Hebrew word · H8150

שָׁנַן

veshinantam

to sharpen

In the basic stem: to whet or sharpen, and as a passive participle "sharpened". It is used of arrows (Isa 5:28; Prov 25:18), of swords (Deut 32:41), and of the tongue made sharp like a sword (Ps 64:3; 140:3).

Appears 9 times in 9 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to sharpen, whet

1a) (Qal) to whet, sharpen

1b) (Piel) to sharpen, teach (incisively)

1c)(Hithpolel) to be pierced

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Psalm 45:5

Range of meaning

In the basic stem: to whet or sharpen, and as a passive participle "sharpened". It is used of arrows (Isa 5:28; Prov 25:18), of swords (Deut 32:41), and of the tongue made sharp like a sword (Ps 64:3; 140:3). In the intensive stem (Deut 6:7) it means to impress something by repetition ("teach diligently"), perhaps like going over a blade again and again.

Against the English

KJV and ESV "sharp" is a fair rendering, but it hides the passive participle ("having been sharpened"). BSB "pierce" turns it into a verb of action. That is not in the word, though the context does imply it.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isa 5:28 describes the Assyrian army: "their arrows are sharpened (shenunim) and all their bows bent". This is a stock phrase for an army ready for battle.

From the study of Psalm 64:3

Range of meaning

To sharpen or whet a blade or arrow (Deut 32:41; Ps 45:5; Prov 25:18; Isa 5:28). Used figuratively of a tongue made sharp for harm (Ps 140:3) and of being "pierced" or stung inwardly (Ps 73:21). The same root, in an intensive form, is used in Deut 6:7, "you shall teach them diligently", where many take the idea to be repeating something until it is cut or impressed into the hearer.

Against the English

KJV "whet" is exact but archaic. "Sharpen" (BSB, WEB, NIV) is accurate. No English version loses much here, though the completed-action sense ("have sharpened", YLT) is usually smoothed into a present tense.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deut 32:41, where God says "if I whet my flashing sword", uses the same verb and noun pairing (sharpen + ḥereb). Ps 140:3 is a close parallel: "they sharpen their tongue like a serpent's." Prov 25:18 calls a false witness a "sharpened arrow."

From the study of Deuteronomy 6:7

Range of meaning

In its basic form the verb means to sharpen or whet. It is used for swords ("if I whet my flashing sword", Deut 32:41), arrows ("his arrows are sharp", Isa 5:28; Ps 45:5), and tongues sharpened like a serpent's or a sword (Ps 64:3; 140:3). Figuratively it can mean being 'pierced' inwardly (Ps 73:21, "I was pricked in my heart"). The intensive (piel) form in Deut 6:7 occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. Lexicons give it as "to teach incisively" or "inculcate" (BDB), and some, following an old interpretation, as "to repeat" or "recite" (compare HALOT's discussion).

Against the English

"Teach diligently" (KJV, BSB, WEB, ESV) puts the stress on the teacher's effort and conscientiousness. "Impress" (NIV, NJPS) keeps the idea of something pressed in until it leaves a mark. "Repeat" (YLT, NLT) keeps the idea of repeated recitation. None of them alone carries the image of putting an edge on something, which the Hebrew verb would naturally suggest.

How it drifted

"Diligently" goes back to older English Bibles (KJV, and earlier the Geneva Bible), which turned an image into an adverb about effort. In modern English, "teach diligently" sounds like careful lesson-planning. The Hebrew picture is of the words themselves being made sharp, worked in until they cut and stick.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint renders it προβιβάσεις (probibaseis), "you shall lead forward / instruct / prompt." The same Greek verb is used in Matt 14:8 for Herodias prompting her daughter what to say. The Vulgate has narrabis, "you shall tell / recount." Targum Onkelos uses the Aramaic verb for "repeat" (תני, the root behind Mishnah and tanna, "repeater/teacher"). The early rabbinic commentary Sifre Deuteronomy plays on the "sharpen" sense: the words should be "sharp in your mouth", so that when someone asks you a question you answer at once without stammering.

Similar words

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 2

  1. Deuteronomy 6:7 וְשִׁנַּנְתָּ֣ם and you will repeat them

    And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

    Here: "And you shall sharpen them / drill them in." A verb used elsewhere for sharpening swords and arrows. In this intensive form it appears only here. The words of v. 6 are to be impressed on the children through sharp, deliberate repetition, the way an edge is put on a blade.

  2. Deuteronomy 32:41 שַׁנּוֹתִי֙ I sharpen

    when I sharpen My flashing sword, and My hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on My adversaries and repay those who hate Me.

    Here: 'I have whetted.' The completed form pictures the preparation as already done: the blade has been ground to an edge before the strike. The same verb describes tongues 'sharpened like swords' (Ps 64:3).

Psalms · 5

  1. Psalm 45:5 שְׁנ֫וּנִ֥ים [are] sharpened

    Your arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s foes; the nations fall beneath your feet.

    Here: A passive participle (a verb used like an adjective): "having been sharpened". The arrows have been whetted and are ready, so the line describes them as fit to kill. With no verb "are" in Hebrew, the clause is clipped, like a battle cry.

  2. Psalm 64:3 שָׁנְנ֣וּ they sharpen

    who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows,

    Here: "They have sharpened." The Hebrew form presents the action as done and ready: the blade is already honed before the attack begins. It suggests deliberate preparation, not a remark that slipped out.

  3. Psalm 73:21 אֶשְׁתּוֹנָֽן׃ I was pierced

    When my heart was grieved and I was pierced within,

  4. Psalm 120:4 שְׁנוּנִ֑ים sharpened

    Sharp arrows will come from the warrior, with burning coals of the broom tree!

    Here: "Sharpened": a passive form describing arrows that have been honed and are ready to wound. The same verb describes liars who 'sharpen their tongues' (Ps 64:3; 140:3), so the word ties the punishment closely to the sin.

  5. Psalm 140:3 שָֽׁנֲנ֣וּ they sharpen

    They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah

    Here: The word for putting an edge on a sword or arrow. The verb form presents it as something done and settled: 'they have whetted', a weapon readied ahead of time, which fits verse 2's men who 'stir up wars all day long'.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 25:18 שָׁנ֑וּן sharpened

    Like a club or sword or sharp arrow is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 5:28 שְׁנוּנִ֔ים [are] sharpened

    Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.