Original Word: שְׁנָא
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: shna'
Pronunciation: shay-naw'
Phonetic Spelling: (shen-aw')
NASB: changed, different, grew pale, altered, change, changes, damaged
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H8132 (שָׁנָא - changed)]

1. alter, change, (be) diverse

alter, change, be diverse

(Aramaic) corresponding to shana -- alter, change, (be) diverse.

see HEBREW shana

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to shana
Definition
to change
NASB Translation
altered (1), change (1), changed (5), changes (1), damaged (1), different (5), grew even paler (1), grew pale (2), make alterations (1), pale (1), violates (1), violating (1).

Overview

The term appears twenty-one times, exclusively in the Aramaic sections of Ezra and Daniel, serving as the primary vocabulary for the idea of “change,” whether describing a person’s appearance, a royal decree, the course of history, or the very laws of creation. Through its varied settings, Scripture develops a theology of change that exalts God’s sovereign right to alter what He wills while warning against creaturely attempts to tamper with what He has ordained.

Occurrences in Ezra and Daniel

1. Royal edicts: Ezra 6:11-12; Daniel 3:28; 6:8, 6:15, 6:17 highlight the gravity of “altering” a decree once sealed. The Persian and Median legal systems serve as backdrops for showing the inviolability of covenant and promise.
2. Personal appearance and emotion: Daniel 3:19; 5:6, 5:9, 5:10; 7:28 portray kings and prophets whose “countenance was changed,” illustrating how sudden divine intervention exposes human frailty.
3. Cosmic and political shifts: Daniel 2:21; 7:3, 7:7, 7:19, 7:23, 7:24 announce epochal transitions among kingdoms and empires.
4. Moral rebellion: Daniel 7:25 looks ahead to an antichrist figure who “will intend to change times and law,” an ultimate but futile clash with divine order.
5. Creaturely transformation: Daniel 4:16 records Nebuchadnezzar’s mind “changed from that of a man, and a beast’s mind was given to him,” a vivid chastening that underscores God’s lordship over identity itself.
6. Providential protection: Daniel 3:27 documents that after the fiery furnace, “the smell of fire had not even changed upon them,” revealing that when God delivers, no residual damage remains.

Divine Sovereignty Over Change

Daniel 2:21 declares, “He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them.” God alone possesses absolute authority to redirect history, re-order governments, and reshape circumstances. Every subsequent instance of alteration in the narrative flows out of, or is contrasted with, this foundational confession.

The Immutability of Divine Decrees

In Ezra 6:11-12 a death-sentence is affixed to anyone who would “alter” the temple decree, illustrating that what God has authorized through His appointed rulers carries binding force. Likewise, the irrevocable laws of the Medes and Persians in Daniel 6 spotlight the even greater unchangeableness of God’s covenant promises (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 6:17-18). Human edicts can only imitate, never surpass, the firmness of divine pronouncement.

Human Changeability and Moral Consequence

Nebuchadnezzar’s shifting visage (Daniel 3:19) and later beast-mind (Daniel 4:16) expose the instability of pride. Belshazzar’s changing countenance and trembling knees (Daniel 5:6, 5:9) illustrate conscience awakened under judgment. Daniel, by contrast, experiences an inward turmoil (Daniel 7:28) yet remains steadfast in faith, modeling righteous response to overwhelming revelation.

Prophetic Vision of Eschatological Change

Daniel 7 foresees four “different” beasts, culminating in a final ruler who seeks to “change times and law” (Daniel 7:25). The attempt to re-engineer worship calendars and moral standards anticipates eschatological rebellion. Yet “the court will convene, and his dominion will be taken away” (Daniel 7:26), guaranteeing that any creaturely effort to overturn divine order is temporary.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Preaching: Emphasize that only God effects true, righteous change; counterfeit alterations lead to ruin.
• Counseling: Point discouraged believers to Daniel 2:21—seasons shift by God’s design, so present trials are not permanent.
• Corporate worship: Use Ezra 6 to affirm God’s faithfulness to complete what He begins, encouraging perseverance in congregational mission.

Christological Foreshadowing

The word’s tension between mutability and immutability anticipates the mystery of the Incarnation. In taking on flesh, the Son entered the realm of change without surrendering divine constancy (Hebrews 13:8). He fulfilled the law rather than altering it, providing the ultimate demonstration that transformative power belongs to God alone.

Summary

שְׁנָא weaves through Ezra and Daniel as a thematic thread linking royal decrees, personal destinies, and cosmic history. It calls readers to trust the God who changes times yet remains unchanged Himself, warns against presumption in opposing His statutes, and invites participation in the redemptive transformation He alone grants.

אֶשְׁתַּנִּ֔י אשתני יְהַשְׁנֵא֙ יְשַׁנּ֔וֹן יִשְׁנֵא֙ יִשְׁתַּנֵּ֑א יִשְׁתַּנּ֣וֹן יִשְׁתַּנּֽוֹ׃ יהשנא ישנא ישנון ישתנא ישתנו׃ ישתנון לְהַשְׁנָיָ֛ה לְהַשְׁנָיָֽה׃ לְהַשְׁנָיָה֙ להשניה להשניה׃ מְהַשְׁנֵ֤א מְשַׁנְּיָ֗ה מהשנא משניה שְׁנ֑וֹ שְׁנ֔וֹהִי שַׁנִּ֔יו שָֽׁנְיָ֖ה שָׁנְיָ֖ן שָׁנַ֣יִן שנו שנוהי שניה שניו שנין תִשְׁנֵ֖א תִשְׁנֵ֥א תשנא ’eš·tan·nî ’eštannî eshtanNi lə·haš·nā·yāh lehashnaYah ləhašnāyāh mə·haš·nê mə·šan·nə·yāh mehashNe məhašnê məšannəyāh meshanneYah šā·na·yin šā·nə·yāh šā·nə·yān šan·nîw šānayin šānəyāh šānəyān šannîw šə·nō·w·hî šə·nōw šənōw šənōwhî shaNayin shaneYah shaneYan shanNiv sheNo sheNohi ṯiš·nê tishNe ṯišnê yə·haš·nê yə·šan·nō·wn yehashNe yəhašnê yəšannōwn yeshanNon yiš·nê yiš·tan·nê yiš·tan·nō·wn yiš·tan·nōw yishNe yishtanNe yishtanNo yishtanNon yišnê yištannê yištannōw yištannōwnInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts