שִׁימוֹן
𐤔𐤉𐤌𐤅𐤍
Shimon
H7889 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper noun: Simeon (Shimon), one of the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel and ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel. It primarily denotes the Israelite patriarch Shimon/Simeon, and by extension, members of the tribe descended from him. The name is also attested as that of individual Israelites in later periods. While occasionally associated with the meaning 'hearing' or 'God has heard', this is based on wordplay in the narrative rather than the strict lexical meaning of the form שִׁימוֹן itself.
Semantic Range
personal name (the son of Jacob/Israel), eponymous ancestor of the Israelite tribe of Simeon/Shimon, members of the tribe, individual Israelites bearing the name; not used for geographic features such as deserts
Root / Etymology
From the root שׁמע (sh-m-ʿ), 'to hear, listen, obey.' The name is likely a theophoric formation ultimately related to the verb, although the precise morphological construction is uncertain. It is not derived from יְשִׁימוֹן (yeshimon, 'desert'), despite superficial similarity.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, שִׁימוֹן refers first and foremost to the son of Jacob and Leah (Genesis 29:33; Genesis 35:23), the eponymous ancestor of the tribe of Simeon/Shimon. The tribe is mentioned in genealogies, censuses, and tribal lists across the Pentateuch, especially in the books of Numbers and Joshua. In historical documents, the tribe of Simeon held territory in the southern part of the land later associated with Judah, and over time was largely subsumed within Judahite territory, resulting in sparse references to Simeon in later biblical history. Post-exilic and Second Temple literature rarely references the tribe. The use of שִׁימוֹן as a personal name persisted into later periods (e.g., descendant lists in Chronicles). In later Jewish tradition and translations, the name appears as Simon or Simeon. The gloss 'desert' is misplaced, arising from confusion with יְשִׁימוֹן. English translations vary between the transliterated proper name 'Simeon' and the related 'Simon' for later periods, but the Hebrew always refers to the given personal or tribal name. The name's meaning as 'hearing' arises from Genesis 29:33, but the narrative wordplay reflects a folk etymology rather than analytic philological derivation.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
apparently for יְשִׁימוֹן; desert; Shimon, an Israelite; Shimon.
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 |
| H3457 | יִשְׁמָא | He-will-hear |
| H3459 | יִשְׁמָעֵאלִי | the Yishmaʿelite |
| H3460 | יִשְׁמַעְיָה | and Yah-hears |
| H4927 | מִשְׁמָע | Mishma |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7889-01 |
שִׁימ֔וֹן | shimon | HNp |
Shimon | Shimon | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7889-01 |
1 Chronicles 4:20 | שִׁימ֔וֹן | shimon | HNp |
Shimon | Shimon |