שְׁמָעָה (she.ma.ah)
she.ma.ah
Shemaah
N:N-M-PQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N-M-P
Word Overview
The name Shemaah appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, recorded in 1 Chronicles 12:3 as a Benjamite warrior from Gibeath who joined David at Ziklag. He is identified as the father of Ahiezer and Joash, two mighty men who supported David during a critical period of his rise to power. The name itself means "rumour" or "hearing," reflecting a common pattern in biblical naming where words related to perception or communication are used for personal names.
While the word shemaah shares a root with the more familiar verb shama (to hear), it functions here strictly as a proper noun. Its occurrence is limited to this single genealogical and military context, highlighting the role of ordinary individuals in Israel's history. The sources do not indicate any deeper theological usage or extended narrative significance beyond this brief mention.
Translators typically retain the name as Shemaah without attempting to translate its meaning, following the standard practice for personal names. This approach preserves the historical identity of the figure while acknowledging that his name's literal sense ("rumour") does not carry additional symbolic weight in the text. The entry serves primarily as a record of lineage and military affiliation rather than offering moral or spiritual instruction.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The name Shemaah appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, recorded in 1 Chronicles 12:3 as a Benjamite warrior from Gibeath who joined David at Ziklag. He is identified as the father of Ahiezer and Joash, two mighty men who supported David during a critical period of his rise to power.
While the name itself means 'rumour' or 'hearing,' its occurrence here serves primarily as a record of lineage and military affiliation rather than offering moral or spiritual instruction. It highlights the role of ordinary individuals in Israel's history, reminding us that God uses many people, known and unknown, to accomplish His purposes.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ Shemaahite1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- הַ/שְּׁמָעָ֣ה1×
Key Verses
-
I Chronicles 12:3
The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite;
This verse identifies Shemaah as the father of Ahiezer and Joash, linking him to the mighty men who supported David.