H7834 H7834
Thin clouds, skies, or heavens; rarely fine dust -- from the root meaning 'to pulverize.'
Shakhaq evokes the thin, high veil of the atmosphere -- whether as wispy clouds, the broad sky, or (once) the fine powder that results from grinding. The root means 'to wear thin' or 'to pulverize,' and the noun preserves both ends of the image: particles ground to nothing, and the gossamer cloud-layer overhead. In the plural (shekhaqim), it frequently parallels shamayim ('heavens') in the great theophanic poems -- God rides upon the clouds (Deut 33:26; Ps 68:34), his faithfulness reaches to the skies (Ps 36:5), and the clouds drop down rain at his command (Job 36:28). Isaiah 40:15 preserves the rarest concrete sense: the nations are like fine dust (shakhaq) on a balance scale, the merest powder before God.
3. fine dust, powder — Fine dust or powder, the most literal trace of the root shahaq ('to grind, pulverize'). Isaiah 40:15 compares the nations to shakhaq mo'znayim -- 'dust of the scales,' a quantity so negligible it does not even register on the balance. This sole occurrence anchors the entire semantic field: clouds are 'ground-thin' vapor, and dust is the ground-thin residue of solid matter. Spanish 'polvo fino' and the image of scales make the metaphor vivid. 1×
AR["وَكَغُبَارٍ"]·ben["এবং-ধূলির-মতো"]·DE["[וכשחק]"]·EN["and-like-dust"]·FR["[וכשחק]"]·heb["ו-כ-שחק"]·HI["और-जैसी-धूल"]·ID["dan-seperti-debu"]·IT["e-nube"]·jav["lan-kados-lebu"]·KO["그리고-같이-먼지"]·PT["e-como-pó-de"]·RU["и-как-пыль"]·ES["y-como-polvo-fino"]·SW["na-kama-vumbi"]·TR["ve-toz-gibi"]·urd["اور-غبار-کی-طرح"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. clouds, thin clouds — Thin clouds or cloud-layer, the visible atmospheric formations emphasized as delicate or wispy. Job 36:28 says the clouds 'drip moisture' and Job 38:37 asks who can number them. Psalm 57:10 and 108:4 praise God's faithfulness that rises above the shekhaqim. Spanish 'nubes' and German 'Wolken' render this straightforwardly. Key passages: Deuteronomy 33:26, Job 35:5, Jeremiah 51:9. 12×
AR["السَّحُبَ","السُّحُبَ","السُّحُبِ","الغَمام","الغُيومَ","الغُيومُ","الْغُيُومِ","وَ-السُّحُبُ","وَالسُّحُبُ"]·ben["-মেঘমণ্ডল","আকাশকে","এবং-মেঘমালা","ও-মেঘ","মেঘ","মেঘগুলিকে","মেঘমণ্ডল","মেঘে","মেঘের"]·DE["Wolken","[ושחקים]","[שחקים]","der-Wolken"]·EN["and-clouds","and-the-clouds","clouds","the-clouds","the-skies"]·FR["[ושחקים]","[שחקים]","et-nuée","nuée","nuées"]·heb["ו-שחקים","שחקים"]·HI["आकाश-को","और-बादल","बादल","बादलों","बादलों-को","बादलों।"]·ID["awan-awan","dan-awan-awan"]·IT["cielo","e-e-il-clouds","e-nube","il-clouds","il-skies","nube","nuvole"]·jav["dhateng-Panjenengan","lan-méga","lan-méga-méga","mega","mega-mega","méga","méga-méga"]·KO["구름들","구름들을","구름들이","구름에","궁창-에","궁창들","궁창들-을","그리고-구름이","그리고-하늘-들-이","하늘-들-을"]·PT["aos-céus","as-nuvens","e-nuvens","nuvens"]·RU["и-облака","на-облака","на-облаках","облака","облакам","облаков"]·ES["las-nubes","nubes","sobre-las-nubes","y-las-nubes","y-nubes"]·SW["mawingu","mawinguni","na-mawingu"]·TR["bulutlar","bulutlara","bulutları","göklere","ve-bulutlar"]·urd["اور-بادل","بادل","بادلوں","بادلوں پر","بادلوں کو","بادلوں-تک","بادلوں-پر","بادلوں-کو","بادَلوں"]
2. skies, firmament, heavens — The skies, firmament, or heavens understood as the vast overhead expanse, used as a poetic synonym for shamayim. Psalm 89:6 asks 'who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?' and Job 37:18 marvels at God who 'spread out the skies, hard as a cast mirror.' French 'nuees' bridges cloud and sky, while Spanish shifts to 'cielos.' The singular in Psalm 89:37 identifies the sky itself as a faithful witness. Key passages: 2 Samuel 22:12, Psalm 18:11, Psalm 68:34. 8×
AR["السَّمَاءِ","السَّمَاوَاتُ","السُّحُبِ","في-السُّحُبِ","فِي-السَّحَابِ","فِي-السُّحُبِ","لِلسُّحُبِ"]·ben["আকাশকে","আকাশগুলি","আকাশে","আকাশে।","আকাশের","নভোমণ্ডলের"]·DE["[בשחקים]","[לשחקים]","der-skies","in-der-skies","in-der-sky","ist-in-der-skies","skies"]·EN["in-the-skies","in-the-sky","is-in-the-skies","skies","the-skies"]·FR["dans-nuées","nuée","nuées","skies","à-nuée"]·heb["ב-שחק","ב-שחקים","ל-שחקים","שחקים"]·HI["आकाश-के","आकाशों-को","आकाशों-में","बादलों-के","में-आकाश","शेखाकीम"]·ID["di-awan","di-awan-awan","langit","untuk-awan-awan"]·IT["cielo","nel-in-il-skies","per-il-skies","skies"]·jav["ing-langit","ing-mega","ing-mega-mega","kanggé-langit","langit"]·KO["구름들","구름들-에서","구름들-을","궁창-에서","궁창들-의","궁창들-이","하늘-에서"]·PT["céus","dos-céus","nas-nuvens","nos-céus","nos-céus;","os-céus"]·RU["в-небе","в-небесах","в-облаках","небеса","небесные","облака"]·ES["a-cielos","cielos","en-el-cielo","en-las-nubes","en-los-cielos","nubes"]·SW["anga","katika-mawingu","mawingu","mawinguni","mbingu","mbinguni","ya-anga"]·TR["bulutlarda","gökler","göklerde","göklerin"]·urd["آسمانوں کو","آسمانوں-نے","آسمانوں-کے","بادلوں میں","بادلوں-کے","بِ-آسمانوں","بِ-ہَ-بادلوں-میں"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† שַׁ֫חַק n.m. Pr 3:20 dust, cloud (as fine, thin);—שׁ׳ abs. ψ 89:7, 38, cstr. Is 40:15; pl. שְׁחָקִים Dt 33:26 +;— 1. fine dust, שׁ׳ מֹאזְנַיִם Is 40:15 (sim. of insignif.). 2. (thin) cloud, usually pl. (often ‖ שָׁמַיִם), Dt 33:26 (poem), Is 45:8; Je 51:9; Jb 35:5; 36:28; 37:21; 38:37 ψ 36:6; 57:11; 68:35; 77:18; 78:23; 108:5; opp. תְּהוֹם Pr 3:20; 8:28; עָבֵי שׁ׳ 2 S 22:12 = ψ 18:12; = heavens, sky Jb 37:18 (c. הִרְקִיעַ), and (sg.) ψ 89:7, 38.