שֵׂ֫כֶל
prudence
also: insight, understanding fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
Every verse where H7922 appears in the Book of 1 Chronicles — 2 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
1 Chronicles
- 1 Chronicles 22:12 שֵׂ֣כֶל n c ms May Yahweh give you discretion and understanding, and put you in charge of Israel; that so you may keep the law of Yahweh your God.
- 1 Chronicles 26:14 בְּ/שֶׂ֗כֶל prep + n c ms The lot eastward fell to Shelemiah. Then for Zechariah his son, a wise counselor, they cast lots; and his lot came out northward.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
שכל (sekel) is a Hebrew noun most often rendered “prudence.” Translators differ — “understanding” in the King James Version, then “insight” (Berean Standard Bible), as the renderings breakdown shows. With 16 verses in 9 books, it is an uncommon word in the Hebrew Bible. It concentrates in Proverbs, which alone accounts for 38% of its uses. Beyond its headline sense, its full sense range takes in “insight” and “understanding”. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H7922 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 16
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 16 distinct verses.
- 9 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 9 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #1,752
- by frequency
- Top 2500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 1,752 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 16 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Proverbs 6 verses 38%
- 1 Chronicles 2 verses 13%
- 2 Chronicles 2 verses 13%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 16 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 15 verses · 94%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 1 verse · 6%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Understanding 7×, Wisdom 2×
- American Standard Version: Understanding 6×, Discretion 3×, Wisdom 2×
- Berean Standard Bible: Insight 5×, Understanding 4×, Wisdom 2×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Insight 9×, Insight of 2×, Understanding 2×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H7922 across 16 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 7 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H7922 across 15 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 4 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H7922 across 15 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 4 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H7922 across 18 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 5 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 3 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
- 1. prudence, good sense: טוֹבַת שׂ׳ woman of good sense 1 S 25:3. e.g. 1 Samuel 25:3
- 2. insight, understanding: ‖ בִינָה 1 Ch 22:12; 2 Ch 2:11, cf. Jb 17:4; שׂ׳ טוֹב Pr 3:4; 13:15 ψ 111:10; 2 Ch 30:22; אִישׁ שׂ׳ Ezr 8:18; יוֹעֵץ בְּשׂ׳ 1 Ch 26:14; מְקוֹר חַיִּים שׂ׳ בְּעָלָיו Pr 16:22; restrains from anger 19:11, wins praise 12:8, fool despises שׂ׳ מִלִּים 23:9; שׂוֹם שׂ׳ Ne 8:8 (‖ הֵבִין) set forth (the) understanding (i.e. the meaning). e.g. 1 Chronicles 22:12
- 3. bad sense, cunning, craft, Dn 8:25. e.g. Daniel 8:25
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
n.m. prudence, insight;—שֵׂ֫׳ abs. ψ 111:10 +, cstr. Pr 19:11 +; שֶׂ׳ abs. 1 S 25:3 +; שָׂ֑כֶל Jb 17:4; sf. שִׂכְלוֹ Pr 12:8; Dn 8:25;—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from שכל (sâkal) (H7919) — to be prudent.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
כֹּל
- , constr. כָּל (b. h.; כָּלַל) all, every one. Sot. 5ᵃ הקב"ה הניח כל הרים וכ׳ the Lord passed over all mountains and hills and caused his Presence to rest on Sinai. Ib. (ref. to ככל Job XXIV, 24) כאברהם … בַּכֹּל מִכֹּל כֹּל like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob of whom is written ‘with everything’ &c. (Gen. XXIV, 1; XXVII, 33; XXXIII, 11).—Ḥull. I, 1 הַכֹּל שוחטין וכ׳ all persons are competent to slaughter &c.; וכוּלָּן וכ׳ but all those (mentioned as unfit), if they &c. Ib. 2 ובַכֹּל שוחטין וכ׳ and you may slaughter with any cutting tool except &c. Tem. I, 1; a. v. fr.—דברי הכל the words of all, (it is) the unanimous opinion, all agree. Bets. 9ᵃ ד׳ ה׳ מותר all agree that it is permitted; a. fr.—אין … כל עיקר not at all. Y. Dem. I, 21ᵈ אינו מפריש כל עיקר he does not set aside at all; a. fr.—Y. Shebi. VIII, beg. 37ᵈ, a. e. לא הכל ממנו it is not in his power to do so, v. הֵימ־.—כָּל העולם כּוּלּוֹ the whole world. Ber. 17ᵇ; a. fr.—כל ה־, כל ש־ whosoever, whatsoever. Gitt. 11ᵇ כל האומר תנו וכ׳ whoever says, ‘Give you’ (a letter of emancipation &c.), is considered as having said, Take possession (in behalf of the person concerned). Kidd. 43ᵇ כל שאין יכולה וכ׳ whatever woman is incapable of guarding her letter of divorce, is incapable of being divorced. Ḥag. 4ᵇ, v. יֵשׁ; a. v. fr.—כָּל שֶׁהוּא whatever it be, i.e. the smallest quantity. Macc. 17ᵃ, a. e. כ׳ ש׳ למכות for punishment with lashes, the partaking of any quantity is sufficient, opp. כזית, v. זַיִת. Shebu. III, 1 ואכל כ׳ ש׳ and ate the least thing; a. v. fr.—כָּל שֶׁכֵּן (abbr. כ"ש) there is every reason that it is even so, i.e. so much the more, a matter of course. Sabb. 63ᵃ … אורך וכ"ש וכ׳ there is length of life promised and, as a matter of course, wealth and honor; a. fr.—לא כ"ש, v. הַשְׁתָּא. e.g. Job 24:24
כָּל
- ch., v. כּוֹל
שָׂכַל I
- v. סָכַל I) to be bright.
