Shammah

Shammah is the name borne by five distinct men in the Hebrew scriptures: an Edomite chief descended from Esau, a brother of David, and three of David's warriors. Several of these Shammahs are also known by alternate spellings — Shimeah, Shimma, Shimea, Shammoth — across the parallel records in Samuel and Chronicles. The entries that follow trace each Shammah and the texts that anchor him.

Shammah Son of Reuel, Chief of Edom

The first Shammah belongs to the Edomite genealogy of Esau. He is named among the sons of Reuel, who was Esau's son by Basemath: "And these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: these were the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife" (Gen 36:13). The same chapter places him among the chiefs of Edom — "chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah: these are the chiefs who came of Reuel in the land of Edom" (Gen 36:17). The Chronicler's table of the descendants of Esau preserves the same listing: "The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah" (1Ch 1:37).

Shammah, David's Brother

A second Shammah is the third son of Jesse, an elder brother of David. When Samuel comes to Bethlehem to anoint a king from among Jesse's sons, "Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither has Yahweh chosen this" (1Sa 16:9). When the Philistines deploy under Goliath and the eldest of Jesse's sons follow Saul to the front, Shammah is named again: "And the three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah" (1Sa 17:13).

This same brother of David appears under three further spellings in narratives outside the early Samuel stories.

Shimeah

In the account of Amnon and Tamar, Jonadab — the cousin who counsels Amnon to feign sickness — is called the son of Shimeah, David's brother: "But Amnon had a companion, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very subtle man" (2Sa 13:3). When the report comes that Absalom has killed Amnon, "Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother" speaks again in correction of the king's grief (2Sa 13:32).

Shimei

In the Philistine-giant section of 2 Samuel 21, the same household relationship is named with yet another spelling: "And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, slew him" (2Sa 21:21). The killer of the Philistine "of great stature" is the nephew of David through this same brother.

Shimma / Shimea

The Chronicler's genealogy of Judah names the third son of Jesse "Shimea" rather than "Shammah": "and Jesse begot his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimea the third" (1Ch 2:13). The Chronicler's parallel to the giant-killing notice carries the same form: "And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother slew him" (1Ch 20:7).

Shammah Son of Agee, the Hararite

A third Shammah is one of David's three foremost warriors. The mighty-men catalogue opens, "These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Jishbaal the Hachmonite, [of] the elite troops; the same was Adino the Eznite, against eight hundred slain at one time" (2Sa 23:8), and the Chronicler frames the same roster: "Now these are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who showed themselves strong with him in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of Yahweh concerning Israel" (1Ch 11:10). Within that list, the third of the Three is Shammah son of Agee:

"And after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the people fled from the Philistines" (2Sa 23:11).

His exploit follows immediately: "But he stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and Yahweh wrought a great victory" (2Sa 23:12). The deliverance is credited to Yahweh; Shammah holds the field where the rest of the people have already fled.

Shammah the Harodite

A fourth Shammah, distinct from the son of Agee, appears further down the same hero-list — among the Thirty rather than the Three. He is from Harod: "Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite" (2Sa 23:25). The Chronicler's parallel name-list reads "Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite" (1Ch 11:27); the alternate spelling "Shammoth" and the slightly different gentilic ("Harorite" for "Harodite") preserve this same warrior under a second form.

Shammah the Hararite

A fifth Shammah is named in a later line of the Thirty, identified again by the Hararite designation that also attached to Shammah son of Agee, but appearing in a separate slot as the father of one of David's men: "the son of Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite" (2Sa 23:33). This Shammah is named for his son Ahiam, not for an exploit of his own.