בֵּית הַשִּׁמְשִׁי

𐤁𐤉𐤕 𐤄𐤔𐤌𐤔𐤉

Bêyth hash-Shimshîy

H1030 noun

SILEX Entry

Root בית שמש to house, to dwell, sun (as an element in place names)

Definition

Demonymic term denoting an inhabitant of Beth-shemesh, a specific town referenced in the Hebrew Bible. Refers to a person originating from or residing in Beth-shemesh; can also be used collectively to mean the people of Beth-shemesh. The semantic range includes both individuals and groups from this locality, functioning as a gentilic term.

Semantic Range

inhabitant of Beth-shemesh, collective inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, person originating from Beth-shemesh, Bethshemite

Root / Etymology

Formed from the noun בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ (Beth-shemesh, meaning 'house of the sun'), with the addition of the definite article (ה) and a gentilic ending (ִי, -i), indicating origin or affiliation with a place. The phrase כֵּית הַשִּׁמְשִׁי directly translates as 'the (person) of Beth-shemesh.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

Beth-shemesh was an important Levitical town in the territory allotted to Judah, located on the border between the territories of the Israelite tribes of Judah and Dan, and sometimes attributed to Naphtali as well. The term בֵּית הַשִּׁמְשִׁי occurs specifically in contexts describing the inhabitants of this town, such as in 1 Samuel 6:9–20, which records the episode of the return of the Ark and the response of the local population. Unlike some other gentilics in Hebrew, this form preserves the definite article, a feature that may reflect its specific local and narrative usage. English translations often render this word as 'Bethshemite'; however, 'an inhabitant of Beth-shemesh' more accurately conveys the term's referential nature. 'Beth-shemesh' itself means 'house of the sun,' suggesting possible historical connections to a solar cult or local topography, but the gentilical term בֵּית הַשִּׁמְשִׁי itself does not denote such associations — it purely refers to place of origin or residence. The term is distinct from standard Israelite gentilic forms, as it includes the article and attaches the masculine singular gentilic ending.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

patrial from בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ with the article inserted; a Beth-shimshite, or inhabitant of Bethshemesh; Bethshemite.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בנה (b-n-h) — to build, construct, establish, found (a family)

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1004 בַּיִת in the houses
H1005 בַּיִת the built-house
H1006 בַּיִת the house
H1007 בֵּית אָוֶן house-of
H1008 בֵּית־אֵל in house of

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1030-01 בֵּֽית beyt HNgmsa Beth house-of 2
H1030-02 הַשִּׁמְשִׁי֙ hashimeshi HNgmsa shemesh Beth-shemeshite 2

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1030-01 1 Samuel 6:14 בֵּֽית beyt HNgmsa Beth house-of
H1030-02 1 Samuel 6:14 הַשִּׁמְשִׁי֙ hashimeshi HNgmsa Shemite Beth-shemeshite
H1030-01 1 Samuel 6:18 בֵּֽית beyt HNgmsa Beth- house-of
H1030-02 1 Samuel 6:18 הַשִּׁמְשִֽׁי hashimeshi HNgmsa shemesh Beth-shemeshite