Lexical Summary
shachaq: Sky, cloud, dust
Original Word:שַׁחַק
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:shachaq
Pronunciation:sha-khak'
Phonetic Spelling:(shakh'-ak)
KJV: cloud, small dust, heaven, sky
NASB:skies, clouds, sky, speck of dust
Word Origin:[fromH7833 (שָׁחַק - beat)]
1. a powder (as beaten small)
2. by extension, the firmament
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cloud, small dust, heaven, sky
Fromshachaq; a powder (as beaten small): by analogy, a thin vapor; by extension, the firmament -- cloud, small dust, heaven, sky.
see HEBREWshachaq
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
shachaqDefinitiondust, cloud
NASB Translationclouds (6), skies (12), sky (2), speck of dust (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Prov 9:20 (as fine, thin); — absolute
Psalm 89:7;
Psalm 89:38, construct
Isaiah 40:15; plural
Deuteronomy 33:25 +; —
fine dust,Isaiah 40:15 (simile of insignificance).
(thin)cloud, usually plural (often "" ),Deuteronomy 33:26 (poem),Isaiah 45:8;Jeremiah 51:9;Job 35:5;Job 36:28;Job 37:21;Job 38:37;Psalm 36:6;Psalm 57:11;Psalm 68:35;Psalm 77:18;Psalm 78:23;Psalm 108:5; opposed toProverbs 3:20;Proverbs 8:28;2 Samuel 22:12 =Psalm 18:12; = heavens, skyJob 37:18 (with ), and (singular)Psalm 89:7;Psalm 89:38.
see .
Topical Lexicon
Overviewשַׁחַק gathers together the concepts of cloud, sky, and fine dust into a single visual field that Scripture employs to display both the grandeur of God and the smallness of man. From the Song of Moses to Jeremiah’s lament over Babylon, the term frames royal procession, covenant faithfulness, wisdom’s instruction, and eschatological judgment.
The Skies as Divine Highway
Deuteronomy 33:26 introduces שַׁחַק as the roadway of the covenant God: “There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your aid, and the clouds in His majesty.” Psalms later invite worshipers to “Ascribe the power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies” (Psalm 68:34). The elevated realm of שַׁחַק magnifies the transcendence of the Lord who stoops to save.
Veil and Chariot of the Holy One
The same clouds that bear Him also conceal Him in holy mystery. David sings, “He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him” (Psalm 18:11; cf.2 Samuel 22:12). The imagery recalls Sinai’s thick cloud, underscoring that revelation and concealment coexist in divine self-disclosure.
Measureless Mercy and Faithfulness
Three allied psalms equate the vertical reach of the clouds with God’s covenant love: “Your faithfulness to the clouds” (Psalm 36:5; 57:10; 108:4). By selecting the highest visible boundary of human sight, the poets proclaim a steadfastness that cannot be out-soared by human failure.
Instrument of Providence
Job 36:28 celebrates clouds that “pour down their moisture,” whileProverbs 3:20 affirms that “the clouds dripped with dew.” שַׁחַק is therefore a storehouse of blessing, answering the prayers of farmers and validating Jesus’ later assertion that the Father “sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” The precision questions inJob 38:37—“Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?”—expose human limits and summon awe-filled dependence.
The Clouds in Wisdom’s Testimony
Job 35:5 (“observe the clouds”) and 37:18 (“Can you… spread out the skies”) turn observation into doxology.Proverbs 8:28 situates clouds within creation’s blueprint, as Wisdom stands beside the Craftsman when “He established the clouds above.” שַׁחַק becomes a pedagogical tool, teaching humility and wonder.
Judgment Scenes
Psalm 77:17 pictures clouds that “poured down water” in a theophanic storm;Psalm 78:23 shows them obeying God’s command to open and feed Israel with manna.Isaiah 45:8 urges the heavens, “let the clouds pour down righteousness,” promising eschatological renewal. Conversely,Jeremiah 51:9 depicts Babylon’s sin piling up “as high as the skies,” signaling inevitable reckoning. The same clouds that bless can bear witness against unrepentant nations.
Eternal Covenant Witness
Psalm 89 twice uses שַׁחַק. Verse 6 questions, “For who in the skies can compare with the LORD?” Verse 37 calls the moon “a faithful witness in the sky.” The term thus frames both the incomparable Lord and the lasting Davidic covenant, hinting at the messianic fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the greater Son of David.
Human Frailty Against Divine Grandeur
Isaiah 40:15 stretches the semantic range to “fine dust,” reminding readers that nations weigh less than a film of powder on God’s scales. The lexical shift heightens the contrast: the same word that points upward to towering clouds can also drift downward as imperceptible dust, placing human pride in perspective.
Eschatological Echoes
By Revelation’s time the clouds become the vehicle of the returning Christ (Revelation 1:7), a theme already present inDaniel 7:13. The Old Testament uses of שַׁחַק sow expectation that the skies will one day split open not merely to deliver rain but to unveil the King.
Practical Implications for Ministry
1. Worship: Invoke שַׁחַק imagery to deepen congregational awe—God’s faithfulness stretches beyond the highest cloud.
2. Preaching: Use the dual role of clouds (blessing and judgment) to communicate both gospel comfort and warning.
3. Counseling: Psalmic references encourage believers to lift eyes “above the clouds” of present trial to the steadfast God whose mercy is unbounded.
4. Creation Care: Proverbs’ and Job’s weather texts invite stewardship, seeing meteorological cycles as gifts from the Creator.
To trace שַׁחַק is to trace a vertical line from earth’s dust to heaven’s throne, reminding every generation that “the Most High rules the kingdom of men” and that His glory is as unsearchable as the clouds spread across the sky.
Forms and Transliterations
בַ֭שַּׁחַק בַּ֝שַּׁ֗חַק בַּשְּׁחָקִ֑ים בַּשְּׁחָקִֽים׃ בשחק בשחקים בשחקים׃ וּ֝שְׁחָקִ֗ים וּכְשַׁ֥חַק וּשְׁחָקִ֖ים וכשחק ושחקים חקים לִשְׁחָקִ֑ים לשחקים שְׁ֝חָקִ֗ים שְׁחָקִ֑ים שְׁחָקִ֣ים שְׁחָקִ֥ים שְׁחָקִֽים׃ שחקים שחקים׃ baš·ša·ḥaq ḇaš·ša·ḥaq baš·šə·ḥā·qîm bashShachak bashshechaKim baššaḥaq ḇaššaḥaq baššəḥāqîm chaKim ḥā·qîm ḥāqîm liš·ḥā·qîm lišḥāqîm lishchaKim šə·ḥā·qîm šəḥāqîm shechaKim ū·ḵə·ša·ḥaq ū·šə·ḥā·qîm ucheShachak ūḵəšaḥaq ūšəḥāqîm ushechaKim Vashshachak
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