שָׁמַן (H8080) — Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁמַן

𐤔𐤌𐤍

shâman

H8080 verb

SILEX Entry

Root שמן to grow fat, to become plump, to prosper

Definition

To become fat or grow stout, to be well-nourished or fleshy (in reference to humans, animals, or parts of the body); by extension, to be or become prosperous, abundant, or luxuriant (in reference to the land or metaphorically). The primary sense relates to physical increase in bodily fatness, but figurative extensions refer to flourishing or richness.

Semantic Range

to become fat, grow stout, be well-nourished, flourish, become prosperous, luxuriate, become rich (land/produce), cause to become fat (causative, rare)

Root / Etymology

Root: שׁ-מ-ן. The root שָׁמַן pertains to concepts of fatness and richness, primarily focused on physical or tangible abundance. The form is a qal verb, standard for basic action, but occurs in other binyanim as well, leading to denominatives and extended forms (e.g., pi‘el, hif‘il) with causative or intensive sense. Not directly related to שֶׁמֶן 'oil,' though the two share the general semantic field of fatness/richness.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, שָׁמַן is applied literally to living beings (humans and animals) who gain weight or become fleshy, often as an indicator of well-being or prosperity (Deut 32:15, Jer 5:28). With reference to the land or produce, it describes a state of luxuriant growth or fatness (Isa 6:10), and thus often denotes agricultural abundance. Occasionally used metaphorically or pejoratively: e.g., indulgence leading to moral or spiritual decline (Deut 32:15: "Yeshurun grew fat and kicked"). The verb is rare outside these senses. It is distinct from the noun שֶׁמֶן 'oil/fat' (H8081), though both ultimately reflect the notion of fat/richness; the semantic fields overlap but usage differs. The English tradition of translating with 'fat' or 'wax fat' captures the base meaning but often misses figurative senses (such as prosperous or stout).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to shine, i.e. (by analogy) be (causatively, make) oily or gross; become (make, wax) fat.

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Root Family

שמן (sh-m-n) — to be fat, to grow fat, to become rich

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H4924	מַשְׁמָן	in his fat abundances
H8066	שְׁמִינִי	the eighth
H8081	שֶׁמֶן	in the oil
H8082	שָׁמֵן	the stout one
H8083	שְׁמֹנֶה	in eight
H8084	שְׁמֹנִים	eighty

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H8080-03`	שָׁמְנ֣וּ	shamenu	`HVqp3cp`	They are fat	they grew fat	1
`H8080-01`	הַשְׁמֵן֙	hashemen	`HVhv2ms`	make fat	the rich oil	1
`H8080-05`	וַ/יִּשְׁמַ֤ן	vayisheman	`HC/Vqw3ms`	and grew fat	and he grew fat	1
`H8080-02`	שָׁמַ֖נְתָּ	shamaneta	`HVqp2ms`	you grew fat	you grew fat	1
`H8080-04`	וַ/יַּשְׁמִ֔ינוּ	vayasheminu	`HC/Vhw3mp`	and grew fat	they fattened	1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H8080-05`	Deuteronomy 32:15	וַ/יִּשְׁמַ֤ן	vayisheman	`HC/Vqw3ms`	and grew fat	and he grew fat
`H8080-02`	Deuteronomy 32:15	שָׁמַ֖נְתָּ	shamaneta	`HVqp2ms`	you grew fat	you grew fat
`H8080-01`	Isaiah 6:10	הַשְׁמֵן֙	hashemen	`HVhv2ms`	make fat	the rich oil
`H8080-03`	Jeremiah 5:28	שָׁמְנ֣וּ	shamenu	`HVqp3cp`	They are fat	they grew fat
`H8080-04`	Nehemiah 9:25	וַ/יַּשְׁמִ֔ינוּ	vayasheminu	`HC/Vhw3mp`	and grew fat	they fattened

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