שְׁמָעָה
Shemaah, an Israelite
Definition
Shemaah is a proper noun referring to an Israelite man from Gibeah, a town in the territory of Benjamin. He is mentioned specifically as the father of Ahiezer and Joash, two of the mighty men who joined David's army at Ziklag while David was fleeing from King Saul (1 Chronicles 12:3). The name itself means 'report,' 'hearing,' or 'news,' derived from the common Hebrew root for hearing. As a personal name, it likely carried a sense of 'Yahweh has heard' or a similar pious sentiment, though the biblical text does not elaborate on his personal story beyond this familial and military association.
Biblical Usage
The word is used only once in the Old Testament, in 1 Chronicles 12:3. Its usage is strictly as a personal name identifying the father of two warriors. The context is a genealogical and military record listing the Benjaminite heroes who defected from Saul to support David before he became king, highlighting the early and loyal support David received from Saul's own tribe.
Etymology
The name Shemaah (שְׁמָעָה, H8094) is a feminine noun form derived from the root שָׁמַע (shama, H8085), meaning 'to hear.' It is essentially identical to the more common noun שִׁמְעָה (shim'ah, H8093), which means 'a report' or 'news.' The name is therefore a 'hearing' or 'report,' and as a theophoric name, it may be an abbreviated form implying 'Yahweh has heard,' similar to names like Samuel or Ishmael.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, names were often significant and conveyed meaning about character, circumstance, or a parent's hopes. A name like Shemaah ('report' or 'hearing') may reflect a story or prayer at the time of birth, perhaps thanking God for hearing a petition. His role as the father of warriors who joined David also places him within the social structure of a Benjaminite clan during the turbulent transition from the rule of Saul to the rise of David's kingdom.
שִׁמְעָה (shim'ah, H8093) — The standard feminine noun for 'report, news, rumor,' from which the proper name is directly derived.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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