Lexical Summary
shamen: Fat, rich, fertile
Original Word:שָׁמֵן
Part of Speech:Adjective
Transliteration:shamen
Pronunciation:shah-MEN
Phonetic Spelling:(shaw-mane')
KJV: fat, lusty, plenteous
Word Origin:[fromH8080 (שָׁמַן - grew fat)]
1. greasy, i.e. gross
2. (figuratively) rich
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
fat, lusty, plenteous
Fromshaman; greasy, i.e. Gross; figuratively, rich -- fat, lusty, plenteous.
see HEBREWshaman
Brown-Driver-Briggs
; — masculine
Judges 3:29 +, feminine
Genesis 49:20 +; —
fat, rich, of food,Genesis 49:20 (poem in J),Isaiah 30:23 (+ ),Habakkuk 1:16 (""); of land,festileNumbers 13:20 (E),Nehemiah 9:25,35, pasturageEzekiel 34:14;1 Chronicles 4:40. (1Samuel 15:9 see ).
stout, robust, of menJudges 3:29 ("" ; see GFM); feminine collective (figurative of flock)Ezekiel 34:16 (+ ).
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Semantic Rangeשָׁמֵן describes a state of fatness, richness, or luxuriant abundance. Whether applied to land, produce, livestock, or human physique, the term marks something as well-nourished and overflowing with resources.
Occurrences and Distribution
Ten Old Testament verses employ שָׁמֵן. Six speak of fertile land or pasture (Genesis 49:20;Numbers 13:20;1 Chronicles 4:40;Nehemiah 9:25;Nehemiah 9:35;Isaiah 30:23). Two relate to prosperous livestock (Ezekiel 34:14,Ezekiel 34:16). One depicts robust warriors (Judges 3:29). One portrays the idolatrous abundance of an oppressor (Habakkuk 1:16).
Agricultural and Economic Significance
1. Covenant Prosperity
•Genesis 49:20 prophetically blesses Asher: “Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall provide royal delicacies”. Rich food forecasts the tribe’s coastal fertility that later supplied the palace of Solomon.
•Numbers 13:20 frames the land-scouting mission: “and whether the soil is fertile or poor.” Moses sought verification that Canaan matched the Eden-like promises of abundance.
2. Pastoral Provision
• Shepherd imagery inEzekiel 34 promises “rich pasture on the mountains of Israel” (Ezekiel 34:14). Abundance is cast not only as arable land but as luxuriant forage for flocks, ensuring milk, wool, and sacrificial animals.
Theological and Spiritual Symbolism
1. Blessing and Hospitality
Shamen embodies the generosity of God who “opens His hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:16). A well-fed land reflects covenant fidelity (Deuteronomy 28:11, though the specific term is absent).
2. Warning Against Complacency
Nehemiah 9:25 recounts Israel’s history: “They captured fortified cities and a fertile land… So they ate and were filled and grew fat and delighted in Your great goodness.” Verse 35 laments that despite living in that same “rich land,” the people rebelled. Material plenty without gratitude breeds spiritual apathy (cf.Deuteronomy 32:15, where a cognate verb describes Jeshurun who “grew fat and kicked”).
3. Divine Justice
InEzekiel 34:16 the good Shepherd vows: “but the fat and strong I will destroy.” Excess that tramples others will be judged. Shamen thus swings between blessing and indictment depending on the moral posture of its recipient.
Missional and Christological Implications
The rich pasture theme anticipates the Messiah as Shepherd who leads His flock “to green pastures” (Psalm 23:2) and offers life “abundantly” (John 10:10). Earthly fertility points to the greater spiritual fullness found in Christ, in whom “we have all received one grace after another” (John 1:16).
Practical Ministry Application
• Stewardship: Seasons of plenty call for generosity toward the poor, lest shamen become spiritual obesity.
• Gratitude: Congregational worship can echo Nehemiah’s confession, thanking God for both material and spiritual richness.
• Pastoral Care: Ezekiel’s contrast of “rich pasture” and “emaciated sheep” cautions leaders to feed souls with sound doctrine, not self-indulgence.
Related Old Testament Concepts
• “Fat of the land” (Genesis 45:18) and “fat portions” of sacrifices (Leviticus 3) utilize a cognate noun שֶׁמֶן (oil, fat), reinforcing the motif of abundance.
• The “good and broad land” ofExodus 3:8 parallels shamen passages, showing that promise-language consistently celebrates divine provision.
New Testament Resonance
While שָׁמֵן does not appear in Greek, its themes reemerge:
• The prodigal’s “fattened calf” (Luke 15:23) symbolizes restored fellowship.
• Paul urges the rich “not to be arrogant… but to be rich in good deeds” (1 Timothy 6:17-18), echoing Old Testament warnings about abundance without obedience.
Shamen, therefore, is more than a descriptor of physical fatness; it is a narrative thread binding land, people, and livestock to the covenant economy of God—an economy that still calls believers to gratitude, stewardship, and dependence upon the Giver of every good and perfect gift.
Forms and Transliterations
הַשְּׁמֵנָ֧ה הַשְּׁמֵנָ֨ה השמנה וְהַשְּׁמֵנָ֛ה וְשָׁמֵ֑ן והשמנה ושמן שְׁמֵנָ֣ה שְׁמֵנָה֒ שָׁמֵ֖ן שָׁמֵ֛ן שָׁמֵ֣ן שמן שמנה haš·šə·mê·nāh hashshemeNah haššəmênāh šā·mên šāmên šə·mê·nāh šəmênāh shaMen shemeNah vehashshemeNah veshaMen wə·haš·šə·mê·nāh wə·šā·mên wəhaššəmênāh wəšāmên
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