[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/biblical-hebrew/%D7%A9/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [Biblical Hebrew](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/biblical-hebrew/) / [ש](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/biblical-hebrew/shin/)‎ / שֶׁ‎

# שֶׁ

Biblical Hebrew

**who** — used 138 times in the Hebrew Bible. Below: its meanings with their sources, MACULA's glosses, and 2 verses word for word and in JPS 1917.

## Meaning

### OpenScriptures lexical index

who [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/lemma_3a_5e9_5b6_5c1/#m1)

### Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906

שֶׁ·: rel.part. pron. β conj. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/lemma_3a_5e9_5b6_5c1/#m2)

**The whole BDB entry:** also (†Gn 6:3 \[? v. 4 a\], Ju 5:7(×2) Ct 1:7 Jb 19:29 \[?\]) שַׁ·, שָׁ in שָׁאַתָּה †Ju 6:17, and שְׁ in שְׁהוּא †Ec 2:22, שְׁהֵם †3:18 (elsewhere before gutt. שֶׁ, as שֶׁאֲנִי †Ct 1:6; Ec 2:18, שֶׁאֵין †ψ 146:3, שֶׁהֵם †Ct 6:5; La 4:9, שֶׁעַל †Ju 7:12; 8:26, שֶׁרֹּאשִׁי †Ct 5:2) rel.part. who, which, that, etc. (constantly in NH; Aramaic of Nerab, Ldzb371, 445; Assyrian šâ; Ph. אש (regularly), also sometimes ש (Ldzb227 f.): according to Ges Ew§ 181 b Ol p. 439 Sta§ 176 e, abbrev. from אֲשֶׁר; more prob. (Sperling \[v. אֲשֶׁר\], Köii. 323 f.) an original demonstr. part.), syn. with אֲשֶׁר, but in usage limited to late Heb., and passages with N. Palest. colouring, viz. †Ju 5:7(×2) \[אֲשֶׁר v 27\], 6:17; 7:12; 8:26; 2 K 6:11 (v. 4 c), Jon 1:7, 12; 4:10 \[אֲשֶׁר 11 times\], ψ 122:3, 4; 123:2; 124:1, 2, 6; 129:6, 7; 133:2, 3; 135:2, 8, 10; 136:23; 137:8, 9; 144:15; 146:3, 5; La 2:15, 16; 4:9; 5:18 Ezr 8:20; 1 Ch 5:20; 27:27, Ct (uniformly, except in title 1:1), Ec (68 times; אֲשֶׁר 89 times); also (dub.) Gn 6:3; 49:10 (שֶׁלֹּה 𝔊 𝔖 𝔗), Jb 19:29; and in the n.pr. (q.v.) מִישָׁאֵל and מְתוּשָׁאֵל.—In usage, שֶׁ· is in the main parallel with אֲשֶׁר, viz. as pron. who, which, whom, Ju 7:12 כַּחוֹל שֶׁעַל שְׂפַת הַיָּם (cf. חוֹל c), ψ 122:3; 124:6 etc.; him whom, that which, etc., Ct 1:7; 3:1; 1 Ch 27:27; Ec 1:11; 6:3 וְרַב שֶׁיִּהְיוּ יְמֵי חַיָּיו and much (vb.) is that which his days amount to (Hi De al.), v 10; הוּא שֶׁ· that which 1:9(×2); in the genit., אַשְׁרֵי שֶׁ· †ψ 137:8, 9; 146:5.—On מַה־שֶּׁ· in Ec = whatever, what, v. מָה 1 e b. as a connecting link; = where (cf. אֲשֶׁר p. 81, and 4 b β), מְקוֹם שֶׁ· †Ec 1:7; 11:3 (cf. מְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר Gn 39:20 +: Ges§ 130 c), whither ψ 122:4 (שֶׁשָּׁם …), when Ct 8:8; Ec 12:3 בַּיּוֹם שֶׁם (cf. ib. 4 b a). as a conj. (cf. אֲשֶׁר 8);— that, after רָאָה Ec 2:13; 3:18, יָדַע 1:17; 2:14; 9:5 Jb 19:19 (? v. p. 192b), דִּבֶּר Ec 2:15, אָמַר 8:14, עָשָׂה אוֹת Ju 6:17; as subj. of sentence, Ec 3:13; 5:15; also in the phrases, (a) what is … that? Ct 5:9 (usually כִּי; v. מָה 1 d b), מֶה הָיָה שֶׁ· how comes it that …? Ec 7:10; (b) Ct 3:4 כִּמְעַט שֶׁעָבַרְתִּי מֵהֶם hardly (was it) that (Germ. kaum dass) I had passed, etc., Ec 7:14 עַל דִּבְרַת שֶׁלֹא יִמְצָא to the intent that …, 5:15 כָּל־עֻמַּת שֶׁבָּא exactly as …, 12:9 יֹתֵר שֶׁ besides that, עַד שֶׁ· (עד שַׁ· †Ju 5:7) until that ψ 123:2; Ct 2:7, 17 + (v. III. עַד II 1 a a and b; cf. NH Yoma 5:1), while 1:12 (ib. 2 d); עָשָׂה שֶׁ· to make or cause that …, †Ec 3:14 (cf. Ez 36:27). involving a reason (cf. אֲשֶׁר 8 c), because, since, Ct 1:6(×2); 5:2; Ec 2:18b. Hence שַׁלָּמָה †Ct 1:7 since why? = lest (v. מָה 4 d b). compounds: בְּשֶׁ·, i.q. בַּאֲשֶׁר c (p. 84a) in that, seeing that, Ec 2:16; also (according to MT 𝔊 𝔖 Hu De) Gn 6:3 בְּשַׁגַּם הוּא בָשָׂר because that he also is flesh; but v. שָׁגַג. כְּשֶׁ·, i.q. כַּאֲשֶׁר p. 455:—(a) according as Ec 5:14; 12:7; (b) when (so often NH, as Ab 1:8(×3), 14) 9:12; 10:3. מִשֶּׁ·, i.q. מֵאֲשֶׁר a (p. 84a), 2 K 6:11 מִי מִשֶּׁלָּנוּ who of those that are ours? (but Klo Kamp Kau Benz מְגַלֵּנוּ who betrays us? cf. 𝔊); Ec 5:4 than that (cf. מֵאֲשֶׁר 3:22), + 2:24 (read מִשֶּׁיֹּאכַל with Ew De, etc.; cf. 3:22). שֶׁל, like אֲשֶׁר לְ (אֲשֶׁר 7 b), a mark of the genit.: thrice, adding slight emph. to the sf., Ct 1:6 = 8:12 כַּרְמִי שֶׁלִּי my vineyard (lit. my vineyard, which is mine), 3:7 מִטָּתוֹ שֶׁלִּשְׁלֹמֹה (so often in NH, but without any special emphasis, as Aboth 1:12 הֲוֵי מתלמידיו שׁל־אהרן be of Aaron’s disciples, 2:1 שְׂכָרָן שֶׁל־מִצְוֹת, v 2, 3:2 הֲרֵי מתפלל בשׁלומהּ שׁל־מלכות; cf. ܕܺܝܠ in Syriac, as Lk 6:42 ܡܶܠܱܵܝ ܕܺܝܠܝ my words, Nö§ 225). And with בְּ, בְּשֶׁל lit. through that which belongs to or concerns, pleon. for on account of (a late, unidiom. transl. of Aramaic בְּדִיל, from בְּ, דִּי, and לְ, as in Onḳ Gn 12:13 בדילי on my account, 30:27; 39:5 בְּדִיל יוֹסֵף, בְּדִיל מָא on account of what? Ju 8:1; 2 S 9:1; 1 K 11:12, 39, etc.), Jon 1:7 בְּשֶׁלְּמִי on account of whom? (‖ v 8 בַּאֲשֶׁר לְמִי: v. p. 84; prob. a gloss), v 12 בְּשֶׁלִּי on account of me (𝔗 בְּדִיל מַן, בְּדִילִי); Ec 8:17 בְּשֶׁל אֲשֶׁר יַעֲמֹל הָאָדָם לְבַקֵּשׁ on account of (the fact) that (= seeing that) man labours, etc. (unidiom. transl. of Aramaic בְּדִיל דְּ because that, as Gn 6:3 בְּדִיל דְּאִינוּן בִּסְרָא, 39:9 בְּדִיל דְּאַתְּ אִיתְּתֵיהּ \[for Heb. בַּאֲשֶׁר אַתְּ אִשְׁתּוֹ\]; Palm. בדיל די Ldzb233,—in Tariff 1:4 (CookeN.-Sem. Inscr. 320) = ἐπειδή).

