Who are the Sebeans?

The word Sabeans in the Bible has a hidden meaning. Their identity has been confusing as Bible scholars exclude notes about the Sabeans in many Bible commentaries and concordances. Some theologians believed that the Sheba and Sabeans formed one and the same people in the Bible. Yet, the Bible makes accurate distinctions between the two. Sabeans is mentioned in many places in the Bible, which are obscure and spiritual. The Sabeans are a very strange people with complicated identity and place of origin. They are found in the Bible passages of Job 1:5; Isaiah 45:14 and Joel 3:8. Their spiritual roles in the plans of God stand out significantly above the Sheba even though they shared common identity in the Bible. In Job 1: 15-19, Sabeans is mentioned as one of the destructive forces; the others are God, Chaldeans and nature. These destructive forces in Job's time explained the real state of mankind and the consequences of man's life. The Sabeans stand for the oldest period of Adam's time and its location (Africa). The Chaldeans formed the new world that will pass through 3 millennial ages. In the intervals, God sent fire and was directly involved in the punishment given to Job who was an example of life situations in cosmic world. Then lastly, nature was called to play a part in the catastrophe that befell Job in the time of his cosmopolitan test. And, the Bible refers to Job as a righteous man from the east, (Likely of creation). In the book of Isaiah 45: 11-14, God speaks about the Sabeans' fundamental purpose to be part of Jerusalem and the temple of the God of Israel. The tall Sabeans were drafted in the circus with Cyrus to free them from spiritual chain and allow them rebuild spiritual temple. The passage obviously referred to the future temple and Jerusalem, Amos 9:11. In Joel 3: 6-8, God gives the link and connection between the Sabeans and the Israelites. In the period of Greek dominance of the world affairs and migrations took place, knowledge was increased and inventions with the writing of the scriptures. The Greeks and the Romans dominated the world's government during the period. It was during this period that major migrations of the Jews into Gentile's nations took place. Joel 3:4-8 gives vivid explanations on how the journey evolved and where the Sabeans come into the scene. Many Bible authors mention this route of their migration in a different way. In Isaiah 43:3; it runs similar to Isaiah 45:14. Then, Amos 9:7 stated clearly that God considers the Cushites in a similar way with the Israelites. And, throughout their journey into nations He will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob but preserved them for a time, Amos 9:8. Isaiah 45:19 states thus: “I have not spoken in secret, From somewhere in the land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain.' I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right. (NIV) All through the Bible the records about the Sabeans points towards Africa. The name Sabeans is Biblically rooted and divinely designed to represent special people with a spiritual destiny. They are not known by their earthly names but the symbolic name – Sabeans, which has connotation with some spiritual things in the Bible. The assonance and consonance in both Sabeans and Sea-birds are points to note. The dictionary meaning of sea-bird is “Bird that lives close to sea and gets it food from it”. The Sabeans are literally located in areas that are fed by the waters from the sea. The first was the land of the four rivers in the Garden of Eden. The second is the land beyond the river of Cush, sending envoys by sea (Isa. 18:1-2); mentioned in Isaiah 45:14. Their spiritual link to the temple is typified of the “river from the temple” Ezek. 47:1-12. The Sabeans is characterized by the terms in Psalm 1:3 and Luke 13:18. The location and identity of the Sabeans is quite obscure but spiritually discerned to fulfill God purpose for the world. They are located in the African continent and are divided by waters like the place of Eden; “From a people tall and smooth skinned, From a people feared far and wide, An aggressive nation of strange speech, Whose land is divided by rivers-”.