שׁוּנֵם
𐤔𐤅𐤍𐤌
Shunem
H7766 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Shunem; a town in the northern part of ancient Israel, specifically in the territory allotted to the tribe of Issachar. The term identifies a specific geographic location, without inherent descriptive meaning beyond its role as a toponym.
Semantic Range
Shunem (a town in the territory of Issachar), place of encampment, home of the Shunammite woman and Abishag
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root שׁון (šûn), though the precise etymology is uncertain. The name may be related to 'resting' or 'quietness' based on the root, but as a place name, its meaning is primarily locative rather than descriptive.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Shunem appears in the Hebrew Bible as a site within Issachar's territory (Joshua 19:18) and is notable for events such as the Philistine encampment before Saul's last battle (1 Samuel 28:4), the dwelling place of the woman who aided Elisha (2 Kings 4:8), and the home of Abishag ('the Shunammite') who served David (1 Kings 1:3). Its identification in biblical literature is consistent as a village or town and not an ethnonym or descriptor. Later Jewish and Christian traditions sometimes associate 'the Shunammite' with broader themes, but the biblical usage confines the word to its geographic sense. English translations typically preserve the toponym as 'Shunem', which accurately reflects the Hebrew.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
probably from the same as שׁוּנִי; quietly; Shunem, a place in Pal; Shunem.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שון (š-w-n) — rest, quietness, change
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H7764 | שׁוּנִי | to Shuni |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7766-02 |
וְ/שׁוּנֵֽם | veshunem | HC/Np |
and Shunem | Shunem | 2 |
H7766-01 |
שׁוּנֵ֗ם | shunem | HNp |
Shunem | Shunem | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7766-02 |
Joshua 19:18 | וְ/שׁוּנֵֽם | veshunem | HC/Np |
and Shunem | Shunem |
H7766-02 |
1 Samuel 28:4 | בְ/שׁוּנֵ֑ם | veshunem | HR/Np |
at Shunem | Shunem |
H7766-01 |
2 Kings 4:8 | שׁוּנֵ֗ם | shunem | HNp |
Shunem | Shunem |