7834. shachaq
Lexical Summary
shachaq: Sky, cloud, dust

Original Word: שַׁחַק
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: shachaq
Pronunciation: sha-khak'
Phonetic Spelling: (shakh'-ak)
KJV: cloud, small dust, heaven, sky
NASB: skies, clouds, sky, speck of dust
Word Origin: [from H7833 (שָׁחַק - beat)]

1. a powder (as beaten small)
2. by extension, the firmament

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cloud, small dust, heaven, sky

From shachaq; a powder (as beaten small): by analogy, a thin vapor; by extension, the firmament -- cloud, small dust, heaven, sky.

see HEBREW shachaq

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from shachaq
Definition
dust, cloud
NASB Translation
clouds (6), skies (12), sky (2), speck of dust (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
שַׁ֫חַק noun masculineProv 9:20 dust, cloud (as fine, thin); — ׳שׁ absolute Psalm 89:7; Psalm 89:38, construct Isaiah 40:15; plural שְׁחָקִים Deuteronomy 33:25 +; —

1 fine dust, מאֹזְנַיִם ׳שׁ Isaiah 40:15 (simile of insignificance).

2 (thin) cloud, usually plural (often "" שָׁמַיִם), Deuteronomy 33:26 (poem), Isaiah 45:8; Jeremiah 51:9; Job 35:5; Job 36:28; Job 37:21; Job 38:37; Psalm 36:6; Psalm 57:11; Psalm 68:35; Psalm 77:18; Psalm 78:23; Psalm 108:5; opposed to תְּהוֺם Proverbs 3:20; Proverbs 8:28; ׳עָבֵי שׁ 2 Samuel 22:12 = Psalm 18:12; = heavens, sky Job 37:18 (with חִרְקִיעַ), and (singular) Psalm 89:7; Psalm 89:38.

שִׁחֹר see שִׁיחוֺר.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

שַׁחַק gathers together the concepts of cloud, sky, and fine dust into a single visual field that Scripture employs to display both the grandeur of God and the smallness of man. From the Song of Moses to Jeremiah’s lament over Babylon, the term frames royal procession, covenant faithfulness, wisdom’s instruction, and eschatological judgment.

The Skies as Divine Highway

Deuteronomy 33:26 introduces שַׁחַק as the roadway of the covenant God: “There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your aid, and the clouds in His majesty.” Psalms later invite worshipers to “Ascribe the power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies” (Psalm 68:34). The elevated realm of שַׁחַק magnifies the transcendence of the Lord who stoops to save.

Veil and Chariot of the Holy One

The same clouds that bear Him also conceal Him in holy mystery. David sings, “He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him” (Psalm 18:11; cf. 2 Samuel 22:12). The imagery recalls Sinai’s thick cloud, underscoring that revelation and concealment coexist in divine self-disclosure.

Measureless Mercy and Faithfulness

Three allied psalms equate the vertical reach of the clouds with God’s covenant love: “Your faithfulness to the clouds” (Psalm 36:5; 57:10; 108:4). By selecting the highest visible boundary of human sight, the poets proclaim a steadfastness that cannot be out-soared by human failure.

Instrument of Providence

Job 36:28 celebrates clouds that “pour down their moisture,” while Proverbs 3:20 affirms that “the clouds dripped with dew.” שַׁחַק is therefore a storehouse of blessing, answering the prayers of farmers and validating Jesus’ later assertion that the Father “sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” The precision questions in Job 38:37—“Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?”—expose human limits and summon awe-filled dependence.

The Clouds in Wisdom’s Testimony

Job 35:5 (“observe the clouds”) and 37:18 (“Can you… spread out the skies”) turn observation into doxology. Proverbs 8:28 situates clouds within creation’s blueprint, as Wisdom stands beside the Craftsman when “He established the clouds above.” שַׁחַק becomes a pedagogical tool, teaching humility and wonder.

Judgment Scenes

Psalm 77:17 pictures clouds that “poured down water” in a theophanic storm; Psalm 78:23 shows them obeying God’s command to open and feed Israel with manna. Isaiah 45:8 urges the heavens, “let the clouds pour down righteousness,” promising eschatological renewal. Conversely, Jeremiah 51:9 depicts Babylon’s sin piling up “as high as the skies,” signaling inevitable reckoning. The same clouds that bless can bear witness against unrepentant nations.

Eternal Covenant Witness

Psalm 89 twice uses שַׁחַק. Verse 6 questions, “For who in the skies can compare with the LORD?” Verse 37 calls the moon “a faithful witness in the sky.” The term thus frames both the incomparable Lord and the lasting Davidic covenant, hinting at the messianic fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the greater Son of David.

