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שָׁנֶה

𐤔𐤍𐤄

shâneh

H8141 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שנה to repeat, to do again, to change

Definition

A period of one year; the unit of time marked by a complete cycle of seasons or agricultural activities; by extension, used to refer to age (in terms of years), to specific durations (e.g., years of reign), or metaphorically to long or indefinite periods. In idiomatic or formulaic phrases, it can indicate old age or ongoing passage of time.

Semantic Range

year, a period of twelve months, cycle of time, age (in years), duration (in regnal or life years), passage of time, old age (in idioms), indefinite or long period (figurative)

Root / Etymology

The word derives from the root שׁנה, which fundamentally means 'to repeat, do again, change.' While the root expresses the idea of repetition or cycle, the noun שָׁנָה (year) refers specifically to the annual repetition of seasons or agricultural events. The masculine plural form שָׁנֶה (shâneh) occurs rarely but parallels the much more common feminine singular/plural (שָׁנָה/שָׁנִים).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In early Israelite usage, the year (שָׁנָה) was primarily an agricultural marker, counting the cycles from sowing to harvest, and central to events such as sabbatical years and jubilees. The masculine form שָׁנֶה is rare and appears in specific constructions or poetic texts, often in parallelism for poetic emphasis. The typical form for 'year' is the feminine singular (שָׁנָה) or plural (שָׁנִים). Over time, the reckoning of years shifted from a strictly agricultural base to include regnal years, eras, and age. English translations consistently render the word as 'year,' but do not always capture its use in idioms ('old,' 'all years,' 'for many years') or its metaphorical sense. No association with later calendrical systems (e.g., Rabbinic era calculations) is present in biblical usage.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(in plural or (feminine) שָׁנָה; from שָׁנָה; a year (as a revolution of time); [phrase] whole age, [idiom] long, [phrase] old, year([idiom] -ly).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שנה (sh-n-h) — repeat, do again, change, cycle

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4932 מִשְׁנֶה in the second
H8132 שָׁנָא and he altered
H8133 שְׁנָא to cause to change
H8136 שִׁנְאָן repeated multitude
H8138 שָׁנָה I will alter

Word Forms

44 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8141-14 שָׁנָ֔ה shanah HNcfsa years year-cycle 419
H8141-17 שָׁנִ֖ים shanim HNcfpa years cycles of years 126
H8141-04 בִּ/שְׁנַ֨ת bishenat HR/Ncfsc in the year in the year of 71
H8141-01 בַּ/שָּׁנָ֖ה bashanah HRd/Ncfsa in the year in the year 49
H8141-18 שְׁנַ֣ת shenat HNcfsc year year of 31
H8141-05 הַ/שָּׁנָ֣ה hashanah HTd/Ncfsa of the year the year-cycle 24
H8141-22 שְׁנֵ֖י sheney HAcmdc years two of 20
H8141-21 שְׁנָת/וֹ֙ shenato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his year his yearly cycle 17
H8141-38 וּ/בַ/שָּׁנָה֙ uvashanah HC/Rd/Ncfsa and in the year and in the year-cycle 13
H8141-20 שְׁנָתַ֖יִם shenatayim HAcfda two years two yearly cycles 11

Occurrences in Scripture

880 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8141-42 Genesis 1:14 וְ/שָׁנִֽים veshanim HC/Ncfpa and years and years
H8141-14 Genesis 5:3 שָׁנָ֔ה shanah HNcfsa years year-cycle
H8141-14 Genesis 5:4 שָׁנָ֑ה shanah HNcfsa years year-cycle
H8141-14 Genesis 5:5 שָׁנָ֔ה shanah HNcfsa years year-cycle
H8141-14 Genesis 5:5 שָׁנָ֑ה shanah-2 HNcfsa years year-cycle
H8141-17 Genesis 5:6 שָׁנִ֖ים shanim HNcfpa years cycles of years
H8141-14 Genesis 5:6 שָׁנָ֑ה shanah HNcfsa year year-cycle
H8141-17 Genesis 5:7 שָׁנִ֔ים shanim HNcfpa years cycles of years
H8141-14 Genesis 5:7 שָׁנָ֑ה shanah HNcfsa years year-cycle
H8141-14 Genesis 5:8 שָׁנָ֔ה shanah HNcfsa years year-cycle
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