English · KJV
H8038

שֶׁמְאֵבֶר

Shemʼêber /shem-ay'-ber/ Ask about this word
Rootapparently from שֵׁם and אֵבֶר
Meaningname of pinion, i.e. illustrious; Shemeber, a king of Zeboim
KJV usageShemeber.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of Shemʼêber — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew name Shemʼêber, represented by H8038, translates as "name of pinion, i.e. illustrious" and identifies a king of Zeboim. This name is highly specific, appearing only 1 time in 1 unique verse in the entire Bible.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The sole appearance of Shemʼêber is in Genesis 14:2. In this verse, he is named as the king H4428 of Zeboiim H6636. He is listed as part of a coalition of five kings from the cities of the plain who made H6213 war H4421. This alliance also included the kings of Sodom H5467, Gomorrah H6017, Admah H126, and Bela H1106.

Related Words & Concepts

The context of Shemʼêber is defined by several key terms from his only appearance:

  • H4428 melek (a king): This is the title given to Shemeber, establishing his role as a royal ruler Genesis 14:2.
  • H6636 Tsᵉbôʼîym (gazelles; Tseboim or Tsebijim, a place in Palestine): This identifies the city-state over which Shemeber ruled Genesis 14:2.
  • H4421 milchâmâh (a battle... war): This word describes the event where Shemeber is mentioned, as he and his allies engaged in warfare Genesis 14:2.
  • H126 ʼAdmâh (earthy; Admah, a place near the Dead Sea): The kingdom of one of Shemeber's allies in the conflict Genesis 14:2.
  • H5467 Çᵉdôm (burnt... district; Sedom, a place near the Dead Sea): The prominent city in the alliance that went to war Genesis 14:2.

Theological Significance

While Shemʼêber is a minor figure, his name carries significance through its associations within the biblical narrative:

  • A Symbol of Earthly Kingdoms: As a king H4428, Shemeber represents the human political structures and conflicts of his era. His participation in this war H4421 highlights the worldly strife that serves as a backdrop to the patriarchal narratives.
  • Association with Condemned Cities: Shemeber is the ruler of Zeboiim H6636, one of the cities of the plain. These cities, including Sodom H5467, Gomorrah H6017, and Admah H126, become archetypes of wickedness and are later referenced as examples of God's overthrow and judgment Deuteronomy 29:23.

Summary

In summary, Shemʼêber H8038 is the name of the king of Zeboiim. He is mentioned a single time in Scripture as a participant in a historic war alongside the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Bela Genesis 14:2. While his role is brief, his identity is permanently linked to the coalition of the cities of the plain, which serve in the broader biblical narrative as examples of worldly rebellion and divine judgment.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 1 occurrence, inflected in 1 grammatical form — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

  • שֶׁמְאֵבֶר

Related Words

Related

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

H4428 מֶלֶךְ from מָלַךְ; a king; king, royal. H6636 צְבֹאִים or (more correctly) צְבִיִּים; or צְבִיִּם; plural of צְבִי; gazelles; Tseboim or Tsebijim, a place in Palestine; Zeboii H6213 עָשָׂה a primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application; accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, H4421 מִלְחָמָה from לָחַם (in the sense of fighting); a battle (i.e. the engagement); generally, war (i.e. warfare); battle, fight(-ing H5467 סְדֹם from an unused root meaning to scorch; burnt (i.e. volcanic or bituminous) district; Sedom, a place near the Dead Sea; S H6017 עֲמֹרָה from עָמַר; a (ruined) heap; Amorah, a place in Palestine; Gomorrah.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

1 verse, all in Genesis — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.