← H8043 H8045 →

שַׁמְגַּר

𐤔𐤌𐤂𐤓

Shamegar

H8044 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain uncertain; possibly a personal name of foreign origin

Definition

Shamgar—personal name, attested in the book of Judges, denoting an individual identified as a leader and deliverer of the Israelites in a period of crisis. The semantic range is restricted to designation of this specific biblical figure.

Semantic Range

personal name, leader of Israel, deliverer, judge (specifically referring to the individual called Shamgar in Judges)

Root / Etymology

Etymology uncertain. The form שַׁמְגַּר appears to be non-native to standard Hebrew morphology and may reflect a foreign origin, possibly Hurrian or West Semitic. Attempts to connect it to known Hebrew roots are speculative and inconclusive.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Shamgar occurs exclusively in Judges (Judg 3:31; 5:6), described as a deliverer who struck down Philistines, possibly serving as a 'judge' (shophet) in the pre-monarchic confederation of Israelite tribes. The episode is brief, and unlike other judges, Shamgar is given no lineage, tribal association, or detailed narrative. The historical use of the term is limited to this personal name, and it does not function as a common noun or title elsewhere. Its foreign-sounding structure has led many scholars to view the name as indicative of non-Israelite or mixed heritage, but this is conjectural. English translations consistently retain the transliterated form Shamgar, reflecting the uncertain derivation and unique role. Later periods do not expand or modify the meaning; thus, the sense remains restricted to the ancient context of early Israelite leadership.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain derivation; Shamgar, an Israelite judge; Shamgar.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

uncertain (unknown) — uncertain; possibly a foreign personal name

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1085 בִּלְדַּד Bildad
H1095 בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר Belteshatsar
H1114 בִּלְשָׁן Bilshan
H1150 בִּנְעָא Bin'a
H116 אֱדַיִן and then

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8044-01 שַׁמְגַּ֣ר shamegar HNp Shamgar Shamgar 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8044-01 Judges 3:31 שַׁמְגַּ֣ר shamegar HNp Shamgar Shamgar
H8044-01 Judges 5:6 שַׁמְגַּ֤ר shamegar HNp Shamgar Shamgar
← H8043 Hebrew Lexicon H8045 →