2 Samuel 20:17:112 Sam.20.17.W11TAB
שְׁמַע֙
shema
“listen”
- Transliteration
- she-MA
- Extended
- sheh-MAH
- IPA
- /ʃəˈmaʕ/
Meaning by language
- English
- listen
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Mem | m as in mother | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Ayin | deep guttural stop, voiced pharyngeal |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
she-MA
- clause
va-to-MER LO she-MA div-RE a-ma-TE-kha va-yo-MER sho-ME-a a-no-KHI
- sentence
va-yik-RAV e-LE-ha va-to-MER ha-i-SHA ha-a-TA yo-AV va-yo-MER a-NI va-to-MER LO she-MA div-RE a-ma-TE-kha va-yo-MER sho-ME-a a-no-KHI
Exegesis
The imperative šimʿāʿ {שְׁמַע | ši-māʿ} ‘listen’ conveys an honorific request, with its object expressed through the construct chain dibrê ’ămātēkā {דִּבְרֵי אֲמָתֶ֔ךָ | dibrê ʼămātēkā} ‘words of your servant’, in which ’āmāh {אֲמָה} signifies humility.
The response uses the participle šōmēaʿ {שֹׁמֵעַ | šōmēaʿ} ‘listening’ alongside ’ānōḵî {אָנֹכִֽי | ʼānōḵî} ‘I’, indicating ongoing attentiveness. The English SVO order preserves the Hebrew’s honorific nuance and clearly attributes each utterance.
Root and etymology
שׁ־מ־ע
“to hear”
In context — 2 Samuel 20:17
And he approached her, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” And he said, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.” And he said, “I am listening.”
About this coordinate
2 Samuel 20:17:11 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 11 of 2 Samuel 20:17, so the Hebrew word שְׁמַע֙ (shema) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written 2 Sam.20.17.W11, which extends further down to each syllable (2 Sam.20.17.W11.S1) and character.