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שִׁמְעַת

𐤔𐤌𐤏𐤕

Shimeat

H8100 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׁמע to hear, listen, report, obey

Definition

Proper feminine personal name: Shimʿath. Appears in the Hebrew Bible as the name of an Ammonite woman, notably the mother of Shaphan, who is involved in narratives pertaining to the late monarchic period. The core sense is as a personal name, likely bearing the connotation of 'announcement' or 'report,' derived from the underlying verb 'to hear' or 'to report.'

Semantic Range

Personal name (feminine), reference to a woman of Ammonite origin, connotation of 'report' or 'hearing' if abstracted from the root, but solely attested as a proper name.

Root / Etymology

Formed from the root שׁמע (to hear), in the feminine construct or derivative form. The final tav (ת) suggests a nominal formation typical of feminine nouns or names. The etymology thus links this name to the concept of hearing or perhaps a message that is heard, but as a proper name, the specific nuance is less certain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the biblical narrative, שִׁמְעַת (Shimʿath) is identified in 2 Kings 25:22 and 2 Chronicles 34:8 as the mother of Shaphan, scribe under Josiah. She is further identified as an Ammonitess (אֶשֶׁת אַמּוֹנִית), suggesting non-Israelite ancestry for Shaphan. The use of this name is rare and appears only as a personal name. The term Ammonitess (designating ethnic Ammonite identity) should not be conflated with later ethnic or religious identities. The meaning of the name, "announcement" or "report," may have personal or familial significance, common in West Semitic naming conventions, but the exact significance in the narrative context is uncertain. English translations uniformly render this as a personal name, though the underlying Hebrew offers a subtle connection to the root sense of hearing or communication. There is no evidence that the term bore broader semantic content beyond its onomastic use in the Hebrew Bible.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of שֵׁמַע; annunciation; Shimath, an Ammonitess; Shimath.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׁמע (sh-m-ʿ) — to hear, listen, report, obey

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
H8100-01 שִׁ֠מְעָת shimeat HNp Shimeath Shimath 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8100-01 2 Kings 12:22 שִׁ֠מְעָת shimeat HNp Shimeath Shimath
H8100-01 2 Chronicles 24:26 שִׁמְעָת֙ shimeat HNp Shimeath Shimath
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