שָׁכַן
to dwell
‘to dwell’ is one of 7 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘settle down to abide’
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem. Here: ‘make settle down’
- Hiphil
- The causative active stem (“he caused / brought about”). Here: ‘lay’
Form
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Cohortative
- A first-person volitional form expressing wish or resolve (“let me / let us write”).
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
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).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Grammatical forms 37 distinct
- Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 17 times (13%)
- Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural 12 times (9%)
- Verb, Qal, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Absolute 12 times (9%)
- Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct 8 times (6%)
- Verb, Qal, Infinitive Construct 8 times (6%)
- Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Feminine, Singular 7 times (5%)
- Verb, Qal, Sequential Perfect, 1st Person, Common, Singular 6 times (5%)
- Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 5 times (4%)
+29 more forms (54 occurrences)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 129 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where H7931 appears — 123 distinct verses across 23 books. 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.
Genesis 8 verses
- Genesis 3:24 וַ/יַּשְׁכֵּן֩ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms So he drove out the man; and he placed Cherubs at the east of the garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
- Genesis 9:27 וְ/יִשְׁכֹּ֖ן conj + Qal juss 3ms God enlarge Japheth, Let him dwell in the tents of Shem; Let Canaan be his servant."
- Genesis 14:13 שֹׁכֵ֨ן Qal ptcp.act ms One who had escaped came and told Abram, the Hebrew. Now he lived by the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were allies of Abram.
- Genesis 16:12 יִשְׁכֹּֽן Qal impf 3ms He will be like a wild donkey among men. His hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him. He will live opposite all of his brothers."
- Genesis 25:18 וַ/יִּשְׁכְּנ֨וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp They lived from Havilah to Shur that is before Egypt, as you go toward Assyria. He lived opposite all his relatives.
- Genesis 26:2 שְׁכֹ֣ן Qal impv 2ms Yahweh appeared to him, and said, "Don't go down into Egypt. Dwell in the land which I will tell you of.
- Genesis 35:22 בִּ/שְׁכֹּ֤ן prep + Qal inf.cs It happened, while Israel lived in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
- Genesis 49:13 יִשְׁכֹּ֑ן Qal impf 3ms "Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea. He will be for a haven of ships. His border will be on Sidon.
Exodus 5 verses
- Exodus 24:16 וַ/יִּשְׁכֹּ֤ן conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The glory of Yahweh settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. The seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
- Exodus 25:8 וְ/שָׁכַנְתִּ֖י conj + Qal wpf 1cs Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
- Exodus 29:45 וְ/שָׁ֣כַנְתִּ֔י conj + Qal wpf 1cs I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.
- Exodus 29:46 לְ/שָׁכְנִ֣/י prep + Qal inf.cs + sfx pers 1cs They shall know that I am Yahweh their God, who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am Yahweh their God.
- Exodus 40:35 שָׁכַ֥ן Qal pf 3ms Moses wasn't able to enter into the tent of meeting, because the cloud stayed on it, and Yahweh's glory filled the tent.
Leviticus 1 verse
Numbers 9 verses
- Numbers 5:3 שֹׁכֵ֥ן Qal ptcp.act ms Both male and female shall you put out, outside of the camp shall you put them; that they not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell."
- Numbers 9:17 יִשְׁכָּן Qal impf 3ms Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tent, then after that the children of Israel traveled; and in the place where the cloud remained, there the children of Israel encamped.
- Numbers 9:18 יִשְׁכֹּ֧ן Qal impf 3ms At the commandment of Yahweh, the children of Israel traveled, and at the commandment of Yahweh they encamped. As long as the cloud remained on the tabernacle they remained encamped.
- Numbers 9:22 לִ/שְׁכֹּ֣ן prep + Qal inf.cs Whether it was two days, or a month, or a year that the cloud stayed on the tabernacle, remaining on it, the children of Israel remained encamped, and didn't travel; but when it was taken up, they traveled.
- Numbers 10:12 וַ/יִּשְׁכֹּ֥ן conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The children of Israel set forward according to their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud abode in the wilderness of Paran.
- Numbers 14:30 לְ/שַׁכֵּ֥ן prep + Piel inf.cs surely you shall not come into the land, concerning which I swore that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
- Numbers 23:9 יִשְׁכֹּ֔ן Qal impf 3ms For from the top of the rocks I see him, From the hills I see him: behold, it is a people that dwells alone, And shall not be reckoned among the nations.
- Numbers 24:2 שֹׁכֵ֖ן Qal ptcp.act ms Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came on him.
