שׁוּעַ
𐤔𐤅𐤏
shûwaʻ
H7769 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A personal name found in genealogical passages of the Hebrew Bible, primarily designating individuals rather than common nouns. In its attested usage, שׁוּעַ functions as a proper name and is not employed with the primary sense of 'cry' or 'riches' in the Hebrew Bible. The semantic range as a noun meaning 'cry' or deriving from the notion of 'calling out' is not clearly substantiated in Biblical usage for this form. Primary sense in context is as a personal name.
Semantic Range
proper name (personal name), possibly 'cry' (not attested as such in biblical usage), derivatively associated with 'riches' in later tradition
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root שׁוע (sh-w-ʿ), meaning 'to cry out for help' or 'to call for aid.' Suggested to relate to the Piʿel verbal root שִׁוֵּעַ, 'to cry out,' but attested evidence of the noun form as 'cry' or 'riches' is not found in the biblical text. The connection to 'riches' is based on later rabbinic or derivative usage, not on direct biblical usage.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The personal name שׁוּעַ appears in genealogical lists (e.g., 1 Chronicles 7:32, 35). Variant forms or confusions with שׁוּעָה (Shuah) have occurred in translation traditions. Although Strong's suggests nominal meanings like 'cry' or even 'riches,' these are not reflected in the contexts where the term is attested in the Hebrew Bible. In Rabbinic and post-biblical Hebrew, derivatives of the root may acquire connotations of 'wealth' (likely through association with deliverance/provision), but this is not present in the biblical period. English translations render this word as a proper name, not as a common noun.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from שָׁוַע; a halloo; cry, riches.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שוע (sh-w-ʿ) — to cry out for help, to call for aid
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H7768 | שָׁוַע | I cry out for release |
| H7771 | שׁוֹעַ | wealthy man of rank |
| H7772 | שׁוֹעַ | and Shoa |
| H7773 | שֶׁוַע | my outcry |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7769-01 |
שֽׁוּעַ | shua | HNcmsa |
a cry | Cry-for-Help | 1 |
H7769-02 |
שׁ֭וּעֲ/ךָ | shuakha | HNcmsc/Sp2ms |
your wealth | your Shua | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences