שְׁנָה
𐤔𐤍𐤄
shᵉnâh
H8139 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A period of sleep, the state or act of sleeping; used to refer to literal, physiological rest involving the cessation of activity or consciousness, typically as a daily human experience. May convey the sense of normal sleep or, contextually, the portrayal of sleep as symbolic of inactivity, unawareness, or vulnerability, but not idiomatically for death in the available Aramaic contexts.
Semantic Range
sleep (physical rest), sleeping period, state of being asleep
Root / Etymology
From the root שנה (שׁ־נ־ה) meaning 'to sleep' in both Hebrew and Aramaic. שְׁנָה is the direct Aramaic cognate of Hebrew שֵׁנָה (shênâh), both deriving from the verbal root connected to the act of sleeping. The root itself is ancient and well-attested across North-West Semitic languages; in Akkadian, cognate forms express the same concept. The form שְׁנָה is the standard Aramaic noun for 'sleep.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
שְׁנָה occurs in biblical Aramaic portions of Daniel (e.g., Daniel 2:1; 6:19) as the ordinary noun for 'sleep'—clear everyday physiological rest, with no idiomatic uses for death as in some poetic Hebrew texts (where other words or expressions may evoke such figurative meaning). Unlike in certain later stages (e.g., Talmudic Aramaic), in biblical Aramaic שְׁנָה is not found used for dreamy states or visions. The Hebrew שֵׁנָה is more widely attested in the Hebrew Bible and sometimes occurs with figurative overtones. In Daniel, שְׁנָה fits regular Near Eastern semantic patterns for 'sleep.' English translations usually render it as 'sleep,' capturing the basic sense, but do not always convey subtle cultural associations of sleep with vulnerability or with divine intervention in dreams.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) corresponding to שֵׁנָה; {sleep}; sleep.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
שנה (shinʼân) — to repeat, do again, change
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H8136 | שִׁנְאָן | repeated multitude |
| H8138 | שָׁנָה | I will alter |
| H8141 | שָׁנֶה | in the year |
| H8147 | שְׁנַיִם | in two |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8139-01 |
וְ/שִׁנְתֵּ֖/הּ | veshineteh | AC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
and-his-sleep | and his sleep | and his sleep | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8139-01 |
Daniel 6:19 | וְ/שִׁנְתֵּ֖/הּ | veshineteh | AC/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
and-his-sleep | and his sleep | and his sleep |