Shimea (son of Jesse)

Biblical Record

Shimea was a son of Jesse and an older brother of David. 1 Chronicles 2:13 lists the sons of Jesse as "his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third."

In 1 Samuel, the same third son appears under the name Shammah.

• 1 Samuel 16:9: When God sent Samuel to anoint a king from among the sons of Jesse, Shammah also passed before Samuel. Samuel said, "Neither hath the LORD chosen this."
• 1 Samuel 17:13: During the war with the Philistines, Jesse's three eldest sons followed Saul into battle. Scripture names them as "Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah."

Thereafter, Scripture generally mentions Shimea as the father of his sons.

• 2 Samuel 13:3: Jonadab, the friend of David's son Amnon, is introduced as "the son of Shimeah David's brother." Scripture describes Jonadab as "a very subtil man."
• 2 Samuel 13:32: After Absalom killed Amnon, Jonadab told David that the other princes were alive and that only Amnon was dead.
• 1 Chronicles 20:7 (the same event as 2 Samuel 21:21): When a giant of Gath defied Israel, "Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother slew him." The Korean Revised Version renders this name as "Shimei" in 2 Samuel 21:21.

Scripture records nothing of Shimea's own deeds or of his death.

Significance Within Scripture

Shimea appears as a brother of David in the genealogies and narratives of David's house. His significance can be seen in two main respects.

• In the account of David's anointing, he is one of the older brothers who, by human standards, ranked ahead of David. Together with the words "the LORD looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7), this scene illustrates God's choice.
• His two sons appear, respectively, in a dark episode in David's royal household (the incident involving Amnon and Tamar) and in the narratives of the wars with the Philistines.

Shimea is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Issues

The Relationship Between Shammah and Shimea Shammah in 1 Samuel and Shimea in 1 Chronicles are both identified as the third son of Jesse. For this reason, the two names are generally regarded as variant forms referring to the same person.

Jonadab and Jonathan Jonadab and Jonathan have similar names, and both are introduced as "the son of Shimea David's brother." For this reason, some hold that the two are the same person. However, because the text records the names differently, they are usually understood to be brothers.

The Number of Jesse's Sons 1 Samuel 17:12 states that Jesse had eight sons, while 1 Chronicles 2:13–15 names only seven. Commentators commonly discuss this discrepancy.

Distinction from Other Men Named Shimea Other individuals bear the same name and should be distinguished from this Shimea.

• Shimea the son of David (1 Chronicles 3:5)
• Shimea the Levite (1 Chronicles 6:30, 6:39)
• Shimea the Benjamite (1 Chronicles 8:32)

In the Korean Church

Sermons or Sunday school lessons devoted specifically to Shimea are rare. He is usually mentioned only in passing, as one of David's older brothers, in sermons on the account of David's anointing in 1 Samuel 16.