Shema
“Rumor or fame”
Summary
A name meaning 'rumor' or 'fame' borne by four men and one town in the Old Testament, including a Benjamite who drove out the inhabitants of Gath and a man who stood beside Ezra during the reading of the law.
☩The Town
Shema was a town in the southern part of Judah, listed between Amam and Moladah. In the parallel list of towns assigned to Simeon, the name appears as Sheba, which may be the more accurate form since Shema is otherwise unknown as a place name. Some scholars identify it with the ruins of Sameh, located between Milh and Beersheba.
☩Individuals Named Shema
Four men bore this name: a descendant of Caleb through Hebron who was the father of Raham; a Benjamite chief who was among those who drove out the inhabitants of Gath (possibly the same as Shimhi); a Reubenite son of Joel and father of Azaz (perhaps the same as Shemaiah in another passage); and a man who stood at Ezra's right hand when he read the law to the assembled people.
Related Verses8 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Shema," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IX (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Shema," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).