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שְׁמָע

𐤔𐤌𐤏

Shema

H8090 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׁמע to hear, to listen, to obey

Definition

Proper name designating a geographical location; refers specifically to a town or site named Shema in the southern hill country, likely within the tribal territory allotted to Judah. The name means 'heard' or possibly 'the one who hears/obeys' in relation to its root, and is found as a toponym rather than as a common noun. The place's precise location is uncertain but is listed among the towns in southern Judah in the Hebrew Bible.

Semantic Range

Shema (the name of a town in southern Judah); heard, obedience (as reflected in the root but not primary in the toponymic usage)

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root שׁמע (sh-m-ʿ), which broadly means 'to hear,' 'listen,' or 'obey.' The name שְׁמָע is likely connected to the passive or noun form of the root, meaning 'hearing' or 'obedience.' Here, it functions as a place name rather than a verb or common noun.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שְׁמָע appears in Joshua 15:26 as part of a list of territorial towns in southern Judah's inheritance. The toponym reflects the common ancient Near Eastern practice of assigning names derived from verbs or characteristics to settlements. There is no evidence that Shema as a place had particular religious or cultic significance related to its linguistic meaning ('hearing, obedience'). Its exact archaeological identification remains debated. The use of such a theophoric or characteristic name is paralleled by other place names in the region. Later English translations standardize the spelling as 'Shema,' but this does not reflect a separate linguistic identity from the root or other uses of שׁמע. No connection should be assumed with later religious uses of the term (e.g., the Shema prayer formula); the similarity is linguistic, not historical or functional.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

for שֶׁמַע; Shema, a place in Palestine; Shema.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

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

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1953 הוֹשָׁמָע Yahweh-has-heard
H3460 יִשְׁמַעְיָה Yahweh hears
H4926 מִשְׁמָע to report-of
H4928 מִשְׁמַעַת their obedience
H8037 שַׁמָּא he heard

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8090-01 וּ/שְׁמַ֖ע ushema HC/Np and Shema and Shema 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8090-01 Joshua 15:26 וּ/שְׁמַ֖ע ushema HC/Np and Shema and Shema
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