שׁוֹמֵר
𐤔𐤅𐤌𐤓
Shomer
H7763 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Personal name designating individuals in the Hebrew Bible, Shomer; derived from the participle form of the verb 'to keep, to watch, to guard.' The term functions as a proper noun, generally without the active or occupational nuance of the participle in narrative contexts.
Semantic Range
keeper, guard, watchman; personal name; proper noun designating either a male or female Israelite
Root / Etymology
From the root שׁמר (to keep, to guard, to watch), this is the active (qal) participle form (שׁוֹמֵר, shômer), meaning 'keeper' or 'watchman;' as a proper name, it retains this verbal nuance but primarily serves nominatively.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, שׁוֹמֵר occurs as a personal name for both a man and a woman: (1) a man listed as the father of Jehozabad, a Judahite officer (2 Kings 12:22), and (2) a woman, mother of Jehonam in northern Israel (1 Chronicles 7:32). Translators sometimes obscure that Shomer is a given name, rendering it as 'the guardian' or 'the keeper,' but in these texts, it is strictly a proper noun. The participial form as a common noun 'keeper' appears frequently elsewhere (e.g., watchman, guard), but these instances as names do not bear occupational significance. The form שֹׁמֵר (short vowel) appears as a spelling variant, without difference in meaning. Later translations and traditions sometimes retroject later connotations (like those of a religious watcher or official) onto this name, but this is not reflected in its biblical usage.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or שֹׁמֵר; active participle of שָׁמַר; keeper; Shomer, the name of two Israelites; Shomer.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שמר (š-m-r) — guarding, keeping, watching, attentive care
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3461 | יִשְׁמְרַי | He-preserves |
| H4929 | מִשְׁמָר | the guard-duty |
| H8068 | שָׁמִיר | like a hard-thorn |
| H8104 | שָׁמַר | in their guarding |
| H8105 | שֶׁמֶר | his lees |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7763-01 |
שֹׁמֵ֤ר | shomer | HNp |
Shomer | the guarding one | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7763-01 |
2 Kings 12:22 | שֹׁמֵ֤ר | shomer | HNp |
Shomer | the guarding one |
H7763-01 |
1 Chronicles 7:32 | שׁוֹמֵ֖ר | shomer | HNp |
Shomer | the guarding one |