שַׁוְשָׁא
𐤔𐤅𐤔𐤀
Shavesha
H7798 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Shavsha (שַׁוְשָׁא) is a personal name referring to an individual who served as a royal scribe or secretary during the reign of King David. The term functions strictly as a proper noun and is not used elsewhere in Biblical Hebrew with a common noun or adjectival sense. The semantic range is limited to its function as a name.
Semantic Range
personal name of a royal scribe; Shavsha, name applied to an administrative official during the reign of David and Solomon
Root / Etymology
Likely derived from the root שׂושׂ (sus), meaning 'to rejoice' or 'be joyful,' though the formation is uncertain and may reflect a theophoric or compound structure. The precise etymological development of שַׁוְשָׁא is unclear, as the word appears only as a personal name and has no extant common noun counterpart in Biblical Hebrew.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Shavsha is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 18:16; 2 Samuel 20:25 (as Sheva), and 1 Kings 4:3 (as Shisha), referring to the royal scribe/secretary under David and Solomon. The Masoretic Text preserves the form שַׁוְשָׁא mainly in Chronicles, with alternative spellings (שִׁישָׁא, שֶׁוַע, שָׁוָא) in Samuel and Kings, suggesting variations in tradition or textual transmission. The function of the office was administrative, recording royal decrees and official correspondence. Lexically, the name may connote 'rejoicing,' reflecting an underlying association with 'joy,' but the connection is primarily onomastic (name-related) and not part of the Israelite common noun vocabulary. There is no evidence the name bore ethnic or religious meaning in the biblical context. English translations (such as KJV) simply transliterate the name, but the form varies owing to manuscript traditions. Later English traditions sometimes identified this figure as 'Seraiah' or 'Sheva,' but these correspond to variant spellings, not different individuals. Unlike related administrative titles such as 'sofer' (scribe), שַׁוְשָׁא is strictly a personal name.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from שׂוּשׂ; joyful; Shavsha, an Israelite; Shavsha.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שׂושׂ (ś-w-ś) — to rejoice, exult, display joy
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7798-01 |
וְ/שַׁוְשָׁ֖א | veshavesha | HC/Np |
and Shavsha | and Shavsha | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7798-01 |
1 Chronicles 18:16 | וְ/שַׁוְשָׁ֖א | veshavesha | HC/Np |
and Shavsha | and Shavsha |