Hebrew word · Strong's H8085

שָׁמַע

shâmaʻ · shaw-mah' · verb · “to hear, listen, obey”

In a sentence

Shama means to hear — but in Hebrew, true hearing includes heeding and obeying. It opens Israel’s central creed, the Shema: “Hear, O Israel.”

Shama is more than registering sound; to truly “hear” is to listen, take to heart, and respond. That is why the same word can mean both “hear” and “obey.”

It begins the Shema, Israel’s daily confession: “Hear (shema), O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one.” To hear God rightly is to let his word reshape the whole of life.

Strong's reference

Definition: to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)

KJV usage: [idiom] attentively, call (gather) together, [idiom] carefully, [idiom] certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, [idiom] diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), [idiom] indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, [idiom] surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.

Reference gloss from Strong's Concordance (1890, public domain).

Key verses BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.” 1 Samuel 15:22 “But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.” Romans 10:17 “Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

Original BibleDawn word study. Original-language data and the public-domain Strong's (1890) gloss are referenced; see sources.