סִיוָן (si.van)
si.van
Sivan
N:N--TQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--T
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun siwan names the third month of the Jewish civil year, typically falling in May or June. Its etymology is often linked to the Akkadian word for "covering," a reference likely connected to the protective shade provided by early summer heat or the harvest canopy.
Despite its place in the calendar, this name appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, in Esther 8:9. The text records that royal scribes were summoned on the thirtieth day of this month to draft decrees for the Jewish people. This specific timing anchors the narrative’s turning point, marking the moment legal protection replaced the earlier threat of destruction.
Translators consistently render siwan as "Sivan," preserving the proper noun without attempting to translate its root meaning into English. The word serves primarily as a chronological marker in the Book of Esther, highlighting the precise administrative actions taken during that spring season.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The name Sivan appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, anchoring a pivotal moment in the Book of Esther. It marks the third month of the Jewish civil year, usually falling in late spring. In this context, it is not just a date on a calendar but the specific time when royal scribes drafted decrees to protect the Jewish people from destruction.
This single mention reminds us that God works through ordinary details like months and administrative orders. When threats seem overwhelming, divine protection can arrive through precise timing and human agents. The word Sivan stands as a quiet witness to how history unfolds under God’s sovereign care, turning moments of danger into opportunities for deliverance.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Sivan1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- סִיוָ֗ן1×
Key Verses
-
Esther 8:9
Then the king’s scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month Sivan, on the twenty-third day of the month; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews, and to the local governors, and the governors and princes of the provinces which are from India to Ethiopia, one hundred twenty-seven provinces, to every province according to its writing, and to every people in their language, and to the Jews in their writing, and in their language.
This verse uses Sivan to pinpoint the exact day legal protection was granted, shifting the narrative from impending doom to safety.