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שִׁקְמָה

𐤔𐤒𐤌𐤄

shiqmâh

H8256 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain sycamore fig tree, fig-bearing tree

Definition

A species of tree prominent in the warmer lowlands of ancient Israel, identified as the sycamore fig (Ficus sycomorus), known for its sturdy, broad trunk and fig-like fruit. The term שִׁקְמָה refers primarily to the tree itself, but in certain contexts can also connote the fruit borne by it. Used in descriptions of agricultural abundance and as an indicator of social or economic status within a given region. The word does not function as a general term for 'tree' but denotes a specific variety recognizable to ancient audiences.

Semantic Range

sycamore fig tree, sycamore fig fruit, an indicator of agricultural or economic conditions, object of horticultural activity

Root / Etymology

Root/Etymology: Uncertain. The word שִׁקְמָה (shiqmâh) is of uncertain etymology and does not fit into a securely identified Semitic root; no widely attested cognates exist in other Semitic languages. The word is a loanword or an ancient substrate term for a distinctive tree of the southern Levant.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The sycamore fig, שִׁקְמָה, was widely cultivated and prominent in regions such as the Shephelah and the lowland areas near the coastal plain, but was largely absent from the cooler, higher elevations like the central hill country. In the Hebrew Bible, it is often mentioned as a crop indicating agricultural prosperity (e.g., 1 Kings 10:27) and was considered a common rather than a luxury tree. The professional cultivator or dresser of sycamore figs, as in Amos 7:14, held a specialized agricultural role. Greek and later English translations render this as 'sycamore,' but in the English Bible tradition, this word does not refer to the North American or European sycamore tree (Acer or Platanus species), but to the fig-producing Ficus sycomorus. In the Greco-Roman and post-biblical periods, the sycamore fig retained economic significance. Care must be taken not to transfer later meanings of 'sycamore' to earlier usages; the biblical שִׁקְמָה is distinct to the region and climate of ancient Israel and neighboring territories.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (feminine) שִׁקְמָה; of uncertain derivation; a sycamore (usually the tree); sycamore (fruit, tree).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׁקמ (sh-q-m) — sycamore fig tree, fig-bearing tree

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8256-01 כַּ/שִּׁקְמִ֥ים kashiqemim HRd/Ncfpa as the sycamores like the sycamore fig trees 3
H8256-02 שִׁקְמִ֣ים shiqemim HNcfpa sycamores sycamore fig trees 2
H8256-04 וְ֝/שִׁקְמוֹתָ֗/ם veshiqemotam HC/Ncfpc/Sp3mp and their sycamores their sycamore fig trees 1
H8256-03 וְ/הַ/שִּׁקְמִים֙ vehashiqemim HC/Td/Ncfpa and the sycamore trees the sycamore fig trees 1

Occurrences in Scripture

7 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8256-01 1 Kings 10:27 כַּ/שִּׁקְמִ֥ים kashiqemim HRd/Ncfpa as the sycamores like the sycamore fig trees
H8256-02 Isaiah 9:9 שִׁקְמִ֣ים shiqemim HNcfpa sycamores sycamore fig trees
H8256-02 Amos 7:14 שִׁקְמִֽים shiqemim HNcfpa sycamore trees sycamore fig trees
H8256-04 Psalms 78:47 וְ֝/שִׁקְמוֹתָ֗/ם veshiqemotam HC/Ncfpc/Sp3mp and their sycamores their sycamore fig trees
H8256-03 1 Chronicles 27:28 וְ/הַ/שִּׁקְמִים֙ vehashiqemim HC/Td/Ncfpa and the sycamore trees the sycamore fig trees
H8256-01 2 Chronicles 1:15 כַּ/שִּׁקְמִ֥ים kashiqemim HRd/Ncfpa as sycamores like the sycamore fig trees
H8256-01 2 Chronicles 9:27 כַּ/שִּׁקְמִ֥ים kashiqemim HRd/Ncfpa as the sycamores like the sycamore fig trees
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