Sinim
Summary
A distant land mentioned in Isaiah's prophecy of Israel's regathering, commonly identified with China or the Far East.
☩Prophetic Reference
The land of Sinim appears in Isaiah's prophecy concerning the future gathering of God's scattered people from the extremities of the known world. Isaiah declares that they will come 'from far,' from 'the north and from the west,' and 'from the land of Sinim.' The context places Sinim at the furthest reaches of the earth, either in the south or east.
☩Identification with China
The majority of modern scholars identify Sinim with the classical Sinae, the inhabitants of southern China. Trade routes connected the Far East with Western Asia from very early times, and the name may have been known to Isaiah even though Jews had not yet settled there. The Sinae were Chinese traders whose town was Thinae, a great emporium in western China. The Septuagint renders it 'Persians,' suggesting an eastern location.
☩Alternative Identifications
Some scholars have proposed southern locations such as Sin (Pelusium) in Egypt or Syene (Aswan), but these seem too near to satisfy the context of extreme remoteness. The threefold grouping—from far, from the north and west, and from Sinim—suggests a distinct eastern quarter of the world.
Related Verses1 mention
Isaiah· 1 verse
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Sinim," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IX (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Sinim, Land of," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Sinim," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).