מִשְׁמָע (H4927) — Hebrew Lexicon

מִשְׁמָע

𐤌𐤔𐤌𐤏

Mishema

H4927 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שמע to hear, to listen, to pay attention

Definition

Proper name, masculine: Mishma. Refers specifically to two individuals: (1) a son of Ishmael, listed among the twelve tribal ancestors descended from Ishmael (Genesis 25:14; 1 Chronicles 1:30); (2) a member of the tribe of Simeon, an ancestor of a Simeonite clan (1 Chronicles 4:25). The primary use of the term in the Hebrew Bible is as a personal name, without additional lexical or common noun value. The name is likely derived from the root meaning 'to hear' or 'hearing,' possibly conveying the nuance of 'heard' or 'hearing' in reference to divine attention or response, but as a proper name, the semantic emphasis is on its identification function, not its root meaning.

Semantic Range

proper name (of an Ishmaelite tribal ancestor and a Simeonite clan leader); derived sense of 'hearing' only apparent in etymology, not in contextual usage

Root / Etymology

Derived from the Hebrew root שָׁמַע (שׁ-מ-ע), meaning 'to hear'; mishmaʻ is the emphatic noun form, literally 'hearing' or 'report.' As a proper name, etymological meaning is generally secondary to its function as an identifier.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the genealogical lists of Genesis and 1 Chronicles, Mishma is named as one of Ishmael's sons, thus designating a tribal group among the Ishmaelites, likely located in the northern Arabian region. The second occurrence is in the genealogies of the tribe of Simeon, where Mishma appears as a clan ancestor. Though the root שׁ-מ-ע ('to hear') is a common one in biblical Hebrew, the form משמע occurs only as a personal or clan name and does not function as a common noun in the Hebrew Bible. Later Jewish tradition sometimes ascribes meanings such as 'God hears' to such names, but these are interpretative. The term is not used in contexts justifying the English translation 'Jew' or Judean; it is primarily attested as a name within early genealogical and tribal records.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as מִשְׁמָע; Mishma, the name of a son of Ishmael, and of an Israelite; Mishma.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

שמע (sh-m-ʿ) — to hear, to listen, to pay attention

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H2045	הַשְׁמָעוּת	for proclamation of
H3457	יִשְׁמָא	He-will-hear
H3459	יִשְׁמָעֵאלִי	the Yishmaʿelite
H3460	יִשְׁמַעְיָה	and Yah-hears
H7889	שִׁימוֹן	Shimon
H8043	שִׁמְאָם	Shim'am
H8052	שְׁמוּעָה	for a heard-report
H8085	שָׁמַע	I cause to hear
H8086	שְׁמַע	and I heard
H8087	שֶׁמַע	and He-Has-Heard
H8088	שֵׁמַע	your report
H8089	שֹׁמַע	and his report
H8092	שִׁמְעָא	Yah Has Heard
H8093	שִׁמְעָה	She Who Is Heard
H8095	שִׁמְעוֹן	to He-who-hears
H8097	שִׁמְעִי	the Shimite
H8098	שְׁמַעְיָה	and Yah-has-heard
H8099	שִׁמְעֹנִי	the Shimʻonite
H851	אֶשְׁתְּמֹעַ	in Eshtemoa

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H4927-01`	מִשְׁמָ֣ע	mishema	`HNp`	Mishma	Mishma	3
`H4927-02`	וּ/מִשְׁמָ֥ע	umishema	`HC/Np`	and Mishma	and Mishma	1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H4927-02`	Genesis 25:14	וּ/מִשְׁמָ֥ע	umishema	`HC/Np`	and Mishma	and Mishma
`H4927-01`	1 Chronicles 1:30	מִשְׁמָ֣ע	mishema	`HNp`	Mishma	Mishma
`H4927-01`	1 Chronicles 4:25	מִשְׁמָ֥ע	mishema	`HNp`	Mishma	Mishma
`H4927-01`	1 Chronicles 4:26	מִשְׁמָ֑ע	mishema	`HNp`	Mishma	Mishma

← H4926 Hebrew Lexicon H4928 →