Lexical Definition

‎שָׁמַיִם‎ shâmayim (shaw-mah'-yim) heaven ^H:N-M
dual of an unused singular שָׁמֶה shâmeh (shaw-meh'); from an unused root meaning to be lofty

air, [idiom] astrologer, heaven(-s).

• 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)

1) heaven, heavens, sky
1a) visible heavens, sky
1a1) as abode of the stars
1a2) as the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc
1b) Heaven (as the abode of God)

See Greek: ἄστρον · ἐπουράνιος · ἥλιος · οὐράνιος · οὐρανός

Extended Information

• Aramaic equivalent: sha.ma.yin (‎ש‎ָׁ‎מ‎ַ֫‎י‎ִ‎ן‎ "heaven" שָׁמַיִן)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

Aramaic form: שָׁמַיִן
[‎שָׁמַי‎]noun masculine^{Deut 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 Hom^{Chr 46, 124}; Arabic Ethiopic Aramaic ‎שְׁמַיָּא‎ ; Palmyrene, Nabataean ‎שמ(י)ן‎ in proper name (compounded with ‎בעל‎) Lzb¹⁵³ GACooke⁴⁵; on plural form see Ba^{ZMG xiii (1888), 341 f.}); — absolute ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Gen 1:1 +, ‎מָ֑יִם‎- Gen 2:4 +; ‎הַשָּׁמַ֫יְמָה‎ Exod 9:8 +; construct ‎שְׁמֵי‎ Deut 10:14 + 9 t.; suffix ‎שָׁמֶיךָ‎ Ps 8:4* +2 t., ‎שָׁמָיו‎ Deut 33:28, ‎שְׁמֵיכֶם‎ Lev 26:19, with verb plural, Hos 2:23* —

1. a. visible heavens, sky, where stars, etc., are Judg 5:20; Gen 15:5 (J), Deut 4:19; Gen 1:14; Gen 1:15; Gen 1:17 (P), hence ‎׳‎‎כּוֺכְבֵי הַשּׁ‎ Gen 22:17 (JE) = 9 t. (usually as countless), ‎׳‎‎(כָּלֿ) צְבָא הַשּׁ‎ Deut 4:19; Jer 8:2 + ( ‎׳‎‎צ‎ 1 c; rarely of angels, ‎׳‎‎צ‎ 1 b; before which fowl fly Gen 1:20 (P), compare Deut 4:17; Jer 8:7; Prov 30:19, ‎׳‎‎עוֺף הַשּׁ‎ Gen 2:19 (J), Gen 1:19 (P) + (‎עוֺף‎ 1), ‎׳‎‎צִפֹּר שׁ‎ Ps 8:9*, ‎׳‎‎נִשְׁרֵי שׁ‎ Lam 4:19 as ‎רָקִיע‎ (q. v.) Gen 1:8 (P), Ps 19:2*, with waters beneath and above Gen 1:9 (P, compare vGen 1:7), Ps 148:4, darkened with clouds 1Kgs 18:45, cleared by wind Job 26:13 whence comes rain Gen 8:2 (J), Judg 5:4; Deut 11:11 +, and dew Gen 27:28 (J), vGen 27:39 (E), Deut 33:28 (poem) +. compare ‎׳‎‎בִּרְכֹת שׁ‎ Gen 49:25 (poem in J), ‎׳‎‎מֶגֶר שׁ‎ Deut 33:13 (poem), but also (destructive) fire 2Kgs 1:10 (twice in verse); Job 1:16 + (see also 2 a below); ‎׳‎‎הֹבְרֵישׁ‎ Isa 47:13, i.e. astrologers, compare ‎׳‎‎אוֺתוֺתהַשּׁ‎ Jer 10:2 as high Gen 11:4 (J), Amos (:2 (opposed to ‎שְׁאוֺל‎), vGen 11:6 (opposed to ‎אֶרֶץ‎) +, ‎׳‎‎עַדלֵֿב הַשּׁ‎ Deut 4:11as over all the earth, ‎׳‎‎תַּחַת (כָּלֿ)הַשּׁ‎ Gen 6:17; Gen 7:19 (both P), Deut 2:25; Eccl 1:13 ‎׳‎‎מִתַּחַת וגו‎ (of extermination) Exod 17:14 (E), Deut 7:24; Deut 9:14 +; specifically of Israel, ‎שָׁמֶיךָ‎ Deut 28:23, ‎שְׁמֵיכֶם‎ Lev 26:19 (H); ‎וּבֵין הָאָרֶץ‎ ‎׳‎‎בֵּין הַשּׁ‎ 2Sam 18:9 (hung from tree), 1Chr 21:16 (of angel), compare Ezek 8:3 (Ezekiel in vision), Zech 5:9 (flying ephah); ‎וְעַדקְֿצֵה‎ ‎׳‎‎מִקְּצֵה הַשּׁ‎ ‎׳‎‎הַשּׁ‎ of limits of horizon Deut 4:32, compare Deut 30:4; Neh 1:9; Ps 19:7* as made by God Jer 51:15 (opposed to ‎תֵּבֵל‎), Ps 8:4* + enduring Deut 11:21; Job 14:12; Ps 89:30* especially‎וְ(הָ)אָרֶץ‎ ‎׳‎‎(הַ)שּׁ‎ = universe (compare in Sabean, SabDenkm^{No.41.42, l.3}) Deut 3:24; Gen 1:1 (P) + (especially Deuteronomy, Isa², Psalms), + ‎הַיָם‎ Exod 20:11; Hag 2:6, etc., + ‎מַיִם מִתַּחַת לָאָרֶץ‎ Exod 20:4= Deut 5:8,.compare Prov 30:4, etc.; opposed to ‎תְּהוֺם‎ Prov 8:27 (+ ‎אֶרֶץ‎ vProv 8:29) ‎חֲרָשִׁים וְהָאָרֶץ חֲרָשָׁה‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ as part of future glory Isa 65:17; Isa 66:22.
b. phrases are: ‎׳‎‎אֲרֻבּוֺת הַשּׁ‎ (letting rain through) Gen 7:11; Gen 8:2 (P), Mal 3:10 (figurative), compare ‎׳‎‎בַּשּׁ‎ ‎׳‎‎א‎ ‎׳‎‎הֲיַעֲשֶׂה י‎ 2Kgs 7:2; 2Kgs 7:19, so ‎׳‎‎דַּלְתֵי שׁ‎ Ps 78:23 (for manna), compare ‎׳‎‎דְָּגַן שׁ‎, vPs 78:24, ‎׳‎‎לֶחֶם שׁ‎ Ps 105:40 ‎׳‎‎מוֺסְדוֺת הַשּׁ‎ 2Sam 22:8 (|| ‎הָאָרֶץ‎; in || Ps 18:8* ‎חָרִים‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎), ‎׳‎‎עַמּוּרֵי שׁ‎ Job 26:11, ‎׳‎‎חוּג שׁ‎ Job 22:14 towards the sky is ‎הַשָּׁמַ֫יְמָה‎ Josh 8:20(J), Exod 9:8; Exod 9:10 (P), Job 2:12; Judg 13:20; Judg 20:40; 2Chr 6:13 ‎עַלהַֿשָּׁמַיִם‎ Exod 9:22; Exod 9:23; Exod 10:21; Exod 10:22(all E), ‎׳‎‎אֶלשֿׁ‎ Deut 32:40 (poem), Dan 12:7, ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ alone 1Kgs 8:22; 1Kgs 8:54; Job 35:5; Prov 23:5.

2. a. as abode of God (‎׳‎‎י‎) 1Kgs 8:30; 1Kgs 8:32 + often, where he sits enthroned Ps 2:3; Isa 66:1, etc., compare ‎׳‎‎רֹכֵבשׁ‎ Deut 33:26(poem), Ps 68:34*, whence he rains brimstone Gen 19:24 (J), bread Exod 16:4 (E), compare Neh 9:15, casts hailstones Josh 11:11 (E), talks with Israel Exod 20:22 (E; Gi vExod 20:19) +, compare Gen 21:17; Gen 22:11; Gen 22:15 (E), looks down Deut 26:15 +, hears his people Ps 20:7*+ 10 t. Chronicles, etc.; he thunders ‎׳‎‎בַּשּׁ‎ 1Sam 2:10; Ps 18:14*,|| ‎׳‎‎מִןשֿׁ‎ 2Sam 22:14 he bends (‎נטה‎) ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ to come down v2Sam 22:10= Ps 18:10*, compare Ps 144:5 and (rend) Isa 63:19 ‎׳‎‎נִפְּתְּחוּ הַשּׁ‎ Ezek 1:1 in vision of God, compare ‎׳‎‎שַׁעַר הַשּׁ‎ Gen 28:17 (E; + ‎בֵּית‎ ‎אֱלֹהִים‎); though even ‎׳‎‎שְׁמֵי הַשּׁ‎ the highest heuvens cannot hold him Deut 10:14; 1Kgs 8:27 2 Chron 6:18, 2Chr 2:5*; Neh 9:6; Ps 148:4, ‎שְׁמֵי שְׁמֵיקֶֿדֶם‎ Ps 68:34* he is called ‎׳‎‎אֱלֹהֵי הַשּׁ‎ (post-exilic title) Ezra 1:2 = 2Chr 36:23 + 11 t. Ezra Nehemiah; Jonah 1:9 (compare Aramaic, Dan 2:18; Dan 2:19; Dan 2:37; Dan 2:44 in Gen 24:7 add with ᵐ5 ‎וֵאלֹהֵי הָאָרֶץ‎, as vGen 24:3), ‎׳‎‎אֵלהַֿשׁ‎ Ps 136:26 his sword is ‎׳‎‎בַּשׁ‎ Isa 34:5, but also his ‎חֶסֶד‎ Ps 36:6*, ‎צֶדֶק‎ Ps 85:12*, ‎אֱמוּנָח‎ Ps 89:3*, his word fixed Ps 119:89. — ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ are ‎שָׁמָיו‎ (of Israel) Deut 33:28 (poem), ‎שְׁמֵיכֶם‎ Lev 26:19 ‎שָׁמֶיךָ‎ Ps 8:4*; Ps 144:5, ‎׳‎‎שְׁמֵי י‎ Lam 3:66, ‎קָדְשׁוֺ‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Ps 20:7*.
b. Elijah taken up ‎׳‎‎הַשּׁ‎ in whirlwind 2Kgs 2:1, compare v2Kgs 2:11.

3. ‎׳‎‎הַשּׁ‎ personified in various relations Isa 1:2; Jer 2:12; Job 15:15; Ps 19:2*; Ps 50:6 = Ps 97:6; Ps 89:6*; Ps 148:4.

4. ‎מְלֶכֶת‎ ‎׳‎‎הַשּׁ‎ see ‎׳‎‎מ‎ p. 573.

I, II. ‎שַׁמָּה‎ see ‎שׁמם‎. ‎שָׂ֫מָּה‎ see ‎שָׁם‎.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References