Lexical Definition

‎שָׁכַן‎ shâkan (shaw-kan') to dwell ^H:V
a primitive root (apparently akin (by transmission) to ‎שָׁכַב‎ through the idea of lodging; compare ‎סִכְלוּת‎, ‎שָׁכַם‎)

abide, continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-er), have habitation, inhabit, lay, place, (cause to) remain, rest, set (up).

• to reside or permanently stay (literally or figuratively)

1) to settle down, abide, dwell, tabernacle, reside
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to settle down to abide
1a2) to abide, dwell, reside
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to make settle down, establish
1b2) to make or cause to dwell
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to lay, place, set, establish, settle, fix
1c2) to cause to dwell or abide

See Greek: ἀναπαύω · ἀναπαύω · αὐλίζομαι · εἰσέρχομαι · ἐπέρχομαι · ἐπικαθίζω · ἐπικαλέομαι · ἐπισκιάζω · ἥκω · ἡσυχάζω · ἵστημι · καθέζομαι · καταβαίνω · καταλύω · καταπαύω · κατασκηνόω · κατοικέω · κατοικέω · κτίζω · οἰκέω · ὁράω · παροικέω · πήγνυμι · σκηνόω

Extended Information

• Aramaic equivalent: she.khan (‎ש‎ְׁ‎כ‎ֵ‎ן‎ "to dwell" שְׁכַן)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

Hebrew form: שֶׁכֶן
Also see: שֶׁכֶן

‎שָׁכַן‎, ‎שָׁכֵ֑ן‎ verb settle down, abide, dwell (Late Hebrew id.; +; Phoenician ‎שכן‎ Lzb³⁷⁵; Aramaic ‎שְׁכֵין‎; Syriac , all dwell; Arabic rest, dwell, compare Assyrian šakânu, set, lay, deposit, set up (a dwelling), intransitive be situated (of city), maškanu, place, dwelling-place); —

Qal Perfect 3 masculine singular ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Exod 40:35 + 5 t.; ‎שָׁכֵ֑ן‎ Deut 33:12 + 2 t., etc.; Imperfect 3 masculine singular‎יִשְׁכֹּן‎ Gen 16:12 +; ‎יִשְׁכָּןֿ‎ Num 9:17 + 2 t.; 3 masculine plural ‎יִשְׁכֹּ֑נוּ‎ Jer 49:31 3 feminine plural ‎תִּשְׁכֹּ֑נָּה‎ Ezek 17:23, etc.; Imperative masculine singular ‎שְׁכֹן‎ Gen 26:2; Ps 37:27 ‎שְׁכָןֿ‎ vPs 37:3 masculine plural ‎שִׁכְנוּ‎. Jer 48:28 Infinitive construct ‎בִּשְׁכֹּן‎ (Ges^{«GKC:45g»§ 45g}) Gen 35:22, ‎לִשְׁמֹּן‎ 2Chr 6:1, etc.; suffix ‎שָׁכְּנִי‎ Exod 29:46 ‎שִׁכְנוֺ‎ Deut 12:5 (but see Pi`el 1), etc.; Participle ‎שֹׁכֵן‎ Gen 14:13 +, ‎שֹׁכְּנִי‎ (Ges^{«GKC:90l»§ 90 l m}) Deut 33:16 + 3 t.; suffix feminine singular ‎שֹׁכַנְתְּי‎ Jer 51:13 Passive participle, apparently plural construct with art, ‎הַשְּׁכוּנֵי‎ Judg 8:11 (but corrupt, proper name, of a location needed, see GFM): —

1. settle down to abide:
a. of person: encamp Num 24:2 (E); settle permanently Ps 102:29* (absolute: || ‎יִכּוֺן‎); ‎כמלך‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Job 29:25 (|| ‎ישׁב‎); settle down (to remain) Judg 5:17 ‎תַּחְתָּיו‎ 2Sam 7:10 = 1Chr 17:9 (not to be removed); especially at rest, peace, in security, ‎לבטח‎ Jer 23:6; Jer 33:16; Deut 33:12, compare ‎בין כתפים‎ vDeut 33:12; Ps 16:9 (‎שׂמח ןן‎); ‎בטח‎ Deut 33:28; Prov 1:33 ‎(ל)בדד‎ Num 23:9 (poem) Jer 49:31; Mic 7:14 land of Egypt Jer 46:26 (remain undisturbed), so Jer 50:39; Isa 13:20 (|| ‎תֵּשֵׁב‎, compare ‎ישׁב‎ 4); with ‎מרומים‎ Isa 33:16 absolute Nah 3:18, subject ‎אדּירים‎ (We ‎רָֽשְׁנוּ‎, Now ‎יִשְׁכְּבוּ‎; || ‎נָמוּ‎); Prov 7:11 her feet tarry not in her house.
b. of animals: ‎כְּלָבִיא‎ Deut 33:20 ‎ב‎ location Isa 34:11; Job 37:8 ‎שָׁם‎ Isa 13:21 birds ‎תַּחַת‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ (under) Ezek 17:23, ‎בְּצֵל‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ vEzek 17:23 with ‎עַל‎ = upon Ezek 31:13, = by Ps 104:12 with accusative ‎סֶלַע‎ Job 39:28 absolute, of man under figure of bird, ‎אָע֫וּפָה וְאֶשְׁכֹּ֑נָה‎ Ps 55:7*.
c. things: with ‎עַל‎ of cloud, Job 3:5 settle down over; compare Exod 24:16; Exod 40:35; Num 9:17; Num 9:18; Num 9:22 (all P); with ‎בְּ‎ Num 10:12 (P).

