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•STREET The street called “Straight” at Damascus (Acts 9:11) is “a long broad street, running from east to west, about a mile in length, and forming the principal thoroughfare in the city.” In Oriental towns streets are usually narrow and irregular and filthy (Psalm 18:42; Isaiah 10:6). “It is remarkable,” says Porter, “that all the important cities of Palestine and Syria Samaria, Caesarea, Gerasa, Bozrah, Damascus, Palmyra, had their ‘straight streets’ running through the centre of the city, and lined with stately rows of columns. The most perfect now remaining are those of Palmyra and Gerasa, where long ranges of the columns still stand.”, Through Samaria, etc.
•STRIPES as a punishment were not to exceed forty (Deuteronomy 25:1-3), and hence arose the custom of limiting them to thirty-nine (2 Corinthians 11:24). Paul claimed the privilege of a Roman citizen in regard to the infliction of stripes (Acts 16:37, 38; 22:25-29). Our Lord was beaten with stripes (Matthew 27:26).
•SUBSCRIPTIONS The subscriptions to Paul’s epistles are no part of the original. In their present form they are ascribed to Euthalius, a bishop of the fifth century. Some of them are obviously incorrect.
•SUBURBS the immediate vicinity of a city or town (Numbers 35:3, 7; Ezekiel 45:2). In 2 Kings 23:11 the Hebrew word there used (parvarim) occurs nowhere else. The Revised Version renders it “precincts.” The singular form of this Hebrew word (parvar) is supposed by some to be the same as Parbar (q.v.), which occurs twice in 1 Chronicles 26:18.
•SUCCOTH booths. (1.) The first encampment of the Israelites after leaving Ramesses (Exodus 12:37); the civil name of Pithom (q.v.).
(2.) A city on the east of Jordan, identified with Tell Dar’ala, a high mound, a mass of debris, in the plain north of Jabbok and about one mile from it (Joshua 13:27). Here Jacob (Genesis 32:17, 30; 33:17), on his return from Padan-aram after his interview with Esau, built a house for himself and made booths for his cattle. The princes of this city churlishly refused to afford help to Gideon and his 300 men when “faint yet pursuing” they followed one of the bands of the fugitive Midianites after
the great victory at Gilboa. After overtaking and routing this band at Karkor, Gideon on his return visited the rulers of the city with severe punishment. “He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth” (Judges 8:13-16). At this place were erected the foundries for casting the metal-work for the temple (1 Kings 7:46).