שָׁמַי H8064
Heavens, sky; the visible dome above the earth, God's dwelling place, the cosmic vault of stars and weather.
שָׁמַיִם appears on the Bible's very first page — 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth' (Gen 1:1) — and remains one of Scripture's most theologically charged nouns. Always plural in form (a so-called plurale tantum), it encompasses the visible sky where birds fly and rain falls, the cosmic vault of sun, moon, and stars, and the transcendent dwelling place of God. The construct superlative שְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם ('heavens of heavens,' Deut 10:14; 1 Kgs 8:27) expresses what even Solomon confessed the heavens cannot contain. Across languages the word maps remarkably consistently — Spanish cielos, French cieux, German Himmel, Arabic سَمَاء — all preserving a similar ambiguity between physical sky and divine abode.
1. heavens / sky — The primary sense: the heavens or sky as the visible expanse above the earth — the atmosphere where birds fly (Gen 1:20), clouds gather, rain falls, and celestial bodies shine (Gen 1:14-17). This is the overwhelmingly dominant usage (329 occurrences), rendered consistently across languages: Spanish los cielos, French les cieux, German der Himmel, Arabic السَّمَاوَات. The singular 'heaven' in some English translations versus the always-plural Hebrew form is a persistent translation challenge. 329×
AR["السَّمَاءِ","السَّمَاوَاتُ","السَّمَاوَاتِ"]·ben["আকাশমণ্ডল","সেই-আকাশ","সেই-আকাশের"]·DE["Himmel","dem-Himmel","der-Himmel","des-Himmels","die-Himmel"]·EN["the-heavens"]·FR["les-cieux"]·heb["ה-שמים"]·HI["आकाश","आकाश-की","आकाश-के"]·ID["langit"]·IT["i-cieli"]·jav["ing-langit"]·KO["그-하늘들","그-하늘들-의"]·PT["dos-céus","o-céu","os-céus"]·RU["-небес","-небеса","неба","небесной","небесные","небом"]·ES["los-cielos"]·SW["mbingu-","mbingu-za","vya-mbingu-"]·TR["-gökler","-gökleri","-göklerin"]·urd["آسمان-اس-کے","آسمان-کے","آسمانوں-کی","آسمانوں-کے"]
Gen 1:1, Gen 1:9, Gen 1:14, Gen 1:15, Gen 1:17, Gen 1:20, Gen 1:26, Gen 1:28, Gen 1:30, Gen 2:1, Gen 2:4, Gen 2:19 (+38 more)
▼ 5 more senses below
Senses
2. in the heavens — The heavens as a locative domain — 'in the heavens' (בַּשָּׁמַיִם) — marking where something exists or occurs, especially God's dwelling (Deut 4:39; 1 Kgs 8:30). French dans les cieux and Spanish en los cielos preserve the prepositional structure. This usage carries strong theological weight: the heavens are not merely above but are the place from which God sees, judges, and acts. 42×
AR["في-السَّماءِ","في-السَّماواتِ","فِي-السَّمَاءِ","فِي-السَّمَاوَاتِ","فِي-الـ-سَّمَاوَاتِ"]·ben["-আকাশে","-স্বর্গে","আকাশে","আকাশে-","স্বর্গে","স্বর্গে-","স্বর্গে-(যা)"]·DE["Gewuerze","im-Himmel","in-Himmel","in-der-Himmel"]·EN["in-the-heavens"]·FR["cieux","dans-cieux","dans-le-cieux","dans-les-cieux"]·heb["ב-ה-שמיים","ב-ה-שמים","ב-שמיים","ב-שמים"]·HI["-आकाश-में","-में-आकाश","अअकश-मे","आकाश-में","आकाशों-में","ऊपर","और-धरती-पर","बश्शामयिम","में-आकाश","में-आकाशों","स्वर्गमें"]·ID["di-langit","di-surga"]·IT["cieli","in-i-cieli","in-il-cieli","nei-cieli","nel-cielo"]·jav["ing-langit","ing-swarga","wonten-ing-langit","wonten-ing-swarga"]·KO["-에-하늘","-에-하늘들","-하늘들-에","그-하늘들-에","그-하늘들-에서","그-하늘에서","에-그-하늘","에-하늘에","에서-그-하늘들","하늘들-에","하늘들-에서","하늘에","하늘에서"]·PT["nos-céus"]·RU["в-небе","в-небесах","на-небесах"]·ES["en-los-cielos","esté-en-los-cielos"]·SW["katika-mbingu","mbinguni"]·TR["-göklerde","de-gokler","göklerde","göklerde-"]·urd["-آسمانوں-میں","آسمان-میں","آسمانوں-سے","آسمانوں-میں","آسمانوں-پر"]
Gen 11:4, Exod 20:4, Deut 1:28, Deut 3:24, Deut 4:17, Deut 4:39, Deut 5:8, Deut 9:1, Deut 30:12, Josh 2:11, 1 Sam 2:10, 1 Kgs 8:23 (+30 more)
3. toward / to the heavens — The heavens as a directional goal — 'toward/to the heavens' — marked by directional he (הַשָּׁמַ֫יְמָה, Exod 9:8), lamed, or other directional particles. Moses throwing soot 'toward the heavens' (Exod 9:8) or Jacob's ladder reaching 'to the heavens' (Gen 28:12) illustrate this spatial-dynamic sense. Spanish hacia los cielos and German gen Himmel capture the directional force. 19×
AR["إلى-السَّماءِ","إِلَى-السَّمَاءِ","إِلَى-السَّمَاوَاتِ","إِلَى-الـ-سَّمَاءِ","السَّماوات","السَّمَاءَ","السَّمَاوَاتِ","نَحوَ-الـ-سَّماءِ","نَحْوَ-السَّماءِ","نَحْوَ-السَّمَاءِ"]·ben["-আকাশে","-আকাশের-দিকে","আকাশে","আকাশে-","আকাশের","আকাশের-দিকে","স্বর্গে","স্বর্গের"]·DE["Himmel","an-den-Himmel","der-Himmel","der-heavenward","hin-zu-der-Himmel","zu-Himmel","zu-der-Himmel","zum-Himmel"]·EN["the-heavens","the-heavens-ward","the-heavenward","to-the-heavens","toward-the-heavens"]·FR["cieux","le-cieux","le-cieux-elle","le-cieux-garde","le-heavenward","les-cieux","vers-le-cieux","à-cieux"]·heb["ה-שמיים","ה-שמיימה","ה-שמים","ה-שמים-ה","ה-שמימה","ל-ה-שמים","ל-שמים"]·HI["-आकाश-की-ओर","अअकश-कि-ओर","आकाश-की-ओर","आकाश-को","आकाश-तक","आकाश-पर","आकाशों","आकाशों-को","स्वर्ग-में।","स्वर्ग।"]·ID["(yaitu)-langit","ke-langit","langit"]·IT["a-cielo","al-cielo","cieli","i-cieli","il-cieli","il-cieli-ward","il-cielo-sua","il-heavenward","verso-il-cieli"]·jav["dhateng-langit","dhateng-swarga","dhumateng-langit","dumugi-langit","ing-langit","langit"]·KO["그-하늘-에","그-하늘들-로","그-하늘들-에","그-하늘들을-향해","그-하늘로","그-하늘에","앶5-그-하늘","에-그-하늘로","하늘-위로","하늘들로-","하늘로","하늘에","하늘으로","하늘을-향해"]·PT["aos-céus","o-céu-ward","os-céus","para-os-céus"]·RU["до-небес","к-небесам","к-небу