Lexical Summary
shemer: Dregs, lees, sediment
Original Word:שֶׁמֶר
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:shemer
Pronunciation:SHEH-mer
Phonetic Spelling:(sheh'-mer)
KJV: dregs, (wines on the) lees
NASB:aged wine, dregs, spirit
Word Origin:[fromH8104 (שָׁמַר - keep)]
1. something preserved, i.e. the settlings (plural only) of wine
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
dregs, wines on the lees
Fromshamar; something preserved, i.e. The settlings (plural only) of wine -- dregs, (wines on the) lees.
see HEBREWshamar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitionlees, dregs
NASB Translationaged wine (2), dregs (2), spirit (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
II. []
Isaiah 25:6 only plural (figurative); — absolute
Isaiah 25:6 (twice in verse) (in both =
wine matured by resting undisturbed
on the lees); suffix
Jeremiah 48:11 (of Moab's undisturbed life), compare (of careless men)
Zephaniah 1:12;
Psalm 75:9 (of s cup of judgment). 1.
III. (√ of following; meaning dubious; Late Hebrewdiamond, so Aramaic (alsoflint),
; Arabic
=mimosa gummifera, Lane1425b).
see 111. .
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and imageryThe term שֶׁמֶר depicts the thick sediment that settles at the bottom of fermented wine. In ancient viticulture the lees were both a sign of maturity—giving body and flavor to a well-aged vintage—and a danger, for wine left too long on the dregs turned sour. Scripture repeatedly uses the word as a striking metaphor for either richest blessing or gravest judgment.
Ancient winemaking background
Wine was transferred from jar to jar so the sediment would remain behind; only the clear liquid was served at table. Refined wine, “well strained,” spoke of special celebration. Unpoured wine, by contrast, became stagnant, symbolizing complacency and moral dullness. This everyday process supplied the prophets with vivid language readily understood by their hearers.
Occurrences in Scripture
Psalm 75:8 pictures divine retribution: “For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, full of foaming wine mixed with spices; He pours from it, and all the wicked of the earth will drink it down to the dregs.” The wicked must swallow the bitter sediment of judgment until nothing remains.
Isaiah 25:6 twice employs the word to describe the centerpiece of the coming Messianic banquet: “On this mountain the LORD of Hosts will prepare a banquet for all the peoples, a feast of aged wine … of finely aged wine.” Here שֶׁמֶר conveys richness and surpassing joy, reversing the curse and anticipating the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Jeremiah 48:11 rebukes Moab’s complacency: “Moab has been at ease from his youth, settled like wine on its dregs; he has not been poured from vessel to vessel.” Lack of disturbance bred pride; therefore judgment would come suddenly, decanting the nation and shattering its false security.
Zephaniah 1:12 warns Judah of the same peril: “At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men who are complacent, like wine left on its dregs.” Spiritual lethargy, not outright rebellion alone, invites the searching light of God.
Theological themes
1. Judgment without remainder. Drinking to the dregs underscores the thoroughness of divine justice (Psalm 75:8).
2. Complacency versus refinement. Being “left on the lees” illustrates how unchecked ease fosters moral stagnation (Jeremiah 48:11;Zephaniah 1:12).
3. Eschatological abundance. The well-refined wine at the future banquet (Isaiah 25:6) celebrates full redemption, contrasting the bitter cup of wrath. Both images meet at the cross where Christ drank the cup prepared for sinners that believers might share the cup of blessing.
Historical significance
The image resonated with ancient listeners because wine production marked Israel’s agricultural calendar, liturgical offerings, and social life. From vineyard pruning to the joyful treading of grapes, every stage pointed to divine provision. The prophets leveraged this shared experience to press home lessons of repentance and hope.
Ministry reflections
• Urgency of self-examination: communities must not settle into spiritual inertia.
• Assurance of ultimate banquet: suffering saints are invited to anticipate the “finely aged wine” of the kingdom.
• Whole-gospel proclamation: only the One who drained the cup of wrath can offer the cup of blessing. Regular remembrance in Communion keeps both realities before the church.
Thus שֶׁמֶר, the humble wine sediment, becomes in God’s Word a multilayered sign—warning the indifferent, wooing the repentant, and whetting the appetite of all who look for the glorious feast to come.
Forms and Transliterations
מריה שְׁ֭מָרֶיהָ שְׁמָרִ֑ים שְׁמָרִ֖ים שְׁמָרָ֔יו שִׁמְרֵיהֶ֔ם שמריהם שמריו שמרים mā·re·hā mārehā mareiha šə·mā·rāw šə·mā·rîm šəmārāw šəmārîm shemaRav shemaRim shimreiHem šim·rê·hem šimrêhem
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