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שְׁכָבָה

𐤔𐤊𐤁𐤄

shᵉkâbâh

H7902 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שכב to lie down, recline, rest

Definition

A state or act of lying down; specifically, a layer or covering (such as dew deposited overnight), or the act of sexual intercourse. In contextual usage, the term may refer to a layer or stratum on the ground, or more frequently, to the sexual union between people, especially in legal or ritual contexts.

Semantic Range

lying down (state), layer (as of dew), sexual intercourse, act of copulation, physical stratum

Root / Etymology

Root: שָׁכַב (sh-k-v), meaning 'to lie down.' שְׁכָבָה (shᵉkâbâh) is a feminine noun formation indicating either the state of lying down or that which is lain (a layer, covering, or the act of lying together).

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, שְׁכָבָה most often appears in contexts dealing with sexuality and purity laws, such as Leviticus and Numbers, where it denotes sexual intercourse, often with legal implications related to ritual impurity, inheritance, or forbidden unions. The term can also be used in a more literal, physical sense of a 'layer,' as with dew (Exodus 16:13), though this is less common. The usage in legal texts distinguishes it from the root-level verb, which can have broader application (simply to recline or rest). English translations sometimes obscure the range, rendering it as 'lying with' or 'seed,' but the Hebrew term is broader, encompassing both the act and its state or result. In rabbinic and later Hebrew, the sexual sense becomes fixed, but in the biblical usage, it retains potential for physical layering as well. Distinct from related terms such as מִשְׁכָּב (miškāv), which can more generally mean 'bed' or 'sexual lying together.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שָׁכַב; a lying down (of dew, or for the sexual act); [idiom] carnally, copulation, [idiom] lay, seed.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שכב (sh-k-v) — to lie down, recline, rest

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4903 מִשְׁכַּב his lying-place
H4904 מִשְׁכָּב in the lying-place
H7901 שָׁכַב in your lying down

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7902-01 שִׁכְבַ֣ת shikhevat HNcfsc emission lying-down of 9

Occurrences in Scripture

9 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7902-01 Exodus 16:13 שִׁכְבַ֣ת shikhevat HNcfsc a layer lying-down of
H7902-01 Exodus 16:14 שִׁכְבַ֣ת shikhevat HNcfsc layer lying-down of
H7902-01 Leviticus 15:16 שִׁכְבַת shikhevat HNcfsc emission lying-down of
H7902-01 Leviticus 15:17 שִׁכְבַת shikhevat HNcfsc emission lying-down of
H7902-01 Leviticus 15:18 שִׁכְבַת shikhevat HNcfsc emission lying-down of
H7902-01 Leviticus 15:32 שִׁכְבַת shikhevat HNcfsc lying of lying-down of
H7902-01 Leviticus 19:20 שִׁכְבַת shikhevat HNcfsc of copulation lying-down of
H7902-01 Leviticus 22:4 שִׁכְבַת shikhevat HNcfsc emission lying-down of
H7902-01 Numbers 5:13 שִׁכְבַת shikhevat HNcfsc lying lying-down of
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