שְׁכוֹל (H7908) — Hebrew Lexicon

שְׁכוֹל

𐤔𐤊𐤅𐤋

shᵉkôwl

H7908 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שכל to be bereaved, lose children, suffer loss

Definition

Loss of offspring due to death, particularly the bereavement suffered by a parent (most often a mother) upon the death or removal of children; by extension, a state of being deprived or desolated (especially through loss of family). The term can refer to individual grief or collective loss within a family or community, usually emphasizing the acute pain and disruption such loss produces.

Semantic Range

bereavement, loss of children, state of being bereaved, desolation through loss, figurative desolation or ruin

Root / Etymology

שְׁכוֹל is derived from the root שׁכל, which at the root level means 'to be bereaved, to lose children.' The word שְׁכוֹל itself functions as a substantive, usually denoting the state or experience of bereavement, especially through child loss. It is grammatically an infinitive form used as a noun.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שְׁכוֹל occurs primarily in poetic and prophetic texts to express the profound suffering associated with the loss of children. In the patriarchal and monarchic periods, this experience was particularly devastating, as children were seen as essential for lineage, inheritance, and social security. The term frequently appears in contexts of divine judgment or disaster (e.g., as threatened punishment in covenantal curses or as a metaphor for national disaster—see e.g., Hos 9:12, Jer 18:21). While later English translations sometimes render the term as 'bereavement' or 'childlessness,' the Hebrew usage focuses more narrowly on loss due to death rather than simple inability to have children. Comparison with related words: עֲקָרָה (ʿăqārāh, 'barren woman') refers to inability to bear children, whereas שְׁכוֹל specifically concerns having and then losing offspring. In later periods, the sense could broaden to refer to the loss or spoiling of anything precious, but this was secondary. Modern translations may obscure or soften the weight of the term's original context and usage.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

infinitive of שָׁכֹל; bereavement; loss of children, spoiling.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שכל (sh-k-l) — to be bereaved, lose children, suffer loss

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H7909	שַׁכּוּל	bereaved of children
H7921	שָׁכֹל	I will be bereaved
H7923	שִׁכֻּלִים	your child-bereavements

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H7908-01`	שְׁכֽוֹל	shekhol	`HNcmsa`	bereavement	child-loss bereavement	3

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H7908-01`	Isaiah 47:8	שְׁכֽוֹל	shekhol	`HNcmsa`	bereavement	child-loss bereavement
`H7908-01`	Isaiah 47:9	שְׁכ֣וֹל	shekhol	`HNcmsa`	loss of children	child-loss bereavement
`H7908-01`	Psalms 35:12	שְׁכ֣וֹל	shekhol	`HNcmsa`	bereavement	child-loss bereavement

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