ZEMARITE

(Zemʹa·rite).

A family or tribe that descended from Ham’s son Canaan. (Ge 10:15, 18; 1Ch 1:13, 16) Mention of this Canaanite people between “Arvadite” (linked with Arvad off the Phoenician coast) and “Hamathite” (likely associated with Hamath in Syria) indicates that the Zemarites settled along the N Phoenician coast. According to an emendation, Ezekiel 27:8 mentions “skilled [wise] men of Zemer” (RS; BE), suggested by some as the city of the Zemarites and tentatively identified with Tell Kazel, about 35 km (22 mi) NE of Tripoli. However, here the Hebrew text reads: “Your skilled ones [men], O Tyre.” (AT; RS, ftn) Pointing to another location, others would link the Zemarites with Sumra, a seacoast town between Tripoli and Arvad.