שָׁמַע

hebrewOld TestamentVerb1,159 occurrences39 books1,072 verses

Definition

a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
Traditional renderings: × attentively, call (gather) together, × carefully, × certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, × diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), × indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, × surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.

In the Greek Old Testament

How the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament renders שָׁמַע:

ἀκούωakouō“to hear”76%
εἰσακούωeisakouō“to listen to”14%
ὑπακούωhupakouō“to obey”2%
ἐπακούωepakouō“to listen to”1%
ἀκοήakoē“hearing”1%

Usage patterns

LawHistoryPoetryProphetsGospelsEpistles

Old TestamentNew Testament

Occurrences

1,159 total

Joshua 6:10תַשְׁמִ֣יעוּ · be heard
But Joshua had commanded the people: “Do not give a battle cry or let your voice be heard; do not let one word come out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you are to shout!”
Joshua 6:20כִשְׁמֹ֨עַ · heard
So when the rams’ horns sounded, the people shouted. When they heard the blast of the horn, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. Then all the people charged straight into the city and captured it.
Joshua 7:9וְיִשְׁמְע֣וּ · hear about this
When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?”
Joshua 9:1כִשְׁמֹ֣עַ · news of this reached
Now when news of this reached all the kings west of the Jordan—those in the hill country, the foothills, and all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon (the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites)—
Joshua 9:3שָׁמְע֗וּ · having heard
But the people of Gibeon, having heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,
Joshua 9:9שָׁמַ֣עְנוּ · we have heard
“Your servants have come from a very distant land,” they replied, “because of the fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard the reports about Him: all that He did in Egypt,
Joshua 9:16וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֗וּ · [the Israelites] learned
Three days after they had made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites learned that they were neighbors, living among them.
Joshua 10:1כִשְׁמֹ֨עַ · heard
Now Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction—doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king—and that the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living near them.
Joshua 10:14לִשְׁמֹ֥עַ · listened
There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel.
Joshua 11:1כִּשְׁמֹ֖עַ · heard about these things
Now when Jabin king of Hazor heard about these things, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon; to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph;
Joshua 14:12שָׁמַעְתָּ֩ · heard
Now therefore give me this hill country that the LORD promised me on that day, for you yourself heard then that the Anakim were there, with great and fortified cities. Perhaps with the LORD’s help I will drive them out, as the LORD has spoken.”
Joshua 22:2וַתִּשְׁמְע֣וּ · and you have obeyed
…and told them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and you have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you.
Joshua 22:11וַיִּשְׁמְע֥וּ · received
Then the Israelites received the report: “Behold, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the border of the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.”
Joshua 22:12וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֖וּ · heard this
And when they heard this, the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh to go to war against them.
Joshua 22:30וַיִּשְׁמַ֞ע · heard
When Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation—the heads of Israel’s clans who were with him—heard what the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had to say, they were satisfied.
Joshua 24:10לִשְׁמֹ֣עַ · listen
…but I would not listen to Balaam. So he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you from his hand.
Joshua 24:24נִשְׁמָֽע׃ · and obey
So the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey His voice.”
Joshua 24:27שָׁמְעָ֗ה · has heard
And Joshua said to all the people, “You see this stone. It will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the LORD has spoken to us, and it will be a witness against you if you ever deny your God.”
Judges 2:2שְׁמַעְתֶּ֥ם · obeyed
…and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’ Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done?
Judges 2:17שָׁמֵ֔עוּ · listen; לִשְׁמֹ֥עַ · in obedience
Israel, however, did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commandments; they did not do as their fathers had done.
Judges 2:20שָׁמְע֖וּ · heeded
So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed the covenant I laid down for their fathers and has not heeded My voice,
Judges 3:4הֲיִשְׁמְעוּ֙ · whether they would keep
These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of the LORD, which He had given their fathers through Moses.
Judges 5:3שִׁמְע֣וּ · Listen
Listen, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.
Judges 5:16לִשְׁמֹ֖עַ · to hear
Why did you sit among the sheepfolds to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the clans of Reuben there was great indecision.
Judges 6:10שְׁמַעְתֶּ֖ם · obey Me
And I said to you: ‘I am the LORD your God. You must not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.’ But you did not obey Me.”
Judges 7:11וְשָֽׁמַעְתָּ֙ · and listen
…and listen to what they are saying. Then your hands will be strengthened to attack the camp.” So he went with Purah his servant to the outposts where armed men were guarding the camp.
Judges 7:15כִשְׁמֹ֨עַ · heard
When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Get up, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.”
Judges 9:7שִׁמְע֤וּ · Listen; וְיִשְׁמַ֥ע · listen
When this was reported to Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and cried out: “Listen to me, O leaders of Shechem, and may God listen to you.
Judges 9:30וַיִּשְׁמַ֗ע · heard
When Zebul the governor of the city heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he burned with anger.
Judges 9:46וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֔וּ · On hearing of this
On hearing of this, all the leaders in the tower of Shechem entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith.
Judges 11:10שֹׁמֵ֙עַ֙ · our witness
And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD is our witness if we do not do as you say.”
Judges 11:17שָׁמַע֙ · listen
Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel stayed in Kadesh.
Judges 11:28שָׁמַ֔ע · heed
But the king of the Ammonites paid no heed to the message Jephthah sent him.
Judges 13:9וַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע · listened
And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God returned to the woman as she was sitting in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her.
Judges 13:23הִשְׁמִיעָ֖נוּ · or spoken
But his wife replied, “If the LORD had intended to kill us, He would not have accepted the burnt offering and the grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things or spoken to us this way.”
Judges 14:13וְנִשְׁמָעֶֽנָּה׃ · Let us hear it
But if you cannot solve it, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.” “Tell us your riddle,” they replied. “Let us hear it.”
Judges 18:25תַּשְׁמַ֥ע · raise
The Danites said to him, “Do not raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives.”
Judges 19:25לִשְׁמֹ֣עַֽ · listen to him
But the men would not listen to him. So the Levite took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go.
Judges 20:3וַֽיִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ · heard
(Meanwhile the Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites asked, “Tell us, how did this wicked thing happen?”
Judges 20:13לִשְׁמֹ֕עַ · to heed
Hand over the wicked men of Gibeah so we can put them to death and purge Israel of this evil.” But the Benjamites refused to heed the voice of their fellow Israelites.
Ruth 1:6שָֽׁמְעָה֙ · [Naomi] heard
When Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had attended to His people by providing them with food, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to leave the land of Moab.
Ruth 2:8שָׁמַ֣עַתְּ · Listen
Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Do not go and glean in another field, and do not go away from this place, but stay here close to my servant girls.
1 Samuel 1:13יִשָּׁמֵ֑עַ · be heard
Hannah was praying in her heart, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk
1 Samuel 2:22וְשָׁמַ֗ע · and he heard
Now Eli was very old, and he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
1 Samuel 2:23שֹׁמֵ֙עַ֙ · hear
“Why are you doing these things?” Eli said to his sons. “I hear about your wicked deeds from all these people.
1 Samuel 2:24שֹׁמֵ֔עַ · hear
No, my sons; it is not a good report I hear circulating among the LORD’s people.
1 Samuel 2:25יִשְׁמְעוּ֙ · listen
If a man sins against another man, God can intercede for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, since the LORD intended to put them to death.
1 Samuel 3:9שֹׁמֵ֖עַ · is listening
“Go and lie down,” he said to Samuel, “and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.