How many times is Shimei mentioned in the Bible?
The word Shimei appears 42 times in the King James Version, in 38 verses. It is found in 8 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Shimei 44 times (45 with every form).
Shimei in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Shimei counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Shimei | 42 | 44 |
| Shimei's | not counted | 1 |
| Total | 42 | 45 |
What the name Shimei means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Shimei as "that hears or obeys; my reputation; my fame".
This is the 1869 traditional meaning; modern scholars often read names differently.
See every name and place with its meaning and count on Bible names and their meanings.
Source: Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869), checked 2026-10-24.
Which books mention Shimei most
Shimei appears in 8 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Kings and 1 Chronicles share the most, 13 each.
First and last mention of Shimei
And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei.
The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;
The verse that uses it most is 1 Kings 2:38, 2 times (tied with 1 Kings 2:39, 1 Kings 2:40, 1 Chronicles 23:10):
And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.
Where the two translations differ
1 verse matches in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 4 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Zechariah 12:13: counted in the KJV only
The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;
the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of the Shimeites apart, and their wives apart;
Exodus 6:17: counted in the World English Bible only
The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families.
The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families.
2 Samuel 21:21: counted in the World English Bible only
And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah the brother of David slew him.
When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, killed him.
Common questions
How many times is Shimei in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 42 of the 42 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Shimei appears in 8 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Kings and 1 Chronicles share the most, 13 each.
Where is Shimei first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Numbers 3:18: "And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei." The last is Zechariah 12:13.
What does the name Shimei mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Shimei as "that hears or obeys; my reputation; my fame".
More word counts: Ahimelech, zeal, vision, Tirzah, Teman, shame, Artaxerxes, Bilhah, or all 635 words.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-24.