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Sheep-Shearing

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• Sheep-Shearing

shēp´shēr - ing : The sheep-shearing is done in the springtime, either by the owners ( Genesis 31:19; Genesis 38:13; Deuteronomy 15:19; 1 Samuel 25:2 , 1 Samuel 25:4 ) or by regular "shearers" (גּזז , gāzaz ) (1 Samuel 25:7 , 1 Samuel 25:11; Isaiah 53:7 ). There were special houses for this work in Old Testament times (2 Kings 10:12 , 2 Kings 10:14 ). The shearing was carefully done so as to keep the fleece whole (Judges 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 2 Kings 3:4 , Mesha, the chief or sheikh of Moab, was a sheep-master, literally, "a sheep spotter."