גְּמַרְיָה
𐤂𐤌𐤓𐤉𐤄
Gemareyah
H1587 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A personal name meaning 'Yah(weh) has completed' or 'Yah(weh) has brought to an end.' Used as the name of two different Israelite men in the Hebrew Bible: (1) Gemaryahu son of Shaphan, a scribe in the court of King Jehoiakim of Judah; (2) Gemaryahu son of Hilkiah, a messenger sent by King Zedekiah to Babylon. The name reflects the theophoric combination common in ancient Israelite onomastics, expressing an act or quality attributed to Yah(weh). The semantic range includes the idea of bringing something to completion or fulfillment, often in the sense of a goal reached or a process concluded, with emphasis upon divinely enabled accomplishment.
Semantic Range
(personal name) Yahweh has brought to completion, Yahweh has brought to an end, Yahweh has fulfilled; (verb, root) to finish, to complete, to accomplish, to bring to an end
Root / Etymology
The name derives from the root גמר (g-m-r), 'to complete, finish, bring to an end,' combined with the theophoric element יהּ (Yah), a form of the divine name Yahweh. Thus, גְּמַרְיָה(וּ) literally means 'Yah(weh) has completed/fulfilled' or 'completion by Yah(weh).'
Historical & Contextual Notes
The name גְּמַרְיָה(וּ) appears in the book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 29:3; 36:10–12, 25). The bearer Gemaryahu son of Shaphan was associated with the royal scribal elite and played a role in events preceding the fall of Jerusalem, possibly suggesting a lineage of scribes or officials. The form with the suffix -יהוּ (-yahu) and the shorter form -יָה (-yah) are stylistic or chronological variants, both referring to Yahweh. In English translations, the name is often rendered 'Gemariah'; however, earlier translations sometimes use forms based on differing manuscript traditions. In the post-exilic and Second Temple periods, such theophoric names became common, paralleling similar constructions in other ancient Near Eastern cultures. The use of 'Jah' in some English paraphrases reflects an earlier English attempt to represent the divine name; in the biblical context, the name should be understood as denoting an ancient Israelite ascription of accomplishment to Yahweh, not a statement about later Jewish identity or doctrine. There is no evidence that the name's meaning conferred specific religious status or office.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or גְּמַרְיָהוּ; from גָּמַר and יָהּ; Jah has perfected; Gemarjah, the name of two Israelites; Gemariah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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גמר (g-m-r) — to complete, to finish, to bring to an end, to fulfill
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1587-01 |
גְּמַרְיָהוּ֩ | gemareyahu | HNp |
Gemariah | Yah has completed | 2 |
H1587-03 |
וּ/גְמַרְיָ֧הוּ | ugemareyahu | HC/Np |
and Gemariah | and Yahweh-has-completed | 2 |
H1587-02 |
וּ/גְמַרְיָ֖ה | ugemareyah | HC/Np |
and Gemariah | and Yah-has-completed | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1587-02 |
Jeremiah 29:3 | וּ/גְמַרְיָ֖ה | ugemareyah | HC/Np |
and Gemariah | and Yah-has-completed |
H1587-01 |
Jeremiah 36:10 | גְּמַרְיָהוּ֩ | gemareyahu | HNp |
Gemariah | Yah has completed |
H1587-01 |
Jeremiah 36:11 | גְּמַרְיָ֧הוּ | gemareyahu | HNp |
Gemariah | Yah has completed |
H1587-03 |
Jeremiah 36:12 | וּ/גְמַרְיָ֧הוּ | ugemareyahu | HC/Np |
and Gemariah | and Yahweh-has-completed |
H1587-03 |
Jeremiah 36:25 | וּ/גְמַרְיָ֨הוּ֙ | ugemareyahu | HC/Np |
and Gemariah | and Yahweh-has-completed |