שׁוֹמֵר
Shomer, the name of two Israelites
Definition
Shomer is a proper noun referring to two distinct individuals in the Old Testament. The name means 'keeper' or 'guardian,' derived from the active participle of the verb 'shamar' (to keep, guard, observe). The first Shomer is mentioned as one of the assassins of King Joash of Judah (2 Kings 12:21). The second is listed as a descendant of Asher in the genealogical records (1 Chronicles 7:32). In both cases, the name functions solely as a personal identifier, with no additional narrative or descriptive meaning attached to the individuals beyond their brief mentions.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively as a personal name for two Israelite men in two different biblical contexts. It appears once in the historical narrative of 2 Kings 12:21 (where it is spelled שׁוֹמֵר) and once in the genealogical list of 1 Chronicles 7:32 (where it is spelled שֹׁמֵר). There is no pattern of usage beyond these two proper name references; the word does not appear in any other form or context in the Hebrew Bible.
Etymology
Shomer is derived directly from the Hebrew root שָׁמַר (shamar, H8104), meaning 'to keep, guard, watch, or observe.' It is the active participle form of this verb, literally meaning 'a keeper' or 'one who guards.' As a name, it follows a common Hebrew practice of using participles or occupational terms as personal names (e.g., Nathan means 'he gave'). The variant spelling (Shomer vs. Shomer) is a minor orthographic difference not affecting meaning.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, names often carried significant meaning, reflecting character, destiny, parental hopes, or circumstances of birth. 'Shomer' as a name likely expressed a parental hope that the child would be a protector or a faithful observer of God's covenant. However, for the specific individuals named in the Bible, the narrative provides no insight into whether their lives reflected this meaning. The name itself is culturally mundane, similar to occupational surnames in other cultures.
natsar (נָצַר, H5341) — also means 'to guard, keep, watch,' but often with a connotation of preserving or protecting something valuable. shamar (שָׁמַר, H8104) — the root verb meaning 'to keep, guard, observe,' from which Shomer 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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