Human Frailty Against Divine Grandeur

Isaiah 40:15 stretches the semantic range to “fine dust,” reminding readers that nations weigh less than a film of powder on God’s scales. The lexical shift heightens the contrast: the same word that points upward to towering clouds can also drift downward as imperceptible dust, placing human pride in perspective.

Eschatological Echoes

By Revelation’s time the clouds become the vehicle of the returning Christ (Revelation 1:7), a theme already present in Daniel 7:13. The Old Testament uses of שַׁחַק sow expectation that the skies will one day split open not merely to deliver rain but to unveil the King.

Practical Implications for Ministry

1. Worship: Invoke שַׁחַק imagery to deepen congregational awe—God’s faithfulness stretches beyond the highest cloud.
2. Preaching: Use the dual role of clouds (blessing and judgment) to communicate both gospel comfort and warning.
3. Counseling: Psalmic references encourage believers to lift eyes “above the clouds” of present trial to the steadfast God whose mercy is unbounded.
4. Creation Care: Proverbs’ and Job’s weather texts invite stewardship, seeing meteorological cycles as gifts from the Creator.

To trace שַׁחַק is to trace a vertical line from earth’s dust to heaven’s throne, reminding every generation that “the Most High rules the kingdom of men” and that His glory is as unsearchable as the clouds spread across the sky.

Forms and Transliterations
בַ֭שַּׁחַק בַּ֝שַּׁ֗חַק בַּשְּׁחָקִ֑ים בַּשְּׁחָקִֽים׃ בשחק בשחקים בשחקים׃ וּ֝שְׁחָקִ֗ים וּכְשַׁ֥חַק וּשְׁחָקִ֖ים וכשחק ושחקים חקים לִשְׁחָקִ֑ים לשחקים שְׁ֝חָקִ֗ים שְׁחָקִ֑ים שְׁחָקִ֣ים שְׁחָקִ֥ים שְׁחָקִֽים׃ שחקים שחקים׃ baš·ša·ḥaq ḇaš·ša·ḥaq baš·šə·ḥā·qîm bashShachak bashshechaKim baššaḥaq ḇaššaḥaq baššəḥāqîm chaKim ḥā·qîm ḥāqîm liš·ḥā·qîm lišḥāqîm lishchaKim šə·ḥā·qîm šəḥāqîm shechaKim ū·ḵə·ša·ḥaq ū·šə·ḥā·qîm ucheShachak ūḵəšaḥaq ūšəḥāqîm ushechaKim Vashshachak
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Deuteronomy 33:26
HEB: בְעֶזְרֶ֔ךָ וּבְגַאֲוָת֖וֹ שְׁחָקִֽים׃
NAS: to your help, And through the skies in His majesty.
KJV: and in his excellency on the sky.
INT: to your help his majesty the skies

2 Samuel 22:12
HEB: מַ֖יִם עָבֵ֥י שְׁחָקִֽים׃
NAS: of waters, thick clouds of the sky.
KJV: [and] thick clouds of the skies.
INT: of waters thick of the sky

Job 35:5
HEB: וּרְאֵ֑ה וְשׁ֥וּר שְׁ֝חָקִ֗ים גָּבְה֥וּ מִמֶּֽךָּ׃
NAS: And behold the clouds-- they are higher
KJV: and behold the clouds [which] are higher
INT: and see and behold the clouds are higher than

Job 36:28
HEB: אֲשֶֽׁר־ יִזְּל֥וּ שְׁחָקִ֑ים יִ֝רְעֲפ֗וּ עֲלֵ֤י ׀
NAS: Which the clouds pour down, They drip
KJV: Which the clouds do drop [and] distil
INT: Which pour the clouds drip upon

Job 37:18
HEB: תַּרְקִ֣יעַ עִ֭מּוֹ לִשְׁחָקִ֑ים חֲ֝זָקִ֗ים כִּרְאִ֥י
NAS: Can you, with Him, spread out the skies, Strong
KJV: Hast thou with him spread out the sky, [which is] strong,
INT: spread out the skies Strong looking glass

Job 37:21
HEB: בָּהִ֣יר ה֭וּא בַּשְּׁחָקִ֑ים וְר֥וּחַ עָ֝בְרָ֗ה
NAS: is bright in the skies; But the wind
KJV: light which [is] in the clouds: but the wind
INT: is bright which the skies the wind has passed

Job 38:37
HEB: מִֽי־ יְסַפֵּ֣ר שְׁחָקִ֣ים בְּחָכְמָ֑ה וְנִבְלֵ֥י
NAS: can count the clouds by wisdom,
KJV: Who can number the clouds in wisdom?
INT: Who count the clouds wisdom the water

