שִׁמְרִית
Shimrith, a Moabitess
Definition
Shimrith is a proper noun referring to a specific individual, a Moabitess woman named in 2 Chronicles 24:26. She is identified as the mother of Jehozabad, one of the conspirators who assassinated King Joash of Judah. The name itself is a feminine form meaning 'female guard' or 'guardian.' As a Moabitess, her ethnic origin is a key part of her biblical identification, placing her outside the covenant people of Israel. The single biblical occurrence presents her solely in this genealogical and narrative context related to the king's death.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in 2 Chronicles 24:26. It functions strictly as a personal name within a historical narrative detailing the conspiracy against King Joash. The usage provides a genealogical note ('Shimrith the Moabitess, the mother of...') to identify one of the assassins, Jehozabad, highlighting the foreign background of a key figure in a pivotal royal murder.
Etymology
Shimrith (שִׁמְרִית) is the feminine form of the masculine name or word Shimri (שִׁמְרִי, H8113). It derives from the root שָׁמַר (shamar, H8104), meaning 'to keep, guard, watch, or preserve.' Therefore, the name carries the sense of 'female guard,' 'guardian,' or 'watchwoman.' This follows a common Hebrew pattern for forming feminine personal names from masculine roots.
Semantic Range
While the name Shimrith itself is not theologically loaded, its single appearance carries significant narrative weight. Her identification as 'the Moabitess' connects this regicide to Solomon's earlier disobedience (1 Kings 11:1-8) and the Deuteronomic warnings against foreign alliances and marriages that could lead the heart away from God (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). The story illustrates the consequences of covenant unfaithfulness, as Joash's own turn to idolatry and murder of the prophet Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24:17-22) precipitates his downfall through servants with foreign ties.
In its original context, identifying someone by their mother's name and ethnicity ('Shimrith the Moabitess') was significant. Moabites were traditional enemies of Israel (Deuteronomy 23:3-6), descended from Lot. A Moabite woman being the mother of a royal official underscores the degree of foreign influence and intermarriage in the Judahite court, which was seen as a spiritual and political corruption. The name 'guardian' given to a woman from a hostile nation adds an ironic layer to the story of a king who failed to 'guard' his covenant with God.
Shimri (שִׁמְרִי, H8113) — The masculine form of the name, meaning 'guard.'
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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