English · KJV
H7837

שַׁחַר

shachar /shakh'-ar/ Ask about this word
Rootfrom שָׁחַר
Meaningdawn (literal, figurative or adverbial)
KJV usageday(-spring), early, light, morning, whence riseth.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of shachar — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word shachar, represented by H7837, refers to the dawn. It appears 24 times across 24 unique verses in the Bible. Its meaning encompasses the literal daybreak, but it is also used figuratively and adverbially to convey concepts of morning, early light, and the point from which something rises.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical narratives, H7837 marks pivotal moments of divine encounter and action. It is the time when Jacob wrestles with a man until the "breaking of the day" Genesis 32:24, and when the angels hasten Lot from the city as the "morning arose" Genesis 19:15. Figuratively, it symbolizes the certain arrival of God, whose "going forth is prepared as the morning" Hosea 6:3, and the promise of restoration, where light breaks forth "as the morning" Isaiah 58:8. It can also describe a subject of renown, such as Lucifer, who is called "son of the morning" Isaiah 14:12. In the Psalms, it appears in the title "Aijeleth Shahar" Psalms 22:1.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help define the concept of dawn and its surrounding context:

  • H1242 bôqer (morning): A term often used in parallel with shachar, it properly means dawn as the break of day. God commanded the morning (bôqer) and caused the dayspring (shachar) to know its place Job 38:12.
  • H216 ʼôwr (light): As the essential element of dawn, light is frequently associated with shachar. A curse is uttered for the day to look for light but never see the dawning of the day Job 3:9.
  • H5927 ʻâlâh (to ascend, arise): This verb is often used to describe the action of the dawn. It is the moment when the day (shachar) "began to spring" (ʻâlâh) Judges 19:25 or when the morning (shachar) "arose" (ʻâlâh) Jonah 4:7.
  • H2822 chôshek (darkness): As the natural opposite of dawn, darkness provides a stark contrast. A day of darkness and gloominess is compared to the morning spreading across the mountains Joel 2:2.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H7837 is significant, representing key spiritual truths.

  • Symbol of Divine Faithfulness: The predictable arrival of the dawn is a metaphor for God's steadfastness. His coming is as certain as the morning Hosea 6:3, representing a reliable promise of His presence and action.
  • Promise of Restoration and Hope: The breaking of dawn is used to illustrate the arrival of God's blessing and healing. After obedience, one's light will break forth "as the morning" and health will spring forth speedily Isaiah 58:8.
  • Representation of Beauty and Glory: The dawn is a picture of splendor and majesty. A beautiful figure is described as one who "looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun" Song of Solomon 6:10.
  • Metaphor for Spiritual Light: In a figurative sense, shachar is equated with spiritual truth. Those who do not speak according to God's law have "no light" in them Isaiah 8:20.

Summary

In summary, H7837 moves beyond its literal definition as a time of day to become a powerful biblical symbol. It marks moments of critical divine intervention, from Jacob's wrestling match to the rescue of Lot. Figuratively, it stands as a testament to God's faithfulness, the beauty of His creation, the hope of restoration, and the spiritual light that overcomes darkness.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun and a verb across 23 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

  • שַּׁחַר
  • שַׁחְרָ

Related Words

Related

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

H1242 בֹּקֶר from בָּקַר; properly, dawn (as the break of day); generally, morning; ([phrase]) day, early, morning, morrow. H216 אוֹר from אוֹר; illumination or (concrete) luminary (in every sense, including lightning, happiness, etc.); bright, clear, [p H5927 עָלָה a primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary an H2822 חֹשֶׁךְ from חָשַׁךְ; the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedn

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 24 verses across 13 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Psalms and Isaiah (4 verses each); never once in the other 26.

3
Genesis
1
Joshua
1
Judges
1
1 Samuel
1
Nehemiah
3
Job
4
Psalms
1
Song of Solomon
4
Isaiah
2
Hosea
1
Joel
1
Amos
1
Jonah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.