Word

שָׁנָה

shânâh · H8138 · Hebrew · 23 occurrences

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Meanings

to be different, to change, to be affected

Process by which an object takes on different characteristics

Examples
Malachi 3:6 “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, the sons of Jacob, have not come to an end.
to be of various design, to be of different kinds

State in which objects are not homogeneous in shape but differ from one another

Examples
Esther 1:7 Drinks were served in golden vessels of various kinds, and the royal wine was plentiful in proportion to the king’s bounty.
to be different, to dissent

Meaning unsure; literally: to be different; hence, possibly: state in which humans or deities differ from others in attitude, status, or opinion

Examples
Proverbs 24:21 My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not get involved with those of high rank,
to be changed, to be different

Process by which a condition takes on different characteristics

Examples
Esther 3:8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of all other people and they do not comply with the king’s laws, so it is not in the king’s interest to let them remain.
Causative process or action by which humans or deities cause a condition to take on different characteristics (to change (something), to alter)

Examples
Psalm 89:34 “I will not violate My covenant, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.
Proverbs 31:5 Otherwise they will drink and forget what is decreed, And pervert the rights of all the needy.
Jeremiah 2:36 “Why do you go around so much Changing your way? Also, you will be put to shame by Egypt, Just as you were put to shame by Assyria.
Literally: (one's) right hand changes; hence, probably: process by which the frequency and/or intensity of deity's saving acts, associated with the right hand, change ((one's) saving power changes)

Examples
Psalm 77:10 Then I said, “It is my grief, That the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
to act insane, to feign madness

Literally: to change one's good sense; hence: action by which humans act as if they lack good judgement

Examples
1 Samuel 21:13 So he disguised his sanity while in their sight and acted insanely in their custody, and he scribbled on the doors of the gate, and drooled on his beard.
Literally: to change (one's) clothes; hence: action by which humans put on different clothes (to change (clothes))

Examples
Jeremiah 52:33 So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and had his meals in the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life.
to happen twice

Process by which a another process happens twice

Examples
Genesis 41:32 “Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is confirmed by God, and God will quickly bring it about.
Action by which humans perform an event twice (to repeat, to do (something) twice)

Examples
2 Samuel 20:10 But Amasa was not on guard against the sword which was in Joab’s hand, so he struck him in the belly with it and spilled out his intestines on the ground, and did not strike him again, and he died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.
1 Kings 18:34 And he said, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time,” so they did it a second time. Then he said, “Do it a third time,” so they did it a third time.
Nehemiah 13:21 Then I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will use force against you.” From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath.
to disguise oneself

Literally: to change oneself; hence: action by which humans make themselves unrecognizable by others by changing their appearance or clothing

Examples
1 Kings 14:2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Now arise and disguise yourself so that they will not know that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said regarding me that I would be king over this people.
Literally: to change (a person) for good; hence: action by which humans treat certain other humans better than others (to treat (someone) better (than others))

Examples
Esther 2:9 Now the young lady pleased him and found favor with him. So he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and food, gave her seven choice female attendants from the king’s palace, and transferred her and her attendants to the best place in the harem.
Literally: to change (someone's) face; hence: causative process by which deities or circumstances cause the expression of someone's face to be changed (to change (someone's) expression, to distort (someone's) face)

Examples
Job 14:20 “You forever overpower him and he departs; You change his appearance and send him away.

How it’s used In 6 roles

Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.

the word studied the word it goes with

Who or what does itSubject

22 occurrences in 12 groups

Not stated: he, she or it 5
Not stated: I 3
Not stated (participle) 3
Other words · 9 groups that occur once or twice (11) 11

What it acts on, or what is saidObject

8 occurrences in 9 groups

Other words · 9 groups that occur once or twice (9) 9

With prepositionsPrepositional phrases

11 occurrences in 10 groups

Other words · 10 groups that occur once or twice (11) 11

With adverbsAdverbs

5 occurrences in 1 groups

לֹאnot 5

What it doesIt is the subject

1 occurrences in 1 groups

פָּרַדto separate, to be separated 1

After prepositionsPrepositional phrases

2 occurrences in 2 groups

עִםwith 2
לto/for 1

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 4 words

כָּפַל kâphal · H3717 · to fold double, to be doubled: Both lexemes share the sense "double" — כָּפַל (kâphal, H3717) is focused on that sense, while שָׁנָה (shânâh, H8138) is a broader, polysemous word (also meaning alter, change, disguise, pervert, repeat) for which "double" is only one of several senses. The overlap is real but narrow, limited to that one shared sense.
שָׁנָא shânâʼ · H8132 · to change: Both are verbs of change or alteration with overlapping senses: שָׁנָא (shânâʼ, H8132) "change" and שָׁנָה (shânâh, H8138) "alter, change, do again."
חָפַשׂ châphas · H2664 · to search, to examine, to look for: חָפַשׂ (châphas, H2664) emphasizes the act of disguising oneself or changing appearance (often in context of concealment/searching), while שָׁנָה (shânâh, H8138) focuses more broadly on altering, changing, or making different (including repetition and transformation).
חָלַף châlaph · H2498 · to come up, to be renewed, to pass through: חָלַף (châlaph, H2498) often emphasizes transition or passing through/away (spatial or temporal change), while שָׁנָה (shânâh, H8138) often emphasizes transformation, repetition, or making different.

Semantic domains 8 entries

Different002001001019: שָׁנָה (shânâh, H8138) means "to repeat, do again, change," as in occurrences glossed "he repeated"/"do [it] again." This sense does not independently attest the "Different" domain; that classification is bundle-shared with שְׁנָא (shᵉnâʼ, H8133) in the source data and is not confirmed by this lexeme's own occurrences.
Change002001003002: שָׁנָה (shânâh, H8138) means "to repeat, do again, change," as in occurrences glossed "he repeated"/"do [it] again." This sense does not independently attest the "Change" domain; that classification is bundle-shared with שְׁנָא (shᵉnâʼ, H8133) in the source data and is not confirmed by this lexeme's own occurrences.
Foolish002001002010: The verb also describes feigning madness, as in 1 Samuel 21:14's account of Achish observing that the man, David in disguise, was behaving like an insane person.
Dress002003001007: The verb also denotes altering one's appearance to disguise oneself, as in 1 Kings 14:2's instruction to Jeroboam's wife to arise and disguise herself.
Frequency002001003009: The verb also denotes doing something a second time, as in Genesis 41:32's explanation that the repeating of Pharaoh's dream twice means the matter is confirmed by God.
Non-Know002004002008: The verb also describes disguising oneself so as not to be recognized, as in 1 Kings 14:2's instruction that Jeroboam's wife disguise herself so that they will not know she is the king's wife.
Respect002001002024: שָׁנָה (shânâh, H8138) means "to repeat, do again, change," as in occurrences glossed "he repeated"/"do [it] again." This sense does not independently attest the "Respect" domain; that classification is bundle-shared with שְׁנָא (shᵉnâʼ, H8133) in the source data and is not confirmed by this lexeme's own occurrences.
Shape002001001052: The verb also denotes altering one's outward form, as in 1 Kings 14:2's instruction to Jeroboam's wife to change her appearance so she would not be recognized.

Word family 9 words

Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.

שָׁנָהshânâh · H8138שָׁנֶה shâneh · H8141 · year · 876×שְׁנַיִם shᵉnayim · H8147 · two · 768×שֵׁנִי shênîy · H8145 · second · 157×מִשְׁנֶה mishneh · H4932 · double, second born · 35×שְׁנָה shᵉnâh · H8140 · year · 7×תְּרֵין tᵉrêyn · H8648 · second, twelve, two · 4×תִּנְיָן tinyân · H8578 · second · 1×תִּנְיָנוּת tinyânûwth · H8579 · again · 1×

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H8138. shanah I. [שָׁנָה] verb change (Late Hebrew Pi`el, etc.; Ecclus 42:24; etc.;…