- Numbers 35:34 שֹׁכֵ֣ן שֹׁכֵ֕ן Qal ptcp.act ms Qal ptcp.act ms You shall not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell: for I, Yahweh, dwell in the midst of the children of Israel.
Deuteronomy 10 verses
- Deuteronomy 12:11 לְ/שַׁכֵּ֤ן prep + Piel inf.cs then it shall happen that to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, there shall you bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave-offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which you vow to Yahweh.
- Deuteronomy 14:23 לְ/שַׁכֵּ֣ן prep + Piel inf.cs You shall eat before Yahweh your God, in the place which he shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock; that you may learn to fear Yahweh your God always.
- Deuteronomy 16:2 לְ/שַׁכֵּ֥ן prep + Piel inf.cs You shall sacrifice the Passover to Yahweh your God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which Yahweh shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there.
- Deuteronomy 16:6 לְ/שַׁכֵּ֣ן prep + Piel inf.cs but at the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell in, there you shall sacrifice the Passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that you came forth out of Egypt.
- Deuteronomy 16:11 לְ/שַׁכֵּ֥ן prep + Piel inf.cs and you shall rejoice before Yahweh your God, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your man-servant, and your maid-servant, and the Levite who is within your gates, and the foreigner, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are in the midst of you, in the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there.
- Deuteronomy 26:2 לְ/שַׁכֵּ֥ן prep + Piel inf.cs that you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you shall bring in from your land that Yahweh your God gives you; and you shall put it in a basket, and shall go to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there.
- Deuteronomy 33:12 יִשְׁכֹּ֥ן שָׁכֵֽן Qal impf 3ms Qal pf 3ms Of Benjamin he said, The beloved of Yahweh shall dwell in safety by him; He covers him all the day long, He dwells between his shoulders.
- Deuteronomy 33:16 שֹׁכְנִ֖י Qal ptcp.act ms cs For the precious things of the earth and the fullness of it, The good will of him who lived in the bush. Let [the blessing] come on the head of Joseph, On the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.
- Deuteronomy 33:20 שָׁכֵ֔ן Qal pf 3ms Of Gad he said, Blessed be he who enlarges Gad: He dwells as a lioness, Tears the arm, yes, the crown of the head.
- Deuteronomy 33:28 וַ/יִּשְׁכֹּן֩ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Israel dwells in safety, The fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine; Yes, his heavens drop down dew.
Joshua 2 verses
- Joshua 18:1 וַ/יַּשְׁכִּ֥ינוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp The whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled themselves together at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there: and the land was subdued before them.
- Joshua 22:19 שָֽׁכַן Qal pf 3ms However, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass over to the land of the possession of Yahweh, in which Yahweh's tent dwells, and take possession among us: but don't rebel against Yahweh, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar besides the altar of Yahweh our God.
Judges 2 verses
- Judges 5:17 שָׁכֵ֔ן יִשְׁכּֽוֹן Qal pf 3ms Qal impf 3ms Gilead abode beyond the Jordan: Dan, why did he remain in ships? Asher sat still at the haven of the sea, Abode by his creeks.
- Judges 8:11 הַ/שְּׁכוּנֵ֣י ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.pass mp cs Gideon went up by the way of those who lived in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and struck the host; for the host was secure.
2 Samuel 1 verse
1 Kings 2 verses
1 Chronicles 2 verses
- 1 Chronicles 17:9 וְ/שָׁכַ֣ן conj + Qal wpf 3ms I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the first,
- 1 Chronicles 23:25 וַ/יִּשְׁכֹּ֥ן conj + Qal wimpf 3ms For David said, Yahweh, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people; and he dwells in Jerusalem forever:
2 Chronicles 1 verse
Nehemiah 1 verse
Job 11 verses
- Job 3:5 תִּשְׁכָּן Qal impf 3fs Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own. Let a cloud dwell on it. Let all that makes black the day terrify it.
- Job 4:19 שֹׁכְנֵ֬י Qal ptcp.act mp cs How much more, those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth!
- Job 11:14 תַּשְׁכֵּ֖ן Hiphil juss 2ms If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, Don't let unrighteousness dwell in your tents.
- Job 15:28 וַ/יִּשְׁכּ֤וֹן conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He has lived in desolate cities, In houses which no one inhabited, Which were ready to become heaps.
- Job 18:15 תִּשְׁכּ֣וֹן Qal impf 3fs There shall dwell in his tent that which is none of his. Sulfur shall be scattered on his habitation.
- Job 26:5 וְ/שֹׁכְנֵי/הֶֽם conj + Qal ptcp.act mp cs + sfx pers 3mp "Those who are deceased tremble, Those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
- Job 29:25 וְ֭/אֶשְׁכּוֹן conj + Qal impf 1cs I chose out their way, and sat as chief. I lived as a king in the army, As one who comforts the mourners.
