Bible Word Study
שְׁמָע
Shᵉmâʻ · Shema, a place in Palestine
שְׁמָע
Shema, a place in Palestine
Definition
Shema is a proper noun referring to a town in the territory of Judah, located in the Negev region of ancient Palestine. It is listed among the cities allotted to the tribe of Judah after the conquest of Canaan. The name itself means 'a hearing' or 'report,' likely derived from the Hebrew root for hearing. This single biblical reference (Joshua 15:26) identifies it as one of the southernmost settlements in Judah's inheritance.
Biblical Usage
The word 'Shema' is used only once in the Old Testament, specifically in Joshua 15:26. It appears in a list of cities within the tribal allotment for Judah, situated in the Negev district. This context is purely geographical, serving to document the territory given to the tribe. There are no narrative stories or other usages associated with this place name.
Etymology
The name Shema (שְׁמָע) is a proper noun derived from the common Hebrew root שָׁמַע (shama, H8087), which means 'to hear,' 'to listen,' or 'to obey.' It is essentially the noun form of that verb, meaning 'a hearing' or 'a report.' As a place name, it likely described a location known for something heard or reported, though the specific reason for the name is lost to history.
Semantic Range
As a place name in the Negev, Shema was part of the arid southern frontier of Judah. Naming towns with words related to actions or events (like 'hearing') was common in the ancient Near East, often commemorating a local story, characteristic, or event. Its inclusion in a detailed town list (Joshua 15:21-32) underscores the importance of land inheritance as a fulfillment of God's promise to the tribes of Israel, reflecting the cultural and covenantal significance of territorial boundaries. Shim'a (שִׁמְעָא, H8091) — A personal name (son of David), also derived from the same root. Shemaiah (שְׁמַעְיָה, H8098) — A common prophetic name meaning 'Yahweh has heard,' combining the root with the divine name.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]