H8138. shanah
I. [שָׁנָה] verb change (Late Hebrew Pi`el, etc.; Ecclus 42:24; etc.; Assyrian šanû, change, Aramaic שְׁנָא, Nabataean Ethpa`al Lzb379; Syriac , especially mentally = grow insane; compare (probably) Late Hebrew שָׁנָה year, = Phoenician שת שנת,; MI2, 8 שת; Assyrian šattu (compare Muss-ArnJBL xi (1892), 73 n.); Arabic ; Aramaic שַׁתָּא שְׁנַא,, , ; Old Aramaic, Nabataean, Palmyrene שנן שת, שנת, שנתא, Lzb379f.; on year from changing seasons, see PhilippiZMG xxxii (1878), 79 f. BaZMG xll (1887), 612, 621, 636 (especially against DHMVIme Orient. Congr. ii. 1, 452 who proposes biliteral √), compare Thes; a daring suggestion by JenZA vii (1892), 177); —
Qal Perfect1singular שָׁנִיתִי לאֹ Mal 3:6 I am ׳׳י, I do not change: Imperfect3masculine singular יִשְׁנֶא (Ges§ 75rr) Lam 4:1 how is the fine gold changed (si vera lectio; LöhrNow יִשָּׁנֵא; gloss on יוּעַס Bu Löhr); Infinitive construct עֶלְיוֺן יְמִין שְׁנוֺת Psa 77:11 the right hand of the Highest is changed (ᵑ7 ᵑ9 ᵑ6 Aq Symm Theod Hup-Now RVm Bae Du We Buhl; AV RV Ew De Che and others years, usually insert I will remember); Participle שׁוֺנִים Est 1:7 differing, different, with מִן, compare Est 3:8 (so Ecclus 42:24); Pro 24:21 those who change (but dubious, see Toy).
Pi`el transitive, change, alter: Perfect3masculine singular שִׁנָּה Jer 52:33 with accusative garments, = שִׁנָּא (Gesl.c.) 2Ki 25:29; Imperfect3masculine singular דִּין יְשַׁנֶּה Pro 31:5 lest he pervert the judgment; וַיְשַׁנּוֺ 1Sa 21:14 (read וַיְשַׁן Ges§ 75bb, וַיְשַׁנֶּה We Dr (and references), compare Bu HPS Now), with accusative טַעְמוֺ (see טַעַם, and Assyrian šanê ‰êmi, madness); וַיְשַׁנֶּהָ Est 2:9, i.e. changed her place הַנָּשִׁים בֵּית לְטוֺב; 1 singular Psa 89:35 the utterance of my lips I will not change (|| בְּרִיתִי אֲחַלֵּל לֹא); Infinitive construct אֶתדַּֿרְכֵךְ לְשַׁנּוֺת Jer 2:36 i.e. change thy political course; טַעְמוֺ אֶתֿ בְּשַׁנּוֺתוֺ Psa 34:1 (title; compare 1Sa 21:14 above); Participle פָנָיו מְשַׁנֶּה Job 14:20 altering his face, i.e. in death (subject God).
Pu`al Imperfect3masculine singular יְשֻׁנֶּא מָּנָיו וְעֹז (Ges§ 75rr) Ecc 8:1, usually is changed, mollified, Siegf יִשָּׂנֵא is hated (on פ ׳עֹז see עֹז
4, √עזז).
Hithpa`el Perfect2feminine singular consecutive וְהִשְׁתַּנִּית קוּמִי 1Ki 14:2 arise, pray, and disguise thyself.
III. שָׁנָה verb repeat, do again (Late Hebrew id.; Ecclus 42:1; Arabic bend, fold, double; Aramaic תְּנָא repeat, also teach, ; Assyrian šanû, especially Pi`el repeat, relate, compare ScheilZA v (1890), 409 (Dl thinks denominative); on ׳שׁ as √of שְׁנַיִם two, see PhilippiZMG xxxii (1878), 77 Baib. xli (1887), 603); —
Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳שׁ 2Sa 20:10; Imperfect1singular אֶשְׁנֶה 1Sa 26:8, etc.; Imperative masculine plural שְׁנוּ 1Ki 18:34; Participle שֹׁנֶה Pro 17:9; Pro 26:11; — do again: שׁ ׳וַיַּכֵּהוּוְ֗֗֗לֹא לוֺ 2Sa 20:10, compare 1Sa 26:8; absolute 1Ki 18:34 (twice in verse); Neh 13:21; = speak again Job 29:22 + Job 40:5 according to many moderns (אשׁנה for אענה ᵑ0); ׳שׁ בְּדָבָר Pro 17:9 repeat with a thing, keep talking about it (דבר שנות Ecclus 42:1); Pro 26:11 a dullard repeats with (ב) his folly, does it over again (learns nothing by experience).
Niph`al Infinitive construct מַּעֲמָ֑יִם אֶלמַּֿרְעֹה הַחֲלוֺם הִשָּׁנוֺת וְעַל Gen 41:32 (E) concerning the dream's being repeated, etc.

Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain

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