- Job 30:6 לִ/שְׁכֹּ֑ן prep + Qal inf.cs So that they dwell in frightful valleys, And in holes of the earth and of the rocks.
- Job 37:8 תִשְׁכֹּֽן Qal impf 3fs Then the animals take cover, And remain in their dens.
- Job 38:19 יִשְׁכָּן Qal impf 3ms "What is the way to the dwelling of light? As for darkness, where is the place of it,
- Job 39:28 יִ֭שְׁכֹּן Qal impf 3ms On the cliff he dwells, and makes his home, On the point of the cliff, and the stronghold.
Psalms 23 verses
- Psalms 7:5 יַשְׁכֵּ֣ן Hiphil juss 3ms Let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it; Yes, let him tread my life down to the earth, And lay my glory in the dust. Selah.
- Psalms 15:1 יִ֝שְׁכֹּ֗ן Qal impf 3ms Yahweh, who shall dwell in your sanctuary? Who shall live on your holy hill?
- Psalms 16:9 יִשְׁכֹּ֥ן Qal impf 3ms Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices. My body shall also dwell in safety.
- Psalms 37:3 שְׁכָן Qal impv 2ms Trust in Yahweh, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.
- Psalms 37:27 וּ/שְׁכֹ֥ן conj + Qal impv 2ms Depart from evil, and do good; Live securely forever.
- Psalms 37:29 וְ/יִשְׁכְּנ֖וּ conj + Qal impf 3mp The righteous shall inherit the land, And live in it forever.
- Psalms 55:6 וְ/אֶשְׁכֹּֽנָה conj + Qal coh 1cs I said, "Oh that I had wings like a dove! Then I would fly away, and be at rest.
- Psalms 65:4 יִשְׁכֹּ֪ן Qal impf 3ms Blessed is one whom you choose, and cause to come near, That he may live in your courts. We will be filled with the goodness of your house, Your holy temple.
- Psalms 68:6 שָׁכְנ֥וּ Qal pf 3cp God sets the lonely in families. He brings out the prisoners with singing, But the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.
- Psalms 68:16 יִשְׁכֹּ֥ן Qal impf 3ms Why do you look in envy, you rugged mountains, At the mountain where God chooses to reign? Yes, Yahweh will dwell there forever.
- Psalms 68:18 לִ/שְׁכֹּ֤ן prep + Qal inf.cs You have ascended on high. You have led away captives. You have received gifts among men, Yes, among the rebellious also, that Yah God might dwell there.
- Psalms 69:36 יִשְׁכְּנוּ Qal impf 3mp The children also of his servants shall inherit it. Those who love his name shall dwell therein.
- Psalms 74:2 שָׁכַ֬נְתָּ Qal pf 2ms Remember your congregation, which you purchased of old, Which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your inheritance; Mount Zion, in which you have lived.
- Psalms 78:55 וַ/יַּשְׁכֵּ֥ן conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms He also drove out the nations before them, Allotted them for an inheritance by line, And made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
- Psalms 78:60 שִׁכֵּ֥ן Piel pf 3ms So that he forsook the tent of Shiloh, The tent which he placed among men;
- Psalms 85:9 לִ/שְׁכֹּ֖ן prep + Qal inf.cs Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, That glory may dwell in our land.
- Psalms 94:17 שָֽׁכְנָ֖ה Qal pf 3fs Unless Yahweh had been my help, My soul would have soon lived in silence.
- Psalms 102:28 יִשְׁכּ֑וֹנוּ Qal impf 3mp The children of your servants will continue. Their seed will be established before you."
- Psalms 104:12 יִשְׁכּ֑וֹן Qal impf 3ms The birds of the sky nest by them. They sing among the branches.
- Psalms 120:5 שָׁ֝כַ֗נְתִּי Qal pf 1cs Woe is me, that I live in Meshech, That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
- Psalms 120:6 שָֽׁכְנָה Qal pf 3fs My soul has had her dwelling too long With him who hates peace.
- Psalms 135:21 שֹׁ֘כֵ֤ן Qal ptcp.act ms Blessed be Yahweh from Zion, Who dwells at Jerusalem. Praise Yah!
- Psalms 139:9 אֶ֝שְׁכְּנָ֗ה Qal coh 1cs If I take the wings of the dawn, And settle in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Proverbs 5 verses
- Proverbs 1:33 יִשְׁכָּן Qal impf 3ms But whoever listens to me will dwell securely, And will be at ease, without fear of harm."
