Word Study for H8172 (שָׁעַן)

shâʻan /shaw-an'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto support one's self

KJV usagelean, lie, rely, rest (on, self), stay.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of shâʻan — 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 shâʻan, represented by H8172, is a primitive root defined as to support one's self; lean, lie, rely, rest (on, self), stay. It appears 22 times across 20 unique verses in the Bible. This term encapsulates both the literal act of physical leaning for support and the profound figurative concept of placing one's trust and reliance on a person or power.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H8172 often draws a sharp contrast between proper and improper objects of reliance. Literarily, it can describe a king who leaned on his official's hand 2 Kings 7:2 or Samson wanting to lean upon the pillars of a house Judges 16:26. Figuratively, it is a key term for trust. The people are warned against going to Egypt for help and to stay on horses Isaiah 31:1, an act of reliance that is condemned. This is contrasted with the command to trust God and lean not on one's own understanding Proverbs 3:5. In a powerful illustration, Judah's children are said to have prevailed in battle specifically because they relied upon the LORD 2 Chronicles 13:18.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help illuminate the concept of support and reliance:

H982 bâṭach: a primitive root; properly, to hide for refuge (but not so precipitately as חָסָה); figuratively, to trust, be confident or sure. This word is often used in parallel with shâʻan to emphasize the choice between trusting in the LORD and leaning on human means Proverbs 3:5.
H5975 ʻâmad: a primitive root; to stand, in various relations. Its meaning is contrasted with H8172 in the context of unreliable support; one who leans on a faulty house will find that it shall not stand Job 8:15.
H7665 shâbar: a primitive root; to burst (literally or figuratively); break. This describes the outcome of misplaced reliance, as when Israel leaned on Egypt, "thou brakest," demonstrating the failure of false supports Ezekiel 29:7.
H5826 ʻâzar: a primitive root; to surround, i.e. protect or aid; help, succour. This word is linked to reliance, as King Asa cried to God for help because "we rest on thee" 2 Chronicles 14:11.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H8172 is significant, focusing on the foundation of one's faith.

The Object of Reliance: The word consistently forces a choice between leaning on the Creator or the creation. King Asa is rebuked for having relied on the king of Syria rather than the LORD 2 Chronicles 16:7, showing that the object of one's reliance is a critical measure of faithfulness.
Consequences of Trust: Leaning on the wrong thing leads to ruin. Egypt is described as a staff that breaks when leaned upon Ezekiel 29:7, and a wicked man who resteth on his perceived safety will still face judgment Job 24:23. In contrast, the remnant of Israel is promised to one day stay upon the LORD in truth Isaiah 10:20.
Hypocritical Leaning: The term is used to expose false faith. The leaders in Micah's day are condemned for their corruption, even while they "will lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us?" Micah 3:11. This demonstrates that true reliance cannot coexist with willful disobedience.

Summary

In summary, shâʻan H8172 is far more than a word about physical posture. It is a powerful biblical metaphor for dependence and trust. It frames the central spiritual decision for believers: whether to place their support on the fallible strength of man and the world, or to rest completely in the infallible power and faithfulness of God. The consequences of this choice, as illustrated by the use of this word, are a matter of stability or collapse, victory or defeat.

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 verb across 22 occurrences, inflected in 13 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Niphal Infinitive Construct 4×
Niphal Participle Singular Masculine Absolute 4×
Niphal Conjunction+Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine 2×
Niphal Consecutive Perfect 3rd Singular Masculine 2×
Niphal Imperfect 3rd Plural Masculine 2×
Niphal Conjunction+Imperfect 1st Singular common gender 1×
Niphal Consecutive Imperfect 2nd Plural Masculine 1×
Niphal Imperative 2nd Plural Masculine 1×
Niphal Imperfect 2nd Singular Masculine 1×
Niphal Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine 1×
Niphal Perfect 1st Plural common gender 1×
Niphal Perfect 2nd Singular Masculine 1×

+ 1 rarer form

Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
common gender: Either gender — the form does not distinguish.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
2nd: Second person — the one addressed ("you").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Perfect: A completed act whose results continue.
Imperative: A command or entreaty.
Infinitive: The verb as a noun — "to do".
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
Niphal: Simple passive or reflexive of the Qal.
Consecutive Imperfect: Imperfect with vav — carries narrative forward ("and he…").
Consecutive Perfect: Perfect with vav — continues a sequence into the future.
Conjunction+Imperfect: Imperfect joined by a simple "and".
Absolute: The independent form of a noun (not bound to another).
Construct: Bound to a following noun — "the X of…".

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 20 verses across 11 of the 39 books. Most frequent in 2 Chronicles and Isaiah (4 verses each); never once in the other 28.

Genesis

Numbers

Judges

2 Samuel

2 Kings

2 Chronicles

Job

Proverbs

Isaiah

Ezekiel

Micah

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, 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.