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שֶׁמַע

𐤔𐤌𐤏

Shema

H8087 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שמע to hear, listen, obey, heed

Definition

Personal name meaning 'Shema'; also the name of an Israelite settlement. The word is primarily used as a proper noun denoting several individuals, all men, in various genealogies, and one geographical locale. As a name, it is derived from the root meaning 'to hear' or 'he has heard,' often with the sense 'one who listens' or 'Yahweh has heard.'

Semantic Range

personal name (male), place name (town in Judah), possible sense of 'he has heard' or 'hearer'; may imply divine attention or response in naming contexts

Root / Etymology

From the root שׁמע (sh-m-ʿ), meaning 'to hear, listen, heed.' The name שֶׁמַע (Shemaʻ) is likely a short form of a theophoric name, possibly signifying 'he has heard' or implying 'Yahweh has heard.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

שֶׁמַע appears as a personal name for four distinct Israelite men in biblical genealogies: a Reubenite (1 Chronicles 5:8), a Benjaminite (1 Chronicles 8:13), a Judahite (1 Chronicles 12:3), and a Simeonite leader (1 Chronicles 4:37). It is also the name of a town in the southern hill country of Judah (Joshua 15:26). The underlying root indicates the significance of 'hearing,' often implying divine attention or response. The use of שֶׁמַע as a name reflects a common ancient practice of naming children to commemorate an event of being 'heard' by the deity, though the short form here does not include an explicit divine element. While some English translations retain the Hebrew form 'Shema,' others may substitute generic forms like 'hear.' It is unrelated in use and meaning to the substantive command in Deuteronomy 6:4, despite sharing the same root consonants. Distinction is required between this proper name and the imperative verb or the famous confession known as the 'Shema.' In later periods, the place called Shema is not frequently referenced, and the personal name does not persist in Second Temple literature.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

for the same as שֵׁמַע; Shema, the name of a place in Palestine and of four Israelites; Shema.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שמע (sh-m-ʿ) — to hear, listen, obey, heed

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

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8087-04 וְ/שֶׁ֡מַע veshema HC/Np and Shema and Hearer 2
H8087-03 וָ/שֶׁ֔מַע vashema HC/Np and Shema and He-has-heard 1
H8087-01 שֶׁ֖מַע shema HNp Shema Listen! 1
H8087-02 וָ/שָֽׁמַע vashama HC/Np and Shema and He-Has-Heard 1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8087-04 Nehemiah 8:4 וְ/שֶׁ֡מַע veshema HC/Np and Shema and Hearer
H8087-02 1 Chronicles 2:43 וָ/שָֽׁמַע vashama HC/Np and Shema and He-Has-Heard
H8087-04 1 Chronicles 2:44 וְ/שֶׁ֣מַע veshema HC/Np And Shema and Hearer
H8087-01 1 Chronicles 5:8 שֶׁ֖מַע shema HNp Shema Listen!
H8087-03 1 Chronicles 8:13 וָ/שֶׁ֔מַע vashema HC/Np and Shema and He-has-heard
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