שָׁכַךְ
𐤔𐤊𐤊
shâkak
H7918 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To abate, subside, or become calm; to diminish in intensity, cease, or be quieted. Used of physical phenomena such as water levels receding (e.g., floodwaters ebbing), as well as of emotional states—particularly the pacifying or calming of anger, agitation, or danger. The word means to cause something turbulent or intense to lessen, settle, or come to rest.
Semantic Range
to subside (of water or storms), to abate (of floodwaters), to be pacified (of anger), to calm, to cease, to reduce in intensity, to be quieted (of emotions or turmoil)
Root / Etymology
Root שָׁכַךְ (ש־כ־ך). The core idea of the root is 'to subside' or 'become still/calm.' The verb is derived from this root, specifically indicating the action of abating, settling, or quieting something that is otherwise intense or in motion. The root meaning, 'to subside, become calm,' is broader than the single sense of 'laying a trap' and more closely tied to cessation or lessening of intensity.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, שָׁכַךְ is used to describe both physical processes (e.g., the subsiding of the floodwaters in Genesis 8:1) and emotional states (e.g., the calming of anger in Esther 2:1; Psalm 89:10). Its usage primarily denotes the lessening or vanishing of something previously forceful—be it water, emotion, or even divine wrath. The figurative extension to emotion reflects a common biblical tendency to metaphorically associate emotional turbulence with natural phenomena. The word is relatively rare and does not specifically mean 'to weave a trap' in the classical biblical corpus, though some later semantic developments attempt to connect physical trapping or setting with ideas of laying, quieting, or making still. English translations such as 'abate,' 'assuage,' 'calm,' and 'pacify' each capture aspects of the meaning but none fully encompass the semantic breadth. The root should be distinguished from others meaning 'to be still' (e.g., חָשָׁה, דָּמַם), as שָׁכַךְ more specifically involves the process of becoming still, rather than merely being at rest. Over time, the calming/cessation nuance remained predominant, with little to no extension into technical or ritual vocabulary.
Translation Consistency
שָׁכַךְ typically describes things (waters, storms, anger, danger) lessening or settling. “Subside” naturally covers both physical and emotional abating, reads well intransitively (“the flood subsided,” “his anger subsided”), and can be used with light causatives when needed (“cause to subside”), so it provides a consistent, natural rendering across the lemma’s range.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to weave (i.e. lay) a trap; figuratively, (through the idea of secreting) to allay (passions; physically, abate a flood); appease, assuage, make to cease, pacify, set.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
שכך (sh-k-k) — to subside, to abate, to become calm
Word Forms
5 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7918-03 |
שָׁכָֽכָה | shakhakhah | HVqp3fs |
subsided | she subsided | subsided | 1 |
H7918-05 |
וַ/יָּשֹׁ֖כּוּ | vayashoku | HC/Vqw3mp |
and subsided | and they subsided | and they subsided | 1 |
H7918-02 |
כְּ/שֹׁ֕ךְ | keshokhe | HR/Vqc |
when subsided | as subsiding | when subsided | 1 |
H7918-01 |
כְּ/שַׁ֣ךְ | keshakhe | HR/Vqc |
like fowlers | to subside | like a subsiding one | 1 |
H7918-04 |
וַ/הֲשִׁכֹּתִ֣י | vahashikoti | HC/Vhq1cs |
and I will rid | and I caused to subside | and I will cause to subside | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7918-05 |
Genesis 8:1 | וַ/יָּשֹׁ֖כּוּ | vayashoku | HC/Vqw3mp |
and subsided | and they subsided | and they subsided |
H7918-04 |
Numbers 17:20 | וַ/הֲשִׁכֹּתִ֣י | vahashikoti | HC/Vhq1cs |
and I will rid | and I caused to subside | and I will cause to subside |
H7918-01 |
Jeremiah 5:26 | כְּ/שַׁ֣ךְ | keshakhe | HR/Vqc |
like fowlers | to subside | like a subsiding one |
H7918-02 |
Esther 2:1 | כְּ/שֹׁ֕ךְ | keshokhe | HR/Vqc |
when subsided | as subsiding | when subsided |
H7918-03 |
Esther 7:10 | שָׁכָֽכָה | shakhakhah | HVqp3fs |
subsided | she subsided | subsided |