What does מָאֵן · שָׁמַע mean in the Bible?
מָאֵן · שָׁמַע is a Hebrew phrase meaning "refuse to hear, refuse to obey".
Hebrew · H3985, H8085
מֵאֲנִים לִשְׁמוֹעַ
To refuse · to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell , etc.)
Reading a lexicon entry
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
מָאֵןH3985to refuse
Pronunciationmāʾēn
To refuse persistently or firmly; often conveys stubborn resistance to divine will or covenant obligation
Open lexicon entry →שָׁמַעH8085to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell , etc.)
Pronunciationšāmaʿ
Hearing that demands obedience: listening as covenantal response, not mere acoustic perception.
Open lexicon entry →What does מֵאֲנִים לִשְׁמוֹעַ (meanim lishmoa) mean in the Bible?
מָאֵן · שָׁמַע is a Hebrew phrase meaning "refuse to hear, refuse to obey".
Full entry for מֵאֲנִים לִשְׁמוֹעַ (H3985, H8085) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for H3985, H8085?
H3985, H8085 is connected to 1,206 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew phrase. refuse to hear, refuse to obey
Source Gloss
refuse to hear, refuse to obey
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups1Aligned forms26
Pielintensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action26×
PerfectHos 11:5 · Jer 5:3 · Jer 8:5 · Jer 9:5 · Jer 11:10 · Jer 50:33 · Prov 21:7 · Prov 21:25 · Ps 78:10 · 1Kgs 21:15 · Deut 25:7 · Exod 7:14 · Num 22:13 · Num 22:14 · Jer 15:18 · Jer 31:1522×
ImperfectExod 22:16 · Isa 1:20 · Jer 25:283×
Infinitive absoluteExod 22:161×
Word Origins
מֵאֲנִים לִשְׁמוֹעַ is a primitive root - no further derivation.