שֶׁנְהַבִּ֥ים

𐤔𐤍𐤄𐤁𐤉𐤌

shenehabim

ivory

from שֵׁן and the plural apparently of a foreign word; probably, tooth of elephants, i.e. ivory tusk; ivory.

H8143

2 Chronicles 9:21 · Word #18

Lexicon H8143

Lemmaשֶׁנְהַבִּים
Lemma (Paleo)𐤔𐤍𐤄𐤁𐤉𐤌
Transliterationshenhabbîym
Strong'sH8143
In-contextivory

Morphology HNcmpa All morphology codes

Part of Speech N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea
Subtype c — Common — Common noun
Gender m — Masculine — Masculine
Number p — Plural — Plural
State a — Absolute — The noun stands independently

SIBI-P1 H8143-01

elephant-teeth

Rootשׁן (sh-n)
Core Meaningstooth, sharp projection, tusk, ivory
Semantic Rangeelephant tusks, ivory (as raw material), luxury goods made from ivory
Conceptual SignificanceIn the biblical text (notably in the accounts of Solomon’s wealth), elephant-teeth signify international trade, royal opulence, and participation in long-distance commerce. The term evokes exotic imports and the splendor associated with imperial prosperity.
Morphological NotesCommon masculine plural noun in the absolute state (HNcmpa). Though functioning as a material noun ("ivory"), it is grammatically plural, reflecting multiple tusks/teeth.
Rendering RationaleThe term is built from שֵׁן ("tooth") combined with a foreign element referring to elephants, literally meaning "teeth of elephants." Rendering it as "elephant-teeth" preserves the concrete root sense of "tooth" rather than abstracting it to "ivory," and reflects the masculine plural absolute form in the morphology.

AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

Words from Root שׁן (tooth, sharp projection, tusk, ivory)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H8127-04 hashen the Tooth-Crag
H8128-03 veshinayin and two teeth

Word Usage (2 occurrences of H8143)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
1 Kings 10:22 שֶׁנְהַבִּ֥ים shenehabim ivory
2 Chronicles 9:21 שֶׁנְהַבִּ֥ים shenehabim ivory