Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia SHEEP-SHEARING shep'-sher-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, 4) or by regular "shearers" (gazaz) (1 Samuel 25:7, 11 Isaiah 53:7). There were special houses for this work in Old Testament times (2 Kings 10:12, 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." James A. Patch