From H8085 (shama, to hear). A communication that is heard β news, a report, or a message. Can be good news or bad. The emphasis is on the arrival and reception of information that demands a response from the hearer.
Isaiah 53:1 opens with the haunting question: 'Who hath believed our shemu'ah?' β our report, our message. This is the gospel in embryo: God sends a message about His Suffering Servant, and the great question is whether anyone will believe it. The shemu'ah about the Messiah is so counterintuitive β a suffering, rejected, crushed deliverer β that most reject it. Paul quotes this verse in Romans 10:16 to explain Israel's unbelief. The theological thread: God's most important shemu'ah always sounds foolish to human wisdom.