StrongerBible

shakhen

שָׁכֵן

HebrewH7934neighbor, inhabitant

Appears 20 times · tap a cell to see the verses

Exo 3:22Exo 12:4Deu 1:7Rut 4:172Ki 4:3Psa 31:11(12)Psa 44:13(14)Psa 79:4Psa 79:12Psa 80:6(7)Psa 89:41(42)Pro 27:10Isa 33:24Jer 6:21Jer 12:14Jer 49:10Jer 49:18Jer 50:40Ezk 16:26Hos 10:5
Root family
Word studyshah-KHANEnoun

What shakhen means

one who dwells close by: a neighbor, or by extension an inhabitant of a place

TranslatabilityApproximateCertaintySettled

The word comes from the everyday verb for settling down and dwelling, so at heart it simply means "one who dwells nearby." In daily life that is the person next door: the woman a departing Israelite asks for silver (Exodus 3:22), the household invited to share a lamb too large for one family (Exodus 12:4), the women who name Ruth's newborn (Ruth 4:17).

The same word stretches from a single household to whole peoples. Israel's "neighbors" in the Psalms are the surrounding nations, and they are rarely friendly: they mock, taunt, and gloat over Jerusalem's fall (Psalm 44:13; Psalm 79:4; Psalm 80:6). Prophets use it the same way for the peoples and towns bordering Edom or Sodom (Jeremiah 49:10; Jeremiah 49:18). So a "neighbor" here can be an ally, a rival, or an enemy: the word names nearness, not affection.

A second, quieter use drops the idea of "nearby" and means simply an inhabitant, someone who lives in a place. In the healed Zion no resident will say "I am sick" (Isaiah 33:24), and Hosea speaks of the people living in Samaria (Hosea 10:5).

This is not the warm, moral "neighbor" of "love your neighbor as yourself." That command uses a different Hebrew word, רֵעַ, which stresses a fellow member of the community. This word is more matter-of-fact: it points to whoever happens to live close by.

Nuances

1aa neighbor: a person, people, or land that dwells nearby
TranslatabilityDirect
Exo 3:22Exo 12:4Deu 1:7Rut 4:172Ki 4:3Psa 31:11(12)Psa 44:13(14)Psa 79:4Psa 79:12Psa 80:6(7)Pro 27:10Jer 6:21
1ban inhabitant: one who lives in a place, a resident
TranslatabilityDirect
Isa 33:24Hos 10:5

What scholars say about shakhen

שָׁכֵן is a substantive from the root שכן ("to settle, dwell"), the same root behind the noun מִשְׁכָּן ("dwelling, tabernacle"). The standard lexica gloss it "inhabitant, neighbour" and note that it appears most often in the plural construct with a possessive suffix ("his/our/their neighbours"). In the communal laments the plural denotes the nations surrounding Israel, usually as mocking adversaries; in prophetic oracles it denotes the peoples and towns bordering a doomed nation. The "inhabitant" use (Isaiah 33:24; Hosea 10:5) shades toward the participle יֹשֵׁב ("one who sits, dwells"). The word's meaning is not in dispute.

Sources

  • HALOT, s.v. שָׁכֵןlexicon
  • BDB, s.v. שָׁכֵןlexicon
  • DCH, s.v. שָׁכֵןlexicon
  • TDOT, s.v. שָׁכַןdictionary

All attested forms of שָׁכֵן

m p construct

שְׁכֵנֵינוּ

Psa 44:13, Psa 79:4, Psa 79:12, Psa 80:6

m p construct

שְׁכֵנָיו

Deu 1:7, Psa 89:41, Jer 49:10

m s absolute

שָׁכֵן

Pro 27:10, Isa 33:24, Jer 6:21

m p construct

שְׁכֵנַי, שֲׁכֵנַי

Jer 12:14, Psa 31:11

m p construct

שְׁכֵנַיִךְ, שְׁכֵנָיִךְ

Ezk 16:26, 2Ki 4:3

m p construct

שְׁכֵנֶיהָ

Jer 49:18, Jer 50:40

f p absolute

שְּׁכֵנוֹת

Rut 4:17

f s construct

שְּׁכֶנְתָּהּ

Exo 3:22

m s construct

שְׁכַן

Hos 10:5

m s construct

שְׁכֵנוֹ

Exo 12:4