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Original Word:שְׁוָה
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:shvah
Pronunciation:shə-vah'
Phonetic Spelling:(shev-aw')
KJV: make like
Word Origin:[(Aramaic)]

1. to resemble

make like

(Aramaic): corresponding toshavah; to resemble -- make like.

see HEBREWshavah

II. [] (Pa`elmake, Cappadocian Aramaic Lzb^{Eph. i. 67}; compare Biblical Hebrew II. []); —Imperfect3masculine singularDaniel 3:29, subject of thing + accusativebe made into something (K^{§ 84, 3}).

Occurrences

Daniel 3:29;Daniel 5:21

Historical Setting

Both occurrences fall within the Aramaic chapters of Daniel, a section that records events in Babylon during and immediately after Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. The exiled Judeans are under Gentile domination, yet God repeatedly demonstrates His supremacy over pagan kings and their edicts.

Thematic Emphases

1. Divine Uniqueness and Power
• InDaniel 3:29 the king confesses, “for there is no other god who is able to save in this way”. The term underscores the incomparable manner of God’s deliverance. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are not merely rescued; they are rescued in a fashion without parallel.
• The expression functions as a literary marker: whenever it appears, the text is drawing attention to something that stands without equal—either God’s salvation (chapter 3) or God’s sovereignty (chapter 5).

2. Sovereignty Over Human Authority
•Daniel 5:21 recounts Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling: he learns that “the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom He wishes”. The word again highlights a reality that admits of no rival—God alone installs and removes kings.
• Together the two passages form an inclusio: chapter 3 shows God’s power to save from human tyranny; chapter 5 shows His power to strip that tyranny of its pride. In both cases, the Babylonian court must acknowledge that no person or deity is on equal footing with the Most High.

3. Humiliation and Exaltation
• The reversal motif dominates both contexts. A fiery furnace designed for execution becomes the stage of divine rescue; a throne room becomes a testimony to insanity and disgrace. The contrast serves a didactic purpose: those who oppose the Lord face degradation, whereas those who trust Him experience vindication.

Doctrinal Significance

• Monotheism Affirmed

The language allows no middle ground; Yahweh’s deeds are without equal. The text thus reinforces the Old Testament’s monotheistic core in a polytheistic setting.

• Divine Freedom

InDaniel 5:21, God “sets over [the kingdom] whom He wishes.” Human power is derivative, contingent on divine pleasure. The Christian interpreter sees here the providential governance that later surfaces inRomans 13:1 andRevelation 1:5.

• Salvation Paradigm

The unique rescue of the three Hebrews prefigures the definitive deliverance accomplished in Jesus Christ. Just as no earthly power could duplicate the furnace miracle, so no human merit can replicate the salvation secured at the cross.

Ministry Implications

1. Preaching and Teaching

Highlight the exclusivity of God’s saving acts when presenting the gospel.Daniel 3:29 provides a concrete illustration: only the Lord can deliver from ultimate peril.

2. Pastoral Counsel

UseDaniel 5:21 to comfort believers wrestling with unjust authorities. The passage assures them that rulers rise and fall at God’s discretion.

3. Evangelism in Pluralistic Contexts

The term’s stress on “no equal” equips Christians to engage a culture of religious relativism with confidence that the biblical God alone saves and reigns.

Christological Foreshadowing

Nebuchadnezzar’s words inDaniel 3 anticipate the exclusive claims of Christ—“I am the way” (John 14:6). The same God who acted uniquely in Babylon ultimately provides an unparalleled redemption in the incarnation, death, and resurrection of His Son.

Eschatological Outlook

The sovereignty manifested in Babylon guarantees the final scene of history: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ” (Revelation 11:15). Daniel’s use of the word points forward to that consummation, where every competing authority will concede that none is equal to the Most High.

Related Concepts and Passages

•Exodus 15:11—“Who is like You, O LORD...?”
•Isaiah 46:9—“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.”
•Acts 4:12—“There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Summary

Strong’s 7739 functions as a spotlight, drawing the reader to moments where God’s actions and authority stand unrivaled. In the fiery furnace He alone delivers; in the field of humiliation He alone enthrones and dethrones. For faith and practice today, the word still signals the unassailable uniqueness of the God who saves and rules forever.

יִשְׁתַּוֵּ֑ה ישתוה שַׁוִּ֗יְו שויו šaw·wiyw šawwiyw shavViyv yiš·taw·wêh yishtavVeh yištawwêhInterlinear Greek •Interlinear Hebrew •Strong's Numbers •Englishman's Greek Concordance •Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •Parallel Texts

Daniel 3:29
HEB:וּבַיְתֵ֖הּ נְוָלִ֣י יִשְׁתַּוֵּ֑ה כָּל־ קֳבֵ֗ל
NAS: from limb and their housesreduced to a rubbish heap,
KJV: and their housesshall be made a dunghill:
INT: and their houses to a rubbishreduced any according to

Daniel 5:21
HEB:[שְׁוִי כ] (שַׁוִּ֗יְו ק) וְעִם־
NAS: and his heartwas made like
KJV: and his heartwas made like
INT: like beastsmake like with the wild

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7739
2 Occurrences

šaw·wiyw — 1 Occ.
yiš·taw·wêh — 1 Occ.