she.ma denotes hearing sounds and receiving reports, with one clause describing gods that do not hear.

The attested use most often concerns hearing a musical sound, whether as the signal for required action or as a capacity denied to idols. It also occurs in first-person statements of having received information about a person.

1. Hearing a sound · dominant

   In Daniel 3:5 and Daniel 3:15, Qal imperfect plural forms occur in the condition introduced by hearing the listed instruments before falling down; the APB renders the clause “when you hear the sound.” Daniel 3:7 uses a Qal active participle when the peoples hear that sound, while Daniel 5:23 places a participial form among the capacities that the praised gods lack: they “neither see nor hear nor know.”

   Daniel 3:5Daniel 3:7Daniel 3:10Daniel 3:15Daniel 5:23
2. Receiving a report about someone · common

   In Daniel 5:14, a Qal perfect first-person singular introduces what the speaker has learned about Daniel: the spirit of the gods, light, understanding, and wisdom. Daniel 5:16 uses the same form before the report that Daniel can interpret interpretations and loose knots; in both verses the APB renders the statement “I have heard about you.”

   Daniel 5:14Daniel 5:16

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the clearer occurrences with “hear,” “heard,” and “I have heard about you.” It renders Daniel 7:27 with “obey,” while Daniel 6:15 does not visibly isolate the term’s contribution; Those clauses do not establish an additional sense.