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שֵׁן

𐤔𐤍

shên

H8127 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Tooth; the hard, calcified structure in the mouth of humans or animals used for biting and chewing. By extension, refers figuratively to anything resembling a tooth in form or function—in particular, projecting, sharp features such as the crag or peak of a rock formation, or, metonymically, ivory (material derived from tusks, often elephantine).

Semantic Range

tooth (literal), animal tusk, ivory (material), sharp point or edge, crag, cliff, prominent projection (esp. of rock), figurative for sharpness, forefront

Root / Etymology

From the root שׁנן (sh-n-n), meaning 'to sharpen' or 'to be pointed.' The word שֵׁן likely derives from this idea of sharpness or pointedness. Occasionally compared with שֶׁנְהַבִּים (shenhabim, 'ivory'), though the lexical relationship between the two is through the shared image of a tooth/tusk rather than direct etymological descent.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שֵׁן appears primarily with the literal sense of 'tooth,' whether human or animal, in narrative, legal, and poetic texts (e.g., Exod 21:24; Prov 30:14). In poetry and figurative language, it can denote sharp projections, particularly of rock or mountain (cf. 1 Sam 14:4, 'crag' or 'tooth' of a cliff), a metaphor for sharpness and danger. In rare cases, it also stands for 'ivory,' since ivory is derived from animal (usually elephant) tusks or teeth (e.g., 1 Kgs 10:18; Amos 3:15), sometimes with the phrase 'ivory houses.' English translations typically use 'tooth' for most occurrences, but for metonymic extensions like 'crag' or 'ivory,' the meaning is context-dependent. The figurative use to mean 'forefront' or 'sharp edge' occurs especially in poetic description. The semantic overlap with שֶׁנְהַבִּים (used more specifically for 'ivory') and related roots underscores the shared imagery of pointedness or sharpness. The primary sense remained consistent throughout the First Temple and later periods, though common use of 'ivory' as a luxury item emerges more during the monarchy.

Translation Consistency

primary "tooth" 17 occurrences

The primary and literal meaning of שֵן is a tooth/tusklike projection; corpus counts favor the tooth/teeth senses (28 'teeth' + 12 'tooth' vs. 8 'ivory'). ‘Tooth’ is the natural, simple English base that covers the typical usages (literal tooth, tusk/ivory by extension, and figurative projecting points like a rock "tooth"). Exceptional material-specific senses ("ivory," "tusk," "crag") can be rendered contextually, but keeping ‘tooth’ as the single consistent base word best preserves meaning and natural English usage.

Alternatives (33 occurrences):
"teeth" (21x) "ivory" (6x) "teeth of" (5x) "prongs" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שָׁנַן; compare שֶׁנְהַבִּים; a tooth (as sharp); specifically ivory; figuratively, a cliff; crag, [idiom] forefront, ivory, [idiom] sharp, tooth.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

שנן (shên) — to sharpen, be pointed, make sharp

Root שנן to sharpen, be pointed, make sharp
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8128 שֵׁן her tooth
H8148 שְׁנִינָה sharpened taunt
H8150 שָׁנַן I sharpen myself

Word Forms

20 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H8127-08 שֵׁ֖ן shen HNcbsa tooth tooth tooth 18
H8127-12 שִׁנָּֽי/ו shinayv HNcbdc/Sp3ms his teeth his teeth his teeth 7
H8127-04 הַ/שֵּׁן֙ hashen HTd/Ncbsa of ivory the tooth the tooth 4
H8127-20 וְ/שִׁנֵּ֥י veshiney HC/Ncbdc and the teeth of and teeth of and teeth of 3
H8127-09 שִׁנָּֽ/י shinay HNcbdc/Sp1cs my teeth my two teeth my teeth 2
H8127-10 שִׁנַּ֨יִ/ךְ֙ shinayikhe HNcbdc/Sp2fs your teeth your two teeth your teeth 2
H8127-11 שִׁנַּ֨יִם֙ shinayim HNcbda teeth two teeth teeth 2
H8127-13 שִׁנֵּ֣י shiney HNcbdc teeth pair of teeth of teeth of 2
H8127-14 שִׁנֵּי/הֶ֔ם shineyhem HNcbdc/Sp3mp their teeth their teeth their teeth 2
H8127-15 שִׁנֵּֽי/מוֹ shineymo HNcbdc/Sp3mp their teeth their two teeth their teeth 2