- Proverbs 2:21 יִשְׁכְּנוּ Qal impf 3mp For the upright will dwell in the land. The perfect will remain in it.
- Proverbs 7:11 יִשְׁכְּנ֥וּ Qal impf 3mp She is loud and defiant. Her feet don't stay in her house.
- Proverbs 8:12 שָׁכַ֣נְתִּי Qal pf 1cs "I, wisdom, have made prudence my dwelling. Find out knowledge and discretion.
- Proverbs 10:30 יִשְׁכְּנוּ Qal impf 3mp The righteous will never be removed, But the wicked will not dwell in the land.
Isaiah 12 verses
- Isaiah 8:18 הַ/שֹּׁכֵ֖ן ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act ms Behold, I and the children whom Yahweh has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from Yahweh of Hosts, who dwells in Mount Zion.
- Isaiah 13:20 תִשְׁכֹּ֖ן Qal impf 3fs It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be lived in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall shepherds make their flocks to lie down there.
- Isaiah 13:21 וְ/שָׁ֤כְנוּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp But wild animals of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and ostriches shall dwell there, and wild goats shall dance there.
- Isaiah 18:3 וְ/שֹׁ֣כְנֵי conj + Qal ptcp.act mp cs All you inhabitants of the world, and you dwellers on the earth, when an ensign is lifted up on the mountains, look; and when the trumpet is blown, listen.
- Isaiah 26:19 שֹׁכְנֵ֣י Qal ptcp.act mp cs Your dead shall live; my dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is [as] the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast forth the dead.
- Isaiah 32:16 וְ/שָׁכַ֥ן conj + Qal wpf 3ms Then justice shall dwell in the wilderness; and righteousness shall abide in the fruitful field.
- Isaiah 33:5 שֹׁכֵ֖ן Qal ptcp.act ms Yahweh is exalted; for he dwells on high: he has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
- Isaiah 33:16 יִשְׁכֹּ֔ן Qal impf 3ms He shall dwell on high; his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks; his bread shall be given [him]; his waters shall be sure.
- Isaiah 34:11 יִשְׁכְּנוּ Qal impf 3mp But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it; and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein: and he will stretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness.
- Isaiah 34:17 יִשְׁכְּנוּ Qal impf 3mp He has cast the lot for them, and his hand has divided it to them by line: they shall possess it forever; from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.
- Isaiah 57:15 שֹׁכֵ֥ן אֶשְׁכּ֑וֹן Qal ptcp.act ms Qal impf 1cs For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
- Isaiah 65:9 יִשְׁכְּנוּ Qal impf 3mp I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains; and my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.
Jeremiah 13 verses
- Jeremiah 7:3 וַ/אֲשַׁכְּנָ֣ה conj + Piel coh 1cs Thus says Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
- Jeremiah 7:7 וְ/שִׁכַּנְתִּ֤י conj + Piel wpf 1cs then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, from of old even forevermore.
- Jeremiah 7:12 שִׁכַּ֧נְתִּֽי Piel pf 1cs But go you now to my place which was in Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
- Jeremiah 17:6 וְ/שָׁכַ֤ן conj + Qal wpf 3ms For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited.
- Jeremiah 23:6 יִשְׁכֹּ֣ן Qal impf 3ms In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name by which he shall be called: Yahweh our righteousness.
- Jeremiah 25:24 הַ/שֹּׁכְנִ֖ים ptcl def.art + Qal ptcp.act mp and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mixed people who dwell in the wilderness;
- Jeremiah 33:16 תִּשְׁכּ֣וֹן Qal impf 3fs In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is [the name] by which she shall be called: Yahweh our righteousness.
- Jeremiah 46:26 תִּשְׁכֹּ֥ן Qal impf 3fs and I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants; and afterwards it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, says Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 48:28 וְ/שִׁכְנ֣וּ conj + Qal impv 2mp You inhabitants of Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock; and be like the dove that makes her nest over the mouth of the abyss.
- Jeremiah 49:16 שֹֽׁכְנִי֙ Qal ptcp.act ms cs As for your terror, the pride of your heart has deceived you, O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, who hold the height of the hill: though you should make your nest as high as the eagle, I will bring you down from there, says Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 49:31 יִשְׁכֹּֽנוּ Qal impf 3mp Arise, go up to a nation that is at ease, that dwells without care, says Yahweh; that have neither gates nor bars, that dwell alone.
- Jeremiah 50:39 תִשְׁכּ֖וֹן Qal impf 3fs Therefore the wild animals of the desert with the wolves shall dwell there, and the ostriches shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited forever; neither shall it be lived in from generation to generation.
