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סָכַל

𐤎𐤊𐤋

çâkal

H5528 verb

SILEX Entry

Root סכל to be foolish, lack sense, act imprudently

Definition

To be foolish, to act ignorantly or without sense. The verb primarily describes the state or behavior of lacking understanding, especially in a moral, practical, or intellectual sense. In certain contexts, it may also refer to acting rashly or with thoughtless disregard for wisdom or appropriate conduct.

Semantic Range

to act foolishly, to lack understanding, be ignorant, to act without sense, to behave rashly, to commit an error in judgment

Root / Etymology

Root derived from סכל (samech-kaf-lamed), which expresses the basic notion of being foolish or lacking sense. The verb form סָכַל presents the causative or stative nuance: to act or become foolish.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, סָכַל appears mostly in poetic and wisdom contexts and is less common in narrative prose. The word typically denotes intellectual, practical, or moral folly, not mere jesting or playful silliness. In contrast to אוִיל (ʾawil, 'fool'), which often describes a persistent character trait, סָכַל tends to emphasize the act or state of behaving foolishly at a given time, often with negative consequences. The term is sometimes paired with wisdom (חָכְמָה) as its opposite, contributing to ethical instruction in wisdom literature. In later classical Hebrew, the root retains its core meaning but appears rarely. English translations such as 'foolish' or 'to act foolishly' capture the basic sense, though the moral undertone and consequence of folly in biblical usage are not always fully conveyed.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

for כָּסַל; to be silly; do (make, play the, turn into) fool(-ish, -ishly, -ishness).

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

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Root Family

סכל (s-k-l) — foolishness, lack of sense, imprudence

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5529 סֶכֶל the discernment
H5530 סָכָל a senseless man
H5531 סִכְלוּת in foolishness

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5528-03 נִסְכָּ֑לְתָּ nisekaleta HVNp2ms you have acted foolishly you have made yourself foolish 2
H5528-04 נִסְכַּ֖לְתִּי nisekaleti HVNp1cs I have acted foolishly I have been foolish 2
H5528-06 יְשַׂכֵּֽל yesakel HVpi3ms makes foolish he acts foolishly 1
H5528-05 סַכֶּל sakel HVpv2ms make foolish act foolishly 1
H5528-01 הִסְכַּ֥לְתָּֽ hisekaleta HVhp2ms you have acted foolishly you have acted foolishly 1
H5528-02 הִסְכַּ֛לְתִּי hisekaleti HVhp1cs I have played the fool I have acted foolishly 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5528-01 Genesis 31:28 הִסְכַּ֥לְתָּֽ hisekaleta HVhp2ms you have acted foolishly you have acted foolishly
H5528-03 1 Samuel 13:13 נִסְכָּ֑לְתָּ nisekaleta HVNp2ms You have acted foolishly you have made yourself foolish
H5528-02 1 Samuel 26:21 הִסְכַּ֛לְתִּי hisekaleti HVhp1cs I have played the fool I have acted foolishly
H5528-05 2 Samuel 15:31 סַכֶּל sakel HVpv2ms make foolish act foolishly
H5528-04 2 Samuel 24:10 נִסְכַּ֖לְתִּי nisekaleti HVNp1cs I have done foolishly I have been foolish
H5528-06 Isaiah 44:25 יְשַׂכֵּֽל yesakel HVpi3ms makes foolish he acts foolishly
H5528-04 1 Chronicles 21:8 נִסְכַּ֖לְתִּי nisekaleti HVNp1cs I have acted foolishly I have been foolish
H5528-03 2 Chronicles 16:9 נִסְכַּ֣לְתָּ nisekaleta HVNp2ms you have acted foolishly you have made yourself foolish
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