Daniel 4:12:15Dan.4.12.W15TABWLC Daniel 4:9
שְׁמַיָּ֣א
shemaya
“the heavens”
- Transliteration
- she-ma-YA
- Extended
- sheh-mah-YAA
- IPA
- /tsifˈreː/
Meaning by language
- English
- the heavens
Hebrew · tap a syllable to hear it
Alphabet Analysis
| Shin | shin with right dot; sin with left dot | |
| Sheva | vocal sheva — a short 'e' (ə), begins a syllable | |
| Mem | m as in mother | |
| Patach | short 'ah' as in father | |
| Yod | y as in yes; marks long ī | |
| Qamets | long 'ah' | |
| Aleph | silent — a glottal stop; holds vowel points |
Tap any letter to hear its name and sound
Now you try — trace the word:
The word
Word in context
- word
she-ma-YA
- phraseyour reading level
she-ma-YA u-min-NEH
- sentence
a-fe-YEH sha-PIR ve-in-BEH sa-GI u-ma-ZON le-kho-LA-beh te-kho-TE-hi tat-LEL kheh-WAT ba-RA u-ve-an-FO-hi ye-DUN ye-DOR tsif-RE she-ma-YA u-min-NEH yit-ZEEN kol-bis-RA
Exegesis
A parallel clause uses uveanpohi {וּבְעַנְפֺוֹהִי | û-ḇə-ʿan-pō-hî} “and in its branches” with the verb pair yidron {ידרון | yiḏ-rōn} / yeduran {יְדֻרָן | yə-du-rān} “they dwell,” whose subject is tsiprei shemaya {צִפְּרֵי שְׁמַיְָא | ṣip-pə-rê šə-mai-yāʾ} “the birds of heaven.” The presence of an unpointed ketiv form yidron alongside the pointed yeduran likely reflects a scribal ketiv/qere or double-writing, but both convey the same imperfect plural “they dwell,” intensifying the image of settled habitation in the branches.
Root and etymology
š-m-yshin–mem–yod
“heaven, sky”
In context — Daniel 4:12
Its foliage was beautiful, and its fruit was abundant, and food was there for all. Under it the beasts of the field were shaded, and in its branches the birds of heaven dwelt, and from it all flesh was fed.
About this coordinate
Daniel 4:12:15 is a BCV:P reference — Book · Chapter · Verse · Word Position. It addresses word 15 of Daniel 4:12, so the Hebrew word שְׁמַיָּ֣א (shemaya) can be cited, linked and studied at exactly this position rather than somewhere in the verse. In the Biblical Knowledge Coordinate System the same position is written Dan.4.12.W15, which extends further down to each syllable (Dan.4.12.W15.S1) and character.