וְ/שָׁמָֽיִם

𐤅/𐤔𐤌𐤉𐤌

veshamayim

and heaven

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

H8064

Genesis 2:4 · Word #11

Lexicon H8064

Lemmaשָׁמַיִם
Lemma (Paleo)𐤔𐤌𐤉𐤌
Transliterationshâmayim
Strong'sH8064
In-contextand heaven

Morphology HC/Ncmpa 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 H8064-18

and lofty-heavens

Rootשמה (š-m-h)
Core Meaningsheight, loftiness, elevation, being high
Semantic Rangethe visible sky, the atmospheric heavens, the celestial realm of sun, moon, and stars, the transcendent dwelling place of God, the cosmic heights
Conceptual SignificanceThe "heavens" represent the exalted created order above the earth and often signify the dwelling place of יהוה. As the lofty realm, they testify to divine sovereignty, serve as witnesses in covenant language, and frame the biblical worldview of a structured cosmos with heights above and earth beneath.
Morphological NotesConjunction וְ + noun masculine common plural absolute; morphologically plural (historically dual in form), functioning as a plural noun without article.
Rendering RationaleThe noun שָׁמַיִם derives from a root conveying loftiness or height, so "lofty-heavens" preserves the sense of elevated realms rather than a generic "sky." The prefixed conjunction וְ is rendered "and," and the masculine plural absolute form (Ncmpa) is reflected in the plural "heavens."

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

Words from Root שמה (height, loftiness, elevation, being high)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H8064-14 shemeykhem your lofty heights

Word Usage (421 occurrences of H8064)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Genesis 1:1 הַ/שָּׁמַ֖יִם hashamayim the heavens
Genesis 1:8 שָׁמָ֑יִם shamayim Heaven
Genesis 1:9 הַ/שָּׁמַ֨יִם֙ hashamayim the heavens