---
title: סָכַל — be foolish · The Tanakh dictionary
description: סָכַל (5528), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 8 times: be foolish. BDB 1906: vb. be foolish fool. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# סָכַל

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«סָכַל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **be foolish** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 8 times · **Key:** 5528 · **BDB:** סָכַל

### Glosses

I.have.acted.foolishly (2); you.have.acted.foolishly (2); I.have.behaved.foolishly (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

be foolish [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5528/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. be foolish fool [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5528/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. be foolish, or a fool, usually in moral or spiritual sense (Syriac ܣܟܰܠ,, Aph. act foolishly; ܣܰܟܠܴܐ foolish, etc., 𝔗 סְכַל der. species, act foolishly; סַכְלָא fool; Chr Pal Aramaic ܣܟܠ, Aph. = ἁμαρτάνω, also deriv. SchwallyIdiot. 62; Assyrian saklu, perhaps foolish, DlHWB 498; Aramaic ܣܟܰܠ, סְכַל know, be intelligent, cause to understand, etc. (der. species), cf. שׂכל; MeChrest. Targ. derives both these opp. meanings from Arabic شَكْلٌ form, likeness Gerber178 thinks Heb. vb. denom.);— Impf. יְסַכֵּל Is 44:25, Imv. סַכֶּל־נָא 2 S 15:31, make foolish, turn into foolishness. Pf. 2 ms. נִסְכַּלְתָּ 2 Ch 16:9; נִסְכָּ֑לְתָּ 1 S 13:13; 1 s. נִסְכַּלְתִּי 2 S 24:10 = 1 Ch 21:8, act or do foolishly. Pf. 2 ms. הִסְכַּלְתָּ Gn 31:28 (E), 1 s. הִסְכַּלְתִּי 1 S 26:21, do foolishly, play the fool.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 8 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (3 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «סָכַל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/5528/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Isaiah 44:25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/ISA.44.25/)

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מֵפֵר֙ אֹת֣וֹת בַּדִּ֔ים וְקֹסְמִ֖ים יְהוֹלֵ֑ל מֵשִׁ֧יב חֲכָמִ֛ים אָח֖וֹר וְדַעְתָּ֥ם יְשַׂכֵּֽל׃

*Word for word:* \[who\].frustrates \[the\].signs of.empty.talkers and diviners he.makes.look.foolish \[who\].turns.back wise.\[people\] backwards and knowledge their he.makes.foolish

*JPS 1917:* That frustrateth the tokens of the imposters, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;

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[Genesis 31:28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.31.28/)

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וְלֹ֣א נְטַשְׁתַּ֔נִי לְנַשֵּׁ֥ק לְבָנַ֖י וְלִבְנֹתָ֑י עַתָּ֖ה הִסְכַּ֥לְתָּֽ עֲשֽׂוֹ׃

*Word for word:* and not did you.allow.me? to kiss (to) sons my and (to) daughters my now you.have.behaved.foolishly to.do

*JPS 1917:* and didst not suffer me to kiss my sons and my daughters? now hast thou done foolishly.

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