Lexical Summary
shemesh: sun, battlements, daylight
Original Word:שֶׁמֶשׁ
Part of Speech:Noun
Transliteration:shemesh
Pronunciation:SHEH-mesh
Phonetic Spelling:(sheh'-mesh)
KJV: + east side(-ward), sun ((rising)), + west(-ward), window See also H1053
NASB:sun, battlements, daylight, sun's
Word Origin:[from an unused root meaning to be brilliant]
1. the sun
2. (by implication) the east
3. (figuratively) a ray
4. (architecturally) a notched battlement
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
east sideward, sun rising, westward, window
From an unused root meaning to be brilliant; the sun; by implication, the east; figuratively, a ray, i.e. (arch.) A notched battlement -- + east side(-ward), sun ((rising)), + west(-ward), window. See alsoBeyth Shemesh.
see HEBREWBeyth Shemesh
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitionsun
NASB Translationbattlements (1), daylight (1), daylight* (1), east side* (2), east* (7), sun (109), sun's (1), sundown* (1), sunrise* (3), sunset* (6), west* (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
133Judges 19:14Genesis 19:23 (AlbrZAW xv (1895), 324) ; — absoluteJoshua 10:12 +,Judges 20:43 +; suffixIsaiah 60:20,Jeremiah 15:9; plural suffixIsaiah 54:12; —
sun,Genesis 37:9 (E; + moon, stars); marking time: as rising (verb q. v.)Exodus 22:2 (E) + 8 t. +Malachi 3:20 (figurative , of reward of the faithful, with wings, i.e. rays ? Now GASm; or winged sun-disc [compare We] ?); verbGenesis 19:23 (J),Isaiah 13:10;Judges 5:31 (simile of splendour; see
); (verb )Genesis 15:17 (J),Amos 8:9 19t., +Genesis 15:12 (JE),Psalm 104:19 (see ,
); as giving daylightIsaiah 60:9; hot1 Samuel 11:9;Nehemiah 7:3;Exodus 16:21 (P), compareIsaiah 49:10;Jonah 4:8;Psalm 121:6; as ripening cropsDeuteronomy 33:14 (poem), compare (figurative)Job 8:16, tanning the faceSongs 1:6; standing still at Joshua's wordJoshua 10:12.13 a (poem in J; "" ),Joshua 10:13 b (J), compareHabakkuk 3:11 (+ ); casting shadow (on dial),Isaiah 38:8,Isaiah 38:8; set in sky byJeremiah 31:25;Psalm 19:5;Psalm 74:16;Psalm 136:8, enduringPsalm 72:5;Psalm 72:17 (compare ; []
(e), p. 817), alsoPsalm 89:37; personified, called to praisePsalm 148:3 (+ ); to be darkened by s judgment,Ezekiel 32:7;Joel 2:10;Joel 3:4; Joel 4:15 (compareAmos 8:9 above,Micah 3:6).
Numbers 21:11 (E)toward sun-rise, = East, compareDeuteronomy 4:41,47 16t. (see p. 280);Deuteronomy 11:30 3t. (see , p. 99).
(usually + moon, stars, etc.)2 Kings 23:5;Jeremiah 8:2;Ezekiel 8:16;Deuteronomy 4:19; horses given to2 Kings 23:11,2 Kings 23:11. — See also p. 112:b.
other phrase:
, i.e.openly, publicly,2 Samuel 12:12;Numbers 25:4 (P), so2 Samuel 12:11.
,Psalm 58:9,Exodus 6:5;Exodus 7:11;Exodus 11:7, opposed toExodus 12:2.
, i. e. on the earth,Ecclesiastes 1:3 28t. Ecclesiastes (compare Greek , KueOnd. iii. 196; Ein1. iii. 192).
pinnacle, asglittering, shining, pluralIsaiah 54:12thy pinnacles, battlements (of Zion), so perhaps singularPsalm 84:12battlement and shield is (Gr Bae Du Buhl; mostsun, and so Thes De Che SS; Hup-Now hesitates).
I. (√ of following; Biblical Hebrew , ).
Topical Lexicon
Creation and Cosmic OrderGenesis 1:16 records the first appearance of שֶׁמֶשׁ. The sun is the “greater light to rule the day,” intentionally placed by God to govern time and to illuminate the earth.Psalm 19:4-6 extols its regular circuit as testimony to divine order: “It rises at one end of the heavens and runs its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth”. The regularity of sunrise and sunset thus affirms the faithfulness of the Creator (Jeremiah 31:35).
Boundary Marker of Time and Seasons
From “the going down of the sun” (Joshua 8:29) to “at the rising of the sun” (Judges 9:33), שֶׁמֶשׁ frames daily activity, civil law (Exodus 22:3), sacrificial schedules (Numbers 28:4), and agricultural cycles (Deuteronomy 24:15).Psalm 113:3 summarizes its temporal span of worship: “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised”.
Symbol of Divine Blessing and Benevolence
The warm, life-giving rays illustrate God’s favor.Psalm 84:11 proclaims, “For the LORD God is a sun and shield.”Judges 5:31 prays that lovers of the LORD “be like the rising of the sun in its strength.” Likewise, the promised land is described as receiving “the precious produce of the sun” (Deuteronomy 33:14).
Instrument of Testing and Judgment
The same orb can scorch in judgment.Deuteronomy 28:22 warns of a “blazing heat” among covenant curses.Jonah 4:8 records a “scorching east wind” and a sun that “beat down on Jonah’s head.”Psalm 121:6, however, assures covenant protection: “The sun will not strike you by day.”