- Jeremiah 51:13 שכנתי שֹׁכַנְתְּ֙ Qal ptcp.act fs cs Qal ptcp.act fs cs You who dwell on many waters, abundant in treasures, your end is come, the measure of your covetousness.
Ezekiel 5 verses
- Ezekiel 17:23 וְ/שָׁכְנ֣וּ תִּשְׁכֹּֽנָּה conj + Qal wpf 3cp Qal impf 3fp in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all birds of every wing; in the shade of the branches of it shall they dwell.
- Ezekiel 31:13 יִשְׁכְּנ֖וּ Qal impf 3mp On his ruin all the birds of the sky shall dwell, and all the animals of the field shall be on his branches;
- Ezekiel 32:4 וְ/הִשְׁכַּנְתִּ֤י conj + Hiphil wpf 1cs I will leave you on the land, I will cast you forth on the open field, and will cause all the birds of the sky to settle on you, and I will satisfy the animals of the whole earth with you.
- Ezekiel 43:7 אֶשְׁכָּן Qal impf 1cs He said to me, Son of man, [this is] the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. The house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their prostitution, and by the dead bodies of their kings [in] their high places;
- Ezekiel 43:9 וְ/שָׁכַנְתִּ֥י conj + Qal wpf 1cs Now let them put away their prostitution, and the dead bodies of their kings, far from me; and I will dwell in the midst of them forever.
Joel 2 verses
- Joel 3:17 שֹׁכֵ֖ן Qal ptcp.act ms "So you will know that I am Yahweh, your God, Dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain. Then Jerusalem will be holy, And no strangers will pass through her any more.
- Joel 3:21 שֹׁכֵ֥ן Qal ptcp.act ms I will cleanse their blood, That I have not cleansed: For Yahweh dwells in Zion."
Obadiah 1 verse
Micah 2 verses
- Micah 4:10 וְ/שָׁכַ֣נְתְּ conj + Qal wpf 2fs Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, daughter of Zion, Like a woman in travail; For now you will go forth out of the city, And will dwell in the field, And will come even to Babylon. There you will be rescued. There Yahweh will redeem you from the hand of your enemies.
- Micah 7:14 שֹׁכְנִ֣י Qal ptcp.act ms cs Shepherd your people with your staff, The flock of your heritage, Who dwell by themselves in a forest, In the midst of fertile pasture land, let them feed; In Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
Nahum 1 verse
Zechariah 4 verses
- Zechariah 2:10 וְ/שָׁכַנְתִּ֥י conj + Qal wpf 1cs Sing and rejoice, daughter of Zion; for, behold, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you,' says Yahweh.
- Zechariah 2:11 וְ/שָׁכַנְתִּ֣י conj + Qal wpf 1cs Many nations shall join themselves to Yahweh in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in the midst of you, and you shall know that Yahweh of Hosts has sent me to you.
- Zechariah 8:3 וְ/שָׁכַנְתִּ֖י conj + Qal pf 1cs Thus says Yahweh: "I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called 'The City of Truth;' and the mountain of Yahweh of Hosts, 'The Holy Mountain.'"
- Zechariah 8:8 וְ/שָׁכְנ֖וּ conj + Qal pf 3cp and I will bring them, and they will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they will be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness."
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.
At its core, שכן (shâkan) means “to dwell.” Scripture first uses it in Genesis 3:24. It turns up in 123 verses across 23 books, a common footprint. Read the stem: it spans 3 stems, including Qal and Piel. It shares a root with שכב, משכב and שכבה. Dig into 123-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H7931 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 →
- 123
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 123 distinct verses.
- 23 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 23 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #346
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 346 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 123 occurrences in the concordance →
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 123 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 47 verses · 38%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 43 verses · 35%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 33 verses · 27%
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: Dwell 17×, Shall dwell 16×, Abode 6×
- American Standard Version: Dwell 15×, Shall dwell 13×, Abode 7×
- Berean Standard Bible: Dwell 14×, Dwelling 9×, Will dwell 7×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Dwell 17×, Will dwell 8×, Make 7×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H7931 across 128 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 39 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.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H7931 across 127 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 52 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 H7931 across 129 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 49 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H7931 across 159 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 62 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
18 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each.
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 18 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.
