Shemesh — H8121

Definition

masculine noun

the sun; by implication, the east; figuratively, a ray, i.e. (architectural) a notched battlement

1. sun
1. sun
2. sunrise, sun-rising, east, sun-setting, west (of direction)
3. sun (as object of illicit worship)
4. openly, publicly (in other phrases)
5. pinnacles, battlements, shields (as glittering or shining)

Usually translated as

sun, east side, eastward, west, westward, window

Origin

from an unused root meaning to be brilliant

Greek equivalents

• hḗlios (G2246)

Occurrences

Shemesh occurs 134 times in 127 verses of the King James.

Distribution of the word across the Bible: Genesis (6), Exodus (4), Leviticus (1), Numbers (2), Deuteronomy (10), Joshua (12), Judges (6), 1 Samuel (1), 2 Samuel (5), 1 Kings (1), 2 Kings (4), 2 Chronicles (1), Nehemiah (1), Job (1), Psalms (14), Ecclesiastes (32), Song of Songs (1), Isaiah (9), Jeremiah (3), Ezekiel (2), Joel (3), Amos (1), Jonah (1), Micah (1), Nahum (1), Habakkuk (1), Zechariah (1), Malachi (2)

• Genesis 15:12 — And when the sun (הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙) was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
• Genesis 15:17 — And it came to pass, that, when the sun (הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙) went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
• Genesis 19:23 — The sun (הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ) was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
• Genesis 28:11 — And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun (הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ) was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
• Genesis 32:31 — And as he passed over Penuel the sun (הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ) rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
• Genesis 37:9 — And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun (הַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ) and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
• Exodus 16:21 — And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun (הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ) waxed hot, it melted.
• Exodus 17:12 — But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun (הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ).
• Exodus 22:3 — If the sun (הַשֶּׁ֛מֶשׁ) be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
• Exodus 22:26 — If thou at all take thy neighbour’s raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun (הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ) goeth down:
• Leviticus 22:7 — And when the sun (הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ) is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it is his food.
• Numbers 21:11 — And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ije-abarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising (הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ).
• Numbers 25:4 — And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun (הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ), that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.
• Deuteronomy 4:19 — And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun (הַשֶּׁ֨מֶשׁ), and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
• Deuteronomy 4:41 — Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising (שָֽׁמֶשׁ);
• Deuteronomy 4:47 — And they possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sunrising (שָֽׁמֶשׁ);
• Deuteronomy 11:30 — Are they not on the other side Jordan, by the way where the sun (הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ) goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites, which dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh?
• Deuteronomy 16:6 — But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun (הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ), at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.
• Deuteronomy 17:3 — And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun (וְלַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ), or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
• Deuteronomy 23:11 — But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun (הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ) is down, he shall come into the camp again.
• Deuteronomy 24:13 — In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun (הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ) goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God.
• Deuteronomy 24:15 — At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun (הַשֶּׁ֗מֶשׁ) go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.
• Deuteronomy 33:14 — And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun (שָׁ֑מֶשׁ), and for the precious things put forth by the moon,
• Joshua 1:4 — From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun (הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ), shall be your coast.
• Joshua 1:15 — Until the LORD have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the LORD your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD’s servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising (הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ).
• Joshua 8:29 — And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun (הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ֩) was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.
• Joshua 10:12 — Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun (שֶׁ֚מֶשׁ), stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
• Joshua 10:13 — And the sun (הַשֶּׁ֜מֶשׁ) stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
• Joshua 10:13 — And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun (הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙) stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
• Joshua 10:27 — And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun (הַשֶּׁ֗מֶשׁ), that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave’s mouth, which remain until this very day.
• Joshua 12:1 — Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun (הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ), from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:
• Joshua 13:5 — And the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising (הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ), from Baal-gad under mount Hermon unto the entering into Hamath.
• Joshua 19:12 — And turned from Sarid eastward toward the sunrising (הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ) unto the border of Chisloth-tabor, and then goeth out to Daberath, and goeth up to Japhia,
• Joshua 19:27 — And turneth toward the sunrising (הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ֮) to Beth-dagon, and reacheth to Zebulun, and to the valley of Jiphthah-el toward the north side of Beth-emek, and Neiel, and goeth out to Cabul on the left hand,
• Joshua 19:34 — And then the coast turneth westward to Aznoth-tabor, and goeth out from thence to Hukkok, and reacheth to Zebulun on the south side, and reacheth to Asher on the west side, and to Judah upon Jordan toward the sunrising (הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ).
• Joshua 23:4 — Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward (הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ).
• Judges 5:31 — So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun (הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ) when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.
• Judges 9:33 — And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun (הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ) is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.
• Judges 11:18 — Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side (שֶׁ֙מֶשׁ֙) of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.
• Judges 19:14 — And they passed on and went their way; and the sun (הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ) went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin.
• Judges 20:43 — Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising (שָֽׁמֶשׁ).
• Judges 21:19 — Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Beth-el, on the east side (הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ) of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
• 1 Samuel 11:9 — And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, To morrow, by that time the sun (הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ) be hot, ye shall have help. And the messengers came and shewed it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.
• 2 Samuel 2:24 — Joab also and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun (וְהַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ) went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.
• 2 Samuel 3:35 — And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, David sware, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or ought else, till the sun (הַשֶּׁ֛מֶשׁ) be down.
• 2 Samuel 12:11 — Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun (הַשֶּׁ֥מֶשׁ).
• 2 Samuel 12:12 — For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun (הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ).
• 2 Samuel 23:4 — And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun (שָׁ֑מֶשׁ) riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.
• 1 Kings 22:36 — And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun (הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ), saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country.
• 2 Kings 3:22 — And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun (וְהַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ) shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood: