Word Study for H8122 (שֶׁמֶשׁ)

shemesh /sheh'-mesh/ Ask about this word

Root(Aramaic) corresponding to שֶׁמֶשׁ

Meaningthe sun

KJV usagesun.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of shemesh — 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 Aramaic word shemesh, represented by H8122, is the direct counterpart to the Hebrew term for the sun. Its usage in scripture is highly specific, appearing just 1 time in 1 unique verse. The word's base definition is simply the sun.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The sole biblical appearance of H8122 is found in the Aramaic portion of Daniel. In the narrative, King Darius is greatly distressed after being tricked into issuing an unalterable decree that condemns Daniel. The king labors to find a way to rescue him, and the passage notes he worked "till the going down of the sun" to deliver Daniel from the lions' den Daniel 6:14.

Related Words & Concepts

A directly related word is used in the same phrase to describe the sun's movement:

H4606 mêʻâl: This Aramaic term means "the setting (of the sun)" or "going down." It is used in conjunction with H8122 in Daniel 6:14 to mark the end of the day, emphasizing the deadline King Darius faced.

Theological Significance

The significance of H8122 is derived entirely from its narrative function in its single context.

Narrative Tension: The mention of the sun establishes a critical time limit in the story. The "going down of the sun" Daniel 6:14 acts as a natural clock, heightening the drama as the king's window of opportunity to save Daniel closes, making the situation appear hopeless.

Summary

In summary, H8122 is a straightforward Aramaic term for the sun. While its use is rare, its single appearance in the book of Daniel plays a crucial role. It is not used for broad theological symbolism but serves as a precise and powerful narrative device to frame the urgency and impending finality of a key event in Daniel's life.

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.

שִׁמְשָׁ

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 Daniel — 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.