Original Word: שֵׁנִי
Part of Speech: Noun
Transliteration: sheniy
Pronunciation: shay-nee'
Phonetic Spelling: (shay-nee')
KJV: again, either (of them), (an-)other, second (time)
NASB: second, other, second time, another, more, next, again
Word Origin: [from H8138 (שָׁנָה - second time)]

1. (properly) second (the ordinal number)
2. (adverbially) again
3. (by implication) another, other (being distinct from something prior)

again, either of them, another, second time

From shanah; properly, double, i.e. Second; also adverbially, again -- again, either (of them), (an-)other, second (time).

see HEBREW shanah

Word Origin
from shanah
Definition
second (an ord. number)
NASB Translation
again (2), another (8), another thing (1), besides (1), both (1), dependent (1), more (3), next (3), other (30), second (87), second time (19), two (2).

שֵׁנִי masculine שֵׁנִית feminine₁₅₇

adjective ordinal number second; — בַּיּוֺם הַשֵּׁנִי Exodus 2:13 +, etc. (שֵׁנִי82t. + Nehemiah 3:30, read שֵׁנִית; read וְהַשֵּׁנִי also 1 Chronicles 6:13 for ושני); בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית Genesis 47:18 +, etc. (שֵׁנִית72t. + Nehemiah 3:30 see above), ׳שִׁבְעַת יָמִים שׁ Leviticus 13:5; Leviticus 13:93; Leviticus 13:54 a second heptad of days; שֵׁנִית = a second time Genesis 22:15 16t. + (= again, of similar — not identical — act, or another point in a series) Ezekiel 4:6; Malachi 2:13, וְהַשֵּׁנִית 2 Samuel 16:19; masculine plural שְׁנִיִּם Numbers 2:16 they shall set out as second, but Genesis 6:16 second stories (in ark).

תנא (ᵑ7 Syriac; = Biblical Hebrew II. שָׁנָה, שְׁנַיִם, שֵׁנִי).

General Scope of the Word

The term denotes “second” in sequence, order, or reiteration. It is used for days, months, years, lots, gates, ranks, chariots, and repeated acts or speeches. Its 157 Old Testament occurrences underline God’s orderly structuring of time, worship, governance, and narrative testimony.

Creation and Foundations

Genesis opens with the term: “And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day” (Genesis 1:8). By marking the second day, Scripture embeds numerical order in the fabric of creation itself, affirming that chronology is not arbitrary but divinely decreed. The pattern of evening followed by morning continues the theme of light overcoming darkness, a truth echoed throughout redemptive history.

Sacred Calendar and Feasts

1. Second Month
• Genesis 7:11; 8:14 situate key flood events in the second month, linking the reset of the world to the number two—judgment then renewal.
• Exodus 16:1 dates the arrival at the Wilderness of Sin to the fifteenth day of the second month, introducing manna and Sabbath regulations.
• Numbers 1:1 begins the census “on the first day of the second month,” connecting covenant order to national identity.

2. Second Passover (Pesach Sheni)
• Numbers 9:6-14 institutes a gracious provision: “In the second month, on the fourteenth day at twilight, they are to celebrate it” (Numbers 9:11). Those ceremonially unclean or on a journey received a second opportunity to worship. The concept resurfaces in Hezekiah’s revival: “They decided to observe the Passover in the second month” (2 Chronicles 30:2). Scripture thus presents the “second” as a token of divine mercy, welcoming the excluded into covenant fellowship.

3. Temple Reconstruction
• Solomon began building “in the second month of the fourth year of his reign” (1 Kings 6:1).
• After exile, “in the second month of the second year,” the returned remnant laid the foundation (Ezra 3:8). The restored house follows the same divine timetable, linking first and second temples in prophetic continuity (Haggai 2:9).

Wilderness Journey and Covenant Law

Repeated commands often arrive “a second time,” emphasizing God’s patience with His people (e.g., Exodus 34:1; Numbers 22:20). The motif culminates in Deuteronomy, literally a “second law,” where Moses repeats and applies earlier statutes before Israel enters the land.

Governance, Military, and Civil Order

1. Royal Administration
• Pharaoh placed Joseph in the “second chariot” (Genesis 41:43), illustrating delegated authority under sovereignty—a pattern later fulfilled when Christ, exalted to the Father’s right hand, rules as the greater “Joseph.”

2. Military Rotations
• David organized his army into monthly courses; Dodai commanded the “second division” (1 Chronicles 27:4).
• Jehoiada staged a coup with priests serving on Sabbaths in thirds, including the “second gate” (2 Kings 11:5-6). The “second” ensures continuity and readiness in national defense.

3. Levitical Service
• Musicians, porters, and treasurers served by lots; Asaph’s family drew the “second” (1 Chronicles 25:9). The order underscores both giftedness and submission to divine assignment.

Narrative Reinforcement and Witness

Scripture frequently notes when the word of the LORD comes “a second time” (e.g., 1 Kings 19:7; Jeremiah 33:1; Jonah 3:1). The repetition functions as confirmation: “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15). God’s self-attestation through a second address validates His unwavering purpose and summons the hearer to obedient faith.

Prophetic and Eschatological Echoes

Zechariah’s visions include “the second chariot” (Zechariah 6:1-8), depicting successive world empires under divine sovereignty. Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s statue, where “another kingdom, inferior to yours,” is the second (Daniel 2:39). Both passages affirm that human power rises and falls in fixed succession until the everlasting kingdom of the Messiah prevails.

Christological Patterns

Though the Hebrew text does not use this specific ordinal for Christ, the Old Testament’s recurring “second” anticipates New Testament fulfillment:

• The “second” opportunity for Passover foreshadows the once-for-all Passover Lamb who secures access for the unclean and distant (Hebrews 10:19-22).
• The “second man” and “last Adam” language of 1 Corinthians 15:45-47 draws typological weight from the Old Testament’s rhythm of first and second, promise and fulfillment.
• The rebuilt “second” temple sets the stage for the incarnate Word to enter His Father’s house (Malachi 3:1; John 2:19-21) and points forward to the eschatological temple of Revelation 21:22.

Theological Reflections

1. Order and Continuity: By numbering, Scripture teaches that God is a God of order (1 Corinthians 14:33).
2. Mercy and Inclusion: The provision of a second chance in Passover underscores grace without undermining holiness.
3. Confirmation and Certainty: A matter established “a second time” reassures believers of the reliability of divine revelation.
4. Typology and Fulfillment: The recurring “second” motif propels anticipation toward the consummate realities in Christ—new covenant, new creation, second coming.

Key Clusters of Usage for Further Study

• Genesis 1:8; 7:11; 8:14; 41:43
• Exodus 16:1; 34:1
• Numbers 9:1-14; 1:1; 10:6
• 1 Kings 6:1; 19:7
• 2 Kings 11:5-6
• 2 Chronicles 30:2-13; 30:15
• Ezra 3:8
• Jeremiah 33:1
• Jonah 3:1
• Zechariah 6:1-8

See Also

Ordinal numbers in Scripture; Passover; Temple; Witness; Typology.

בַּשֵּׁנִ֔י בשני הַשֵּׁנִ֑י הַשֵּׁנִ֑ית הַשֵּׁנִ֔י הַשֵּׁנִ֔ית הַשֵּׁנִ֖י הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית הַשֵּׁנִ֗י הַשֵּׁנִ֗ית הַשֵּׁנִ֛י הַשֵּׁנִ֛ית הַשֵּׁנִ֜י הַשֵּׁנִ֜ית הַשֵּׁנִ֡י הַשֵּׁנִ֣י הַשֵּׁנִ֨י הַשֵּׁנִֽי׃ הַשֵּׁנִֽית׃ הַשֵּׁנִי֒ הַשֵּׁנִי֙ השני השני׃ השנית השנית׃ וְהַשֵּׁנִ֗ית וּשְׁנִיִּ֖ם והשנית ושנים שְׁנִיִּ֥ם שְׂפָת֜וֹ שֵׁנִ֑י שֵׁנִ֑ית שֵׁנִ֔י שֵׁנִ֔ית שֵׁנִ֖י שֵׁנִ֖ית שֵׁנִ֗ית שֵׁנִ֜י שֵׁנִ֜ית שֵׁנִ֣ית שֵׁנִ֥י שֵׁנִ֥ית שֵׁנִֽי׃ שֵׁנִֽית׃ שֵׁנִי֒ שֵׁנִי֙ שֵׁנִית֒ שֵׁנִית֙ שני שני׃ שנים שנית שנית׃ שפתו baš·šê·nî bashsheNi baššênî haš·šê·nî haš·šê·nîṯ hashsheNi hashsheNit haššênî haššênîṯ šê·nî šə·nî·yim šê·nîṯ śə·p̄ā·ṯōw sefaTo šênî šênîṯ šənîyim śəp̄āṯōw sheNi sheNit sheniYim ū·šə·nî·yim ūšənîyim usheniYim vehashsheNit wə·haš·šê·nîṯ wəhaššênîṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts