Simeon
Encyclopedia
Simeon, or Shimon is a given name, from the Hebrew (Biblical Šimʿon, Tiberian
Šimʿôn), ˈsɪmiən). In Greek, it is written Συμεών, hence the Latinized spelling Symeon.
, son of Jacob
and Leah
, patriarch of the Tribe of Simeon
. The text of Genesis (29:33) argues that the name of Simeon refers to Leah's belief that God
had heard that she was hated by Jacob, in the sense of not being as favoured as Rachel
.
implying a derivation from the Hebrew
term shama on, meaning "he has heard"; this is a similar etymology as the Torah gives for the theophoric name Ishmael
("God has heard"; Genesis 16:11), on the basis of which it has been argued that the tribe of Simeon may originally have been an Ishmaelite
group (Cheyne and Black, Encyclopaedia Biblica
). In classical rabbinical sources, the name is sometimes interpreted as meaning "he who listens [to the words of God]" (Genesis Rabba
h 61:4), and at other times thought to derive from sham 'in, meaning "there is sin", which is argued to be a prophetic reference to Zimri
's sexual miscegenation with a Midian
ite woman, a type of relationship which rabbinical sources regard as sinful (Jewish Encyclopedia).
Tiberian vocalization
The Tiberian vocalization is a system of diacritics devised by the Masoretes to add to the consonantal Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible; this system soon became used to vocalize other texts as well...
Šimʿôn), ˈsɪmiən). In Greek, it is written Συμεών, hence the Latinized spelling Symeon.
Meaning
The name is derived from SimeonSimeon (Hebrew Bible)
According to the Book of Genesis, Simeon was, the second son of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Simeon. However, some Biblical scholars view this as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an etiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite...
, son of Jacob
Jacob
Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
and Leah
Leah
Leah , as described in the Hebrew Bible, is the first of the two concurrent wives of the Hebrew patriarch Jacob and mother of six of sons whose descendants became the Twelve Tribes of Israel, along with at least one daughter, Dinah. She is the daughter of Laban and the older sister of Rachel, whom...
, patriarch of the Tribe of Simeon
Tribe of Simeon
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Simeon was one of the Tribes of Israel.Following the completion of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes after about 1200 BC, Joshua allocated the land among the twelve tribes...
. The text of Genesis (29:33) argues that the name of Simeon refers to Leah's belief that God
Tetragrammaton
The term Tetragrammaton refers to the name of the God of Israel YHWH used in the Hebrew Bible.-Hebrew Bible:...
had heard that she was hated by Jacob, in the sense of not being as favoured as Rachel
Rachel
Rachel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, is a prophet and the favorite wife of Jacob, one of the three Biblical Patriarchs, and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She was the daughter of Laban and the younger sister of Leah, Jacob's first wife...
.
- "Because the LORD had heard that I was hated, he had therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon."
implying a derivation from the Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
term shama on, meaning "he has heard"; this is a similar etymology as the Torah gives for the theophoric name Ishmael
Ishmael
Ishmael is a figure in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, and was Abraham's first born child according to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Ishmael was born of Abraham's marriage to Sarah's handmaiden Hagar...
("God has heard"; Genesis 16:11), on the basis of which it has been argued that the tribe of Simeon may originally have been an Ishmaelite
Ishmaelites
According to the Book of Genesis, Ishmaelites are the descendants of Ishmael, the elder son of Abraham.-Traditional Origins:According to the Book of Genesis, Abraham's first wife was named Sarah and his second wife Hagar. However Sarah was old and barren, and could not conceive...
group (Cheyne and Black, Encyclopaedia Biblica
Encyclopaedia Biblica
Encyclopaedia Biblica: A Critical Dictionary of the Literary, Political and Religion History, the Archeology, Geography and Natural History of the Bible , edited by Thomas Kelly Cheyne and J. Sutherland Black, is a critical encyclopedia of the Bible. In Theology/Biblical studies, it is often...
). In classical rabbinical sources, the name is sometimes interpreted as meaning "he who listens [to the words of God]" (Genesis Rabba
Genesis Rabba
Genesis Rabba is a religious text from Judaism's classical period. It is a midrash comprising a collection of ancient rabbinical homiletical interpretations of the Book of Genesis ....
h 61:4), and at other times thought to derive from sham 'in, meaning "there is sin", which is argued to be a prophetic reference to Zimri
Zimri (prince)
Zimri was the Prince of the Tribe of Simeon during the time of the Israelites in the desert. At Shittim he took part in the Heresy of Peor, taking as a paramour a Midianite woman, Cozbi...
's sexual miscegenation with a Midian
Midian
Midian , Madyan , or Madiam is a geographical place and a people mentioned in the Bible and in the Qur'an. It is believed to be in northwest Saudi Arabia on the east shore of the Gulf of Aqaba and the northern Red Sea...
ite woman, a type of relationship which rabbinical sources regard as sinful (Jewish Encyclopedia).
Before Christ
- Simeon (Hebrew Bible)Simeon (Hebrew Bible)According to the Book of Genesis, Simeon was, the second son of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Simeon. However, some Biblical scholars view this as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an etiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite...
, one of Jacob's sons - Tribe of SimeonTribe of SimeonAccording to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Simeon was one of the Tribes of Israel.Following the completion of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes after about 1200 BC, Joshua allocated the land among the twelve tribes...
, one of the twelve tribes of Israel - Simeon ISimon I (High Priest)Simon I son of Onias I, was High Priest in the Temple in Jerusalem. Some identify him as Simeon the Just.-References:...
(ca 300 BC), Jewish High Priest, possibly identical with Simeon the Just - Simon IISimon II (High Priest)Simon II was a Jewish High Priest during the time of the Second Temple. He was the son of Onias II. Some identify him with Simeon the Just....
(219–199 BC), Jewish High Priest, possibly identical with Simeon the Just - Simeon the JustSimeon the JustSimeon the Just was a Jewish High Priest during the time of the Second Temple...
(3rd century BC?) a Jewish High Priest, also called "Simeon the Righteous" (not the same as the New Testament figure, below)
Through 700 AD
- Simeon the RighteousSimeon the RighteousSimeon is the "just and devout" man of Jerusalem who, according to , met the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and Jesus as they entered the Temple to fulfill the requirements of the Law of Moses on the 40th day from Jesus' birth.According to the Biblical account,...
, figure in the New Testament who blessed Jesus and his parents in the Jerusalem temple - Simeon/Symeon of JerusalemSimeon of JerusalemSaint Simeon of Jerusalem, son of Clopas, was a Jewish Christian leader and according to most Christian traditions the second Bishop of Jerusalem .-Life:Eusebius of Caesarea gives the list of these bishops...
, 2nd Bishop of Jerusalem, perhaps one of the Seventy Apostles sent out by JesusJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity... - Shimon ben GamlielShimon ben GamlielSimeon ben Gamliel was a Tanna sage and leader of the Jewish people. He succeeded his father Gamliel I as the nasi of the Sanhedrin after his father's death in 50 CE and just before the destruction of the Second Temple...
, Nasi of the Sanhedrin in 50 AD - Shimon ben Gamliel IIShimon ben Gamliel IISimeon ben Gamliel II was a Tanna of the third generation and president of the Great Sanhedrin. Shimon was a youth in Betar when the Bar Kokhba revolt broke out, but when that fortress was taken by the Romans he managed to escape the massacre...
, Nasi of the Sanhedrin in c. 118 AD - Shimon bar Yochai, a rabbi of the Tannaim period, possibly the author of the ZoharZoharThe Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
- Simeon StylitesSimeon StylitesSaint Simeon Stylites or Symeon the Stylite was a Christian ascetic saint who achieved fame because he lived for 39 years on a small platform on top of a pillar near Aleppo in Syria. Several other stylites later followed his model...
(ca 388–459 AD), a Christian pillar-hermitStylitesStylites or Pillar-Saints are a type of Christian ascetic who in the early days of the Byzantine Empire stood on pillars preaching, fasting and praying. They believed that the mortification of their bodies would help ensure the salvation of their souls...
from Sisan, Syria - Simeon Stylites the YoungerSimeon Stylites the YoungerSaint Simeon Stylites the Younger [also known as 'St. Simeon of the Admirable Mountain'] is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Catholic Churches of Eastern and Latin Rites...
