International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Shammah

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Shammah


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sham´a (שׁמּה, shammāh):

(1) The son of Reuel, the son of Esau, a tribal chief of Edom (, ; , Σομέ, Somé).

(2) The third son of Jesse and brother of David. Together with his two other brothers he fought under Saul in the campaign against the Philistines and was with the army in the valley of Elah when David slew Goliath ( ff). One redactor states that he was a witness of the anointing of David by Samuel (-13). He was the father of Jonadab, the friend of Amnon ( ff), and that Jonathan whose victory over a Philistine giant is narrated in ff was also his son. His name is rendered as “Shammah” (; ), “Shimeah” (, ), “Shimei” (), and “Shimea” (; ).

(3) The son of Agee, a Hararite, one of the “three mighty men” of David (, Septuagint Σαμαιά, Samaiá), who held the field against the Philistines. The parallel passage ( ff) ascribes this deed to Eleazar, the son of Dodo. The succeeding incident ( ff), namely, the famous act of three of David's heroes who risked their lives to bring their leader water from the well of Bethlehem, has frequently been credited to Shammah and two other members of “the three”; but the three warriors are plainly said () to belong to “the thirty”; should read “Jonathan, son of Shammah, the Hararite.” Jonathan, one of David's “thirty,” was a son of Shammah; the word “son” has been accidentally omitted (Driver, Budde, Kittel, etc.). The parallel passage () has “son of Shagee,” which is probably, a misreading for “son of Agee.” Lucian's version, “son of Shammah,” is most plausible. “Shimei the son of Ela” () should also appear in this passage if Lucian's reading of “Ela” for “Agee” () be correct.

(4) A Harodite (, ), i.e. probably a native of ‛Ain-ḥarod (‛Ain Jalūd, ; see HAROD). One of “the thirty” and captain of Solomon's 5th monthly course. In the parallel lists () he is called “the Harorite” (this last being a scribal error for Harodite) and “Shamhuth the Izrahate” ().