Strong's H8040 · Hebrew
שְׂמֹאול
sᵉmôʼwl · /sem-ole'/
Definition
properly, dark (as enveloped), i.e. the north; hence (by orientation), the left hand
KJV: left (hand, side).
Root / derivation: or שְׂמֹאל; a primitive word (rather perhaps from the same as H8071 (שִׂמְלָה) (by insertion of the aleph) through the idea of wrapping up);
KJV usage breakdown
How the Authorized (KJV) translators rendered שְׂמֹאול across 53 verses.
Every occurrence (KJV)
53 verses use this word, grouped by book — the translated form is highlighted.
Genesis5 verses
Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
Genesis 14:15And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
Genesis 24:49And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
Genesis 48:13And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.
Genesis 48:14And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
Exodus2 verses
And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
Exodus 14:29But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
Numbers2 verses
Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.
Numbers 22:26And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
Deuteronomy5 verses
Let me pass through thy land: I will go along by the high way, I will neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left.
Deuteronomy 5:32Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
Deuteronomy 17:11According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.
Deuteronomy 17:20That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
Deuteronomy 28:14And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
Joshua3 verses
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. prosper: or, do wisely
Joshua 19:27And turneth toward the sunrising to Bethdagon, and reacheth to Zebulun, and to the valley of Jiphthahel toward the north side of Bethemek, and Neiel, and goeth out to Cabul on the left hand,
Joshua 23:6Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;
Judges3 verses
And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:
Judges 7:20And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
Judges 16:29And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. on which: or, he leaned on them
2 Samuel3 verses
And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. from: Heb. from after Abner
2 Samuel 2:21And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him. armour: or, spoil
2 Samuel 16:6And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.
1 Kings3 verses
And he put five bases on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house: and he set the sea on the right side of the house eastward over against the south. side: Heb. shoulder
1 Kings 7:49And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold,
1 Kings 22:19And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
2 Kings2 verses
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
2 Kings 23:8And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba, and brake down the high places of the gates that were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city.
1 Chronicles1 verse
2 Chronicles6 verses
And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz. Jachin: that is, He shall establish Boaz: that is, In it is strength
2 Chronicles 4:6He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them: such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in. such: Heb. the work of burnt offering
2 Chronicles 4:7And he made ten candlesticks of gold according to their form, and set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.
2 Chronicles 4:8He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right side, and five on the left. And he made an hundred basons of gold. basons: or, bowls
2 Chronicles 18:18Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the LORD; I saw the LORD sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left.
2 Chronicles 34:2And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.
Proverbs2 verses
Ecclesiastes1 verse
Song of Solomon2 verses
Isaiah2 verses
And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm: snatch: Heb cut
Isaiah 54:3For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
Ezekiel3 verses
As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.
Ezekiel 16:46And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. thy younger: Heb. lesser than thou
Ezekiel 39:3And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
Zechariah3 verses
And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
Zechariah 4:11Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
Zechariah 12:6In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.
Topics that use this word
Frequently asked questions
What does Strong's H8040 (sᵉmôʼwl) mean?
properly, dark (as enveloped), i.e. the north; hence (by orientation), the left hand
How many times does H8040 appear in the Bible?
Strong's H8040 (שְׂמֹאול) appears in 53 verses of the King James Version, most often translated “left.”
How is sᵉmôʼwl translated in the KJV?
In the KJV, Strong's H8040 is rendered as “left” (36×), “hand” (17×), “side” (1×).
Where does the Hebrew word שְׂמֹאול come from?
or שְׂמֹאל; a primitive word (rather perhaps from the same as H8071 (שִׂמְלָה) (by insertion of the aleph) through the idea of wrapping up);