What does שָׁכֹל (šākōl) mean in the Bible?
שָׁכֹל (šākōl): Denotes violent loss of offspring or fruit through miscarriage, barrenness, or bereavement; extends to deprivation generally.
Hebrew · H7921
שָׁכֹל
Properly, to miscarry , i.e. suffer abortion ; by analogy, to bereave (literally or figuratively)
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שָׁכֹל H7921
Pronunciation šākōl
What does שָׁכֹל (šākōl) mean in the Bible?
שָׁכֹל (šākōl): Denotes violent loss of offspring or fruit through miscarriage, barrenness, or bereavement; extends to deprivation generally.
Full entry for שָׁכֹל (H7921) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H7921?
The BSB source-word alignment has 22 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include I am bereaved (2), and they will leave you childless (1), bereaves (1), childless (1), deprive them [of their children] (1).
Where does שָׁכֹל (šākōl) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 27:45. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (5), Ezekiel (4), 1 Samuel (2), 2 Kings (2).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It I am bereaved 2× Genesis 43:14
and they will leave you childless 1× Ezekiel 5:17
bereaves 1× Lamentations 1:20
childless 1× 1 Samuel 15:33
deprive them [of their children] 1× Ezekiel 36:12
fail to produce fruit 1× Malachi 3:11
I will bereave 1× Jeremiah 15:7
I will bereave them 1× Hosea 9:12
is unfruitful 1× 2 Kings 2:19
miscarried 1× Genesis 31:38
miscarry 1× Job 21:10
of its children 1× Ezekiel 36:13
or unfruitfulness 1× 2 Kings 2:21
should I lose 1× Genesis 27:45
that miscarry 1× Hosea 9:14
to leave it childless 1× Ezekiel 14:15
to rob you of your children 1× Leviticus 26:22
will be childless 1× 1 Samuel 15:33
will miscarry 1× Exodus 23:26
will take their children 1× Deuteronomy 32:25
You have deprived me of my sons 1× Genesis 42:36
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 27:45 אֶשְׁכַּ֛ל to should I lose Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular Genesis 31:38 שִׁכֵּ֑לוּ to miscarried Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural Genesis 42:36 שִׁכַּלְתֶּ֑ם to You have deprived me of my sons Verb - Piel - Perfect - second person masculine plural Genesis 43:14 שָׁכֹ֖לְתִּי to I am bereaved Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular Genesis 43:14 שָׁכָֽלְתִּי׃ to I am bereaved Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular Exodus 23:26 מְשַׁכֵּלָ֥ה to will miscarry Verb - Piel - Participle - feminine singular Leviticus 26:22 וְשִׁכְּלָ֣ה to to rob you of your children Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular Deuteronomy 32:25 תְּשַׁכֶּל־ to will take their children Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person feminine singular 1 Samuel 15:33 שִׁכְּלָ֤ה to childless Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person feminine singular 1 Samuel 15:33 תִּשְׁכַּ֥ל to will be childless Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 27:45
Aligned rows 22
Books represented 12
Genesis 5 Exodus 1 Leviticus 1 Deuteronomy 1 1 Samuel 2 2 Kings 2 Job 1 Jeremiah 1 Lamentations 1 Ezekiel 4 Hosea 2 Malachi 1
Source forms
אֶשְׁכַּ֛ל 1x ’eš·kal Genesis 27:45
וּמְשַׁכֶּ֥לֶת 1x ū·mə·šak·ke·leṯ Ezekiel 36:13
וּמְשַׁכָּֽלֶת׃ 1x ū·mə·šak·kā·leṯ 2 Kings 2:21
וְשִׁכְּלָ֣ה 1x wə·šik·kə·lāh Leviticus 26:22
וְשִׁכְּלֻ֔ךְ 1x wə·šik·kə·luḵ Ezekiel 5:17
וְשִׁכְּלָ֑תָּה 1x wə·šik·kə·lāt·tāh Ezekiel 14:15
וְשִׁכַּלְתִּ֖ים 1x wə·šik·kal·tîm Hosea 9:12
לְשַׁכְּלָֽם׃ס 1x lə·šak·kə·lām Ezekiel 36:12
Parsing patterns
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person feminine singular 3x Deuteronomy 32:25, Job 21:10, Malachi 3:11
Verb - Piel - Participle - feminine singular 2x Exodus 23:26, 2 Kings 2:19
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person feminine singular 2x 1 Samuel 15:33, Lamentations 1:20
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular 2x Genesis 43:14
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular | third person masculine plural 1x Hosea 9:12
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural | second person feminine singular 1x Ezekiel 5:17
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular 1x Leviticus 26:22
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular | third person feminine singular 1x Ezekiel 14:15
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Denotes violent loss of offspring or fruit through miscarriage, barrenness, or bereavement; extends to deprivation generally.
Strong's H7921
Lexical occurrences 24 verses Word forms 3 forms 17 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Genesis 43:1-14 Source Gloss
properly, to miscarry , i.e. suffer abortion ; by analogy, to bereave (literally or figuratively)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Denotes violent loss of offspring or fruit through miscarriage, barrenness, or bereavement; extends to deprivation generally.
properly, to miscarry, i.e. suffer abortion; by analogy, to bereave (literally or figuratively) BDB: barrenness Usage: bereave (of children), barren, cast calf (fruit, young), be (make) childless, deprive, destroy, × expect, lose children, miscarry, rob of children, spoil.
Grammatical Forms
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.
Form groups 3 Aligned forms 17
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 11×
Perfect 1Sam 15:33 · Lam 1:20 · Gen 31:38 · Gen 42:36 · Jer 15:7 5×
Imperfect Deut 32:25 · Job 21:10 · Mal 3:11 · Ezek 36:14 4×
Participle active 2Kgs 2:19 · Exod 23:26 2×
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 4×
Perfect Gen 43:14 2×
Imperfect 1Sam 15:33 · Gen 27:45 2×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 1×
Participle active Hos 9:14 1×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Jacob expresses fear of being deprived of his remaining son, Benjamin
Showing 1 selected witness from 24 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
שָׁכֹל is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain