שָׁעַן (sha.an)
sha.an
to lean
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 18 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb sha’an describes the physical act of leaning or resting one’s weight against something for support. In the Old Testament, it appears eighteen times, with a significant concentration in Isaiah, II Chronicles, and II Kings. The word captures the simple, tangible reality of relying on an external object to stay upright or stable.
While its basic meaning is physical, the text frequently uses it as a metaphor for spiritual dependence. In this figurative sense, it describes trusting in God or, conversely, placing confidence in human power. For example, Isaiah contrasts those who lean on the Lord with those who trust in foreign alliances or military strength, highlighting that true stability comes from divine support rather than earthly might.
Translators often render this word as "trust" or "rely," though these English terms can feel abstract. The original Hebrew retains a sense of physical posture and weight-bearing. This imagery reminds readers that faith is not merely an intellectual agreement but a posture of rest and reliance, where the believer’s stability depends entirely on the strength of what they are leaning upon.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word sha’an describes the physical act of leaning your full weight against a support to stay upright. It is not a passive rest, but an active reliance where stability depends entirely on what holds you up. In Scripture, this posture becomes a powerful picture of faith. When we lean on God, we acknowledge that our own strength is insufficient and that true safety comes from His unshakeable presence.
Proverbs 3:5 invites us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding. This does not mean abandoning wisdom, but recognizing that human insight has limits. When life feels unstable or uncertain, we are invited to rest our weight on God’s character rather than our circumstances. This kind of faith brings peace because it rests on a foundation that cannot fail.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 18 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they depend2×
- [was] leaning2×
- you depended1×
- you depend1×
- to/ depend1×
- they depended1×
- so/ he may support himself1×
- so/ I may lean1×
- he supports himself1×
- because/ depending/ you1×
- and/ you have depended1×
- and/ support yourself1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- נִשְׁעָ֣ן2×
- תִּשָּׁעֵֽן\׃1×
- נִשְׁעָ֨ן1×
- נִשְׁעָ֤ן1×
- נִשְׁעַ֙נְתָּ֙1×
- נִשְׁעֲנ֔וּ1×
- לְ/הִשָּׁעֵ֖ן1×
- יִשָּׁעֵ֣נוּ1×
- יִשָּׁעֵ֣ן1×
- יִשָּׁעֵ֑נוּ1×
- וּ/בְ/הִשָּֽׁעֶנְ/ךָ֥1×
- וַ/תִּֽשָּׁעֲנ֖וּ1×
Key Verses
-
Proverbs 3:5
Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding.
This verse contrasts leaning on human understanding with trusting God, showing that sha’an implies a posture of total reliance rather than partial support.
-
Isaiah 10:20
It will come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and those who have escaped from the house of Jacob will no more again lean on him who struck them, but shall lean on Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
Here the remnant of Israel turns from leaning on their oppressors to leaning on Yahweh, highlighting the word’s use for spiritual redirection and true security.
-
II Chronicles 16:7
At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him, “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on Yahweh your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped out of your hand.
The prophet Hanani rebukes King Asa for relying on Syria instead of God, demonstrating that sha’an carries moral weight regarding where we place our ultimate confidence.
-
Isaiah 30:12
Therefore the Holy One of Israel says, “Because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and rely on it,
God warns that trusting in oppression and perverseness is a dangerous form of leaning that leads to ruin rather than stability.