שָׁמָע
𐤔𐤌𐤏
Shama
H8091 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper noun referring to an Israelite man: Shama‘. The name Shama‘ is derived from a root meaning 'to hear' or 'to listen,' and may carry the sense of 'one who hears' or 'Yahweh has heard,' though the full theophoric form is not present in this instance. As a personal name, it appears in genealogies and lists within the Hebrew Bible.
Semantic Range
personal name (masc., Israelite); possibly 'heard,' 'hearing,' 'obedient' in root sense; not used as a common noun or verb in the Hebrew Bible
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root שׁמע meaning 'to hear' or 'to listen.' The personal name Shama‘ is likely a short form or segment of a longer theophoric name, or simply expresses a characteristic ('hearing' or 'obedient'). The root-level meaning differs from the proper name's function as a personal identifier.
Historical & Contextual Notes
שָׁמָע (Shama‘) is the name of multiple individuals in the Hebrew Bible, primarily referenced as Israelites living during the monarchic period. It is not used as a common noun or verb in these passages but always as a masculine personal name. The English tradition sometimes has rendered the name as 'Shama' or 'Shammah,' but transliteration from Hebrew preserves Shama‘ as distinct from other similar names. The meaning 'obedient' cited by older lexicons reflects a possible root-level association, yet as a personal name, it is better understood in the context of ancient Israelite practice of using root-based names frequently expressing relationship to deity or desired virtues. The distinction between שָׁמָע (Shama‘) and שַׁמָּה (Shammah – a different individual and word) should be maintained.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from שָׁמַע; obedient; Shama, an Israelite; Shama.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שׁמע (š-m-ʿ) — hearing, listening, attentive response
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1953 | הוֹשָׁמָע | Yahweh-has-heard |
| H3460 | יִשְׁמַעְיָה | Yahweh hears |
| H4926 | מִשְׁמָע | to report-of |
| H4928 | מִשְׁמַעַת | their obedience |
| H8037 | שַׁמָּא | he heard |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8091-01 |
שָׁמָע֙ | shama | HNp |
Shama | he heard | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8091-01 |
1 Chronicles 11:44 | שָׁמָע֙ | shama | HNp |
Shama | he heard |