Qal
- Pf. 3 ms. שׁ׳ Ex 40:35 + 5 times; שָׁכֵ֑ן Dt 33:12 + 2 times, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יִשְׁכֹּן Gn 16:12 +; יִשְׁכָּן־ Nu 9:17 + 2 times; 3 mpl. יִשְׁכֹּ֑נוּ Je 49:31; 3 fpl. תִּשְׁכֹּ֑נָּה Ez 17:23, etc.; Imv. ms. שְׁכֹן Gn 26:2 ψ 37:27; שְׁכָן־ v 3; mpl. שִׁכְנוּ Je 48:28; Inf. cstr. בִּשְׁכֹּן (Ges§ 45 g) Gn 35:22, לִשְׁכּוֹן 2 Ch 6:1, etc.; sf. שָׁכְנִי Ex 29:46; שִׁכְנוֹ Dt 12:5 (but v. Pi. 1), etc.; Pt. שֹׁכֵן Gn 14:13 +, שֹׁכְנִי (Ges§ 90 l m) Dt 33:16 + 3 times; sf. fs. שֹׁכַנְתְּי Je 51:13; Pt. pass. appar. pl. cstr. c. art. הַשְּׁכוּנֵי Ju 8:11 (but corrupt, n.pr.loc. needed, v. GFM):— e.g. Exodus 40:35
- 1. settle down to abide:
- a. of pers.: encamp Nu 24:2 (E); settle permanently ψ 102:29 (abs.: ‖ יִכּוֹן); שׁ׳ כמלך Jb 29:25 (‖ ישׁב); settle down (to remain) Ju 5:17; תַּחְתָּיו 2 S 7:10 = 1 Ch 17:9 (not to be removed); especially at rest, peace, in security, לבטח Je 23:6; 33:16; Dt 33:12, cf. בין כתפים v 12; ψ 16:9 (‖ שׂמח); בטח Dt 33:28 Pr 1:33; (ל)בדד Nu 23:9 (poem) Je 49:31; Mi 7:14; land of Egypt Je 46:26 (remain undisturbed), so 50:39; Is 13:20 (‖ תֵּשֵׁב, cf. ישׁב 4); c. acc. מרומים 33:16; abs. Na 3:18, subj. אדּירים (We יָֽשְׁנוּ, Now יִשְׁכְּבוּ; ‖ נָמוּ); Pr 7:11 her feet tarry not in her house. e.g. Numbers 24:2
- b. of animals: כְּלָבִיא Dt 33:20; ב loc. Is 34:11; Jb 37:8; שָׁם Is 13:21; birds שׁ׳ תַּחַת (under) Ez 17:23, שׁ׳ בְּצֵל, v 23; c. עַל = upon 31:13, = by ψ 104:12; c. acc. סֶלַע Jb 39:28; abs., of man under fig. of bird, אָע֫וּפָה וְאֶשְׁכֹּ֑נָה ψ 55:7. e.g. Deuteronomy 33:20
- c. things: c. עַל of cloud, Jb 3:5 settle down over; cf. Ex 24:16; 40:35; Nu 9:17, 18, 22 (all P); c. בְּ 10:12 (P). e.g. Job 3:5
- 2. abide, dwell:
- a. of men: abs. ψ 37:27 (לְעוֹלָם); שָׁ֫מָּה Is 65:9; c. ב loc. ψ 69:37 Jb 18:15; 30:6; Mi 4:10; Je 48:28 + 10 times; לְחוֹף יַמִּים Gn 49:13; c. עַל, by Ju 5:17; Je 51:13; upon ψ 37:29; על פני Gn 16:12 (J); c. עִם with ψ 120:5, 6; c. acc. Pr 2:21 Je 17:6 + 5 times; מִן … עַד Gn 25:18 (J); שֹׁכְנֵי אָ֑רֶץ Is 18:3 (‖ ישְׁבֵי תֵבֵל). e.g. Psalms 37:27
- b. of the dead: שֹׁכְנֵי עָפָר Is 26:19 (‖ רְפָאִים); cf. Jb 26:5 (‖ id.), so mortals, שֹׁכְנֵי בָתֵּי חֹמֶר 4:19; שׁ׳ דוּמָה ψ 94:17 (i.e. שׁאול). e.g. Isaiah 26:19
- c. of God: שׁ׳ בָּֽעֲרָפֶל 1 K 8:12 = 2 Ch 6:1 (poem); מָרוֹם Is 33:5; עַד 57:15; מָרוֹם וְקָדוֹשׁ v 15; שׁ׳ סְנֶה Dt 33:16 (theoph.); בְּאָֽהֳלֵי־שֵׁם Gn 9:27 (J, v. BrMP 82; al. Japheth subj.); בְּתוֹכָם Ex 25:8; 29:46; Nu 5:3 (all P), Ez 43:9; c. בְּתוֹךְ elsewhere Ex 29:45 (P) + 6 times; ב loc. ψ 85:10; later בְּצִיּוֹן Jo 4:17, 21; בְּהַר צִיּוֹן Is 8:18; ψ 68:17, 19 (abs.) + 4 times; שֹׁכֵן יְרוּשָׁלַםִ ψ 135:21. e.g. 1 Kings 8:12
- d. things: אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, c. את Lv 16:16 (P); מִשְׁכַּן י׳ שָׁם Jos 22:19 (P); אוֹר Jb 38:19. e.g. Leviticus 16:16
- e. abstr. subj.: מִשְׁפָּט Is 32:16 (בַּמִּדְבָּר); חָכְמָה, c. acc. עָרְמָה Pr 8:12. e.g. Isaiah 32:16
Piel
- Pf. 3 ms. שִׁכֵּן ψ 78:60; 1 s. שִׁכַּנְתִּי Je 7:7, 12; Impf. 1 s. אֲשַׁכְּנָה Je 7:3; Inf. cstr. שַׁכֵּן Nu 14:30 + 7 times; sf. שַׁכְּנוֹ Dt 12:5 (so read for MT לְשִׁכְנוֹ, cf. Köii. 1. 21);— e.g. Psalms 78:60
- 1. make settle down, establish: אֹהֶל שׁ׳ בָּֽאָדָֽם ψ 78:60; especially in Dt, לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ שָׁם establish his name there (cf. šakan šuma as Canaanism WklTelAm. 138 Rev. 20; 181. 6) Dt 12:11; 14:23; 16:2, 6, 11; 26:2, cf. Je 7:12 Ne 1:9; + לָשׂוּם אֶת־שְׁמוֹ שָׁם לְשִׁכְנוֹ Dt 12:5 (read לְשַׁכְּנוֹ). e.g. Psalms 78:60
- 2. make to dwell: c. acc. pers., ב loc., Nu 14:30 (J) Je 7:3, 7. e.g. Numbers 14:30
Hiphil
- Pf. 1 s. הִשְׁכַּ֫נְתִּי Ez 32:4; Impf. 3 ms. juss. יַשְׁכֵּן ψ 7:6, וַיַּשְׁכֵּן Gn 3:24 ψ 78:55, etc.;— e.g. Ezekiel 32:4
- 1.
- a. lay, כבודי לעפר ψ 7:6 lay my honour in the dust (of death); place, set, Gn 3:24 (J); place, establish, אהל מועד at Shilo Jos 18:1 (P). e.g. Psalms 7:6
- b. cause birds to settle, עַל Ez 32:4. e.g. Ezekiel 32:4
- 2. cause to dwell, c. acc. pers., ב loc., ψ 78:55; cf. Jb 11:14. e.g. Psalms 78:55
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
vb. settle down, abide, dwell (NH id.; Ecclus 43:17d +; Ph. שכן Lzb375; Aramaic שְׁכֵין; Syriac ܫܟܶܢ, all dwell; Arabic سَكَنَ rest, dwell, cf. Assyrian šakânu, set, lay, deposit, set up (a dwelling), intrans. be situated (of city), maškanu, place, dwelling-place);—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from שכב (shâkab) (H7901) — to lie down.
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.
שָׁכַן
- v. כון, to dwell, rest. Ḥull. 65ᵃ ש׳ עם הטמאים טמא a bird (of which you do not know whether it is clean or unclean) that nests with unclean birds, is unclean. B. Kam. 92ᵇ (quot. from an unknown writing, v. Rabb. D. S. a. l. note 7) כל עוף למינו יִשְׁכּוֹן וכ׳ every bird nests with its kind, and man with his like; Yalk. Gen. 116; Yalk. Jud. 67. Tanḥ. Noah 15 אין הקללה שׁוֹכֶנֶת וכ׳ (Gen. R. s. 36 הוָֹה) curse does not rest (take effect) where blessing has been pronounced; a. fr.
