שֵׁגָל
𐤔𐤂𐤋
shêgâl
H7695 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Queen consort; the principal wife of a monarch. In Aramaic or late biblical usage, denotes the primary female partner of a king, with a status clearly distinguished from concubines. May refer to the official wife or spouse of a royal figure, recognized with formal public status.
Semantic Range
queen consort, principal royal wife, official wife of a king; sometimes in secular Aramaic usage: queen, royal spouse
Root / Etymology
Root: שגל, which in Hebrew (in verb form) means 'to cohabit with, have sexual relations with.' The noun form is derived from this root, denoting the woman with whom the king has recognized marital relations (i.e., the queen). The Aramaic usage solidifies the meaning as 'queen consort.' In biblical Hebrew contexts, the identical spelling often refers euphemistically to sexual activity, but as a noun, it refers to the female royal partner.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term appears especially in late biblical Hebrew and Aramaic (e.g., Daniel 5:2-3, 23), denoting the king's official wife, rather than a secondary wife or concubine. Its distinction from words like גְּבִירָה (gevirah, 'lady' or 'queen mother') or מַלְכָּה (malkah, 'queen', feminine form of 'king') is significant: שֵׁגָל specifically emphasizes the legal and sexual partnership with the reigning monarch. In earlier periods, Israelite kings had multiple wives and concubines, but the שֵׁגָל is the one with recognized, often ceremony-affirmed, status. In English translations, this nuance is often lost, with the word rendered simply as 'queen' or, less accurately, 'wife.' In Hebrew literature, the same spelling is sometimes used with a more sexualized connotation; the Aramaic form in Daniel, however, is neutral and official in tone. The English word 'queen' can anachronistically suggest a singular institutional role parallel to European monarchies; in the biblical context, שֵׁגָל refers more narrowly to the leading wife appointed as royal consort.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) corresponding to שֵׁגָל; a (legitimate) queen; wife.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שגל (sh-g-l) — to have sexual relations with, to associate as a spouse
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7695-02 |
שֵׁגְלָתֵ֖/הּ | shegelateh | ANcfpc/Sp3ms |
his wives | his queen-consorts | his queen-consorts | 2 |
H7695-01 |
שֵֽׁגְלָתָ֣/ךְ | shegelatakhe | ANcfpc/Sp2ms |
your wives | your queen-consorts | your queen-consorts | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7695-02 |
Daniel 5:2 | שֵׁגְלָתֵ֖/הּ | shegelateh | ANcfpc/Sp3ms |
his-wives | his queen-consorts | his queen-consorts |
H7695-02 |
Daniel 5:3 | שֵׁגְלָתֵ֖/הּ | shegelateh | ANcfpc/Sp3ms |
his wives | his queen-consorts | his queen-consorts |
H7695-01 |
Daniel 5:23 | שֵֽׁגְלָתָ֣/ךְ | shegelatakhe | ANcfpc/Sp2ms |
your wives | your queen-consorts | your queen-consorts |