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שָׁמַיִם

shamayim · heavens, sky

Hebrew word · Strong’s number H8064 · appears 422 times in the Bible

What is the Strong number?Strong’s number identifies this word: use it to find the same word in other study tools.

What it means

shamayim (שָׁמַיִם) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “heavens, sky”.

The heavens: what is above, where the clouds, the sun and the stars are seen; also the dwelling of God. In Hebrew it is always plural. With birds, "the sky".

How to say it

sha·ma·yim

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

  1. The high space seen above the earth, where the birds, clouds, sun and stars are.
  2. God's dwelling, from which he is called "the Elohim of the heavens".

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

The heavens: what is above, where the birds fly, from where the rain falls and where the sun and stars are; and also the dwelling of God. In Hebrew the word exists only in the plural.

How we translate it

“Heavens” 385 times, “sky” 25, “heaven” 11. This edition's glossary sets “heavens” and keeps the Hebrew plural (“the heavens and the earth”; “the Elohim of the heavens”; “a tower with its top in the heavens”, Genesis 11:4); it allows “sky” for the birds and the air (“the birds of the sky”).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

  • heavens ×385
  • sky ×25
  • heaven ×11

Related words

Words that come from it

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

  • Genesis 1:1

    In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.

  • Genesis 1:8

    And Elohim called the vault “Heavens.” And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

  • Genesis 1:9

    And Elohim said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry ground appear.” And it was so.

  • Genesis 1:14

    And Elohim said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for appointed times and for days and years;

  • Genesis 1:15

    and let them be lights in the vault of the heavens to give light on the earth.” And it was so.

  • Genesis 1:17

    And Elohim set them in the vault of the heavens to give light on the earth,

  • Genesis 1:20

    And Elohim said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living beings, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the vault of the heavens.”

  • Genesis 1:26

    And Elohim said, “Let us make the human being in our image, according to our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

  • Genesis 1:28

    And Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every animal that creeps on the earth.”

  • Genesis 1:30

    And to every animal of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that creeps on the earth, that has life, I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

  • Genesis 2:1

    So the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their army.

  • Genesis 2:4

    These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that YHWH Elohim made earth and heavens.

  • Genesis 2:19

    And YHWH Elohim formed from the ground every animal of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called it, as a living being, that was its name.

  • Genesis 2:20

    And the man gave names to all the livestock and to the birds of the sky and to every animal of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper corresponding to him.

  • Genesis 6:7

    And YHWH said, “I will wipe out the human being whom I have created from the face of the ground, from human being to livestock, to creeping things and to the birds of the sky, for I am sorry that I made them.”

  • Genesis 6:17

    And I, look, I am bringing the flood of waters on the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the spirit of life, from under the heavens; everything that is on the earth will perish.

  • Genesis 7:3

    also of the birds of the sky seven and seven, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth.

  • Genesis 7:11

    In the six hundredth year of the life of Noah, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the springs of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

  • Genesis 7:19

    And the waters prevailed very, very much on the earth, and all the high mountains that are under all the heavens were covered.

  • Genesis 7:23

    And he wiped out all that existed that was on the face of the ground, from human being to livestock, to creeping things and to the birds of the sky; and they were wiped out from the earth. And only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.

  • Genesis 8:2

    And the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens were closed, and the rain from the heavens was held back.

  • Genesis 9:2

    And the fear and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth and on every bird of the sky, on everything that creeps on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are given.

  • Genesis 11:4

    And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, so that we are not scattered over the face of all the earth.”

  • Genesis 14:19

    He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of El Elyon, owner of the heavens and earth;

  • Genesis 14:22

    But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to YHWH, El Elyon, owner of the heavens and earth,

  • Genesis 15:5

    He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And he said to him, “So will your offspring be.”

  • Genesis 19:24

    Then YHWH rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah sulfur and fire from YHWH out of the heavens.

  • Genesis 21:17

    Elohim heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of Elohim called to Hagar from the heavens and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for Elohim has heard the voice of the boy where he is.

  • Genesis 22:11

    But the angel of YHWH called to him from the heavens and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

  • Genesis 22:15

    The angel of YHWH called to Abraham a second time from the heavens

  • Genesis 22:17

    that I will surely bless you and will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of the heavens and as the sand that is on the shore of the sea; and your offspring will possess the gate of its enemies.

  • Genesis 24:3

    and I will make you swear by YHWH, the Elohim of the heavens and the Elohim of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live,

  • Genesis 24:7

    YHWH, the Elohim of the heavens, who took me from the house of my father and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.

  • Genesis 26:4

    I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the heavens and will give to your offspring all these lands; and through your offspring all the nations of the earth will bless themselves,

  • Genesis 27:28

    May Elohim give you of the dew of the heavens and of the richness of the earth, and plenty of grain and new wine.

  • Genesis 27:39

    Isaac his father answered and said to him, “Look, away from the richness of the earth will be your dwelling, and away from the dew of the heavens from above.

  • Genesis 28:12

    He dreamed, and look, a ladder set on the earth, and its top reaching to the heavens; and look, the angels of Elohim were going up and coming down on it.

  • Genesis 28:17

    He was afraid and said, “How fearsome is this place! This is none other than the house of Elohim, and this is the gate of the heavens.”

  • Genesis 49:25

    by the El of your father, who will help you, and by Shaddai, who will bless you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

  • Exodus 9:8

    YHWH said to Moses and to Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and let Moses throw it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh.

And 382 more times.