(Heb. in three forms, Shema', שְׁמָע , Joshua 15:26; Shema', שֵׁמִע;, elsewhere, except "in pause, " She'ma, שָׁמִע, 1 Chronicles 2:43 all meaning rumor; Sept. Σαμά, v.r. Σαμαά, Σαλμάα, Σαμαϊ v ας, etc.), the name of four men and of one place.
1. Last named of the four sons of Hebron, and father of Raham, descendants of Caleb, great-grandson of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:43-44). B.C. ante 1658.
2. A Benjamite, son of Elpaal, and one of the heads of the fathers of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who drove out the inhabitants of Gath (1 Chronicles 8:13). B.C. post 1618. He is probably the same as Shimhi (1 Chronicles 8:21).
3. Son of Joel and father of Azaz, among the Reubenite chiefs (1 Chronicles 5:8). B.C. ante 1090. Perhaps the same with Shemaiah (q.v.) of 1 Chronicles 5:4. (See Joel 2.)
4. One of those (apparently laymen) who stood at Ezra's right hand while lie read the law to the people (Nehemiah 8:4). B.C. 458.
5. A town in the south of Judah, named between Amam and Moladah (Joshua 15:26). The place seems to have no connection with No. 1 above (see Keil, ad loc. Chronicles). In the parallel list of towns set off from Judah to Simeon (Joshua 19:2), the name appears as Sheba (q.v.), which is perhaps the more correct, as Shema never, elsewhere appears as the appellation of a town. Knobel (in the Kurzgef. exeg. Handb. ad loc.) suggests that it may be the present ruins Sameh, between Milh and Beer- sheba (Van de Velde, Syria, 2, 148).