SHAVSHA shăv’ shə (שַׁוְשָׁ֖א, 1 Chron 18:16). There are variations of this name in 2 Samuel 20:25 (Sheva); 2 Samuel 8:17 (Seraiah); 1 Kings 4:3 (Shisha); but it is generally agreed that the weight of evidence indicates that the spelling Shavsha is the correct one.

The name occurs in a list of high officials in the court of David and designates a secretary or scribe. The necessity of such an office reflects the development of governmental affairs both domestic and foreign. In Solomon’s reign, according to 1 Kings 4:3, where his name appears as Shisha, two of Shavsha’s sons occupied the office of their father. Shavsha’s father is not named in the records perhaps because, it is speculated, he was an alien. This omission, together with the fact that the name Shavsha is regarded by some scholars to be related to the Babylonian word Shamshu (sun), supports the idea that he was of foreign origin. It would be natural that a man of this type would be appointed to an office that handled foreign affairs and documents.