Occurrences in Scripture

55 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H8127-11 Genesis 49:12 שִׁנַּ֖יִם shinayim HNcbda than milk two teeth teeth
H8127-08 Exodus 21:24 שֵׁ֖ן shen HNcbsa tooth tooth tooth
H8127-08 Exodus 21:24 שֵׁ֑ן shen-2 HNcbsa tooth tooth tooth
H8127-08 Exodus 21:27 שֵׁ֥ן shen HNcbsc tooth tooth tooth
H8127-08 Exodus 21:27 שֵׁ֥ן shen-2 HNcbsc tooth tooth tooth
H8127-16 Exodus 21:27 שִׁנּֽ/וֹ shino HNcbsc/Sp3ms his tooth his tooth his tooth
H8127-08 Leviticus 24:20 שֵׁ֖ן shen HNcbsa tooth tooth tooth
H8127-08 Leviticus 24:20 שֵׁ֑ן shen-2 HNcbsa tooth tooth tooth
H8127-14 Numbers 11:33 שִׁנֵּי/הֶ֔ם shineyhem HNcbdc/Sp3mp their teeth their teeth their teeth
H8127-08 Deuteronomy 19:21 שֵׁ֣ן shen HNcbsa tooth tooth tooth
H8127-01 Deuteronomy 19:21 בְּ/שֵׁ֔ן beshen HR/Ncbsa for-tooth in a tooth for tooth
H8127-18 Deuteronomy 32:24 וְ/שֶׁן veshen HC/Ncbsc and teeth and tooth of and tooth of
H8127-05 1 Samuel 2:13 הַ/שִּׁנַּ֖יִם hashinayim HTd/Ncbda prongs/teeth the two teeth prongs
H8127-08 1 Samuel 14:4 שֵׁן shen HNcbsc rock tooth tooth
H8127-18 1 Samuel 14:4 וְ/שֵׁן veshen HC/Ncbsc and-rock and tooth of and tooth of
H8127-04 1 Samuel 14:5 הַ/שֵּׁ֧ן hashen HTd/Ncbsa the one the tooth the tooth
H8127-08 1 Kings 10:18 שֵׁ֖ן shen HNcbsa ivory tooth ivory
H8127-04 1 Kings 22:39 הַ/שֵּׁן֙ hashen HTd/Ncbsa the ivory the tooth the tooth
H8127-20 Jeremiah 31:29 וְ/שִׁנֵּ֥י veshiney HC/Ncbdc and the teeth of and teeth of and teeth of
H8127-12 Jeremiah 31:30 שִׁנָּֽי/ו shinayv HNcbdc/Sp3ms his teeth his teeth his teeth
H8127-20 Ezekiel 18:2 וְ/שִׁנֵּ֥י veshiney HC/Ncbdc and the teeth of and teeth of and teeth of
H8127-08 Ezekiel 27:6 שֵׁן֙ shen HNcbsa ivory tooth ivory
H8127-08 Ezekiel 27:15 שֵׁן֙ shen HNcbsa ivory tooth ivory
H8127-12 Joel 1:6 שִׁנָּי/ו֙ shinayv HNcbdc/Sp3ms its teeth his teeth his teeth
H8127-13 Joel 1:6 שִׁנֵּ֣י shiney HNcbdc teeth of pair of teeth of teeth of
H8127-04 Amos 3:15 הַ/שֵּׁ֗ן hashen HTd/Ncbsa of ivory the tooth ivory
H8127-11 Amos 4:6 שִׁנַּ֨יִם֙ shinayim HNcbda teeth two teeth teeth
H8127-08 Amos 6:4 שֵׁ֔ן shen HNcbsa of ivory tooth ivory
H8127-03 Micah 3:5 בְּ/שִׁנֵּי/הֶם֙ beshineyhem HR/Ncbdc/Sp3mp with their teeth with their teeth with their teeth
H8127-12 Zechariah 9:7 שִׁנָּ֔י/ו shinayv HNcbdc/Sp3ms teeth-of-it his teeth his teeth
H8127-13 Psalms 3:8 שִׁנֵּ֖י shiney HNcbdc teeth pair of teeth of teeth of
H8127-15 Psalms 35:16 שִׁנֵּֽי/מוֹ shineymo HNcbdc/Sp3mp their teeth their two teeth their teeth
H8127-12 Psalms 37:12 שִׁנָּֽי/ו shinayv HNcbdc/Sp3ms with his teeth his teeth his teeth
H8127-08 Psalms 45:9 שֵׁ֝֗ן shen HNcbsa ivory tooth tooth
H8127-14 Psalms 57:5 שִׁ֭נֵּי/הֶם shineyhem HNcbdc/Sp3mp their teeth their teeth their teeth
H8127-15 Psalms 58:7 שִׁנֵּ֥י/מוֹ shineymo HNcbdc/Sp3mp their teeth their two teeth their teeth
H8127-12 Psalms 112:10 שִׁנָּ֣י/ו shinayv HNcbdc/Sp3ms his teeth his teeth his teeth
H8127-07 Psalms 124:6 לְ/שִׁנֵּי/הֶֽם leshineyhem HR/Ncbdc/Sp3mp to their teeth to their teeth to their teeth
H8127-06 Proverbs 10:26 לַ/שִּׁנַּ֗יִם lashinayim HRd/Ncbda to the teeth to the two teeth to the teeth
H8127-08 Proverbs 25:19 שֵׁ֣ן shen HNcbsa tooth tooth tooth
H8127-12 Proverbs 30:14 שִׁנָּי/ו֮ shinayv HNcbdc/Sp3ms whose teeth his teeth his teeth
H8127-20 Job 4:10 וְ/שִׁנֵּ֖י veshiney HC/Ncbdc and-teeth and teeth of and teeth of
H8127-19 Job 13:14 בְ/שִׁנָּ֑/י veshinay HR/Ncbdc/Sp1cs in my teeth in my teeth in my teeth
H8127-02 Job 16:9 בְּ/שִׁנָּ֑י/ו beshinayv HR/Ncbdc/Sp3ms with his teeth with his two teeth with his teeth
H8127-09 Job 19:20 שִׁנָּֽ/י shinay HNcbdc/Sp1cs my teeth my two teeth my teeth
H8127-17 Job 29:17 וּ֝/מִ/שִּׁנָּ֗י/ו umishinayv HC/R/Ncbdc/Sp3ms and from his teeth and from his teeth and from his teeth
H8127-08 Job 39:28 שֶׁן shen HNcbsc tooth tooth tooth
H8127-12 Job 41:6 שִׁנָּ֣י/ו shinayv HNcbdc/Sp3ms his teeth his teeth his teeth
H8127-10 Song of Songs 4:2 שִׁנַּ֨יִ/ךְ֙ shinayikhe HNcbdc/Sp2fs your teeth your two teeth your teeth
H8127-08 Song of Songs 5:14 שֵׁ֔ן shen HNcbsa ivory tooth ivory
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