שָׁמַיִם
shâmayim · shaw-mah'-yim
the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve)
Lexicon
Derivation: dual of an unused singular שָׁמֶה; from an unused root meaning to be lofty;
the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve)
- the sky (as aloft
- the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve)
Definition from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890). Wording is Strong's own, including his etymological notes, which are not separate meanings.
KJV renderings: air, [idiom] astrologer, heaven(-s).
Letters
- שShin300
Picture: two front teeth (or a composite bow)
- Concrete
- teeth · sharp · press · bow
- Extended
- to consume · to destroy · to press or grind · to change · again
- מMem40
Picture: waves of water
- Concrete
- water · sea · blood · liquid
- Extended
- chaos · mighty and uncontrollable · the masses · from / out of
- יYod10
Picture: arm and closed hand
- Concrete
- hand · arm · work
- Extended
- a deed · to make · to work · to throw or worship
- מMem40
Picture: waves of water
- Concrete
- water · sea · blood · liquid
- Extended
- chaos · mighty and uncontrollable · the masses · from / out of
Possible cultural reading
to consume, to destroy › water, chaos, the mighty deep › the hand that works › water, chaos, the mighty deep
The consuming (shin) waters (mem) that the working hand (yod) set in place above the waters (mem), the sky as an ordered upper sea, not merely open air.
Interpretive, not lexical. The dictionary sense of שָׁמַיִם above is the attested meaning; this pictographic reading is a tradition about how the sign-shapes may have been heard. Both can be held at once, they are answering different questions.
Usage
421 occurrences · 421 OT · 0 NT · 102 distinct forms
KJV renderings of this word, by how often each one is used.
- of heaven81 · 25%
- the heavens30 · 9%
- from heaven29 · 9%
- of the heaven21 · 7%
- heaven20 · 6%
- of the air18 · 6%
- the heaven12 · 4%
- to heaven11 · 3%
- and the heavens10 · 3%
- toward heaven9 · 3%
- in heaven8 · 2%
- in the heavens8 · 2%
- thou in heaven7 · 2%
- of heavens7 · 2%
- above the heavens6 · 2%
- from under heaven6 · 2%
- of the heavens5 · 2%
- into heaven5 · 2%
- and the heaven5 · 2%
- out of heaven5 · 2%
- is in heaven4 · 1%
- thou from the heavens4 · 1%
- unto heaven4 · 1%
- under the whole heaven3 · 1%
- under the heaven3 · 1%
Where it is used, by book.
Inflected forms found in the text.
Counts are computed from the tagged Hebrew and Greek text aligned to the King James Version, not from an estimate.