering

The young bull of the priests' consecration is a sin offering: its blood is put on the altar horns, its fat is burned on the altar, and its flesh, skin and offal are burned outside the camp. Each of the seven days of investiture a young bull is also offered as a sacrifice for sin, in expiation for the altar.

skin-of-water

A skin of water is given to Hagar and later refilled at the wilderness well.

smoke

Abraham saw smoke rising from the destroyed plain like smoke from a furnace; at Sinai the people see the mountain smoking with thunder, lightning and trumpet, and keep their distance.

snake

In Exodus 4 Moses' staff thrown on the ground turns into a snake and back into a staff as the first sign that Yahweh has appeared to him.

sockets

Bases for the Dwelling's frames and poles, and for the court's hangings. Silver sockets hold the inner frames and curtain poles; bronze sockets hold the tent-entrance screen and all the court's poles.

soot

Handfuls of soot from the kiln are thrown into the air by Moses, becoming fine dust that produces boils in Exodus 9.

spelt

Spelt survives the hail plague in Exodus 9 because it is a late crop.

spices

Spices for the anointing oil are accepted with oil for the light and fragrant incense as a freewill contribution for the Dwelling. The finest spices — fresh myrrh, fragrant cinnamon, scented reed and cassia — are blended with a hin of olive oil into the holy anointing oil; sweet spices with frankincense make the reserved incense.

spring

The spring near Nahor's city is where the servant meets Rebekah; at Elim there are twelve springs where Israel camps after Marah.

staff

A walking or ruling staff; Moses takes the staff with which he struck the River and strikes the rock at Horeb, then stands on the hilltop with the staff of God while Joshua fights Amalek.

standing-stones

Moses builds an altar at the foot of Sinai with twelve standing-stones for the twelve tribes of Israel.

stars

The stars are used repeatedly to picture the future number of Abraham's descendants. Moses recalls that oath after the golden calf: offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven.

stew

Stew appears in Jacob's lentil stew exchange with Esau and in the special dish Rebekah prepares to secure Isaac's blessing.

stick

If people quarrel and one strikes the other so that the injured party is confined to bed, the striker has no further liability once the injured party can go about, even with a stick, other than compensation and care until the cure is complete.

stone

Rock or memorial stone; a blow with stone or fist that confines someone to bed requires compensation, and a goring ox that kills a person is stoned.

stone-tablets

Yahweh tells Moses to cut two new tablets like the first, which he broke, and come up Sinai; after forty days Moses writes the Ten Words of the covenant on them.

storax

Storax is one of the sweet spices, with onycha, galbanum and pure frankincense in equal parts, compounded into a salted, pure, and holy incense reserved for Yahweh.

straw

Straw feeds camels in Genesis 24 and binds bricks in Egypt; in Exodus 5 Pharaoh stops providing it and forces Israel to gather their own while keeping the brick quota.

stubble

When Pharaoh withholds straw for brickmaking, Israel scatters over Egypt gathering stubble as a substitute.

sword

The sword marks violence and threat; if widows or orphans are ill-treated, Yahweh's anger is roused and he puts the oppressors to the sword. After the golden calf the Levites buckle on the sword and go through the camp slaughtering brother, friend and neighbour.