8106. Shemer
Lexical Summary
Shemer: Shemer

Original Word: שֶׁמֶר
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Shemer
Pronunciation: SHEH-mer
Phonetic Spelling: (sheh'-mer)
KJV: Shamer, Shemer
NASB: Shemer
Word Origin: [the same as H8105 (שֶׁמֶר - aged wine)]

1. Shemer, the name of three Israelites

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Shamer, Shemer

The same as shemer; Shemer, the name of three Israelites -- Shamer, Shemer.

see HEBREW shemer

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from shamar
Definition
three Isr.
NASB Translation
Shemer (4).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
שָׁ֑מֶד proper name, masculine 1 Chronicles 8:12 Gi Baer, see שֶׁמֶר

I. שֶׁ֫מֶר proper name, masculine (properly clan-name, compare StaZAW v (1885). 166 f., compare Sabean שמר Os13, but Northern Aramaic DHMZMG xxxvii (1885), 14 SabDenkm30); — Σεμ(μ)ηρ, etc.:

1 ׳שׁ original owner of hill where Samaria was built 1 Kings 16:24 (twice in verse).

2 שָׁ֑מֶר

a. Levite 1 Chronicles 6:31.

b. in Asher 1 Chronicles 7:34, A ᵐ5L Σωμηρ; = שֹׁמֵר 1 Chronicles 7:32.

c. in Benjamin 1 Chronicles 8:12 van d. H.; > שֶׁטֶד q. v.

Topical Lexicon
Occurrences and Identity

Strong’s Hebrew 8106, Shemer, appears five times. Two refer to the landowner from whom Omri purchased the hill that became Samaria (1 Kings 16:24). Three occur in temple-service and tribal genealogies (1 Chronicles 6:46; 7:34; 8:12), where the name marks otherwise little-known Levites and Benjamites. Although each mention is brief, the contexts link Shemer to decisive moments in Israel’s national account and to the quiet faithfulness of unnamed families who sustained worship in Israel.

The Hill Transaction and Birth of Samaria

“Omri bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and he built a city on the hill and named it Samaria after Shemer, the owner of the hill” (1 Kings 16:24). With one commercial exchange, Shemer’s property became the political and military capital of the Northern Kingdom for the next two centuries. Samaria would witness the ministries of Elijah, Elisha, Amos, and Hosea; it would fall to Assyria in 722 BC and later feature in New Testament narratives as the homeland of the despised but spiritually receptive Samaritans (John 4). Thus, the unassuming mention of Shemer ties his name to a site central to redemptive history.

Impact on the Northern Kingdom

Samaria’s elevation and strategic location gave Omri a defensible capital and a fresh start after the instability of Tirzah. The Omride dynasty—Omri, Ahab, Ahaziah, and Joram—reigned from the city named after Shemer. While the dynasty promoted idolatry, the prophets called Israel back to covenant faithfulness from this very hill. In divine providence, the city that bore Shemer’s name became a stage on which God’s holiness, patience, and judgment were dramatically displayed (1 Kings 18; 2 Kings 17).

Genealogical Mentions

1 Chronicles 6:46 lists “Shemer” among the sons in the Gershonite line of Levites, men tasked with caretaking the tabernacle’s fabrics and furnishings (Numbers 3:21-26). 1 Chronicles 7:34 places another Shemer within the tribe of Asher, while 1 Chronicles 8:12 includes a Benjaminite of the same name. These sparse details remind readers that the LORD records every servant, even those who never headline biblical events. Their hidden faithfulness supported ongoing worship and preserved tribal identity during the chaotic pre-exilic centuries.

Theological Reflections

1. God weaves ordinary lives into extraordinary purposes. Shemer likely viewed the sale of his hill as routine business; yet that transaction positioned nations, prophets, and empires.
2. Place names memorialize divine dealings. “Samaria” forever recalls the man who once owned the ridge, underscoring how human history is stamped onto the geography of salvation.
3. Genealogies matter. By naming otherwise obscure Shemers, Scripture validates the ministry of unnoticed saints and affirms that every generation contributes to God’s unfolding story.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Stewardship: Shemer surrendered land for silver, but believers today are called to yield possessions for Kingdom advance (Luke 12:33-34). What appears as a simple sale may open doors for gospel impact beyond imagination.
• Record-keeping: Churches that archive the service of their members imitate the Chronicler, honoring faithful labor that might seem mundane yet is precious to God (Hebrews 6:10).
• Cultural engagement: Samaria’s later spiritual hunger (John 4; Acts 8) sprang from a complex past rooted in Shemer’s hill. Ministry in any city requires awareness of its historical layers, ready to proclaim Christ into accounts that began centuries earlier.

Christological and Eschatological Echoes

Samaria—born from Shemer’s land—became a testimony to God’s inclusive grace. Jesus “had to pass through Samaria” (John 4:4) to reveal Himself as Messiah to the Samaritan woman, foreshadowing the gospel’s reach to the nations. Philip’s revival in Samaria (Acts 8:4-8) likewise previews Revelation’s vision of worship from every tribe and tongue. Thus the legacy of Shemer’s hill extends all the way to the consummation, where redeemed multitudes will confess that “salvation belongs to our God” (Revelation 7:10).

Summary

Though the biblical data concerning Shemer is scant, the name links real estate, royal politics, prophetic ministry, and quiet genealogical service. His hill became Samaria, a focal point for both judgment and grace. His namesakes, embedded in Levite and tribal records, bear witness to God’s concern for every servant. Together they illustrate how the Lord sovereignly works through ordinary transactions and obscure individuals to advance His redemptive plan.

Forms and Transliterations
וָשָׁ֑מֶד ושמד שֶׁ֔מֶר שֶׁ֖מֶר שָֽׁמֶר׃ שָׁ֑מֶר שמר שמר׃ šā·mer šāmer še·mer šemer Shamer Shemer vaShamed wā·šā·meḏ wāšāmeḏ
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
1 Kings 16:24
HEB: שֹׁמְר֛וֹן מֵ֥אֶת שֶׁ֖מֶר בְּכִכְּרַ֣יִם כָּ֑סֶף
NAS: Samaria from Shemer for two talents
KJV: Samaria of Shemer for two talents
INT: the hill Samaria Shemer talents of silver

1 Kings 16:24
HEB: עַ֣ל שֶׁם־ שֶׁ֔מֶר אֲדֹנֵ֖י הָהָ֥ר
NAS: the name of Shemer, the owner
KJV: after the name of Shemer, owner
INT: after the name of Shemer the owner of the hill

1 Chronicles 6:46
HEB: בָּנִ֖י בֶּן־ שָֽׁמֶר׃
NAS: of Bani, the son of Shemer,
KJV: of Bani, the son of Shamer,
INT: of Bani the son of Shemer

1 Chronicles 7:34
HEB: וּבְנֵ֖י שָׁ֑מֶר אֲחִ֥י [וְרֹוהֲגָה
NAS: The sons of Shemer [were] Ahi
KJV: And the sons of Shamer; Ahi,
INT: the sons of Shemer Ahi Rohgah

1 Chronicles 8:12
HEB: עֵ֥בֶר וּמִשְׁעָ֖ם וָשָׁ֑מֶד ה֚וּא בָּנָ֣ה
KJV: and Misham, and Shamed, who built
INT: Eber Misham and Shamed who built

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8106
5 Occurrences


šā·mer — 2 Occ.
še·mer — 2 Occ.
wā·šā·meḏ — 1 Occ.

8105
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