Why these entries: BDB: same consonants, part of speech not compared, 81 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech not compared, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (1 candidates)

## Glosses

MACULA's English glosses of the word in the text, with how often each is used: which (34); that (22); who (15).

## In the verses

[Psalms 129:6](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.129.6/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.129.6/#tree)

יִ֭הְיוּ כַּחֲצִ֣יר גַּגּ֑וֹת שֶׁקַּדְמַ֖ת שָׁלַ֣ף יָבֵֽשׁ׃

*Word for word:* may.they.be like.\[the\] grass of.roofs which before it.has.shot.up it.has.withered

*JPS 1917:* Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it springeth up;

[Psalms 135:8](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.135.8/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.135.8/#tree)

שֶֽׁ֭הִכָּה בְּכוֹרֵ֣י מִצְרָ֑יִם מֵ֝אָדָ֗ם עַד־בְּהֵמָֽה׃

*Word for word:* who he.struck.down the.firstborn(s) of.Egypt from humankind unto animal\[s\]

*JPS 1917:* Who smote the first-born of Egypt, both of man and beast.

## On Mova

- [This word in the Tanakh dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5e9_5b6_5c1.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of its meanings](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/lemma_3a_5e9_5b6_5c1/): every English meaning parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.

Sources. The words, their counts, glosses and the word-for-word renderings: MACULA Hebrew (the Westminster Leningrad Codex; Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0). Meanings: the OpenScriptures lexical index (CC BY 4.0), Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906 and Jastrow 1903 (public domain, via Sefaria); Targum Onkelos from Sefaria (public domain). Translation: JPS 1917 (public domain, from eBible.org).