Miraculous Signs Involving the Sun
Joshua 10:12-13 narrates the unique day when “the sun stood still.”Habakkuk 3:11 recalls the same miracle poetically: “Sun and moon stood still in their courses.” In a sign to King Hezekiah, the shadow of the sun reversed ten steps on Ahaz’s stairway (2 Kings 20:9-11;Isaiah 38:8). These interventions highlight God’s sovereign rule over cosmic bodies.
Warnings against Sun Worship
Because ancient Near Eastern cultures deified the sun, Scripture repeatedly forbids its worship.Deuteronomy 4:19 cautions, “Do not be enticed to bow down and worship” the sun. Josiah purged Judah of “those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon” (2 Kings 23:5) and removed the horses “dedicated to the sun” (2 Kings 23:11). The prophets condemn such idolatry (Ezekiel 8:16).
Wisdom Literature: Life “Under the Sun”
Ecclesiastes employs שֶׁמֶשׁ nearly thirty times. The phrase “under the sun” captures the observable realm of human toil, vanity, and limitation apart from revelatory insight (Ecclesiastes 1:3, 14; 2:11). It underscores the need to look beyond temporal realities to fear God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
Prophetic and Eschatological Imagery
Future hope transcends the present sun.Isaiah 60:19-20 promises, “The LORD will be your everlasting light.”Malachi 4:2 foretells, “The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.”Joel 2:31 anticipates cosmic disturbance: “The sun will be turned to darkness” prior to the Day of the LORD. These texts foreshadow the consummation where the Lamb is the believer’s eternal lamp (compareRevelation 21:23).
Liturgical and Poetic Usage
Hebrew poetry repeatedly links the sun with worship, awe, and covenant celebration.Psalm 50:1 addresses “the rising of the sun to its setting” as the universal summons to God’s courtroom.Psalm 104:19-23 ties animal rhythms and human labor to its cycle, inviting gratitude for providence.
Practical and Agricultural Significance
Farmers sow, reap, and thresh in harmony with sunrise and sunset (Ruth 2:17). Workers receive wages “before the sun sets” (Deuteronomy 24:15). The sun’s heat is harnessed for drying figs (1 Samuel 25:18) and pottery (Jeremiah 18:3-4), illustrating its integral role in daily economics.
Theological Themes
1. Sovereignty – God appoints and controls the sun, overriding it when necessary.
2. Revelation – Its predictable course manifests divine faithfulness and glory.
3. Covenant – Blessing or curse is mediated through its warmth or scorching heat.
4. Holiness – Worship belongs to the Creator, not the creation.
5. Hope – Present light points ahead to the greater, uncreated Light.
Applications for Ministry
• Preaching: Use the sun’s daily rise as a tangible illustration of God’s steadfast love (Lamentations 3:22-23).
• Discipleship: Encourage believers to order life around God-given rhythms, embracing work, rest, and worship from sunrise to sunset.
• Apologetics: Highlight fulfilled prophecies and cosmic miracles to affirm Scripture’s reliability.
• Pastoral Care: OfferPsalm 121:6 as comfort to those facing oppressive “heat” of trials, reminding them of the LORD’s protective shade.
Forms and Transliterations
בַּשֶּׁ֛מֶשׁ בשמש הַ֭שֶּׁמֶשׁ הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ הַשֶּׁ֗מֶשׁ הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ הַשֶּׁ֛מֶשׁ הַשֶּׁ֜מֶשׁ הַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ הַשֶּׁ֥מֶשׁ הַשֶּׁ֨מֶשׁ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ֩ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ֮ הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃ הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ השמש השמש׃ וְהַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ וְהַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ וְלַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ ׀ וָשָֽׁמֶשׁ׃ וָשָׁ֑מֶשׁ והשמש ולשמש ושמש ושמש׃ כַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ כשמש לַ֝שֶּׁ֗מֶשׁ לַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ לַשֶּׁ֤מֶשׁ לַשֶּׁ֨מֶשׁ לַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃ לשמש לשמש׃ מש שִׁמְשֵׁ֔ךְ שִׁמְשָׁ֛הּ שִׁמְשֹׁתַ֔יִךְ שֶׁ֖מֶשׁ שֶׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ שֶׁ֚מֶשׁ שֶׁ֜מֶשׁ שֶׁ֝֗מֶשׁ שֶׁ֣מֶשׁ שֶׁ֤מֶשׁ שֶׁ֥מֶשׁ שֶׁ֨מֶשׁ ׀ שֶׁמֶשׁ֮ שָֽׁמֶשׁ׃ שָׁ֑מֶשׁ שמש שמש׃ שמשה שמשך שמשתיך baš·še·meš bashShemesh baššemeš chashShemesh haš·šā·meš haš·še·meš hashShamesh hashShemesh haššāmeš haššemeš ḵaš·še·meš ḵaššemeš laš·šā·meš laš·še·meš lashShamesh lashShemesh laššāmeš laššemeš meš mesh šā·meš šāmeš še·meš šemeš Shamesh shemesh shimShah shimShech shimshoTayich šim·šāh šim·šêḵ šim·šō·ṯa·yiḵ šimšāh šimšêḵ šimšōṯayiḵ vaShamesh vehashShemesh velashShemesh wā·šā·meš wāšāmeš wə·haš·še·meš wə·laš·še·meš wəhaššemeš wəlaššemeš
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