יִשְׁמָא
𐤉𐤔𐤌𐤀
Yishema
H3457 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Yishmâʼ is a personal name, likely meaning 'he will hear' or 'Yahweh has heard,' though its precise formation is uncertain. In the Hebrew Bible, it refers to an individual of the tribe of Judah. The word functions as a proper noun with no adjectival or verbal usage.
Semantic Range
personal name, possibly expressing 'he hears' or 'he will hear'; used exclusively as the name of a Judahite individual in the genealogies
Root / Etymology
The form appears built from the root שׁמע (sh-m-ʿ, 'to hear'), possibly with a prefixed yod indicating third person masculine singular imperfect ('he will hear'). The name may echo the common Israelite naming practice of theophoric reference (i.e., 'God has heard'), though the theophoric element is not explicitly present. The partial spelling יִשְׁמָא is unusual and may reflect a regional or dialectal variant.
Historical & Contextual Notes
יִשְׁמָא occurs only once in the Hebrew Bible (1 Chronicles 4:17) as the name of a Judahite. It is distinct from the more common personal name יִשְׁמָעֵאל (Yishma‘el, 'Ishmael'). Strong's traditional gloss derives from potential root resemblance to שׁמם ('to lay desolate'), but direct evidence for this meaning in the case of יִשְׁמָא is lacking. English translations render it simply as a personal name with no semantic content provided. The form is rare and never functions as a common noun or verb. The Greek Septuagint transliterates the name without interpretation. Later English Bibles sometimes substitute Ishma, but this does not reflect broader biblical usage.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from יָשַׁם; desolate; Jishma, an Israelite; Ishma.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שמע (sh-m-ʿ) — hear, listen, obey
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H2045 | הַשְׁמָעוּת | for proclamation of |
| H3459 | יִשְׁמָעֵאלִי | the Yishmaʿelite |
| H3460 | יִשְׁמַעְיָה | and Yah-hears |
| H4927 | מִשְׁמָע | Mishma |
| H7889 | שִׁימוֹן | Shimon |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3457-01 |
וְ/יִשְׁמָ֖א | veyishema | HC/Np |
and Ishma | He-will-hear | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3457-01 |
1 Chronicles 4:3 | וְ/יִשְׁמָ֖א | veyishema | HC/Np |
and Ishma | He-will-hear |