What does שִׁיר (šiyr) mean in the Bible?
שִׁיר (šiyr): Music as both liturgical act and expression of covenant joy, often celebrating God's mighty deeds
Hebrew · H7891
שִׁיר
To sing
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שִׁיר H7891
Pronunciation šiyr
What does שִׁיר (šiyr) mean in the Bible?
שִׁיר (šiyr): Music as both liturgical act and expression of covenant joy, often celebrating God's mighty deeds
Full entry for שִׁיר (H7891) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H7891?
The BSB source-word alignment has 87 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include Sing (15), I will sing (9), singers (7), The singers (6), for the singers (5).
Where does שִׁיר (šiyr) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 15:1. Its strongest book concentrations include Psalms (27), Nehemiah (17), 2 Chronicles (9), 1 Chronicles (8).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It Sing 15× Exodus 15:21, 1 Chronicles 16:9, 1 Chronicles 16:23, Psalms 33:3
I will sing 9× Exodus 15:1, Psalms 13:6, Psalms 27:6, Psalms 57:7
singers 7× 2 Chronicles 5:12, Ezra 7:7, Nehemiah 7:1, Nehemiah 7:73
The singers 6× 2 Chronicles 35:15, Ezra 2:41, Ezra 2:70, Ezra 10:24
for the singers 5× 1 Kings 10:12, 1 Chronicles 15:27, 2 Chronicles 9:11, Nehemiah 12:46
and female singers 2× 2 Chronicles 35:25, Ezra 2:65
and singers 2× 2 Chronicles 5:13, Nehemiah 13:10
sang 2× Exodus 15:1, Numbers 21:17
will sing 2× Judges 5:3, Psalms 59:16
. . . 1× Nehemiah 7:67
[and] sang 1× Psalms 106:12
[is] one who sings 1× Proverbs 25:20
[their] 1× Nehemiah 11:23
[they] 1× Nehemiah 12:29
along with the singers 1× Nehemiah 12:45
and the singers [stay] 1× Nehemiah 10:39
and women 1× 2 Samuel 19:35
as singers 1× 1 Chronicles 15:16
as well as the singers 1× 1 Chronicles 15:27
can we sing 1× Psalms 137:4
female singers 1× Ecclesiastes 2:8
have praised in song 1× Job 36:24
he sang 1× Psalms 7:1
male 1× Ezra 2:65
male and 1× Ecclesiastes 2:8
male and female singers 1× Nehemiah 7:67
musicians 1× 1 Chronicles 9:33
of singing men 1× 2 Samuel 19:35
sang this song 1× Judges 5:1
song 1× Psalms 144:9
the male 1× 2 Chronicles 35:25
The musicians 1× 1 Chronicles 15:19
the singer 1× 1 Chronicles 6:33
The singers were also 1× Nehemiah 12:28
Then the choirs 1× Nehemiah 12:42
they sing 1× Psalms 65:13
They will sing 1× Psalms 138:5
we will sing 1× Psalms 21:13
were singing 1× 2 Chronicles 29:28
while the singers 1× 2 Chronicles 23:13
who were the singers 1× Nehemiah 11:22
who would sing 1× 2 Chronicles 20:21
will be sung 1× Isaiah 26:1
will sound 1× Zephaniah 2:14
with singing 1× 1 Samuel 18:6
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 15:1 יָשִֽׁיר־ to sang Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Exodus 15:1 אָשִׁ֤ירָה to I will sing Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular Exodus 15:21 שִׁ֤ירוּ to Sing Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural Numbers 21:17 יָשִׁ֣יר to sang Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Judges 5:1 וַתָּ֣שַׁר to sang this song Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular Judges 5:3 אָשִׁ֔ירָה to will sing Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular 1 Samuel 18:6 לָשׁוּר to with singing Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct 2 Samuel 19:35 שָׁרִ֣ים to of singing men Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural 2 Samuel 19:35 וְשָׁר֑וֹת to and women Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine plural 1 Kings 10:12 לַשָּׁרִ֑ים to for the singers Preposition-l, Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Exodus 15:1
