To be (causatively, make or act ) circumspect and hence, intelligent
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What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
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H7919 describes understanding that leads to prudent action and can therefore be rendered act wisely, show insight, or have success when skillful conduct reaches its fitting result. The verb spans comprehension, careful attention, wise administration, and effective action; context must decide whether the emphasis rests on insight, behavior, or outcome.
Reader summary
Full entry for שָׂכַל (H7919) · Open the biblical lexicon
H7919 describes understanding that leads to prudent action and can therefore be rendered act wisely, show insight, or have success when skillful conduct reaches its fitting result. The verb spans comprehension, careful attention, wise administration, and effective action; context must decide whether the emphasis rests on insight, behavior, or outcome.
The BSB source-word alignment has 62 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include you may prosper (3), a wise (2), and understanding (2), understand (2), . . . (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 3:6. Its strongest book concentrations include Proverbs (13), Psalms (11), Daniel (9), Jeremiah (6).
H7919 describes understanding that leads to prudent action and can therefore be rendered act wisely, show insight, or have success when skillful conduct reaches its fitting result. The verb spans comprehension, careful attention, wise administration, and effective action; context must decide whether the emphasis rests on insight, behavior, or outcome. In 1Sam.
18. 14, David acts wisely in all his undertakings, and the narrative attributes the larger pattern to the Lord being with him. In 1Kgs. 2. 3, david charges Solomon to keep the covenant commands so that he may act wisely wherever he turns. H7919 opens teaching on wisdom that moves from perception into disciplined action, especially when responsibility, pressure, leadership, and long-term consequences meet.
It corrects translations of success that detach outcomes from obedience, skill, providence, and moral purpose or that make visible achievement a universal promise. H7919 joins thought and practice: David is repeatedly described as acting wisely under pressure, Solomon is charged to keep covenant instruction so that he may act prudently, and Daniel describes young exiles whose learning equips them for service.
For H7919, responsible teaching keeps lexical meaning, passage context, canonical synthesis, and present application distinguishable. The verb cannot guarantee wealth, immunity from opposition, or moral approval for every efficient strategy; prudent action remains answerable to God and neighbor.
H7919 appears across passages that develop practical wisdom, attentive obedience, prudent leadership, learned skill, and success defined by faithful action. For H7919, the immediate setting decides which part of the range is active, so the witnesses must remain distinct rather than being merged into one formula.
And he continued to prosper in all his ways, because the Lord was with him.
David acts wisely in all his undertakings, and the narrative attributes the larger pattern to the Lord being with him.
And keep the charge of the Lord your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commandments, ordinances, and decrees, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you turn,
David charges Solomon to keep the covenant commands so that he may act wisely wherever he turns.
Young men without blemish, handsome, gifted in all wisdom, knowledgeable, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace—and to teach them the language and literature of the Chaldeans.
The selected young men possess learning and understanding that prepare them for responsible service in the royal court.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. Prudent awareness combining careful observation with wise action; intelligence grounded in circumspection rather than mere knowledge
Prudent awareness combining careful observation with wise action; intelligence grounded in circumspection rather than mere knowledge
to be (causatively, make or act) circumspect and hence, intelligent BDB: be prudent Usage: consider, expert, instruct, prosper, (deal) prudent(-ly), (give) skill(-ful), have good success, teach, (have, make to) understand(-ing), wisdom, (be, behave self, consider, make) wise(-ly), guide wittingly.
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 63 lexical occurrence verses.
שָׂכַל is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
H7919 joins thought and practice: David is repeatedly described as acting wisely under pressure, Solomon is charged to keep covenant instruction so that he may act prudently, and Daniel describes young exiles whose learning equips them for service. H7919 describes understanding that leads to prudent action and can therefore be rendered act wisely, show insight, or have success when skillful conduct reaches its fitting result.
The selected witnesses keep the teaching concrete: 1Sam. 18. 14 shows that david acts wisely in all his undertakings, and the narrative attributes the larger pattern to the Lord being with him. , while 1Kgs. 2. 3 shows that david charges Solomon to keep the covenant commands so that he may act wisely wherever he turns.. Dan. 1. 4 adds that the selected young men possess learning and understanding that prepare them for responsible service in the royal court..
H7919 opens teaching on wisdom that moves from perception into disciplined action, especially when responsibility, pressure, leadership, and long-term consequences meet. It corrects translations of success that detach outcomes from obedience, skill, providence, and moral purpose or that make visible achievement a universal promise. A church teaching H7919 faithfully will name both the promise and the boundary carried by these contexts, attend to vulnerable hearers, and refuse to make the lexical item prove more than its passages support.
The verb cannot guarantee wealth, immunity from opposition, or moral approval for every efficient strategy; prudent action remains answerable to God and neighbor.
1Sam.18.14
H7919 is a Hebrew verb whose causative and active uses can emphasize giving attention, gaining insight, behaving prudently, or succeeding through wise action; English success language can obscure that ethical and practical texture.
Wisdom literature and narrative both connect understanding with practiced obedience. The New Testament likewise asks believers to discern the will of God and walk wisely, while locating final fruit in grace rather than in technique or measurable achievement.