","на-небеса","на-небо","небес","небеса-вверх"]·ES["a-los-cielos","al-cielo","hacia-los-cielos","los-cielos"]·SW["anga","angani","hashaּmayim","kuelekea-mbinguni","kwa-mbingu","lashaּmayim","mbinguni"]·TR["-e-göklere","-göklere","goklere","goklere-","göklere","göklere-","göğe","göğe-doğru"]·urd["-آسمان-کی-طرف","-آسمانوں-تک","آسمان","آسمان-تک","آسمان-میں","آسمان-کو","آسمان-کی-طرف","آسمانوں-تک","آسمانوں-کی-طرف"]
Gen 15:5, Gen 28:12, Exod 9:8, Exod 9:10, Deut 4:19, Deut 30:12, Josh 8:20, Judg 13:20, Judg 20:40, 1 Sam 5:12, 2 Chr 6:13, 2 Chr 28:9 (+7 more)
4. from heaven — The heavens as a source — 'from heaven' (מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם) — the origin from which God speaks (Neh 9:13), sends rain, fire (Gen 19:24), manna, and deliverance. Spanish desde los cielos and French du ciel mark this ablative function. Theologically rich: divine intervention characteristically descends from this locus. 18×
AR["مِن-السَّماءِ","مِنَ-ال-سَّمَاءِ","مِنَ-السَّماوات","مِنَ-السَّمَاءِ","مِنَ-السَّمَاوَاتِ","مِنْ-سَمَاوَاتِ"]·ben["-আকাশ-থেকে","আকাশ-থেকে","স্বর্গ-থেকে","হইতে-আকাশমণ্ডল"]·DE["von-Himmel","von-der-Himmel","von-der-Himmel-"]·EN["from-heaven","from-heavens","from-the-heavens","from-the-heavens-of"]·FR["cieux","de-cieux","de-mon-nom"]·heb["מ-ה-שמים","מ-שמי","מ-שמיים","מ-שמים"]·HI["आकाश-से","मि-शामयिम","से-आकाश","से-स्वर्ग","स्वर्ग-से"]·ID["Dari-langit","dari-langit","dari-surga"]·IT["cieli","da-cielo","da-il-mio-nome","dai-cieli"]·jav["Saking-langit","dhateng-Gusti Allah","saking-langit","saking-swarga","tiyang-bodho"]·KO["그-하늘-에서","부터-하늘들","에서-하늘","하늘-에서","하늘들-에서","하늘에서"]·PT["Dos-céus","de-os-céus","do-céu","dos-céus"]·RU["с-небес"]·ES["Desde-cielos","Desde-los-cielos","de-los-cielos","desde-cielos","desde-cielos-de","desde-los-cielos"]·SW["Kutoka-mbinguni","kutoka-mbingu","kutoka-mbinguni"]·TR["-den-goklerden","-den-gökler","Göklerden","goklerden","göklerden","göklerden-","göklerinden-","gökten"]·urd["-آسمان-سے","-آسمانوں-سے","آسمان-سے","آسمانوں-سے","مِن-آسمانوں"]
5. heavens of (construct) — The heavens in construct state — שְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם ('heavens of heavens') and similar bound forms — expressing the superlative cosmic realm that even the heavens cannot contain (1 Kgs 8:27; 2 Chr 2:6). This Semitic intensifying construction has no neat equivalent in most target languages; translations typically resort to paraphrase ('the highest heavens') or literal rendering. 8×
