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Shemariah

שְׁמַרְיָה/shem-ah-RYE-ah/

“Kept of Jehovah or Jehovah has guarded”

Summary

A name meaning 'kept of Jehovah' borne by four men in the Old Testament: a warrior who joined David at Ziklag, a son of King Rehoboam, and two laymen who divorced foreign wives under Ezra.

☩Warrior with David

The first Shemariah was one of the valiant Benjamite warriors who defected to David while he was at Ziklag, before Saul's death. These men were skilled archers who could shoot arrows and sling stones with either hand—mighty men who helped David during his time as a fugitive.

Key verses:1 Chronicles 12:5

☩Son of Rehoboam

Another Shemariah (spelled 'Shamariah' in some translations) was a son of King Rehoboam by his second wife Abihail, who was related to David through Eliab. He was among the princes whom Rehoboam strategically placed in fortified cities throughout Judah.

Key verses:2 Chronicles 11:19

☩Post-Exilic Figures

Two men named Shemariah were among those who divorced their foreign wives during Ezra's reforms: one from the family of Harim and another from the family of Bani. Both acted around 458 BC to preserve Israel's covenant faithfulness.

Key verses:Ezra 10:32Ezra 10:41

Related Verses3 mentions

Ezra· 2 verses

10:3210:41

1 Chronicles· 1 verse

12:5

References

  1. 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Shemariah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IX (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
  2. 2.James Orr (ed.), "Shemariah," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).