(521–597 AD), a hermit and pillar-hermitStylitesStylites or Pillar-Saints are a type of Christian ascetic who in the early days of the Byzantine Empire stood on pillars preaching, fasting and praying. They believed that the mortification of their bodies would help ensure the salvation of their souls...
from Antioch - Simeon Stylites IIISimeon Stylites IIISimeon Stylites III was a pillar hermit bearing the same name as Simeon Stylites and Simeon Stylites the Younger.He is honoured by both the Greek Orthodox Church and the Coptic Church. He is hence believed to have lived in the fifth century before the breach which occurred between these Churches....
, a 5th century (?) pillar-hermitStylitesStylites or Pillar-Saints are a type of Christian ascetic who in the early days of the Byzantine Empire stood on pillars preaching, fasting and praying. They believed that the mortification of their bodies would help ensure the salvation of their souls... - Simeon was the name of one priest and one deacon martyred with Abda and AbdjesusAbda and AbdjesusAbda and Abdjesus were two Christian bishops who were martyred at Kashkar under Shapur II on May 16, in either 366 AD or 375 AD. They were first placed between heavy boards to crush their bones, and later beheaded....
- Simeon the Holy FoolSimeon the Holy FoolSimeon the Holy Fool was a Christian monk, hermit and saint of the sixth century AD...
, Christian saint and hermit of the 6th century
From 701 AD to 1800 AD
- Simeon I of BulgariaSimeon I of BulgariaSimeon I the Great ruled over Bulgaria from 893 to 927, during the First Bulgarian Empire. Simeon's successful campaigns against the Byzantines, Magyars and Serbs led Bulgaria to its greatest territorial expansion ever, making it the most powerful state in contemporary Eastern Europe...
(866–927 AD), a Bulgarian tsar - Symeon MetaphrastesSymeon MetaphrastesSymeon the Metaphrast was the author of the 10 volume medieval Greek menologion, or collection of saint's lives. He lived in the second half of the 10th century...
(10th century?) was the most renowned of the ByzantineByzantine EmpireThe Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
hagiographers - Symeon the New TheologianSymeon the New TheologianSymeon the New Theologian was a Byzantine Christian monk and poet who was the last of three saints canonized by the Eastern Orthodox church and given the title of "Theologian"...
: (949–1022 AD) Eastern Orthodox saintSaintA saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth... - Simeon (abbot)Simeon (abbot)Simeon was a relative of King William I of England and the brother of Walkelin, Bishop of Winchester. It was through his brother's influence that Simeon was made prior of Winchester, then in 1082 Abbot of Ely, where he began work on the present building...
(994–1094 AD), Abbot of Ely CathedralEly CathedralEly Cathedral is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon... - Simeon SethSimeon SethSimeon Seth or Symeon Seth was an 11th-century Jewish Byzantine doctor, scholar, and grand Chamberlain under Emperor Michael VII Doukas, originally from Antioch...
(fl. 1070 AD), Jewish Byzantine physician, writer, and grand chamberlain from Antioch - Simeon of MantuaSimeon of MantuaSimeon of Mantua was a Benedictine monk of Armenian origin who was canonized as a saint in the late 11th century.Little is known of Simeon's early life, but at some time he left his homeland and spent some years living as a hermit in Palestine. After this, he is known to have visited Rome, where...
(10th century-1016 AD), an Armenian monk - Saint Simeon, born Stefan NemanjaStefan NemanjaStefan Nemanja was the Grand Prince of the Grand Principality of Serbia from 1166 to 1196, a heir of the Vukanović dynasty that marked the beginning of a greater Serbian realm .He is remembered for his contributions to Serbian culture and...
(1109–1199 AD), Serbian ruler and saint of the Serbian Orthodox Church - Symeon of DurhamSymeon of DurhamSymeon of Durham was an English chronicler and a monk of Durham Priory. When William of Saint-Calais returned from his Norman exile in 1091, Symeon was probably in his company...
