Original Word: שְׁנָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: shnah
Pronunciation: shay-naw'
Phonetic Spelling: (shen-aw')
NASB: year, years
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H8141 (שָׁנֶה שָׁנָה - years)]

1. year

year

(Aramaic) corresponding to shaneh -- year.

see HEBREW shaneh

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to shanah
Definition
a year
NASB Translation
age* (1), year (5), years (1).

I. [שְׁנָה] noun feminine year (see Biblical Hebrew שָׁנָה, √ I. [שָׁנָה]); — construct חֲדָה ׃שְׁנַת ׳שׁ = first year Ezra 5:13; Ezra 6:3; Daniel 7:1; תַּרְתֵּין ׳שׁ Ezra 4:24 second year; שֵׁת ׳שׁ Ezra 6:15; plural ׳שְׁנִין שִׁתִּין וְת Daniel 6:1 62years; שַׂגִּיאָן ׳שׁ Ezra 5:11. — I.[[שְׁנָה ] see ישׁן.

Overview of Usage

שְׁנָה appears only seven times and exclusively inside the Aramaic narrative sections of Ezra and Daniel. In each case it functions as the ordinary word for “year” or “years,” anchoring the accounts in real history and providing a chronological backbone for God’s redemptive activity after the exile.

Ezra: Dating the Re-establishment of Temple Worship

1. Delayed Work and Renewed Momentum (Ezra 4:24; 5:11)
• Ezra 4:24: “Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.”
• The term marks a pause of roughly fifteen years, underscoring how opposition can slow, but never thwart, God’s plan.
• Ezra 5:11 recalls that the first Temple had been built “many years ago,” linking the post-exilic builders with Solomon’s original project and emphasizing continuity in covenant worship.

2. Decrees That Shaped History (Ezra 5:13; 6:3)
• Cyrus’ “first year” decree (Ezra 5:13; 6:3) fulfills Isaiah’s earlier prophecy (Isaiah 44:28–45:1) and sets the legal foundation for the return.
• שְׁנָה identifies the opening year of a monarch’s reign, showing how God controls royal timetables to advance His purposes.

3. Completion under Darius (Ezra 6:15)
• “This house was completed … in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.”
• Precise dating provides a concrete testimony that the Temple stood again exactly seventy years after its destruction (Jeremiah 25:11), confirming divine faithfulness to covenant promises.

Daniel: A Prophetic Clock in a Gentile Court

1. Transition of Empires (Daniel 5:31)
• “Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.”
• שְׁנָה records the exact age of a new ruler, reminding readers that human kingdoms rise and fall under God’s sovereign oversight (Daniel 2:21).

2. The First Year of Belshazzar (Daniel 7:1)
• Daniel’s apocalyptic dream is timestamped: “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon.”
• The dating not only authenticates the vision historically but also places it chronologically before the narrative of Daniel 5, revealing the chiastic structure of the book and reinforcing its thematic center—God’s everlasting dominion.

Chronological Precision and Scriptural Reliability

• Repeated use of שְׁנָה in royal formulas (“first year,” “second year,” “sixth year”) allows biblical chronology to dovetail with extrabiblical Persian and Babylonian records.
• These synchronisms strengthen confidence that the biblical account is rooted in factual events, not myth, and invite believers to study archaeology and history without fear of contradiction.

Theology of Time

• Time is presented as a servant of God’s covenant agenda. Whether the years signify delay (Ezra 4), decree (Ezra 5–6), or dominion shifts (Daniel 5–7), each instance displays the truth that “the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind” (Daniel 4:32).
• The word’s scarcity—appearing only where God intervenes dramatically in Gentile political history—magnifies the message that every year belongs to Him.

Ministry Implications

• Patience in Kingdom Work: Periods when progress seems halted (Ezra 4:24) are not wasted; they prepare hearts and circumstances for future obedience.
• Faith in Prophetic Timelines: Just as seventy years were literally completed, so future promises—Christ’s return, resurrection, and final judgment—will come to pass at divinely appointed times.
• Encouragement for Leadership: God raises faithful servants (Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Daniel) in every generation, proving that age or political setting does not limit usefulness.

Key References

Ezra 4:24; Ezra 5:11, 13; Ezra 6:3, 15

Daniel 5:31; Daniel 7:1

בִּשְׁנַ֣ת בִּשְׁנַ֨ת בשנת שְׁנִ֖ין שְׁנִ֣ין שְׁנַ֣ת שְׁנַת־ שנין שנת שנת־ biš·naṯ bishNat bišnaṯ šə·naṯ šə·naṯ- šə·nîn šənaṯ šənaṯ- šənîn sheNat sheNinInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts