שָׁמַיִם
shâmayim · H8064 · Hebrew · 421 occurrences
Meanings
-
heaven, sky
The area above the earth, the location of sun, moon, and stars, the realm of the birds and God's primary residence; seen as the source of dew, rain, hail, snow, thunder and lightning, and sometimes even food; associated with what is high and remote, created by God and bound to disappear one day
ExamplesGenesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:8 God called the expanse “heaven.” And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
Genesis 1:9 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.
-
heavenly beings
Literally "heaven", but with focus on the creatures that live there: supernatural beings
ExamplesJob 15:15 “Behold, He has no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight;
How it’s used In 9 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
15 occurrences in 7 groups
- שָׁמַיִםheaven, sky 7
- ךָyour 3
- יְהֹוָהthe LORD, YHWH 1
- קֶדֶםeast, ancient time 1
- קֹדֶשׁholiness 1
- הוּhis 1
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
3 occurrences in 3 groups
- חָדָשׁnew 2
- עָשָׂהto do, to make 1
- רֹאשׁhead, top, chief 1
Named alongside itApposition
6 occurrences in 3 groups
- מָכוֹןplace 4
- אוֹצָרtreasure, storehouse, treasury 1
- מַעֲשֶׂהwork, deed 1
What it doesIt is the subject
38 occurrences in 25 groups
- כּוּלto provide for, to contain 6
- Other words · 24 groups that occur once or twice (32) 32
What is done to itIt is the object
51 occurrences in 20 groups
- נָטָהto stretch out, to incline 12
- עָשָׂהto do, to make 11
- בָּרָאto create 4
- כָּסָהto cover 3
- עוּדto warn 3
- Other words · 15 groups that occur once or twice (18) 18
What it is said to bePredicate
9 occurrences in 8 groups
- יְהֹוָהthe LORD, YHWH 2
- בִּלְתִּיnot 1
- כִּסֵּאthrone, seat 1
- מַעֲשֶׂהwork, deed 1
- רוּםheight 1
- שָׁמַיִםheaven, sky 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
11 occurrences in 9 groups
- Other words · 9 groups that occur once or twice (11) 11
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
128 occurrences in 8 groups
- מִןfrom 95
- בin/on/with 56
- עַלon, upon, over, against 18
- תַּחַתunder, below, instead of 15
- אֵלto, toward 10
- לto/for 8
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
140 occurrences in 38 groups
- עוֹףbirds, fowls, winged insects 38
- צָבָאhost, army 18
- כּוֹכָבstar 10
- אֱלֹהִיםGod, gods 9
- שָׁמַיִםheaven, sky 7
- קָצֶהend, edge, border 6
- Other words · 27 groups that occur once or twice (32) 32
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 2 words
- שַׁחַק shachaq · H7834 · cloud, skies
- שַׁחַק (shachaq, H7834) (cloud/dust/heaven/sky) and שָׁמַיִם (shâmayim, H8064) (heaven/sky/air) are near-synonyms in the overlapping sense of "heaven/sky" as celestial/upper-atmosphere regions. The relationship is synonym territory (both can denote the expanse above).
- רָקִיעַ râqîyaʻ · H7549 · firmament, dome, vault
- Both words denote the expanse or vault above the earth in Hebrew cosmology. רָקִיעַ is the firmament, the stretched-out vault, and שָׁמַיִם is heaven or sky; they refer to overlapping or closely related celestial regions and are substitutable in many contexts.
In the other Testament 2 words
- οὐρανός ouranós · G3772 · sky, heaven
- οὐρανός (ouranós, G3772) οὐρανός is the standard Greek translation equivalent of שָׁמַיִם (shâmayim, H8064) שָׁמַיִם across the semantic range of 'sky/heavens/heaven,' rendering both the physical cosmological realm and the theological abode of God with the same lexeme that Hebrew employs.
- שָׁמַיִן shâmayin · H8065 · heaven
- שָׁמַיִן (shâmayin, H8065) (Aramaic שָׁמַיִן) is the direct Aramaic cognate of שָׁמַיִם (shâmayim, H8064) (Hebrew שָׁמַיִם), sharing the same root and denoting 'heaven/sky' in Aramaic biblical texts.
Semantic domains 2 entries
- Regions Above the Earth001001
- This noun denotes the sky or heavens, as in Genesis 1:1's statement that God created the heavens and the earth.
- Deities001001001
- This domain reflects an idiomatic use of this noun as a reverential substitute for God himself, elsewhere in its broad range of occurrences rather than being illustrated by the creation-narrative citations sampled here.
Word family 2 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H8064. shamayim [שָׁמַי] noun masculineDeu 33:28 only plural שָׁמַ֫יִם421 (Sta§324 a)…
[שָׁמַי] noun masculineDeu 33:28 only plural שָׁמַ֫יִם421 (Sta§324 a) heavens, sky (Late Hebrew id.; Assyrian šamû plural šamê, šamûtu, also šamâmu, compare Phoenician שמם; Sabean סמה HomChr 46, 124; Arabic Ethiopic Aramaic שְׁמַיָּא ; Palmyrene, Nabataean שמ(י)ן in proper name (compounded with בעל) Lzb153 GACooke45; on plural form see BaZMG xiii (1888), 341 f.); — absolute ׳שׁ Gen 1:1 +, מָ֑יִם- Gen 2:4 +; הַשָּׁמַ֫יְמָה Exo 9:8 +; construct שְׁמֵי Deu 10:14 Deu 10:9t.; suffix שָׁמֶיךָ Psa 8:4 Psa 8:2t., שָׁמָיו Deu 33:28, שְׁמֵיכֶם Lev 26:19, with verb plural, Hos 2:23; —
1. a. visible heavens, sky, where stars, etc., are Jdg 5:20; Gen 15:5 (J), Deu 4:19; Gen 1:14-15, Gen 1:17 (P), hence הַשּׁ ׳כּוֺכְבֵי Gen 22:17 (JE) = 9 t. (usually as countless), הַשּׁ צְבָא ׳(כָּלֿ) Deu 4:19; Jer 8:2 + ( ׳צ
1c; rarely of angels, ׳צ
1b; before which fowl fly Gen 1:20 (P), compare Deu 4:17; Jer 8:7; Pro 30:19, הַשּׁ ׳עוֺף Gen 2:19 (J), Gen 1:19 (P) + (עוֺף 1), שׁ ׳צִמֹּר Psa 8:9, שׁ ׳נִשְׁרֵי Lam 4:19; as רָקִיע (q. v.) Gen 1:8 (P), Psa 19:2, with waters beneath and above Gen 1:9 (P, compare Gen 1:7), Psa 148:4, darkened with clouds 1Ki 18:45, cleared by wind Job 26:13; whence comes rain Gen 8:2 (J), Jdg 5:4; Deu 11:11 +, and dew Gen 27:28 (J), Gen 27:39 (E), Deu 33:28 (poem) +. compare שׁ ׳בִּרְכֹת Gen 49:25 (poem in J), שׁ ׳מֶגֶר Deu 33:13 (poem), but also (destructive) fire 2Ki 1:10 (twice in verse); Job 1:16 + (see also 2a below); ׳הֹבְרֵישׁ Isa 47:13, i.e. astrologers, compare ׳אוֺתוֺתהַשּׁ Jer 10:2; as high Gen 11:4 (J), Amos (:2(opposed to שְׁאוֺל), Gen 11:6 (opposed to אֶרֶץ) +, הַשּׁ ׳עַדלֵֿב Deu 4:11;as over all the earth, (כָּלֿ)הַשּׁ ׳תַּחַת Gen 6:17; Gen 7:19 (both P), Deu 2:25; Ecc 1:13 וגו ׳מִתַּחַת (of extermination) Exo 17:14 (E), Deu 7:24; Deu 9:14 +; specifically of Israel, שָׁמֶיךָ Deu 28:23, שְׁמֵיכֶם Lev 26:19 (H); הַשּׁ ׳בֵּין הָאָרֶץ וּבֵין 2Sa 18:9 (hung from tree), 1Ch 21:16 (of angel), compare Eze 8:3 (Ezekiel in vision), Zec 5:9 (flying ephah); ׳הַשּׁ הַשּׁ ׳מִקְּצֵה וְעַדקְֿצֵה of limits of horizon Deu 4:32, compare Deu 30:4; Neh 1:9; Psa 19:7 as made by God Jer 51:15 (opposed to תֵּבֵל), Psa 8:4 +? Deu 11:21; Job 14:12; Psa 89:30; especially׳(הַ)שּׁ וְ(הָ)אָרֶץ = universe (compare in Sabean, SabDenkmNo.41.42, l.3) Deu 3:24 Gen 1:1 (P) + (especially Deuteronomy, Isa2, Psalms), + הַיָם Exo 20:11; Hag 2:6, etc., + לָאָרֶץ מִתַּחַת מַיִם Exo 20:4= Deu 5:8,.compare Pro 30:4, etc.; opposed to תְּהוֺם Pro 8:27 (+ אֶרֶץ Pro 8:29) ׳שׁ חֲרָשָׁה וְהָאָרֶץ חֲרָשִׁים as part of future glory Isa 65:17; Isa 66:22.
b. phrases are: הַשּׁ ׳אֲרֻבּוֺת (letting rain through) Gen 7:11; Gen 8:2 (P), Mal 3:10 (figurative), compare י ׳הֲיַעֲשֶׂה ׳א ׳בַּשּׁ 2Ki 7:2, 2Ki 7:19, so שׁ ׳דַּלְתֵי Psa 78:23 (for manna), compare שׁ ׳דְָּגַן, Psa 78:24, שׁ ׳לֶחֶם Psa 105:40; הַשּׁ ׳מוֺסְדוֺת 2Sa 22:8 (|| הָאָרֶץ; in || Psa 18:8 ׳מ חָרִים), שׁ ׳עַמּוּרֵי Job 26:11, שׁ ׳חוּג Job 22:14; towards the sky is הַשָּׁמַ֫יְמָה Jos 8:20(J), Exo 9:8, Exo 9:10 (P), Job 2:12; Jdg 13:20; Jdg 20:40; 2Ch 6:13; עַלהַֿשָּׁמַיִם Exo 9:22-23, Exo 10:21-22,(all E), ׳אֶלשֿׁ Deu 32:40 (poem), Dan 12:7, ׳שׁ alone 1Ki 8:22, 1Ki 8:54; Job 35:5; Pro 23:5.
2. a. as abode of God (׳י) 1Ki 8:30, 1Ki 8:32 +? Psa 2:3; Isa 66:1, etc., compare ׳רֹכֵבשׁ Deu 33:26(poem), Psa 68:34, whence he rains brimstone Gen 19:24 (J), bread Exo 16:4 (E), compare Neh 9:15, casts hailstones Jos 11:11 (E), talks with Israel Exo 20:22 (E; Gi Exo 20:19) +, compare Gen 21:17; Gen 22:11, Gen 22:15 (E), looks down Deu 26:15 +, hears his people Psa 20:7+ 10 t. Chronicles, etc.; he thunders ׳בַּשּׁ 1Sa 2:10; Psa 18:14,|| ׳מִןשֿׁ 2Sa 22:14; he bends (נטה) ׳שׁ to come down 2Sa 22:10= Psa 18:10, compare Psa 144:5 and (rend) Isa 63:19; הַשּׁ ׳נִמְּתְּחוּ Eze 1:1 in vision of God, compare הַשּׁ ׳שַׁעַר Gen 28:17 (E; + אֱלֹהִים בֵּית); though even הַשּׁ ׳שְׁמֵי the highest heuvens cannot hold him Deu 10:14; 1Ki 8:27; 2Ch 6:18, 2Ch 2:5; Neh 9:6; Psa 148:4, שְׁמֵיקֶֿדֶם שְׁמֵי Psa 68:34; he is called הַשּׁ ׳אֱלֹהֵי (post-exilic title) Ezr 1:2 2Ch 36:23; + 11 t. Ezra Nehemiah; Jon 1:9 (compare Aramaic, Dan 2:18-19, Dan 2:37, Dan 2:44; in Gen 24:7 add with הָאָרֶץ וֵאלֹהֵי ᵐ5, as Gen 24:3), ׳אֵלהַֿשׁ Psa 136:26; his sword is ׳בַּשׁ Isa 34:5, but also his חֶסֶד Psa 36:6, צֶדֶק Psa 85:12, אֱמוּנָח Psa 89:3, his word fixed Psa 119:89. — ׳שׁ are שָׁמָיו (of Israel) Deu 33:28 (poem), שְׁמֵיכֶם Lev 26:19; שָׁמֶיךָ Psa 8:4; Psa 144:5, י ׳שְׁמֵי Lam 3:66, ׳שׁ קָדְשׁוֺ Psa 20:7.
b. Elijah taken up ׳הַשּׁ in whirlwind 2Ki 2:1, compare 2Ki 2:11.
3 ׳הַשּׁ personified in various relations Isa 1:2; Jer 2:12; Job 15:15; Psa 19:2; Psa 50:6 = Psa 97:6; Psa 89:6; Psa 148:4.
4 ׳הַשּׁ מְלֶכֶת see ׳מ p. 573.
I, II. שַׁמָּה see שׁמם. שָׂ֫מָּה see שָׁם.
[שְׁמַ֫יִן] noun masculine plural heavens (Biblical Hebrew [שָׁמַי], שָׁמַיִם, √ שׁמה); — always emphatic שְׁמַיָּא:
1 visible sky Jer 10:11; Dan 4:8; Dan 4:10; Dan 4:17; Dan 4:19; Dan 4:20; Dan 4:27; Dan 4:28; שׁ ׳עוֺף Dan 2:38; שׁ ׳צִמֲּרֵי Dan 4:9; Dan 4:18; שׁ ׳טַל Dan 4:12; Dan 4:20; Dan 4:22; Dan 4:30; Dan 5:21; שׁ ׳רוּחֵי Dan 7:2 winds of the sky; שׁ ׳עֲנָנֵי Dan 7:13; heavens + earth = universe Jer 10:11, where God shews signs Dan 6:28.
2heavens as abode of God Dan 2:28; Dan 4:31, hence, figurative, as ruling Dan 4:23 (׳שׁ sometimes = God in Late Hebrew, J, Aramaic, DWorte Jesu 179; Eng.Tr.218 f.); as abode of angels Dan 4:32 (Dr); elsewhere in phrase שׁ ׳אֱלָהּ Dan 2:18-19, Dan 2:37, Dan 2:44; Ezr 5:11; Ezr 5:12; Ezr 6:9; Ezr 6:10; Ezr 7:12; Ezr 7:21; Ezr 7:23 (twice in verse), שׁ ׳מֶלֶךְ Dan 4:34, שׁ ׳מָרֵא Dan 5:23.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 1 entry
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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