Lexical Summary
Shemayah or Shemayahu: Shemaiah or Shemaiahu
Original Word:שְׁמַעְיָה
Part of Speech:Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration:Shma`yah
Pronunciation:shem-ah-YAH or shem-ah-YAH-hoo
Phonetic Spelling:(shem-aw-yaw')
KJV: Shemaiah
NASB:Shemaiah
Word Origin:[fromH8085 (שָׁמַע - heard) andH3050 (יָהּ - LORD)]
1. Jah has heard
2. Shemajah, the name of twenty-five Israelites
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Shemaiah
Or Shmamyahuw {shem-aw-yaw'-hoo}; fromshama' andYahh; Jah has heard; Shemajah, the name of twenty-five Israelites -- Shemaiah.
see HEBREWshama'
see HEBREWYahh
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
shama and
YahDefinition"Yah hears," the name of a number of Isr.
NASB TranslationShemaiah (41).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
etc.:
1 Kings 12:22; 2Chronicles 12:5,7,15; = -2Chronicles 11:2.
Jeremiah 29:31 (twice in verse);Jeremiah 29:32 = -Jeremiah 29:24.
-Jeremiah 36:12.
- a prophet's fatherJeremiah 26:20.
1 Chronicles 3:22 (twice in verse).
1 Chronicles 4:37.
1 Chronicles 5:4.
1 Chronicles 9:14.
1 Chronicles 9:16 =
1 Chronicles 15:8,11
1 Chronicles 24:6.
1 Chronicles 26:4,6,7
2Chronicles 29:14.
Ezra 8:16.
Nehemiah 11:15. Also -
2Chronicles 17:8.
2Chronicles 31:15.
2Chronicles 35:9.
Ezra 8:13.
Ezra 6:10.
Nehemiah 10:9;Nehemiah 12:42.
Nehemiah 12:6.18.
Nehemiah 12:35 d.Nehemiah 12:36.
Nehemiah 12:34.
seeabove.
Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe name שְׁמַעְיָה (Shemaiah) is borne by at least twenty-five distinct persons and is found about forty-one times in the Old Testament. The men who carry it appear from the time of King David down to the post-exilic community of Ezra and Nehemiah. Though their individual accounts vary, together they show how the LORD faithfully “heard” and guided His covenant people in worship, leadership, reform, discipline, and restoration.
Prophetic Witness in the Divided Kingdom
1. Shemaiah the prophet during Rehoboam’s reign (1 Kings 12:22-24;2 Chronicles 11:2-4; 12:5-15) intervened at two strategic moments:
• He stopped civil war before it began—“This is what the LORD says: Do not go up and fight against your brothers” (1 Kings 12:24).
• He confronted Judah after Shishak’s invasion, declaring both judgment and mercy (2 Chronicles 12:5-7). His written annals (2 Chronicles 12:15) remind readers that prophetic authority shaped Judah’s historical record.
2. Shemaiah son of Delaiah, hired to lure Nehemiah into sin (Nehemiah 6:10-13), feigned prophecy to sabotage the wall-builder. His exposure shows that true prophecy accords with the Law and advances God’s redemptive plan, while false prophecy seeks self-interest and fear-mongering.
3. Shemaiah the Nehelamite, a false prophet in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:24-32), attacked Jeremiah’s letter and urged punishment of faithful men. The LORD judged him: “None of his descendants will remain among this people” (Jeremiah 29:32). Together with the Delaiah episode, Scripture contrasts genuine and spurious prophetic voices bearing the same name.
Levitical Service in the United Kingdom
Under David a cluster of Shemaiahs appear as worship leaders and administrators:
• Chief of two hundred Elizaphanites who helped bring up the ark (1 Chronicles 15:8).
• One of six leading Levites summoned by David to sanctify themselves for that procession (1 Chronicles 15:11).
• Trumpeter before the ark (1 Chronicles 15:24).
• Scribe for the priestly divisions—“Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king and the leaders” (1 Chronicles 24:6).
• Firstborn of Obed-edom, made captain of the gatekeepers because he and his sons were “men of great ability” (1 Chronicles 26:6-8).
These men demonstrate the breadth of Levitical calling: organization, music, guarding holy space, and keeping written records, all in joyful obedience to the king who foreshadows Christ.
Roles during Hezekiah and Josiah’s Reforms
In the eighth- and seventh-century renewals two more Shemaiahs assist godly kings:
• A son of Jeduthun who helped cleanse the temple at Hezekiah’s inauguration of worship (2 Chronicles 29:14).
• A Levite officer who distributed offerings to priestly families (2 Chronicles 31:15).
• Alongside his brother Nethanel, Shemaiah gave three thousand Passover animals in Josiah’s great celebration (2 Chronicles 35:9).
Each revival required trustworthy stewards who valued purity and generosity; the repetition of the name underscores that the LORD continued to “hear” His people’s repentance.
Post-Exilic Builders, Musicians, and Administrators
After the exile the name re-emerges in Jerusalem’s restoration community:
• Shemaiah son of Shecaniah repaired the wall near his own house (Nehemiah 3:29), illustrating personal ownership in covenant work.
