Hebrew word · Strong's H8064

שָׁמַיִם

shâmayim · shaw-mah'-yim · noun · “heavens, sky”

In a sentence

Shamayim is the heavens — sky and the dwelling-place of God. The Bible’s first verse pairs the heavens and the earth as the whole of God’s good creation.

Shamayim is always plural in form — the heavens. It covers the visible sky and the “heaven of heavens,” the dwelling place of God.

Genesis 1:1 sets the scene with shamayim and eretz; the Psalms revel in the shamayim declaring God’s glory; Revelation closes with a new shamayim. The Bible loves a sky that points to its Maker.

Strong's reference

Definition: the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve)

KJV usage: air, [idiom] astrologer, heaven(-s).

Reference gloss from Strong's Concordance (1890, public domain).

Key verses BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Psalms 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” Isaiah 65:17 “For behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.”

Original BibleDawn word study. Original-language data and the public-domain Strong's (1890) gloss are referenced; see sources.