Shemer
She'mer (Heb. id.; שֶׁמֶר, something kept, as lees of wine; Sept. Σεμήρ; Josephus, Σέμαρος, Ant. 8:12, 5), the original owner of the hill of Samaria, which derived its name from him. B.C. 917. Omri bought the hill for two talents of silver, and built thereon the city, also called Samaria, which made the capital of his kingdom (Kings 16:24). We should rather have expected that the name of the city would have been Shimron, for Shmeron would have been the name given after an owner Shomer. This latter form, which occurs in 1Ch 7:32, appears to be that adopted by the Vulgate and Syriac, which read Somer and Shomir respectively; but the Vatican MS. of the Sept. at that place retains the form "Shomer, " and changes the name of the city to Σεμερών or Σεμηρών. Both names have the same radical meaning, from שָׁמִר, to watch, referring, perhaps, by paronomasia, to this conspicuous post of observation. SEE SAMARIA. As the Israelites were prevented by the law (Le 21:23) from thus alienating their inheritances, and as his name occurs without the usual genealogical marks, it is more than probable that Shemmer was descended from those Canaanites whom the Hebrews had not dispossessed of their lands.
