שַׁ֫חַר (sha.char)
sha.char
dawn
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 17 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew word shaḥar refers to the first light of day, marking the transition from night to morning. It appears seventeen times in the Old Testament, often serving as a narrative marker for new beginnings or urgent action. In Job 7:2, for instance, the servant longs for evening just as the slave waits for shade, highlighting how shaḥar signals a shift in labor and rest.
Its usage carries theological weight beyond simple chronology. Prophets like Hosea use it to describe hope that arrives with the morning (Hosea 6:3), while Isaiah employs it to depict God’s judgment coming swiftly as daybreak (Isaiah 21:11-12). The word implies a visible, tangible change in the world, moving from darkness into clarity.
Translators typically render shaḥar as "dawn" or "morning," capturing its sense of arrival. Unlike general terms for day, it specifically denotes the threshold moment when light breaks. This precision allows biblical authors to use the time of dawn as a metaphor for divine intervention or inevitable change, grounding spiritual truths in the observable rhythm of nature.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word shaḥar marks the quiet shift from night to morning, when darkness yields to light. In Scripture, this moment is more than a time of day; it signals new beginnings and urgent action. When Lot’s angels urged him to leave Sodom at dawn, they highlighted how God’s mercy often arrives with the first light, offering escape before judgment falls.
Prophets like Hosea use this imagery to describe hope that returns with the morning. Just as the sun rises reliably, God’s presence is promised to come again, bringing healing and restoration. This rhythm reminds us that even in long nights of struggle, a new day is always on its way. The transition from dark to light becomes a metaphor for divine intervention, grounding our faith in the observable rhythms of nature.
Whether reflecting on Job’s longing for rest or Isaiah’s promise of healing, shaḥar invites us to look forward with trust. It suggests that clarity and relief are not distant dreams but imminent realities. As we face our own seasons of uncertainty, this word encourages a patient hope, knowing that the dawn will break.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 17 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ dawn6×
- dawn4×
- to charm away/ it1×
- like/ dawn1×
- like/ [the] dawn1×
- like the/ dawn1×
- at <the>/ dawn1×
- [the] dawn1×
- <of> dawn1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- שָׁ֑חַר3×
- שָֽׁחַר\׃2×
- כְּ/שַׁ֖חַר2×
- הַ/שַּׁ֣חַר2×
- שַׁחְרָ֔/הּ1×
- שַׁ֙חַר֙1×
- כַּ/שַּׁ֙חַר֙1×
- הַ/שָּֽׁחַר\׃1×
- הַ/שַּׁ֙חַר֙1×
- הַ/שַּׁ֖חַר1×
- הַ/שַּׁ֔חַר1×
- בַּ/שַּׁ֕חַר1×
Key Verses
-
Hosea 6:3
Let’s acknowledge Yahweh. Let’s press on to know Yahweh. As surely as the sun rises, Yahweh will appear. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain that waters the earth.”
This verse uses the rising sun as a metaphor for God's reliable and imminent appearance, linking the natural certainty of dawn to spiritual restoration.
-
Genesis 19:15
When the morning came, then the angels hurried Lot, saying, “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city.”
Here, dawn serves as the urgent signal for divine rescue, marking the precise moment when Lot must act to escape judgment.
-
Isaiah 58:8
Then your light will break out as the morning, and your healing will appear quickly; then your righteousness shall go before you, and Yahweh’s glory will be your rear guard.
The prophet describes healing breaking out like morning light, using shaḥar to illustrate how God’s righteousness becomes visible and active in the believer's life.
-
Job 38:12
“Have you commanded the morning in your days, and caused the dawn to know its place,
God questions Job about commanding the dawn, emphasizing His sovereign power over the natural order and the transition from night to day.