שְׁכַח
𐤔𐤊𐤇
shᵉkach
H7912 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To find, come upon, encounter, discover something, with the implication of locating that which was previously unknown or not possessed. In Aramaic usage within biblical texts, שְׁכַח is employed both in concrete senses (of physical objects found, persons encountered) and in more abstract senses (discovering information, realizing a fact, or attaining a status or position).
Semantic Range
to find (a physical object), to discover (information), to encounter (a person or event), to attain, to realize
Root / Etymology
Root: שכח (compare Hebrew שָׁכַח, 'to forget', though in Aramaic שְׁכַח takes the sense 'to find'). The root is used in Aramaic with the meaning 'to find, discover, encounter.' This is distinct from the Hebrew form, where the primary meaning of the root is 'to forget.' The Aramaic noun and verbal form appear only in Aramaic sections of the Bible (e.g., Ezra, Daniel).
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible, particularly Daniel and Ezra, שְׁכַח is the standard verb for 'to find' or 'to discover.' It appears in narratives where a person finds a document, discovers the outcome of a search, or attains a new understanding. The meaning is concrete and non-idiomatic; there is little overlap with the Hebrew verb שָׁכַח ('to forget'), despite their similar forms. In post-biblical Aramaic, such as the Targums, the verb continues with the same sense. English translations, when informed by the root's Hebrew cognate, sometimes obscure the plain Aramaic sense; the correct understanding in biblical Aramaic passages is always 'to find' or 'to discover,' with no sense of 'forgetting' or 'recalling.' The word does not carry religious or cultic overtones and is a neutral, everyday term for any form of discovery or encounter.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) corresponding to שָׁכַח through the idea of disclosure of a covered or forgotten thing; to discover (literally or figuratively); find.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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שכח (š-k-ḥ) — to find, to discover, to encounter
Word Forms
12 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7912-05 |
הִשְׁתְּכַ֣חַת | hishetekhachat | AVup3fs |
was found | she was found | 5 |
H7912-06 |
לְ/הַשְׁכָּחָ֥ה | lehashekachah | AR/Vhc |
to find | to cause to find | 2 |
H7912-10 |
וְ/הַשְׁכַּ֖חוּ | vehashekachu | AC/Vhp3mp |
and found | and they caused to discover | 2 |
H7912-11 |
וְ/הִשְׁתְּכַ֣ח | vehishetekhach | AC/Vup3ms |
and-it-was-found | and it was found | 1 |
H7912-03 |
הִשְׁתֲּכַ֣ח | hishetakhach | AVup3ms |
was found | he was found | 1 |
H7912-02 |
הַשְׁכַּ֥חְנָֽה | hashekachenah | AVhp1cp |
let them find | we caused to discover | 1 |
H7912-12 |
וְ/הִשְׁתְּכַ֥חַתְּ | vehishetekhachate | AC/Vup2ms |
and-found | and you were found | 1 |
H7912-08 |
תְהַשְׁכַּ֔ח | tehashekach | AVhi2ms |
you shall find | you will cause to discover | 1 |
H7912-07 |
נְהַשְׁכַּ֛ח | nehashekach | AVhi1cp |
is found | we will cause to discover | 1 |
H7912-01 |
הַשְׁכַּ֤חַת | hashekachat | AVhp1cs |
I-have-found | I have caused to find | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
18 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7912-01 |
Daniel 2:25 | הַשְׁכַּ֤חַת | hashekachat | AVhp1cs |
I-have-found | I have caused to find |
H7912-03 |
Daniel 2:35 | הִשְׁתֲּכַ֣ח | hishetakhach | AVup3ms |
was found | he was found |
H7912-05 |
Daniel 5:11 | הִשְׁתְּכַ֣חַת | hishetekhachat | AVup3fs |
was found | she was found |
H7912-05 |
Daniel 5:12 | הִשְׁתְּכַ֤חַת | hishetekhachat | AVup3fs |
was-found | she was found |
H7912-05 |
Daniel 5:14 | הִשְׁתְּכַ֥חַת | hishetekhachat | AVup3fs |
is found | she was found |
H7912-12 |
Daniel 5:27 | וְ/הִשְׁתְּכַ֥חַתְּ | vehishetekhachate | AC/Vup2ms |
and-found | and you were found |
H7912-06 |
Daniel 6:5 | לְ/הַשְׁכָּחָ֥ה | lehashekachah | AR/Vhc |
to find | to cause to find |
H7912-06 |
Daniel 6:5 | לְ/הַשְׁכָּחָ֗ה | lehashekachah-2 | AR/Vhc |
to find | to cause to find |
H7912-05 |
Daniel 6:5 | הִשְׁתְּכַ֖חַת | hishetekhachat | AVup3fs |
was found | she was found |
H7912-07 |
Daniel 6:6 | נְהַשְׁכַּ֛ח | nehashekach | AVhi1cp |
is found | we will cause to discover |