שָׂכָר
𐤔𐤊𐤓
sâkâr
H7939 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A payment or compensation given in exchange for work, service, or some action; in broader contexts, refers to the result or consequence (positive or negative) that follows from an action. The primary lexical meaning is 'wages' or 'reward,' but it also encompasses any compensation, remuneration, or tangible or intangible benefit resulting from an agreement or performance.
Semantic Range
wages, compensation, payment for work, hire, salary, price paid (for service or goods), reward (literal or metaphorical), benefit, consequence (positive or negative) of an action, dividend, profit, merited return
Root / Etymology
From the root שכר (שׂ-כ-ר), meaning 'to hire' or 'to hire oneself out.' The noun שָׂכָר originally denotes what is given as a result of hiring, i.e., wages or remuneration, but extends to any kind of reward or recompense, whether material or immaterial.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Throughout the Hebrew Bible, שָׂכָר is used for both literal wages paid for labor (e.g., to a hired worker, Genesis 30:32-33) and metaphorical rewards or consequences (both positive and negative) for actions (e.g., Psalm 109:20; Isaiah 62:11). During the patriarchal and monarchic periods, it primarily described compensation for agricultural, pastoral, or manual labor, often with the legal or ethical concern that hired workers receive their due (cf. Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:15). In post-exilic and later prophetic literature, the sense widens: שָׂכָר can refer to abstract or divine reward (Isaiah 40:10; Jeremiah 31:16), including eschatological concepts of recompense. The term overlaps with גְּמוּל (gemûl, 'recompense') but שָׂכָר usually implies payment due by arrangement or merit, rather than retribution or response in general. English renderings like 'reward,' 'wages,' or 'hire' are context-dependent; 'reward' can be misleadingly narrow, as שָׂכָר often simply means that which is owed or earned, not necessarily a bonus or additional benefit. The same form is also used in personal names (e.g., Issachar), with interpretations connected to recompense or reward, especially in narrative etiologies (Genesis 30:18). In later rabbinic and post-biblical usage, שָׂכָר continues to denote both payment for work and divine reward for righteousness, with potential for further spiritualization of its semantic range.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from שָׂכַר; payment of contract; concretely, salary, fare, maintenance; by implication, compensation, benefit; hire, price, reward(-ed), wages, worth.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שכר (š-k-r) — to hire, to rent, to reward
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3485 | יִשָּׂשכָר | in Reward-bringer |
| H4909 | מַשְׂכֹּרֶת | your compensation |
| H7910 | שִׁכּוֹר | drunken one |
| H7916 | שָׂכִיר | as a wage-earner |
| H7917 | שְׂכִירָה | the hire-wage |
Word Forms
10 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7939-02 |
שָׂכָ֥ר | sakhar | HNcmsa |
reward | wage-payment | 7 |
H7939-07 |
שְׂכָרִ֔/י | sekhari | HNcmsc/Sp1cs |
my wages | my wages | 5 |
H7939-05 |
שְׂכָרְ/ךָ֖ | sekharekha | HNcmsc/Sp2ms |
your wages | your wage | 4 |
H7939-08 |
שְׂכָר֜/וֹ | sekharo | HNcmsc/Sp3ms |
his reward | his wages | 3 |
H7939-03 |
שְׂכַ֣ר | sekhar | HNcmsc |
wage | wage of | 3 |
H7939-09 |
וּ/שְׂכַ֤ר | usekhar | HC/Ncmsc |
and wages | and wages of | 2 |
H7939-04 |
שְׂכָרָ֜/הּ | sekharah | HNcmsc/Sp3fs |
its fare | her wage | 1 |
H7939-06 |
שְׂכָרֵ֑/ךְ | sekharekhe | HNcmsc/Sp2fs |
your wages | your wages | 1 |
H7939-10 |
וְ֠/שָׂכָר | vesakhar | HC/Ncmsa |
but wages | and wages | 1 |
H7939-01 |
בִּ/שְׂכָרֽ/וֹ | bisekharo | HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms |
for its hire | in his compensation | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
28 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7939-05 |
Genesis 15:1 | שְׂכָרְ/ךָ֖ | sekharekha | HNcmsc/Sp2ms |
your reward | your wage |
H7939-07 |
Genesis 30:18 | שְׂכָרִ֔/י | sekhari | HNcmsc/Sp1cs |
my wages/reward | my wages |
H7939-05 |
Genesis 30:28 | שְׂכָרְ/ךָ֛ | sekharekha | HNcmsc/Sp2ms |
your wages | your wage |
H7939-07 |
Genesis 30:32 | שְׂכָרִֽ/י | sekhari | HNcmsc/Sp1cs |
my wages | my wages |
H7939-07 |
Genesis 30:33 | שְׂכָרִ֖/י | sekhari | HNcmsc/Sp1cs |
my wages | my wages |
H7939-05 |
Genesis 31:8 | שְׂכָרֶ֔/ךָ | sekharekha | HNcmsc/Sp2ms |
your wages | your wage |
H7939-05 |
Genesis 31:8 | שְׂכָרֶ֔/ךָ | sekharekha-2 | HNcmsc/Sp2ms |
your wages | your wage |
H7939-06 |
Exodus 2:9 | שְׂכָרֵ֑/ךְ | sekharekhe | HNcmsc/Sp2fs |
your wages | your wages |
H7939-01 |
Exodus 22:14 | בִּ/שְׂכָרֽ/וֹ | bisekharo | HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms |
for its hire | in his compensation |
H7939-02 |
Numbers 18:31 | שָׂכָ֥ר | sakhar | HNcmsa |
reward | wage-payment |