שַׁמַּי
𐤔𐤌𐤉
Shamay
H8060 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A personal name: Shammay. The primary meaning is as a proper noun identifying individuals within Israelite genealogies. The name itself may carry the sense of destruction or desolation if derived from a related root, but in context, it functions strictly as a name and does not bear this connotation in narrative usage.
Semantic Range
a personal name (Shammay), possible root meaning of 'desolation' but functionally only as a proper noun
Root / Etymology
From the uncertain root שׁמם (sh-m-m), meaning 'to be desolate, to be appalled, to be deserted', possibly indicating 'desolate' or 'astonished'. The application of this meaning within the personal name is uncertain, and the exact reason or intent behind the original naming is not preserved in the biblical text. Some link שַׁמַּי (Shammay) etymologically to שׁמם, but personal names were sometimes chosen for reasons other than direct semantic meaning.
Historical & Contextual Notes
שַׁמַּי appears as the name of several individuals in post-exilic genealogical lists (1 Chronicles 2:28, 44; Ezra 10:38), with little narrative detail beyond their genealogical positions. The name's formation parallels other Israelite masculine names of similar structure. No evidence demonstrates that the bearers of this name were regarded as personifications of the literal meaning of the root. English Bible translations invariably transliterate the name rather than translate it, and Jewish and Christian traditions both preserve 'Shammai' as the standard rendering. The meaning 'destructive' suggested in older lexicons is speculative, and the term is never used adjectivally in description of actions or events within the Hebrew Bible.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from שַׁמְלַי; destructive; Shammai, the name of three Israelites; Shammai.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שׁמם (sh-m-m) — to be desolate, to be appalled, to be deserted
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4923 | מְשַׁמָּה | to desolations |
| H8047 | שַׁמָּה | for utter desolation |
| H8049 | שַׁמְהוּת | Shamhuth |
| H8054 | שַׁמּוֹת | Shammoth |
| H8064 | שָׁמַיִם | in the lofty-heights |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8060-01 |
שַׁמַּ֣י | shamay | HNp |
Shammai | Shammay | 6 |
Occurrences in Scripture
6 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8060-01 |
1 Chronicles 2:28 | שַׁמַּ֣י | shamay | HNp |
Shammai | Shammay |
H8060-01 |
1 Chronicles 2:28 | שַׁמַּ֔י | shamay-2 | HNp |
Shammai | Shammay |
H8060-01 |
1 Chronicles 2:32 | שַׁמַּ֔י | shamay | HNp |
Shammai | Shammay |
H8060-01 |
1 Chronicles 2:44 | שַׁמָּֽי | shamay | HNp |
Shammai | Shammay |
H8060-01 |
1 Chronicles 2:45 | שַׁמַּ֖י | shamay | HNp |
Shammai | Shammay |
H8060-01 |
1 Chronicles 4:17 | שַׁמַּ֔י | shamay | HNp |
Shammai | Shammay |