- 1. to be wise, understand; to consider, deliberate. Midr. Prov. to I, 3 כיון … צריך להַשְׂכִּיל היאך וכ׳ when a man is appointed judge, he must deliberate how to acquit the innocent &c.; צריך להשכיל ולדקדק וכ׳ he must study and investigate the law, that he may not sin or lead to sin; Yalk. ib. 929 צריך להשכיל היאך לדקדק וכ׳ he must deliberate how to carry out the law exactly &c. Midr. Till. to Ps. XXXII (ref. to I Sam. XVIII, 14, sq.) ומפני שהיה מַשְׂכִּיל היה כסוי חטאה and because he was wise, his sin was covered; a. fr. e.g. 1 Samuel 18:14
- 2. to look towards, face; (cmp. סָכַם, a. כּוּן) to be directed. Num. R. s. 145; Pesik. R. s. 3 (ref. to שִׂכֵּל את ידיו, Gen. XLVIII, 14) הִשְׂכִּילוּ ידיו … לרוח הקדש Jacob’s hands were directed towards (pointed to) the holy spirit. e.g. Genesis 48:14
שָׂכַל II
- to entangle, cross.
- same, trnsf. to cause confusion. Pesik. R. s. 3 (ref. to Gen. XLVIII, 14) [read:] מהו ש׳ אמר ר׳ יהודה ש׳ ידיו … בבכורתו וכ׳ (אמר רבי ש׳, a dittography) he (God) made Jacob’s hands bring confusion into Menasseh’s birthright. e.g. Genesis 48:14
שָׁכַל
- [to finish, consume,] to bereave (of everything), make childless; שָׁכֹל to be childless. Part. pass. שָׁכוּל; f. שְׁכוּלָה; pl. f. שְׁכוּלוֹת. Pirké d’R. El. ch. XLIX (v. I Sam. XV, 33) כשם ששִׁכְּלָה … וישבו נשיהם ש׳ ואלמנות כן תִּשְׁכַּל וכ׳ as the sword of Amalek, thy (Haman’s) grandfather, consumed the young men …, and their women remained childless and widowed, so shall thy mother be childless among women; ובתפלת … ש׳ וכ׳ and through the prayer of Esther and her maids all males of Amalek were killed, and their women remained childless &c. e.g. 1 Samuel 15:33
- to destroy, consume. Ib., v. supra. Num. R. s. 1624 בראתי אותך שתהא מְשַׁכֵּל באומות וכ׳ I have created thee (the angel of death) to work destruction among the nations, except &c. Gen. R. s. 86 דוב שהיתה מְשַׁכֶּלֶת בבני אדוניה a bear that worked destruction among the children of her owner; a. e.—Part. pass. מְשׁוּכָּל. Yalk. Cant. 988 (ref. to שכלה, Cant. IV, 2) כל מי שלומד מהם אינו מש׳ whoever learns from them (the scholars), shall not be bereft (injured). e.g. Song of Solomon 4:2
שְׁכַל
- , Ithpa. אִשְׁתַּכֵּל, v. שׁכְלֵל.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 10 distinct written forms H7922 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| שֵׂ֣כֶל | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | 1 Chronicles 22:12 | 5 |
| שֵֽׂכֶל | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Proverbs 13:15 | 2 |
| שֶׂ֔כֶל | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Ezra 8:18 | 2 |
| בְּ/שֶׂ֗כֶל | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | 1 Chronicles 26:14 | 1 |
| וְ/שֵֽׂכֶל | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Proverbs 3:4 | 1 |
| לְ/שֵׂ֣כֶל | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Construct | Proverbs 23:9 | 1 |
| מִּ/שָּׂ֑כֶל | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | Job 17:4 | 1 |
| שִׂ֭כְל/וֹ | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Construct | Proverbs 12:8 | 1 |
| שִׂכְל֗/וֹ | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Construct | Daniel 8:25 | 1 |
| שֶׂ֨כֶל֙ | Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute | 1 Samuel 25:3 | 1 |
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H7922, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
Compare all same-root words → They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 15 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 16 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- 1 Samuel 25:3
- 1 Chronicles 22:12
- 2 Chronicles 2:12
- Ezra 8:18
- Job 17:4
- Psalms 111:10
- Proverbs 3:4
- Daniel 8:25
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