Psalm 18:11
HEB: מַ֝֗יִם עָבֵ֥י שְׁחָקִֽים׃
NAS: of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
KJV: [and] thick clouds of the skies.
INT: of waters thick of the skies

Psalm 36:5
HEB: אֱ֝מֽוּנָתְךָ֗ עַד־ שְׁחָקִֽים׃
NAS: Your faithfulness [reaches] to the skies.
KJV: [and] thy faithfulness [reacheth] unto the clouds.
INT: your faithfulness to the skies

Psalm 57:10
HEB: חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ וְֽעַד־ שְׁחָקִ֥ים אֲמִתֶּֽךָ׃
NAS: And Your truth to the clouds.
KJV: and thy truth unto the clouds.
INT: your lovingkindness against to the clouds and your truth

Psalm 68:34
HEB: גַּאֲוָת֑וֹ וְ֝עֻזּ֗וֹ בַּשְּׁחָקִֽים׃
NAS: And His strength is in the skies.
KJV: and his strength [is] in the clouds.
INT: his majesty and his strength the skies

Psalm 77:17
HEB: ק֭וֹל נָתְנ֣וּ שְׁחָקִ֑ים אַף־ חֲ֝צָצֶ֗יךָ
NAS: out water; The skies gave
KJV: water: the skies sent out
INT: A sound gave the skies yet arrows

Psalm 78:23
HEB: וַיְצַ֣ו שְׁחָקִ֣ים מִמָּ֑עַל וְדַלְתֵ֖י
NAS: Yet He commanded the clouds above
KJV: Though he had commanded the clouds from above,
INT: commanded the clouds above the doors

Psalm 89:6
HEB: כִּ֤י מִ֣י בַ֭שַּׁחַק יַעֲרֹ֣ךְ לַיהוָ֑ה
NAS: For who in the skies is comparable
KJV: For who in the heaven can be compared
INT: For who the skies is comparable the LORD

Psalm 89:37
HEB: עוֹלָ֑ם וְעֵ֥ד בַּ֝שַּׁ֗חַק נֶאֱמָ֥ן סֶֽלָה׃
NAS: And the witness in the sky is faithful.
KJV: witness in heaven. Selah.
INT: forever and the witness the sky is faithful Selah

Psalm 108:4
HEB: חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ וְֽעַד־ שְׁחָקִ֥ים אֲמִתֶּֽךָ׃
NAS: And Your truth [reaches] to the skies.
KJV: and thy truth [reacheth] unto the clouds.
INT: your lovingkindness to the skies and your truth

Proverbs 3:20
HEB: תְּהוֹמ֣וֹת נִבְקָ֑עוּ וּ֝שְׁחָקִ֗ים יִרְעֲפוּ־ טָֽל׃
NAS: were broken up And the skies drip
KJV: are broken up, and the clouds drop down
INT: the deeps were broken and the skies drip dew

Proverbs 8:28
HEB: בְּאַמְּצ֣וֹ שְׁחָקִ֣ים מִמָּ֑עַל בַּ֝עֲז֗וֹז
NAS: When He made firm the skies above,
KJV: When he established the clouds above:
INT: made the skies above became

Isaiah 40:15
HEB: כְּמַ֣ר מִדְּלִ֔י וּכְשַׁ֥חַק מֹאזְנַ֖יִם נֶחְשָׁ֑בוּ
NAS: And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales;
KJV: and are counted as the small dust of the balance:
INT: A drop A bucket A speck the scales regarded

Isaiah 45:8
HEB: שָׁמַ֙יִם֙ מִמַּ֔עַל וּשְׁחָקִ֖ים יִזְּלוּ־ צֶ֑דֶק
NAS: from above, And let the clouds pour down
KJV: from above, and let the skies pour down
INT: heavens above the clouds pour righteousness

Jeremiah 51:9
HEB: וְנִשָּׂ֖א עַד־ שְׁחָקִֽים׃
NAS: And towers up to the very skies.
KJV: and is lifted up [even] to the skies.
INT: and towers to the very skies

21 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7834
21 Occurrences


baš·ša·ḥaq — 1 Occ.
baš·šə·ḥā·qîm — 2 Occ.
ḥā·qîm — 1 Occ.
liš·ḥā·qîm — 1 Occ.
šə·ḥā·qîm — 12 Occ.
ū·ḵə·ša·ḥaq — 1 Occ.
ū·šə·ḥā·qîm — 2 Occ.
ḇaš·ša·ḥaq — 1 Occ.

7833
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