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שָׂכַר

𐤔𐤊𐤓

sâkar

H7936 verb

SILEX Entry

Root שׂכר to hire, to pay wages, to reward

Definition

To hire or pay for services; to engage someone (or oneself) for wages or compensation. The verb broadly refers to the act of hiring, engaging labor for payment, or earning wages in return for rendered service. Contextually, it can signify both the one hiring and the one hired, as well as the act of receiving recompense for work performed. Additionally, it appears metaphorically for reward or recompense in some poetic or legal passages.

Semantic Range

to hire, to engage for wages, to earn wages, to reward, to receive compensation, to pay for services, to hire oneself out, to recompense (metaphorical); to hire labor (legal and economic context); to seek favor by compensation; to be hired (passive sense)

Root / Etymology

The word derives from the root שׂכר, carrying the notion of exchange, especially compensation for labor or services rendered. Although some scholars posit a possible relation to סכר (by permutation) or כּרה by prosthesis, as suggested in some instances (e.g., Ezra 4:5), primary evidence supports שׂכר as the root related to concepts of wage, reward, or hire. Cognate roots in related Semitic languages (such as Akkadian sakāru, 'to hire') reinforce this sense.

Historical & Contextual Notes

During the early Israelite period, the majority of labor was within family or clan; 'hiring' typically marked interactions with outsiders or in more formalized situations (e.g., hired shepherds, labor forces in agriculture and construction). In legal contexts (e.g., Deuteronomy 24), the verb is significant in discussions of just wages and treatment of laborers. In narrative and legal texts from the monarchic to exilic periods, it maintains its core sense of engaging labor for pay, though metaphorical uses emerge, including the 'hire' of favor or reward (e.g., in poetic passages). The verb can also reflect negative or mercenary connotations—compensated, but without an intrinsic relationship of loyalty or kinship. English translations generally render as 'to hire' or 'to earn wages,' but may obscure nuances such as reciprocal obligation and the distinction between wage labor and familial cooperation. The related derivative noun שָׂכָר (sākhār) points to the broader semantic range involving both hiring and reward. The appearance of the orthographic variant סָכַר in Ezra 4:5 suggests either a regional orthographic shift or an Aramaic influence in the later biblical period, matching the development of the term into the Second Temple context, where formal wage-labor became increasingly common.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (by permutation) סָכַר; (Ezra 4:5), a primitive root (apparently akin (by prosthesis) to כָּרָה through the idea of temporary purchase; compare שָׁכַר); to hire; earn wages, hire (out self), reward, [idiom] surely.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׂכר (ś-k-r) — hire, wages, recompense, reward

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7938 שֶׂכֶר wage-payment
H814 אֶשְׁכָּר reward-gift

Word Forms

16 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7936-12 וַ/יִּשְׂכֹּ֨ר vayisekor HC/Vqw3ms and he hired and he hired 3
H7936-04 שָׂכַ֨ר sakhar HVqp3ms has-hired wage 2
H7936-11 וַ/יִּשְׂכְּרוּ֩ vayisekeru HC/Vqw3mp and they hired and they hired 2
H7936-14 וְ/שֹׂכֵ֥ר vesokher HC/Vqrmsa and hires and one who hires 2
H7936-02 מִשְׂתַּכֵּ֖ר misetaker HVtrmsa earns one hiring himself out 1
H7936-07 שְׂכַרְתִּ֔י/ךָ sekharetikha HVqp1cs/Sp2ms you I hired you 1
H7936-13 וְ/הַ֨/מִּשְׂתַּכֵּ֔ר vehamisetaker HC/Td/Vtrmsa and the earner the one hiring himself out 1
H7936-08 שְׂכָרֽ/וֹ sekharo HVqp3ms/Sp3ms had hired him his wage 1
H7936-01 לִ/שְׂכֹּ֣ר lisekor HR/Vqc to hire to hire for wages 1
H7936-10 וַ/יִּשְׂכְּרֵ֕/נִי vayisekereni HC/Vqw3ms/Sp1cs and he hired me and he hired me 1

Occurrences in Scripture

21 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7936-05 Genesis 30:16 שָׂכֹ֣ר sakhor HVqa I have hired to hire
H7936-07 Genesis 30:16 שְׂכַרְתִּ֔י/ךָ sekharetikha HVqp1cs/Sp2ms you I hired you
H7936-04 Deuteronomy 23:5 שָׂכַ֨ר sakhar HVqp3ms hired wage
H7936-12 Judges 9:4 וַ/יִּשְׂכֹּ֨ר vayisekor HC/Vqw3ms and he hired and he hired
H7936-10 Judges 18:4 וַ/יִּשְׂכְּרֵ֕/נִי vayisekereni HC/Vqw3ms/Sp1cs and he hired me and he hired me
H7936-03 1 Samuel 2:5 נִשְׂכָּ֔רוּ nisekaru HVNp3cp hire themselves out they were hired
H7936-11 2 Samuel 10:6 וַ/יִּשְׂכְּרוּ֩ vayisekeru HC/Vqw3mp and they hired and they hired
H7936-04 2 Kings 7:6 שָֽׂכַר sakhar HVqp3ms has-hired wage
H7936-16 Isaiah 46:6 יִשְׂכְּר֤וּ yisekeru HVqi3mp hire they will hire
H7936-13 Haggai 1:6 וְ/הַ֨/מִּשְׂתַּכֵּ֔ר vehamisetaker HC/Td/Vtrmsa and the earner the one hiring himself out
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