H8136 H8136
repetition, possibly 'thousands twice-told' or 'redoubled thousands'; a disputed term in poetic parallelism
This rare noun appears only in Psalm 68:17 in a notoriously difficult phrase describing God's chariots. The term seems to denote repetition or doubling, leading interpreters to understand 'thousands of repetition' as an emphatic way of saying 'thousands upon thousands'—a Hebrew idiom for innumerable multitude. The poetic context celebrates God's power and the vast heavenly host at his command. Scholars debate both the vocalization and the precise meaning, with some treating part of the phrase as a textual gloss.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Denotes repetition or doubling, used to express vast numerical magnitude in Psalm 68:17. The phrase אַלְפֵי שִׁנְאָן (alphey shin'an) literally means 'thousands of repetition' or 'redoubled thousands,' a poetic way of saying innumerable multitudes. English glosses this as 'repeating' and Spanish as 'repetición,' both capturing the concept of multiplication or duplication. French retains 'Shinân' as a transliteration, while German uses 'repeating.' The context describes the chariots of God as 'twice ten thousand, thousands of repetition,' piling up numerical expressions to convey the incomprehensible vastness of the divine host accompanying the Lord from Sinai to his sanctuary. 1×
AR["مُكَرَّرَةٍ"]·ben["পুনরাবৃত্তি"]·DE["repeating"]·EN["repeating"]·FR["Shinân"]·heb["שנאן"]·ID["pengulangan"]·IT["[שנאן]"]·jav["kathah-sanget"]·KO["반복-의"]·PT["repetidos"]·RU["повторённые"]·ES["repetición"]·SW["mengi"]·TR["tekrarlanmış"]·urd["دہرائے-ہوئے"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† שִׁנְאָן n.[m.] repetition (?);—אַלְפֵי שִׁנְאָ֑ן ψ 68:18 thousands of repetition, i.e. thousands twice-told, Che; redoubled, Dr, i.e. thousands on thousands (Du, reading אֶלֶף as שִׁנָּא c. sf. removed them, treating שׁנאן אדני מסיני בק׳ as gloss).