8132. shana or shanah

Lexical Summary

shana or shanah: Year

Original Word: שָׁנָא
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: shana
Pronunciation: shah-NAH
Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-naw')
KJV: change
NASB: changed, change, alter, beam, changing, different, disguise
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to alter

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

change

A primitive root; to alter -- change.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to change
NASB Translation
alter (1), beam (1), change (2), changed (4), changing (1), different (1), disguise (1), disguised (1), given to change (1), pervert (1), transferred (1), various (1).

Topical Lexicon

Overview of Biblical Usage

Strong’s Hebrew 8132 (שָׁנָא) appears three times in Scripture, always describing a decisive “change” that is outwardly visible and spiritually charged. Whether clothing is exchanged, countenance altered, or gold tarnished, the verb signals a transition with moral, covenantal, or eschatological weight rather than a mere cosmetic adjustment.

Canonical Appearances

• 2 Kings 25:29 – The exiled king Jehoiachin “changed his prison clothes” and received continual provision at the Babylonian court, a tangible pledge that the Davidic line, though disciplined, was not extinguished.
• Ecclesiastes 8:1 – Wisdom “changes” a man’s stern face, illustrating how godly insight radiates outward, reversing the effects of folly and fear.
• Lamentations 4:1 – The prophet laments that the gold of the sanctuary “has become dim… changed,” a graphic portrayal of covenant breach whose only remedy is divine restoration.

Literary and Historical Contexts

2 Kings 25 records the aftermath of Jerusalem’s destruction (586 B.C.). Jehoiachin’s changed garments symbolize a reversal of fortune that anticipates future messianic hope (compare Jeremiah 52:31-34). Ecclesiastes 8 speaks in the setting of royal courts where wisdom counteracts oppressive power; the verb underscores how inner transformation eclipses political intimidation. Lamentations 4 mourns Temple ruin; the changed gold mournfully contrasts with earlier descriptions of Solomon’s splendor (1 Kings 10:18-22), reinforcing that sin corrodes what God once glorified.

Theological Themes

1. Covenant Fidelity and Mercy: Jehoiachin’s wardrobe change foreshadows God’s resolve to preserve Davidic promises despite national failure (2 Samuel 7:12-16).
2. Transformational Wisdom: Ecclesiastes presents wisdom not as abstraction but as a force that alters demeanor and relationships, previewing New-Covenant renewal of mind and spirit (Romans 12:2; James 3:13).
3. Judgment and Restoration: Lamentations affirms that unrepented sin “changes” glory into shame; yet the very acknowledgement of loss points to ultimate reversal in the New Jerusalem where “the glory of God gives it light” (Revelation 21:23).

Intertextual Connections

• Garment imagery (2 Kings 25:29) aligns with Isaiah 61:10, where salvation clothes the redeemed in “robes of righteousness.”
• Facial transformation (Ecclesiastes 8:1) parallels Moses’ radiant face in Exodus 34:29-35 and the believer beholding Christ’s glory “being transformed into the same image” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
• Dimmed gold (Lamentations 4:1) echoes Jesus’ warning that earthly treasures corrode (Matthew 6:19-21), directing hearts toward imperishable inheritance (1 Peter 1:4).

Implications for Ministry Today

• Prison-to-palace transitions encourage intercessors to pray for persecuted believers and remind leaders that God’s providence can overturn entrenched captivity.
• Preachers may draw on Ecclesiastes 8 to emphasize discipleship that visibly moderates anger, anxiety, and despair, demonstrating gospel power in everyday demeanor.
• Lamentations 4 challenges congregations to guard corporate holiness; when worship loses vitality, the answer is not cosmetic revivalism but sincere repentance that invites God to “restore us to Yourself” (Lamentations 5:21).

Pastoral Reflections

Shanah illustrates that genuine change is both gift and call. God initiates—the incarceration garment is removed, the countenance softened—but His people must respond, walking in renewed identity, wisdom, and holiness. Each occurrence assures believers that no tarnish, exile, or hardness of face is beyond the Lord’s capacity to transform.

Forms and Transliterations

וְשִׁנָּ֕א ושנא יְשֻׁנֶּֽא׃ יִשְׁנֶ֖א ישנא ישנא׃ veshinNa wə·šin·nā wəšinnā yə·šun·ne yeshunNe yəšunne yiš·ne yishNe yišne

Englishman's Concordance

2 Kings 25:29
HEB: וְשִׁנָּ֕א אֵ֖ת בִּגְדֵ֣י
NAS: Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes
KJV: And changed his prison garments:
INT: changed clothes his prison

Ecclesiastes 8:1
HEB: וְעֹ֥ז פָּנָ֖יו יְשֻׁנֶּֽא׃
NAS: him and causes his stern face to beam.
KJV: of his face shall be changed.
INT: his stern face to beam

Lamentations 4:1
HEB: יוּעַ֣ם זָהָ֔ב יִשְׁנֶ֖א הַכֶּ֣תֶם הַטּ֑וֹב
NAS: gold has changed! The sacred
KJV: fine gold changed! the stones
INT: dark the gold has changed gold the pure

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8132
3 Occurrences

wə·šin·nā — 1 Occ.
yə·šun·ne — 1 Occ.
yiš·ne — 1 Occ.