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שָׁנִי

𐤔𐤍𐤉

shânîy

H8144 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain uncertain, possibly linked to red dye or color

Definition

A vivid red dye, scarlet color, or cloth colored with this dye, produced from the dried bodies of certain scale insects (likely the female Kermes ilicis). The term can refer to both the dye substance itself and any article (thread, fabric, etc.) uniquely colored with this distinctive shade. Often used in ritual and ceremonial contexts, especially for items associated with the tabernacle, priestly garments, and purification rites.

Semantic Range

red dye from scale insect, crimson, scarlet dye, thread or fabric dyed scarlet, cloth dyed with shânîy, particular ritual materials colored with this dye

Root / Etymology

Root uncertain. While the exact derivation is unclear, shânîy is not directly traceable to a known triliteral Hebrew root, and may ultimately be a loanword or have proto-Semitic parallels. The word most likely refers to the red dye produced from a particular scale insect (traditionally identified as the Kermes insect) and by extension to items colored with this dye.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שָׁנִי (shânîy) occurs primarily in ritual and ceremonial contexts in the Torah, particularly as one of the materials used in constructing the tabernacle, making sacred vestments, and in purification rituals (e.g., the red heifer ritual in Numbers 19). The strong association with religious symbolism and purity underscores its importance in Israelite culture. Unlike the later English term "scarlet," which has come to denote a general red color and, in some contexts, is associated with sin or immorality, the biblical shânîy is a technical term for a particular sacred dye/cloth. Items labeled as שָׁנִי are typically distinguished from other colored fabrics, such as תְּכֵלֶת (tekhelet, 'blue/purple dye') and אַרְגָּמָן (argaman, 'purple'). The Greek Septuagint often renders it as κοκκινός, reflecting the same color association and dye-source. In later Jewish tradition and some translations, shânîy is transliterated or rendered as 'crimson' or 'scarlet,' but these terms can obscure the dye's unique ritual function and its natural origin from insects.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain derivation; crimson, properly, the insect or its color, also stuff dyed with it; crimson, scarlet (thread).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שני (sh-n-y) — scarlet dye, crimson color, dyed material

Word Forms

7 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8144-03 שָׁנִי֙ shani HNcmsa scarlet scarlet-dye 24
H8144-01 הַ/שָּׁנִ֑י hashani HTd/Ncmsa the scarlet the scarlet-dye 10
H8144-06 וּ/שְׁנִ֥י usheni HC/Ncmsc and scarlet scarlet dye 3
H8144-05 שְׁנִ֥י sheni HNcmsc scarlet scarlet-dyed 2
H8144-07 וּ/בִ/שְׁנִ֥י uvisheni HC/R/Ncmsc and with scarlet and with scarlet dye of 1
H8144-02 כַּ/שָּׁנִים֙ kashanim HRd/Ncmpa like-scarlet scarlet-dyed fabrics 1
H8144-04 שָׁנִֽים shanim HNcmpa with scarlet year-cycles 1

Occurrences in Scripture

42 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8144-03 Genesis 38:28 שָׁנִי֙ shani HNcmsa a scarlet thread scarlet-dye
H8144-01 Genesis 38:30 הַ/שָּׁנִ֑י hashani HTd/Ncmsa the scarlet the scarlet-dye
H8144-03 Exodus 25:4 שָׁנִ֖י shani HNcmsa scarlet scarlet-dye
H8144-03 Exodus 26:1 שָׁנִ֔י shani HNcmsa scarlet scarlet-dye
H8144-03 Exodus 26:31 שָׁנִ֖י shani HNcmsa scarlet scarlet-dye
H8144-03 Exodus 26:36 שָׁנִ֖י shani HNcmsa material scarlet-dye
H8144-03 Exodus 27:16 שָׁנִ֛י shani HNcmsa material scarlet-dye
H8144-01 Exodus 28:5 הַ/שָּׁנִ֖י hashani HTd/Ncmsa the scarlet the scarlet-dye
H8144-03 Exodus 28:6 שָׁנִ֛י shani HNcmsa [material] scarlet-dye
H8144-03 Exodus 28:8 שָׁנִ֖י shani HNcmsa material scarlet-dye
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