Aligned rows 87
Books represented 18
Exodus 3 Numbers 1 Judges 2 1 Samuel 1 2 Samuel 2 1 Kings 1 1 Chronicles 8 2 Chronicles 9 Ezra 6 Nehemiah 17 Job 1 Psalms 27 Proverbs 1 Ecclesiastes 2 Isaiah 3 Jeremiah 1 Ezekiel 1 Zephaniah 1
Source forms
שִׁ֤ירוּ 5x šî·rū Exodus 15:21, 1 Chronicles 16:9, 1 Chronicles 16:23, Psalms 98:1
הַמְשֹׁ֣רְרִ֔ים 4x ham·šō·rə·rîm 1 Chronicles 15:16, Nehemiah 11:22, Nehemiah 12:42, Nehemiah 12:46
וְהַמְשֹׁרְרִ֖ים 4x wə·ham·šō·rə·rîm Nehemiah 7:1, Nehemiah 12:45, Nehemiah 13:5, Nehemiah 13:10
שִׁ֣ירוּ 4x šî·rū Psalms 68:32, Psalms 96:1, Psalms 96:2, Psalms 149:1
אָשִׁ֥ירָה 3x ’ā·šî·rāh Psalms 13:6, Psalms 27:6, Psalms 108:1
אָשִׁ֤ירָה 2x ’ā·šî·rāh Exodus 15:1, Isaiah 5:1
אָשִׁ֑ירָה 2x ’ā·šî·rāh Psalms 89:1, Psalms 101:1
אָשִׁ֣ירָה 2x ’ā·šî·rāh Psalms 104:33, Psalms 144:9
Parsing patterns
Article | Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural 15x 1 Chronicles 9:33, 1 Chronicles 15:16, 1 Chronicles 15:27, 2 Chronicles 5:12
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural 15x Exodus 15:21, 1 Chronicles 16:9, 1 Chronicles 16:23, Psalms 33:3
Conjunctive waw, Article | Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural 12x 1 Chronicles 15:19, 1 Chronicles 15:27, 2 Chronicles 23:13, 2 Chronicles 35:15
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular 11x Exodus 15:1, Judges 5:3, Psalms 13:6, Psalms 27:6
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural 4x 2 Samuel 19:35, Psalms 68:25, Ecclesiastes 2:8, Ezekiel 40:44
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural 3x 2 Chronicles 20:21, Ezra 2:65, Nehemiah 7:67
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Participle - feminine plural 2x Ezra 2:65, Nehemiah 7:67
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine plural 2x 2 Samuel 19:35, Ecclesiastes 2:8
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Music as both liturgical act and expression of covenant joy, often celebrating God's mighty deeds
Strong's H7891
Lexical occurrences 88 verses Word forms 3 forms 45 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Proverbs 25:20 Source Gloss
to sing
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Music as both liturgical act and expression of covenant joy, often celebrating God's mighty deeds
to sing BDB: sing Usage: behold (by mistake for 7789), sing(-er, -ing man, -ing woman).
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 3 Aligned forms 45
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 38×
Sequential imperfect 1Chr 16:9 · 1Chr 16:23 · Exod 15:21 · Isa 42:10 · Jer 20:13 · Ps 33:3 · Ps 68:5 · Ps 68:33 · Ps 96:1 · Ps 96:2 · Ps 98:1 · Ps 105:2 · Ps 137:3 · Ps 149:1 15×
Cohortative Exod 15:1 · Isa 5:1 · Judg 5:3 · Ps 13:6 · Ps 27:6 · Ps 57:8 · Ps 89:2 · Ps 101:1 · Ps 104:33 · Ps 108:2 · Ps 144:9 · Ps 21:14 12×
Imperfect Exod 15:1 · Num 21:17 · Ps 65:14 · Ps 106:12 · Ps 59:17 · Ps 137:4 6×
Participle active 2Sam 19:36 · Eccl 2:8 · Ezek 40:44 · Ps 68:26 4×
Perfect Ps 7:1 1×
Polel 6×
Participle active 2Chr 20:21 · 2Chr 29:28 · Ezra 2:65 · Neh 7:67 4×
Perfect Job 36:24 1×
Imperfect Zeph 2:14 1×
Hophal causative passive — the subject is caused to perform the action 1×
Imperfect Isa 26:1 1×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
inappropriate or untimely singing as counterproductive to emotional context
Showing 1 selected witness from 88 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
שִׁיר is built from this root:
שׁוּר H7788
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain