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שָׁמֵן

𐤔𐤌𐤍

shâmên

H8082 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root שמן to be fat, to be rich, to grow stout

Definition

Describes being physically fat or stout, often indicating abundant body fat, and by extension, figuratively refers to fertility, prosperity, richness, or opulence. The term can apply both to literal conditions of animals or people and, figuratively, to land yielding abundant produce or a person living in luxury.

Semantic Range

fat, stout, well-nourished, opulent, prosperous, abundant, rich (of land or people), luxuriant

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root שָׁמַן (sh-m-n), meaning 'to be or become fat, to grow fat, to become rich.' The adjective שָׁמֵן is constructed from this root and retains the basic sense of being physically fat, but also developed into figurative senses of prosperity and richness.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, שָׁמֵן is used in contexts describing individuals (humans or animals) as physically fat or well-nourished (e.g., Deuteronomy 32:15), but is also applied metaphorically to describe a land that is bountiful or situations characterized by abundance (Genesis 27:28). Over time, the word carried increasingly figurative connotations of wealth, comfort, or plenty. While English translations sometimes render it as 'fat,' 'rich,' or 'fertile,' these do not always capture the positive association of abundance or thriving that the Hebrew term may imply in context. Unlike related words such as דָּשֵׁן (dâshên, 'to be fat, luxuriant') or חֵלֶב (ḥēlev, 'fat, best part'), שָׁמֵן focuses primarily on the condition of being fat or plentiful, not necessarily on oiliness or the best portion. In late biblical and post-biblical usage, the concept of prosperity inferred by 'fatness' comes to the fore, especially in texts emphasizing contrast between prosperous and impoverished conditions.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שָׁמַן; greasy, i.e. gross; figuratively, rich; fat, lusty, plenteous.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שמן (sh-m-n) — to be fat, to be rich, to grow stout

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4924 מַשְׁמָן in his fat abundances
H8066 שְׁמִינִי the eighth
H8080 שָׁמַן the rich oil
H8081 שֶׁמֶן in the oil
H8083 שְׁמֹנֶה in eight

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8082-02 שָׁמֵ֖ן shamen HAamsa rich rich oil 4
H8082-03 שְׁמֵנָ֣ה shemenah HAafsa fertile fat, rich 2
H8082-01 הַ/שְּׁמֵנָ֨ה hashemenah HTi/Aafsa the fat one the stout one 2
H8082-04 וְ/הַ/שְּׁמֵנָ֛ה vehashemenah HC/Td/Aafsa and-the-fat and the fat one 1
H8082-05 וְ/שָׁמֵ֑ן veshamen HC/Aamsa and plenteous and fat 1

Occurrences in Scripture

10 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8082-03 Genesis 49:20 שְׁמֵנָ֣ה shemenah HAafsa will be rich fat, rich
H8082-01 Numbers 13:20 הַ/שְּׁמֵנָ֨ה hashemenah HTi/Aafsa fat the stout one
H8082-02 Judges 3:29 שָׁמֵ֖ן shamen HAamsa lusty rich oil
H8082-05 Isaiah 30:23 וְ/שָׁמֵ֑ן veshamen HC/Aamsa and plenteous and fat
H8082-02 Ezekiel 34:14 שָׁמֵ֛ן shamen HAamsa rich rich oil
H8082-01 Ezekiel 34:16 הַ/שְּׁמֵנָ֧ה hashemenah HTd/Aafsa the fat one the stout one
H8082-02 Habakkuk 1:16 שָׁמֵ֣ן shamen HAamsa fat rich oil
H8082-03 Nehemiah 9:25 שְׁמֵנָה֒ shemenah HAafsa fertile fat, rich
H8082-04 Nehemiah 9:35 וְ/הַ/שְּׁמֵנָ֛ה vehashemenah HC/Td/Aafsa and-the-fat and the fat one
H8082-02 1 Chronicles 4:40 שָׁמֵ֣ן shamen HAamsa rich rich oil
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