2. abide, dwell:
a. of men: absolute Ps 37:27 (‎לְעוֺלָם‎); ‎שָׁ֫מָּה‎ Isa 65:9 with ‎ב‎ location Ps 69:37*; Job 18:15; Job 30:6; Mic 4:10; Jer 48:28 + 10 t.; ‎לְחוֺף יִמִּים‎ Gen 49:13 with ‎עַל‎, by Judg 5:17; Jer 51:13 upon Jer 37:29 ‎על פני‎ Gen 16:12 (J); with ‎עִם‎ with Ps 120:5; Ps 120:6 with accusative Prov 2:21; Jer 17:5 + 5 t.; ‎מִן ֗֗֗ עַד‎ Gen 25:18 (J); ‎שֹׁכְנֵי אָ֑רֶץ‎ Isa 18:3 (|| ‎ישְׁבֵי‎ ‎תֵבֵל‎).
b. of the dead: ‎שֹׁכְנֵי עָפָר‎ Isa 26:19 (|| ‎רְפָאִים‎); compare Job 26:5 (|| id.), so mortals; ‎שֹׁכְנֵי בָתֵּי חֹמֶר‎ Job 4:19 ‎דוּמָה‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Ps 94:17 (i.e. ‎שׁאול‎).
c. of God: ‎בָּֽעֲרָפֶל‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ 1Kgs 8:12 = 2Chr 6:1 (poem); ‎מָרוֺם‎ Isa 33:5 ‎עַד‎ Isa 57:15 ‎מָרוֺם וְקָדוֺשׁ‎ vIsa 57:15 ‎סְנֶה‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Deut 33:16 (theoph.); ‎בְּאָֽהֳלֵישֵֿׁם‎ Gen 9:27 (J, see Br^{MP 82}; al. Japheth subject); ‎בְּתוֺכָם‎ Exod 25:8; Exod 29:46; Num 5:3 (all P), Ezek 43:9 with ‎בְּתוֺךְ‎ elsewhere Exod 29:45 (P) + 6 t.; ‎ב‎ location Ps 85:10* later ‎בְּצִיּוֺן‎ Joel 4:17*; Joel 4:21* ‎בְּהַר צִיּוֺן‎ Isa 8:18; Ps 68:17*; Ps 68:19* (absolute) + 4 t.; ‎שֹׁכֵן יְרוּשָׁלִַם‎ Ps 135:21.
d. things: ‎אֹהֶל מוֺעֵד‎, with ‎את‎ Lev 16:16 (P); ‎שָׁם‎ ‎׳‎‎מִשְׁכַּן י‎ Josh 22:19 (P); ‎אוֺר‎ Job 38:19.
e. abstract subj,: ‎מִשְׁפָּט‎ Isa 32:16 (‎בַּמִּדְבָּר‎); ‎חָכְמָה‎ with accusative ‎עָרְמָה‎ Prov 8:12. Pi`el Perfect 3 masculine singular ‎שִׁכֵּן‎ Ps 78:60 1 singular ‎שִׁכַּנְתִּי‎ Jer 7:7; Jer 7:12 Imperfect 1 singular ‎אֲשַׁכְּנָה‎ Jer 7:3 Infinitive construct ‎שַׁכֵּן‎ Num 14:30 + 7 t.; suffix ‎שַׁכְּנוֺ‎ Deut 12:5 (so read for ᵑ0 ‎לְשִׁכְנוֺ‎, compare Kö^{ii. l. 21}); —

1. make settle down, establish: ‎בָּֽאָדָֽם‎ ‎׳‎‎אֹהֶל שׁ‎ Ps 78:60 especially in Deuteronomy, ‎לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֺ שָׁם‎ establish his name there (compare šakan šuma as Canaanism Wkl^{TelAm.138 Rev. 20; 181.6}) Deut 12:11; Deut 14:23; Deut 16:2; Deut 16:6; Deut 16:11; Deut 26:2, compare Jer 7:12; Neh 1:9 + ‎לָשׂוּם אֶתִשְֿׁמוֺ שָׁם לְשִׁכְנוֺ‎ Deut 12:5 (read ‎לְשַׁכְּנוֺ‎).

2. make to dwell: with accusative of person, ‎ב‎ location, Num 14:30 (J) Jer 7:3; Jer 7:7. Hiph`il Perfect 1 singular ‎הִשְׁכַּ֫נְתִּי‎ Ezek 3:24 Imperfect 3 masculine singular jussive ‎יַשְׁכֵּן‎ Ps 7:6*, ‎וַיַּשְׁכֵּן‎ Gen 3:24; Ps 78:55, etc.; —

1. a. lay, ‎כבודי לעפר‎ lay my honour in the dust (of death); place, set, Gen 3:24 (J); place, establish, ‎אהל מועד‎ at Shilo Josh 18:1 (P).
b. cause birds to settle, ‎עַל‎ Ezek 32:4.

2. cause to dwell, with accusative of person, ‎ב‎ location, Ps 78:55 compare Job 11:14.

[‎שְׁכֵן‎ compare ᵑ7] verb dwell (Biblical Hebrew ‎שָׁכַן‎, ‎מִשְׁכָּן‎); —

Pe`al Imperfect 3 feminine plural ‎יִשְׁכְּנָן‎ Dan 4:18* dwell, of birds, ‎ב‎ location Pa`el causative: Perfect 3 masculine singular ‎שַׁכִּן שְׁמֵהּתַּמָּה‎ Ezra 6:12, of God, cause his name to dwell there.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References