שִׁמְרִית
𐤔𐤌𐤓𐤉𐤕
Shimrîyth
H8116 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Shimrith is the name of a woman in the Hebrew Bible, specifically referred to as the Moabitess mother of Shaphat, one of the conspirators against King Joash of Judah. As a proper noun, its primary lexical meaning is as a personal name, likely bearing the sense 'protected one,' though meaning is derived chiefly from the root rather than attested usage.
Semantic Range
personal name for a Moabite woman; derived sense: (the) guarded/protected (female); the name does not function as a common noun in biblical usage
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root שׁמר (sh-m-r), meaning 'to watch, guard, keep, preserve.' The ending -ית (it) is a common feminine suffix in Northwest Semitic names and nouns. Thus Shimrith is the feminine form paralleling the masculine name Shimri (שִׁמְרִי).
Historical & Contextual Notes
Shimrith appears in 2 Chronicles 24:26 as the mother of Shaphat, one of the assassins of King Joash. She is designated 'שִׁמְרִית הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּה' (Shimrith the Moabitess), indicating Moabite ancestry or origin. The text shows her as a named Moabite woman incorporated into the narrative of Israelite royal history, reflecting regional interconnections in the monarchic period. The name is rare in the Hebrew Bible, with this one occurrence, and functions solely as a proper personal name here. Later traditions may use 'Jew' or 'Jewess' to translate similar ethnonyms, but in the biblical context she is a Moabitess by ethnic/geographic identity. There is no attestation of the term as a common noun meaning 'female guard.' Variants in spelling or vocalization do not occur elsewhere in the biblical corpus. The related masculine name Shimri is found elsewhere, typically among Israelites.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
feminine of שִׁמְרִי; female guard; Shimrith, a Moabitess; Shimrith.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שׁמר (sh-m-r) — to guard, watch, keep, preserve
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4929 | מִשְׁמָר | in the guard-post |
| H4931 | מִשְׁמֶרֶת | in a guarding-duty |
| H8053 | שָׁמוּר | I will guard |
| H8069 | שָׁמִיר | in Shamir |
| H8111 | שֹׁמְרוֹן | to Watch-place Shomron |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8116-01 |
שִׁמְרִ֖ית | shimerit | HNp |
Shimrith | Guarded One | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8116-01 |
2 Chronicles 24:26 | שִׁמְרִ֖ית | shimerit | HNp |
Shimrith | Guarded One |