Lexical Summary shemer: Dregs, lees, sediment Original Word: שֶׁמֶר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance dregs, wines on the lees From shamar; something preserved, i.e. The settlings (plural only) of wine -- dregs, (wines on the) lees. see HEBREW shamar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition lees, dregs NASB Translation aged wine (2), dregs (2), spirit (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs II. [שֶׁ֫מֶר] noun masculineIsaiah 25:6 only plural lees, dregs (figurative); — absolute שְׁמָרִים Isaiah 25:6 (twice in verse) (in both = wine matured by resting undisturbed on the lees); suffix שֹׁקֵט הוּא אֶלשְֿׁמָרָיו Jeremiah 48:11 (of Moab's undisturbed life), compare (of careless men) הַקֹּפְאִים עַלֿ שִׁמְרֵיהֶם Zephaniah 1:12; שְׁמָרֶיהָ Psalm 75:9 (of ׳יs cup of judgment). 1. שֶׂ֫מֶר III. שׁמר (√ of following; meaning dubious; Late Hebrew שָׁמִיר diamond, so Aramaic שָׁמִירָא (also flint), שׁמור see 111. שָׁמִיר. Topical Lexicon Meaning and imagery The term שֶׁמֶר depicts the thick sediment that settles at the bottom of fermented wine. In ancient viticulture the lees were both a sign of maturity—giving body and flavor to a well-aged vintage—and a danger, for wine left too long on the dregs turned sour. Scripture repeatedly uses the word as a striking metaphor for either richest blessing or gravest judgment. Ancient winemaking background Wine was transferred from jar to jar so the sediment would remain behind; only the clear liquid was served at table. Refined wine, “well strained,” spoke of special celebration. Unpoured wine, by contrast, became stagnant, symbolizing complacency and moral dullness. This everyday process supplied the prophets with vivid language readily understood by their hearers. Occurrences in Scripture Psalm 75:8 pictures divine retribution: “For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, full of foaming wine mixed with spices; He pours from it, and all the wicked of the earth will drink it down to the dregs.” The wicked must swallow the bitter sediment of judgment until nothing remains. Isaiah 25:6 twice employs the word to describe the centerpiece of the coming Messianic banquet: “On this mountain the LORD of Hosts will prepare a banquet for all the peoples, a feast of aged wine … of finely aged wine.” Here שֶׁמֶר conveys richness and surpassing joy, reversing the curse and anticipating the marriage supper of the Lamb. Jeremiah 48:11 rebukes Moab’s complacency: “Moab has been at ease from his youth, settled like wine on its dregs; he has not been poured from vessel to vessel.” Lack of disturbance bred pride; therefore judgment would come suddenly, decanting the nation and shattering its false security. Zephaniah 1:12 warns Judah of the same peril: “At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men who are complacent, like wine left on its dregs.” Spiritual lethargy, not outright rebellion alone, invites the searching light of God. Theological themes 1. Judgment without remainder. Drinking to the dregs underscores the thoroughness of divine justice (Psalm 75:8). Historical significance The image resonated with ancient listeners because wine production marked Israel’s agricultural calendar, liturgical offerings, and social life. From vineyard pruning to the joyful treading of grapes, every stage pointed to divine provision. The prophets leveraged this shared experience to press home lessons of repentance and hope. Ministry reflections • Urgency of self-examination: communities must not settle into spiritual inertia. Thus שֶׁמֶר, the humble wine sediment, becomes in God’s Word a multilayered sign—warning the indifferent, wooing the repentant, and whetting the appetite of all who look for the glorious feast to come. Forms and Transliterations מריה שְׁ֭מָרֶיהָ שְׁמָרִ֑ים שְׁמָרִ֖ים שְׁמָרָ֔יו שִׁמְרֵיהֶ֔ם שמריהם שמריו שמרים mā·re·hā mārehā mareiha šə·mā·rāw šə·mā·rîm šəmārāw šəmārîm shemaRav shemaRim shimreiHem šim·rê·hem šimrêhemLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Psalm 75:8 HEB: מִ֫זֶּ֥ה אַךְ־ שְׁ֭מָרֶיהָ יִמְצ֣וּ יִשְׁתּ֑וּ NAS: must drain [and] drink down its dregs. KJV: of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked INT: of this Surely dregs drain drink Isaiah 25:6 Isaiah 25:6 Jeremiah 48:11 Zephaniah 1:12 5 Occurrences |
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= mimosa gummifera, Lane1425b).