- 1. to cause to dwell, establish. Ber. 12ᵃ מי שש׳ את שמו הוא יַשְׁכִּין וכ׳ may he who caused his name to dwell in this house, let dwell among you love and brotherhood &c. Ib. 16ᵇ שתְּשַׁכֵּן (or שתַּשְׁכֵּן), v. פּוּר. Gen. R. s. 64 (ref. to שְׁכֹן, Gen. XXVI, 2) שׁכֵּן השכינה בארץ let the Shechinah rest in the land (do not cause the Shechinah to move with thee to a foreign land); Yalk. ib. 111. Pirké d’R. El. ch. XXXVI איני יכול לשַׁכֵּן שכינתי עליך וכ׳ I cannot let my Shechinah (holy inspiration) rest upon thee in a foreign land; a. fr.—2) to make prosperous. Num. R. s. 143 שבשבילו ש׳ ה׳ לאדוניו because for his (Joseph’s) sake the Lord prospered his master; [Matt. K.; the Lord revealed himself to his master, v. Gen. R. s. 86, end].—[Gen. R. s. 34 שיכן בזכות, v. שִׁיכּוּן.] e.g. Genesis 26:2
- to cause to dwell. Cant. R. to V, 1 (ref. to Ps. XXXVII, 29) יַשְׁכִּינוּ לשכינה וכ׳ they cause the Shechinah to dwell on earth; ib. הצדיקים הִשְׁכִּינוּ וכ׳ the righteous (Abraham, Isaac etc.) brought the Shechinah down to earth. Ber. 12ᵃ, v. supra; a. e. e.g. Psalms 37:29
שְׁכַן
- 1. to dwell, sit, nest. Targ. Ps. CIV, 12 Ms. (ed. יִשְׁרוּן).—Gen. R. s. 65 וכל עוף דש׳ וכ׳ and whatever bird will nest with it (the starling, v. זַרְזִיר II), to its kind will it belong; Yalk. Ps. 794 דיִשְׁכּוֹן; ib. אתא … וש׳ גביה the Egyptian raven came and joined it; a. e.
- 2. to rest, settle. Ḥull. 26ᵇ שָׁכְנֵי תיתאי, v. קְפֵי. Ib. 111ᵇ, v. קְפֵי.
- 1. to cause to dwell. Targ. Cant. III, 10 (not דשְׁכֵין).
- 2. to fix, appoint. Y. Ab. Zar. I, 39ᵈ top שַׁכְּנִית, v. ארקליס.
שָׁכֵן
- preced.) settler, neighbor. Keth. 85ᵇ ש׳ ותלמיד חכם וכ׳ if a neighbor (of the deceased) and a scholar (of the same name claim a legacy), the scholar is preferred; B. Mets. 108ᵇ ש׳ ותלמיד וכ׳ if a neighbor and a scholar want to buy a field, the scholar has the preemption. Ab. I, 7 הרחק מש׳ רע keep away from a bad neighbor. Ib. II, 9. Neg. XII, 6 (prov.) אוי לרשע אוי לשְׁכֵנוֹ woe to the wicked, and woe to his neighbor; Num. R. s. 185; a. fr.—Y. Ab. Zar. II, end, 42ᵃ (mixed dict.) ש׳ חד הוה לנא וכ׳ we had one (gentile) neighbor &c.—Pl. שְׁכֵנִים, שְׁכֵי׳. Keth. l. c. שניהם קרובים ושניהם ש׳ וכ׳ if both claimants are relatives (of the deceased), or both neighbors, or both scholars, it is left to the discretion of the judges (v. שׁוּדָא). B. Mets. l. c. שְׁכֵינֵי העיר ושְׁכֵינֵי שדה וכ׳ if neighbors in the town and neighbors in the field (want to buy a field), the city neighbors have the pre-emption. Sot. I, 4 (address to the suspected adulteress) הרבה ש׳ הרעים וכ׳ bad neighbors do much (may have influenced you). Keth. 72ᵃ שמשיאתו שם רע בשְׁכֵינָיו she is the cause of his bearing a bad name among his neighbors; a. fr.—Fem. שְׁכֵנָה, שְׁכֵי׳. Y. Bets. II, end, 61ᵈ שְׁכֵינָתוֹ היתה it was his neighbor’s wife that did it; ויש … על שכינתו is a man punished for what his neighboress does?; a. e.—Pl. שְׁכֵינוֹת. Keth. l. c. משיאה … בשְׁכֵיניֹתֶיהָ he is the cause of her bearing a bad name among her neighbors; a. e.
שָׁכֵן ²
- , v. שְׁכֵינָא
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 101 distinct written forms H7931 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 41 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H7931, 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
Derived from this word
- משכן mishkân H4908 dwelling place
- שכן shᵉkan H7932 to dwell
- שכן sheken H7933 dwelling
- שכן shâkên H7934 inhabitant
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 10 — not the complete family. 1 of the same-root words is a proper name (a person or place). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 106 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 123 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
- Genesis 3:24
- Exodus 24:16
- Leviticus 16:16
- Numbers 5:3
- Deuteronomy 12:11
- Joshua 18:1
- Judges 5:17
- 2 Samuel 7:10
- 1 Chronicles 17:9
- 2 Chronicles 6:1
- Job 3:5
- Psalms 7:5
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.
