SIHOR
SIHOR (
Σιώρ)
1.
The torrent more commonly known as “the River of Egypt,” the southern boundary of the Promised Land, identified by the LXX. with Rhinocorura, the modern
Wady-el-Arish. [
RHINOCORURA] (
Joshua, 13.3; 1
Chron. 13.5;
Jeremiah, 2.18.)
In the first cited passage, the LXX. read
᾿απὸ τῆς ἀοικήτου τῆς κατὰ πρόσωπον Αἰγύπτου; in the second,
ἀπὸ ὁρίων Αἰγύπτου, and only in the last is a proper name retained, and there it is changed to
Γηῶν. St. Jerome (
Onomast. s. v), following Eusebius, describes it as before Egypt, and speaks of a village of the name between Aelia and Eleutheropolis, which it is difficult to imagine that they could have identified with the Sihor above named. St. Jerome says that he has said more on the subject “in libris Hebraicorum quaestionum,” but the passage is not to be found there.
In his “Epitaphium Paulae” he writes, “veniam ad Aegypti flumen Sior, qui interpretatur turbidus” (p. 677); but he here probably means the Nile, which is sometimes supposed to be called Sihor, as in the passage of Jeremiah above referred to.
The village named by Eusebius and St. Jerome doubtless marked the site of the city of the tribe of Judah, situated in the mountains, and written Zior in the authorised version, but HEBREW in the original (
Joshua, 15.54), and in the LXX.
Σίωρ, (al.
Σωραίθ).
2.
SIHOR or SHIHOR LIBNATH (LXX.
Σιὼν καὶ Λαβανάθ), perhaps to be taken as two names, as by the LXX., Eusebius, and St. Jerome, who name “Sior in tribu Aser,” without the addition of Libnath.
It is mentioned only in the border of Asher. (
Joshua, 19.26.)
The various conjectures concerning the place or places are stated by Bonfrerius (
Comment. in loc.), but none are satisfactory, and the site or sites have still to be recovered. [
G.W]
