Shaneh, “Years,” Strong’s H8141

The first occurrence

And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.” Gen 1:14

The primitive root

Strong’s H8141 שנה shaneh, an abstract concept meaning, “year;” from Strong’s H8138 שנה  shanah, a primitive root meaning, “to repeat.” The 3-letter root is shin + nun + hey.

shin  ש = two front teeth, thus sharp, press, eat, two, again
nun נ ן = the seed, thus continue, heir, son
hey ה = man with upraised arms, thus look, reveal, wonder, worship, breath

The story: Something happened once, and now a second (shin) time, so that it continues (nun) to be evident (hey, in the sense of being pointed out). The connection of “year” to “repeat” is that the cycles of the year repeat, year after year.

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