AR["سَماواتِ-","سَمَاوَاتِ","سَمَاوَاتِ-","وَ-سَمَاءُ","وَسَمَاوَاتُ"]·ben["আকাশের","আকাশের-আকাশ","আর-আকাশের-আকাশ","এবং-আকাশের","ও-আকাশের"]·DE["Himmel","Himmel-","mein-Name","und-Himmel-von","und-mein-Name"]·EN["and-heavens-of","and-the-heavens-of","heavens-of","heavens-of-","the-heavens","the-heavens-of"]·FR["cieux","et-cieux","et-cieux-de","mon-nom"]·heb["ו-שמי","ו-שמים","שמי","שמי-","שמים"]·HI["आकाशों-के","और-आकाश","और-आकाश-के","और-आकाशों"]·ID["dan-langit","dan-langit-dari","dan-langitnya","langit","langit-"]·IT["cieli","e-cieli","e-cieli-di","il-mio-nome"]·jav["lan-langit","lan-langit-","langit","langit-","langit-ipun"]·KO["그리고-하늘들의","하늘-들-의","하늘들-의","하늘들의","하늘들이"]·PT["céus","céus-de","e-céus-de","e-céus-de-"]·RU["и-небеса","небес","небеса"]·ES["cielos-de","los-cielos-de","y-cielos-de","y-los-cielos-de"]·SW["mbingu","mbingu-za","na-mbingu","na-mbingu-za"]·TR["gökler","gökleri-","göklerini","ve-gökleri","ve-göklerin","ve-göklerinin"]·urd["آسمان","آسمانوں","اور-آسمانوں-","اور-آسمانوں-کا","اور-آسمانوں-کے","اے-آسمانو"]
6. your / his heavens (possessed) — The heavens with pronominal suffixes — 'your heavens' (שָׁמֶיךָ, Ps 8:3), 'his heavens' (שָׁמָיו, Deut 33:28) — expressing personal association or possession. When the Psalmist gazes at 'your heavens, the work of your fingers,' the suffix transforms the cosmic vault into an intimate address to God. Only 5 occurrences, but each carries poetic and theological intensity. 5×
AR["سَمَاءَكُمْ","سَمَاؤُكَ","سَمَاوَاتُهُ","سَمَاوَاتِكَ"]·ben["আকাশ-তোমার","তার-আকাশ","তোমাদের-আকাশ","তোমার-আকাশ","তোমার-আকাশকে"]·DE["dein-Himmel","sein-Himmel"]·EN["his-heavens","your-heavens"]·FR["cieux","son-cieux","ton-cieux"]·heb["שמיו","שמיך","שמיכם"]·HI["अपने-आकाशों-को","आकाश-तेरा","उसके-आकाश","तुम्हारे-आकाश","तेरे-आकाश"]·ID["langit-Mu","langitmu","langitnya"]·IT["cielo","suo-cieli","tuo-cieli"]·jav["langit-Panjenengan","langit-panjenengan","langit-sira","langitipun","swarga-Panjenengan"]·KO["그의-하늘이","너희의-하늘을","네-하늘이","주의-하늘을","하늘들-을"]·PT["os-teus-céus","seus-céus","teus-céus","vossos-céus"]·RU["небеса-Его","небеса-Твои","небеса-ваши","небеса-твои"]·ES["sus-cielos","tus-cielos","vuestros-cielos"]·SW["mbingu-yako","mbingu-zake","mbingu-zako","mbingu-zenu"]·TR["gökleri","göklerin","göklerini","göklerinizi"]·urd["آسمان-تمہارا","اس-کے-آسمان","تیرا-آسمان","تیرے-آسمانوں-کو"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H0776 1. land, country, territory (2323×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
[שָׁמַי] n.m. Dt 33:28 only pl. שָׁמַ֫יִם421 (Sta§ 324a) heavens, sky (NH id.; Assyrian šamû, pl. šamê, šamûtu, also šamâmu, cf. Ph. שמם; Sab. סמה HomChr 46, 124; Arabic سَمَآءٌ; Ethiopic ሰማይ: Aramaic שְׁמַיָּא, ܫܡܰܝܳܐ; Palm. Nab. שם(י)ן in n.pr. (cpd. with בעל) Lzb 153 GACooke 45; on pl. form v. BaZMG xiii (1888), 341 f.);—abs. שׁ׳ Gn 1:1 +, -מָ֑יִם Gn 2:4 +; הַשָּׁמַ֫יְמָה Ex 9:8 +; cstr.…