Meaning
Sheep-Shearing shep'-sher-ing: The sheep-shearing is done in the springtime, either by the owners (Gen 31:19, Gen 38:13, Deu 15:19, 1Sa 25:2, 1Sa 25:4) or by regular "shearers" (gazaz) (1Sa 25:7, 1Sa 25:11, Isa 53:7). There were special houses for this work in Old Testament times (2Ki 10:12, 2Ki 10:14). The shearing was carefully done so as to keep the fleece whole (Jud 6:37). The sheep of a flock are not branded but spotted. Lime or some dyestuff is painted in one or more spots on the wool of the back as a distinguishing mark. In 2Ki 3:4, Mesha, the chief or sheikh of Moab, was a sheep-master, literally, "a sheep spotter."
James A. Patch
