Word Study for H7866 (שִׁיאוֹן)

Shîyʼôwn /shee-ohn'/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom the same as שׁוֹא

Meaningxlit Shîʼyôwn corrected to Shîyʼôwn; ruin; Shijon, a place in Palestine

KJV usageShihon.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of Shîyʼôwn — 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 Shîyʼôwn, represented by H7866, is a proper name meaning ruin. It is used to identify a specific place in Palestine known as Shihon. This word is highly specific, appearing only 1 time in 1 unique verse within the biblical text.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The single biblical appearance of H7866 occurs in a geographical list. In Joshua 19:19, Shion is named as one of the cities in a specified territory, mentioned alongside Hapharaim and Anaharath. This verse serves as a historical and geographical marker, documenting the names of locations in ancient Palestine.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words appear in the same context, helping to define the location of Shion:

H2663 Chăphârayim: This name means "double pit" and refers to Haphraim, a place in Palestine. It is listed directly with Shion in the same verse Joshua 19:19.
H588 ʼĂnâchărâth: Meaning "a gorge or narrow pass," this is the name of Anaharath, another place in Palestine. It is also found alongside Shion in the list within Joshua 19:19.

Theological Significance

While not carrying significant theological weight on its own, the mention of H7866 contributes to the biblical narrative in specific ways:

Geographical Record: Its primary role is to provide a precise geographical reference, underscoring the Bible's attention to historical and physical detail.
Etymological Hint: The name's meaning, "ruin," may suggest the history or physical state of the location, although the scriptures do not provide any further explanation. It stands as a name with a potentially descriptive origin.

Summary

In summary, H7866 is the proper name Shîyʼôwn, or Shihon, a place in Palestine. Its sole appearance in Joshua 19:19 cements its function as a geographical marker rather than a theological concept. The name's root meaning of "ruin" offers a descriptive clue, but its significance is primarily in its contribution to the detailed mapping of the biblical world.

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 across 1 occurrence, inflected in 1 grammatical form — 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.

שִׁיאֹן

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

1 verse, all in Joshua — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

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.