• Shemaiah stood by Ezra at the public reading of the Law (Nehemiah 8:4), affirming the central place of Scripture.
• A priest named Shemaiah sealed the renewed covenant (Nehemiah 10:8).
• Several Levites named Shemaiah served as city officials (Nehemiah 11:15), heads of priestly courses (Nehemiah 12:6, 18), trumpeters in the dedication procession (Nehemiah 12:34-36), and choir leaders (Nehemiah 12:42).
• Two men named Shemaiah confessed and put away foreign wives during Ezra’s reforms (Ezra 10:21, 31), showing the cost of covenant fidelity.
Across these passages, rebuilding the city, restoring worship, and renewing the covenant all feature servants whose very names remind Judah that God listens to prayerful obedience.
Genealogical Anchors and Tribal Representation
Several Shemaiahs appear only in lineage lists (1 Chronicles 3:22; 4:37; 5:4; 23:9; 24:30;2 Chronicles 17:8). Though easily overlooked, these notices root prophetic, priestly, and royal ministries in real families and tribes, validating historical continuity from the patriarchs to the post-exilic remnant and ultimately to the Messiah.
Counterfeit Prophecy as a Repeated Threat
The two false prophets named Shemaiah (Jeremiah 29;Nehemiah 6) highlight Satan’s strategy of mimicking genuine revelation. Their exposure teaches that God’s people must weigh every message by Scripture, discern motives, and resist fear-based manipulation.
Spiritual Lessons
• God still “hears” the humble. From Rehoboam’s repentant princes (2 Chronicles 12:7) to exiles who wept at Ezra’s reading (Nehemiah 8:9), the LORD responds to contrite hearts.
• Faithful service can be quiet yet essential. Scribes, gatekeepers, musicians, and treasurers named Shemaiah underscore that every calling, whether public or behind the scenes, supports God-honoring worship.
• Revival requires ordered stewardship. In both Hezekiah’s and Josiah’s reforms, administrators named Shemaiah managed resources so that priests could minister and the people could celebrate.
• Beware spiritual manipulation. The episodes inJeremiah 29 andNehemiah 6 warn that false voices may exploit holy language for personal or political advantage. The safeguard is the written Word and courageous leadership.
• Continuity of worship ties generations together. From Davidic choirs to Nehemiah’s choirs, bearers of the name Shemaiah model generational faithfulness, anticipating the church’s calling to hand down gospel truth “from age to age the same.”
Key References
1 Kings 12:22-24;1 Chronicles 15:8, 15:11, 15:24;1 Chronicles 24:6;1 Chronicles 26:6-8;2 Chronicles 11:2-4;2 Chronicles 12:5-15;2 Chronicles 29:14;2 Chronicles 31:15;2 Chronicles 35:9;Jeremiah 29:24-32;Nehemiah 3:29;Nehemiah 6:10-13;Nehemiah 8:4;Nehemiah 10:8;Nehemiah 11:15;Nehemiah 12:6, 18, 34-36, 42.
Forms and Transliterations
וְלִֽשְׁמַֽעְיָ֤ה וּֽשְׁמַֽעְיָ֔ה וּֽשְׁמַֽעְיָ֖ה וּֽשְׁמַֽעְיָ֜ה וּֽשְׁמַֽעְיָ֜הוּ וּֽשְׁמַֽעְיָ֤ה וּֽשְׁמַעְיָ֑ה וּשְׁמַֽעְיָ֨הוּ ולשמעיה ושמעיה ושמעיהו לִֽ֠שְׁמַעְיָה לִֽשְׁמַעְיָ֖ה לשמעיה מעיהו שְֽׁמַֽעְיָ֡הוּ שְֽׁמַֽעְיָ֧ה שְֽׁמַֽעְיָה֩ שְֽׁמַעְיָ֡ה שְׁ֠מַעְיָהוּ שְׁמַֽעְיָ֑ה שְׁמַֽעְיָ֔ה שְׁמַֽעְיָ֖ה שְׁמַֽעְיָ֗ה שְׁמַֽעְיָ֣ה שְׁמַֽעְיָ֤ה שְׁמַֽעְיָ֥ה שְׁמַֽעְיָ֥הוּ שְׁמַֽעְיָ֧ה שְׁמַֽעְיָ֧ה ׀ שְׁמַֽעְיָֽה׃ שְׁמַעְיָ֑ה שְׁמַעְיָ֔הוּ שְׁמַעְיָ֖ה שְׁמַעְיָ֗ה שְׁמַעְיָ֣ה שְׁמַעְיָ֥ה שְׁמַעְיָ֥הוּ שְׁמַעְיָ֧ה שמעיה שמעיה׃ שמעיהו liš·ma‘·yāh Lishmayah lišma‘yāh ma‘·yā·hū ma‘yāhū mayahu šə·ma‘·yā·hū šə·ma‘·yāh šəma‘yāh šəma‘yāhū shemaYah shemaYahu ū·šə·ma‘·yā·hū ū·šə·ma‘·yāh ūšəma‘yāh ūšəma‘yāhū ushemaYah ushemaYahu velishmaYah wə·liš·ma‘·yāh wəlišma‘yāh
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