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שִׁמְעִי

𐤔𐤌𐤏𐤉

Shimei

H8096 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

The personal name Shimʿi, borne by multiple individuals in the Hebrew Bible, primarily denotes an Israelite man whose name is derived from a root meaning 'to hear.' The name is best understood as 'Yahweh has heard' or 'Heard (by God),' indicating a sense of being heeded, answered, or marked out in response. Applied as a proper noun, it serves as a theophoric name expressing faith or gratitude for divine attention.

Semantic Range

(personal name) heard (by God), Yahweh has heard, heeded, God attends, individual male Israelite name, attributions of divine response

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root שׁמע (sh-m-ʿ), meaning 'to hear, listen, pay attention.' The form שִׁמְעִי is a masculine personal name, often interpreted as a shortened theophoric sentence name: 'Yahweh has heard' or possibly 'Heard (by God),' following a naming pattern where the subject of the verb is implied.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, Shimʿi refers to at least twenty individuals, typically Israelite men from varied tribal or family backgrounds—most notably, Shimʿi son of Gera, a Benjamite contemporary of David. The occurrence of the name spans from the time of the united monarchy through post-exilic lists. The variation in English renderings—such as Shimei, Shimhi, or Shimi—reflects attempts to reproduce the original pronunciation and distinguish between individuals. The meaning of the name is consistent with ancient Israelite naming practices, where personal names often conveyed relationships to the deity or marked significant events in the life of a family. Usage of 'famous' as a translation is misleading and not based on Hebrew semantics but likely derives from translation tradition attempts to render the connotations of public recognition due to being 'heard.' Later periods sometimes conflate the identities of individuals named Shimʿi, especially in genealogical lists. The use of 'Jew' or 'Jewish' is anachronistic for Old Testament references; these are Israelite or Judahite figures depending on period and context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שֵׁמַע; famous; Shimi, the name of twenty Israelites; Shimeah (from the margin), Shimei, Shimhi, Shimi.

Bantu Hebrew

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

Root Family

שׁמע (Hoshama) — to hear, listen, obey

Root שׁמע to hear, to listen, to pay attention
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1953 הוֹשָׁמָע Yahweh-has-heard
H3460 יִשְׁמַעְיָה and Yah-hears
H4926 מִשְׁמָע to report-of
H4928 מִשְׁמַעַת their obedience
H8039 שִׁמְאָה Hearing-one

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H8096-02 שִׁמְעִ֥י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei 26
H8096-05 וְ/שִׁמְעִ֑י veshimei HC/Np and Shimei and Heard-by-Yah and Shimei 12
H8096-01 לְ/שִׁמְעִ֔י leshimei HR/Np for Shimei to Yahweh-has-heard to Shimei 4
H8096-03 שמעי shmy HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei 1
H8096-04 וּ/לְ/שִׁמְעִ֞י uleshimei HC/R/Np And to Shimei and to Yahweh-has-heard and to Shimei 1

Occurrences in Scripture

44 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H8096-05 Exodus 6:17 וְ/שִׁמְעִ֖י veshimei HC/Np and Shimei and Heard-by-Yah and Shimei
H8096-05 Numbers 3:18 וְ/שִׁמְעִֽי veshimei HC/Np and Shimei and Heard-by-Yah and Shimei
H8096-02 2 Samuel 16:5 שִׁמְעִ֣י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-02 2 Samuel 16:7 שִׁמְעִ֖י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-05 2 Samuel 16:13 וְ/שִׁמְעִ֡י veshimei HC/Np and Shimei and Heard-by-Yah and Shimei
H8096-02 2 Samuel 19:17 שִׁמְעִ֤י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-05 2 Samuel 19:19 וְ/שִׁמְעִ֣י veshimei HC/Np And Shimei and Heard-by-Yah and Shimei
H8096-02 2 Samuel 19:22 שִׁמְעִ֑י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-02 2 Samuel 19:24 שִׁמְעִ֖י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-03 2 Samuel 21:21 שמעי shmy HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-05 1 Kings 1:8 וְ/שִׁמְעִ֣י veshimei HC/Np and Shimei and Heard-by-Yah and Shimei
H8096-02 1 Kings 2:8 שִֽׁמְעִ֨י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-01 1 Kings 2:36 לְ/שִׁמְעִ֔י leshimei HR/Np for Shimei to Yahweh-has-heard to Shimei
H8096-02 1 Kings 2:38 שִׁמְעִ֤י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-02 1 Kings 2:38 שִׁמְעִ֛י shimei-2 HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-01 1 Kings 2:39 לְ/שִׁמְעִ֔י leshimei HR/Np of Shimei to Yahweh-has-heard to Shimei
H8096-01 1 Kings 2:39 לְ/שִׁמְעִי֙ leshimei-2 HR/Np Shimei to Yahweh-has-heard to Shimei
H8096-02 1 Kings 2:40 שִׁמְעִ֗י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-02 1 Kings 2:40 שִׁמְעִ֔י shimei-2 HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-02 1 Kings 2:41 שִׁמְעִ֧י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-01 1 Kings 2:42 לְ/שִׁמְעִ֗י leshimei HR/Np for Shimei to Yahweh-has-heard to Shimei
H8096-02 1 Kings 2:44 שִׁמְעִ֗י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-02 1 Kings 4:18 שִׁמְעִ֥י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-02 Esther 2:5 שִׁמְעִ֛י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-05 Ezra 10:23 וְ/שִׁמְעִ֗י veshimei HC/Np and Shimei and Heard-by-Yah and Shimei
H8096-02 Ezra 10:33 שִׁמְעִֽי shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-02 Ezra 10:38 שִׁמְעִֽי shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-05 1 Chronicles 3:19 וְ/שִׁמְעִ֑י veshimei HC/Np and Shimei and Heard-by-Yah and Shimei
H8096-02 1 Chronicles 4:26 שִׁמְעִ֥י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-04 1 Chronicles 4:27 וּ/לְ/שִׁמְעִ֞י uleshimei HC/R/Np And to Shimei and to Yahweh-has-heard and to Shimei
H8096-02 1 Chronicles 5:4 שִׁמְעִ֥י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-05 1 Chronicles 6:2 וְ/שִׁמְעִֽי veshimei HC/Np and Shimei and Heard-by-Yah and Shimei
H8096-02 1 Chronicles 6:14 שִׁמְעִ֥י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-02 1 Chronicles 6:27 שִׁמְעִֽי shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-02 1 Chronicles 8:21 שִׁמְעִֽי shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-05 1 Chronicles 23:7 וְ/שִׁמְעִֽי veshimei HC/Np and Shimei and Heard-by-Yah and Shimei
H8096-02 1 Chronicles 23:9 שִׁמְעִ֗י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-02 1 Chronicles 23:10 שִׁמְעִ֔י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-02 1 Chronicles 23:10 שִׁמְעִ֖י shimei-2 HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-02 1 Chronicles 25:17 שִׁמְעִ֔י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-02 1 Chronicles 27:27 שִׁמְעִ֖י shimei HNp Shimei Yahweh has heard Shimei
H8096-05 2 Chronicles 29:14 וְ/שִׁמְעִ֑י veshimei HC/Np and Shimei and Heard-by-Yah and Shimei
H8096-05 2 Chronicles 31:12 וְ/שִׁמְעִ֥י veshimei HC/Np and Shimei and Heard-by-Yah and Shimei
H8096-05 2 Chronicles 31:13 וְ/שִׁמְעִ֣י veshimei HC/Np and Shimei and Heard-by-Yah and Shimei
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