(d. after 1129 AD), English chronicler and a monk of Durham Priory. - Simeon of Moscow, a 14th century Grand Prince of Moscow
- Simon of TrentSimon of TrentSimon of Trent ; also known as Simeon; was a boy from the city of Trento, Italy whose disappearance was blamed on the leaders of the city's Jewish community based on their confessions under torture, causing a major blood libel in Europe.-Background:Shortly before Simon went missing, Bernardine of...
, a 15th century boy supposedly killed by Jews, and formerly a martyr of the Catholic Church - Simeon UrošSimeon UrošSimeon Uroš Nemanjić, nicknamed Siniša , also known in Greek as Symeōn Ouresēs Palaiologos , was the Despot of Epirus from 1359 to 1366, and of Thessaly from 1359 until his death in 1370. He governed Epirus and Acarnania under his half-brother Emperor Dušan the Mighty Simeon Uroš Nemanjić,...
, a 14th century ruler of Epirus and Thessaly - Patriarch Symeon I of ConstantinoplePatriarch Symeon I of ConstantinopleSymeon I of Trebizond was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople three times: for a short time in 1466, from 1471 to 1475 and from 1482 to 1486. In 1484 he presided over the Synod of Constantinople of 1484 which repudiated the Union of Florence.-Life:...
, or Symeon of Trebizond, reigned three times: 1466, 1471–1475 and 1482–1486 - Simeon BekbulatovichSimeon BekbulatovichSimeon Bekbulatovich was a khan of the Khanate of Qasim. After the period of the Oprichnina , Ivan the Terrible named Simeon Grand Prince of All Rus' . He participated in the Livonian war as a commander of the main regiment of the Muscovite army. Subsequently, he was named Grand Prince of Tver'...
, de jure Tsar of Russia (1575–1576) (Ivan the Terrible was the Tsar de facto)
Since 1800 AD
- Semyon Belits-GeimanSemyon Belits-GeimanSemyon Viktorovich Belits-Geiman is a former Soviet freestyle swimmer. He set a world record in the 800-meter freestyle, and won two Olympic medals.-Early life:Belits-Geiman is Jewish, and was born in Moscow...
(born 1945), former Soviet Olympic freestyle swimmer - Simeon Saxe-Coburg-GothaSimeon Saxe-Coburg-GothaSimeon Borisov of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Tsar Simeon II or Simeon II of Bulgaria is an important political and royal figure in Bulgaria...
, the last Bulgarian tsar before the Communist government, also prime ministerPrime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
from 2001–2005. - Simeon Coxe (usually known only as Simeon), musician with the group Silver Apples.
- Simeon S. WillisSimeon S. WillisSimeon Slavens Willis was the 46th Governor of Kentucky, United States, serving from 1943 to 1947. He was the only Republican elected governor of Kentucky between 1927 and 1967....
, a U.S. lawyer, judge and politician; he was governor of Kentucky from 1943–1947. - Simeon RiceSimeon RiceSimeon James Rice [] is a former American football defensive end, last playing in 2009. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals third overall in the 1996 NFL Draft...
, defensive end in the National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. - Semyon Varlamov, goaltender for the Washington CapitalsWashington CapitalsThe Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
of the National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. - Semyon BudyonnySemyon BudyonnySemyon Mikhailovich Budyonny , sometimes transliterated as Budennyj, Budyonnyy, Budennii, Budenny, Budyoni, Budyenny, or Budenny, was a Soviet cavalryman, military commander, politician and a close ally of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.-Early life:...
, a Soviet military commander.
See also
- Shimun (disambiguation)Shimun (disambiguation)Shimun, also written as Shemʿon is Syriac for Simon.Mar Shimun may refer to any of the following Patriarchs of the Church of the East or Patriarchs of the Chaldean Catholic Patriarchs of Babylon:...
, also Shemon - Simon (disambiguation)
- Simone (disambiguation)
- Simeon (e-mail client)Simeon (e-mail client)Simeon was an IMAP4 email client by The Esys Corporation. It was one of the first clients to support IMSP, along with Mulberry. It also supported MIME and Kerberos authentication....