שָׁכַח
To mislay , i.e. to be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention
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What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
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Canonical witness: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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What does שָׁכַח (šāḵaḥ) mean in the Bible?
שָׁכַח (šāḵaḥ) is a Hebrew word meaning "to mislay , i.e. to be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention". to mislay, i. Spiritual neglect stands at the root of Israel’s coming loss. This term runs through the canonical themes of Covenant.
Meaning
Forgetting as moral negligence, not mere memory loss—inattention to covenant and relationship with God.
to mislay, i.e. to be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention BDB: forget Usage: × at all, (cause to) forget.
Why This Word Matters
Spiritual neglect stands at the root of Israel’s coming loss. Hosea 13:1-8
Tyre’s obscurity underscores the humbling effect of divine judgment. Hosea 4:4-10
Contrasts human perception with divine faithfulness. Isaiah 17:9-11
Spiritual amnesia underlying idolatry. Isaiah 23:15-18
Forgetting Torah triggers covenant curse. Isaiah 49:14-21
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 54×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 10×
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 1×
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Old Testament Witnesses
Showing 8 of 102 occurrences in the biblical text.
Appears In
Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.