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שַׁיִשׁ

𐤔𐤉𐤔

shayish

H7893 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׁשׁ to be white, to shine, to be bright

Definition

A valuable, typically white or light-colored stone, marble; refers especially to high-quality stone used in construction, ornamentation, or luxury items. The term designates worked or polished marble but can also refer to similar stones of white or light appearance, chiefly in contexts of architecture or elite material culture.

Semantic Range

marble; light-colored stone; polished stone; luxurious or ornamental stone; figuratively, brightness or splendor of appearance

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root שֵׁשׁ (šēš), meaning 'white' or 'linen'; the formation suggests a noun of material, paralleling the association of whiteness and sheen. The exact derivation is uncertain; it may be related to an idea of brightness or shining white. The word is not related directly to the verb to bleach but is linked through semantic similarity to whiteness.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שַׁיִשׁ occurs only a few times in the Hebrew Bible, notably in descriptions of temple architecture or luxury items (e.g., Song of Songs 5:15; Esther 1:6). It refers to an impressive, prestigious material, signifying opulence and grandeur, often associated with palatial or sacred constructions. The distinction between שַׁיִשׁ and other stone terms (e.g., אֶבֶן 'stone', גָּזִית 'hewn stone') lies in the luxurious or refined quality implied. The association with whiteness is both visual and symbolic, indicating purity, beauty, or wealth in context. In Hellenistic and later periods, the term commonly comes to mean 'marble' as understood in Greco-Roman construction, but in First Temple times may have covered a broader range of polished or prized light stones. English translations as 'marble' or 'alabaster' reflect context and later usage; the Hebrew term is less technical and more descriptive of appearance and quality than of precise geology.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from an unused root meaning to bleach, i.e. whiten; See שֵׁשׁ.; white, i.e. marble.;

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׁשׁ (š-š) — whiteness, brightness, shining

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8336 שֵׁשׁ in shining white linen
H8337 שֵׁשׁ in six
H8341 שָׁשָׁה and you shall apportion a sixth
H8343 שָׁשַׁי White-One
H8346 שִׁשִּׁים sixty

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7893-01 שַׁ֖יִשׁ shayish HNcmsa alabaster bright white marble 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7893-01 1 Chronicles 29:2 שַׁ֖יִשׁ shayish HNcmsa alabaster bright white marble
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