Biblica Analytica
H8121 Hebrew

שְׁמַשׁ

she.mash

to minister

Lexicon Entry

Definition
to minister
Transliteration
she.mash
Strong's Number
H8121
Occurrences
134

Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

What Original Readers Understood

Explored

The Hebrew word שְׁמַשׁ (she.mash) is defined as "to minister." This verb is used 134 times in the Bible, indicating its significance and frequency in various contexts. The word שְׁמַשׁáo is used to describe a range of activities, from serving as a priest (e.g., Exodus 32:34) to assisting others in various capacities (e.g., 1 Kings 10:5). This versatility suggests that ministering can take many forms, from formal roles to informal acts of service. The frequency and variety of occurrences for שְׁמַשׁ indicate its importance in biblical thought, highlighting the value placed on serving and assisting others. This emphasis on ministering underscores the interconnectedness of individuals and communities in the biblical worldview.

Source data & methodology
Strong's
H8121
Lemma
שְׁמַשׁ
Transliteration
she.mash
Definition
to minister
Occurrences
134
Model
workers-ai
Prompt version
1

AI synthesis uses only the lexicon data above as context — never training knowledge.

Occurrences in Scripture

134 total occurrences across the text — showing 50

Nehemiah 7:3

I said to them, “Don’t let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them shut the doors, and you bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, everyone in his watch, with everyone near his house.”

Job 8:16

He is green before the sun. His shoots go out along his garden.

Psalms 19:4

Their voice has gone out through all the earth, their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,

Psalms 50:1

The Mighty One, God, Yahweh, speaks, and calls the earth from sunrise to sunset.

Psalms 58:8

Let them be like a snail which melts and passes away, like the stillborn child, who has not seen the sun.

Psalms 72:5

They shall fear you while the sun endures; and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.

Psalms 72:17

His name endures forever. His name continues as long as the sun. Men shall be blessed by him. All nations will call him blessed.

Psalms 74:16

The day is yours, the night is also yours. You have prepared the light and the sun.

Psalms 84:11

For Yahweh God is a sun and a shield. Yahweh will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.

Psalms 89:36

His offspring will endure forever, his throne like the sun before me.

Psalms 104:19

He appointed the moon for seasons. The sun knows when to set.

Psalms 104:22

The sun rises, and they steal away, and lie down in their dens.

Psalms 113:3

From the rising of the sun to its going down, Yahweh’s name is to be praised.

Psalms 121:6

The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

Psalms 136:8

the sun to rule by day; for his loving kindness endures forever;

Psalms 148:3

Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you shining stars!

Ecclesiastes 1:3

What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 1:5

The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hurries to its place where it rises.

Ecclesiastes 1:5

The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hurries to its place where it rises.

Ecclesiastes 1:9

That which has been is that which shall be; and that which has been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:14

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

Ecclesiastes 2:11

Then I looked at all the works that my hands had worked, and at the labor that I had labored to do; and behold, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 2:17

So I hated life, because the work that is worked under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

Ecclesiastes 2:18

I hated all my labor in which I labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.

Ecclesiastes 2:19

Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 2:20

Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 2:22

For what does a man have of all his labor and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 3:16

Moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there.

Ecclesiastes 4:1

Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold, the tears of those who were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.

Ecclesiastes 4:3

Yes, better than them both is him who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 4:7

Then I returned and saw vanity under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 4:15

I saw all the living who walk under the sun, that they were with the youth, the other, who succeeded him.

Ecclesiastes 5:13

There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm.

Ecclesiastes 5:18

Behold, that which I have seen to be good and proper is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor, in which he labors under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; for this is his portion.

Ecclesiastes 6:1

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy on men:

Ecclesiastes 6:5

Moreover it has not seen the sun nor known it. This has rest rather than the other.

Ecclesiastes 6:12

For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he spends like a shadow? For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?

Ecclesiastes 7:11

Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun.

Ecclesiastes 8:9

All this I have seen, and applied my mind to every work that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man has power over another to his hurt.

Ecclesiastes 8:15

Then I commended mirth, because a man has no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be joyful: for that will accompany him in his labor all the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 8:15

Then I commended mirth, because a man has no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be joyful: for that will accompany him in his labor all the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 8:17

then I saw all the work of God, that man can’t find out the work that is done under the sun, because however much a man labors to seek it out, yet he won’t find it. Yes even though a wise man thinks he can comprehend it, he won’t be able to find it.

Ecclesiastes 9:3

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all: yes also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

Ecclesiastes 9:6

Also their love, their hatred, and their envy has perished long ago; neither do they any longer have a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 9:9

Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity, for that is your portion in life, and in your labor in which you labor under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 9:9

Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity, for that is your portion in life, and in your labor in which you labor under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 9:11

I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.

Ecclesiastes 9:13

I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.

Ecclesiastes 10:5

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.

Ecclesiastes 11:7

Truly the light is sweet, and it is a pleasant thing for the eyes to see the sun.