Hebrew word · H8069

שָׁמִיר

shamir

Shamir

As a common noun, shamir means (1) thorns or briers, often paired with shayit 'thistles' in Isaiah (Isa 5:6; 7:23–25), and (2) a very hard stone such as emery, flint or adamant, used for engraving (Jer 17:1; Ezek 3:9; Zech 7:12).

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

§ Shamir = "a point" or "thorn"

a town in Ephraim where the judge Tola lived and was buried

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Joshua 15:48

Range of meaning

As a common noun, shamir means (1) thorns or briers, often paired with shayit 'thistles' in Isaiah (Isa 5:6; 7:23–25), and (2) a very hard stone such as emery, flint or adamant, used for engraving (Jer 17:1; Ezek 3:9; Zech 7:12). As a place name it is used for this Judean town and for Tola's town in the hill country of Ephraim (Judg 10:1–2), which is a different place.

Against the English

English versions transliterate it as a name, which is correct. The possible meaning of the name ('Thornbush' or 'Flint') doesn't show in English.

Used elsewhere in the period

The two senses of the common noun are attested in the prophets as cited. Later Jewish legend (Mishnah Avot 5:6; Talmud Gittin 68a) tells of a shamir creature or stone that cut the Temple stones. That is a later tradition and has nothing to do with this town.

Similar words

Where it appears

Joshua · 1

  1. Joshua 15:48 שָׁמִ֥יר Shamir

    These were in the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,

    Here: First town of the first hill-country district, in the far south of the Judean highlands. Nobody is sure where it was. The same Hebrew word means 'thorn-bush' or 'hard stone' (flint, emery), so the name may describe the rough terrain.

Judges · 2

  1. Judges 10:1 בְּשָׁמִ֖יר in Shamir

    After the time of Abimelech, a man of Issachar, Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose up to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.

  2. Judges 10:2 בְּשָׁמִֽיר׃ פ in Shamir

    Tola judged Israel twenty-three years, and when he died, he was buried in Shamir.

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 24:24 שָׁמִֽיר׃ Shamir

    From the sons of Uzziel: Micah; from the sons of Micah: Shamir.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.