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שָׁשַׁי

𐤔𐤔𐤉

Shashay

H8343 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׁשׁ to be white, white(linen), six (numeral)

Definition

A personal name of uncertain meaning, most likely of Israelite origin, attested as a post-exilic ancestor in the genealogical records of the book of Ezra. While some have related it to the root meaning 'white' or 'whitish,' the lexical evidence for this is not conclusive. The name may be derived from or related to the root שֵׁשׁ (linen, six, white), but this is uncertain. The name functioned as a male given name within genealogical registers.

Semantic Range

proper name; possibly: white, whitish (if derived from root); designation of a specific Israelite individual

Root / Etymology

Possibly derived from the root שֵׁשׁ, meaning 'white' or 'to be white,' but this connection is uncertain. The formation follows the typical pattern of Hebrew personal names ending with -י, but it does not have a clearly traceable meaning in Biblical Hebrew. Etymology uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שָׁשַׁי appears in Ezra 10:40 as an Israelite male listed among the descendants who returned from exile, specifically those who had married foreign women. The name is preserved in genealogical rosters from the post-exilic period and is not otherwise attested as a common noun or descriptive term in Biblical Hebrew. Standard English translations simply transliterate the name as 'Shashai,' reflecting no additional semantic information. The suggested meaning 'whitish' is inferred from similarity to the root שֵׁשׁ but is not substantiated by contextual or comparative evidence. The name is structurally consistent with other biblical Hebrew theophoric and personal names, though it contains no overt theophoric element. There is no evidence for later usage beyond the post-exilic genealogical context, and there is no association with later identity categories such as 'Jew' or 'Judean.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

perhaps from שֵׁשׁ; whitish; Shashai, an Israelite; Shashai.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׁשׁ (š-š) — to be white, whiteness, linen, six

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7893 שַׁיִשׁ bright white marble
H8336 שֵׁשׁ in shining white linen
H8337 שֵׁשׁ in six
H8341 שָׁשָׁה and you shall apportion a sixth
H8346 שִׁשִּׁים sixty

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H8343-01 שָׁשַׁ֖י shashay HNp Shashai White-One 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H8343-01 Ezra 10:40 שָׁשַׁ֖י shashay HNp Shashai White-One
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