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סָכָל

𐤎𐤊𐤋

çâkâl

H5530 noun

SILEX Entry

Root סכל to be foolish, act foolishly, lack judgment

Definition

A person lacking judgment or sense; one who acts foolishly or displays folly. The term denotes someone who behaves in a senseless, imprudent, or irrational manner, lacking discernment or insight. In context, it describes more than intellectual deficiency, but also a moral or practical failure to act wisely. Semantic range includes notions of foolishness, folly, and lack of understanding.

Semantic Range

fool, witless person, one acting senselessly, thoughtless person, irrational actor, person displaying folly

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root סכל (samekh-kaf-lamed), meaning 'to be foolish, act foolishly.' The noun סָכָל is a derivative form indicating a 'fool' or someone engaged in folly. The root סכל is relatively rare and distinct from other Hebrew terms for 'fool,' such as כְּסִיל (kesil) or אֱוִיל (ewil), which carry their own nuances.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The word סָכָל occurs sparingly in the Hebrew Bible and is used almost exclusively in poetic or prophetic contexts (e.g., Jeremiah 4:22). It conveys not just a lack of intellect but especially a practical or moral insensibility. Compared to כְּסִיל, which often connotes moral and spiritual failure, and אֱוִיל, which can refer to naïveté or stubborn folly, סָכָל emphasizes the senselessness and irrationality of the person's actions. Modern translations sometimes render it as 'foolish' or 'stupid,' but in biblical usage it often critiques the failure to recognize or act according to wisdom, especially in the face of prophetic warning. The term appears in later Hebrew as well but remains rare, often maintaining its negative connotation of senseless folly. In English translation, the nuances may be lost when simply rendered as 'fool.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from סָכַל; silly; fool(-ish), sottish.

Bantu Hebrew

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

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Root Family

סכל (s-k-l) — to be foolish, act foolishly, lack judgment

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5528 סָכַל you have acted foolishly
H5529 סֶכֶל the discernment
H5531 סִכְלוּת in foolishness

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5530-03 סָכָ֖ל sakhal HNcmsa fool he acted foolishly 4
H5530-05 וְ/הַ/סָּכָ֖ל vehasakhal HC/Td/Ncmsa and the fool and the foolish one 1
H5530-01 כְּ/שֶׁ/סָּכָ֥ל keshesakhal HR/Tr/Ncmsa as a fool a senseless man 1
H5530-04 סְכָלִים֙ sekhalim HNcmpa stupid senseless men 1
H5530-02 כ/ש/ה/סכל khshhskhl HR/Tr/Td/Ncmsa when the fool foolish man 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5530-04 Jeremiah 4:22 סְכָלִים֙ sekhalim HNcmpa stupid senseless men
H5530-03 Jeremiah 5:21 סָכָ֖ל sakhal HNcmsa foolish he acted foolishly
H5530-03 Ecclesiastes 2:19 סָכָ֔ל sakhal HNcmsa he acted foolishly
H5530-03 Ecclesiastes 7:17 סָכָ֑ל sakhal HNcmsa he acted foolishly
H5530-02 Ecclesiastes 10:3 כ/ש/ה/סכל khshhskhl HR/Tr/Td/Ncmsa when the fool foolish man
H5530-01 Ecclesiastes 10:3 כְּ/שֶׁ/סָּכָ֥ל keshesakhal HR/Tr/Ncmsa as a fool a senseless man
H5530-03 Ecclesiastes 10:3 סָכָ֥ל sakhal HNcmsa fool he acted foolishly
H5530-05 Ecclesiastes 10:14 וְ/הַ/סָּכָ֖ל vehasakhal HC/Td/Ncmsa and the fool and the foolish one
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