--- title: שָׁאַל — ask · The Tanakh dictionary description: שָׁאַל (7592), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 171 times: ask. BDB 1906: vb. Hiph. Qal Qal Qal. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/7592.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [ש](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1513.md)‎ / שָׁאַל‎ # שָׁאַל «שָׁאַל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **ask** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers. **Used:** 171 times · **Key:** 7592 · **BDB:** שָׁאַל ### Glosses ask (28); he.asked (17); he.enquired (10) ### Meaning (OSHB) ask [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/7592/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) vb. Hiph. Qal Qal Qal [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/7592/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** vb. ask, inquire (NH id.; Assyrian šaʾâlu, Arabic سَأَلَ, Ethiopic ሰአለ: Sab. מסאל request, petition, HomChrest. 124 Levy-Os ZMG xix (1865), 165; Aramaic ܫܶܐܠ, שְׁאֵיל; O Aramaic Zinj. שאל Ldzb371, Nab. Hiph. lend id.ib.;—on שׁ׳ cf. Jastr JBL xix (1900), 82 ff.);— Pf. 3 ms. שׁ׳ Ju 5:25 +, שָׁאָ֑ל Ju 8:26 + 2 times; consec. וְשָׁ֫אַל לוֹ Nu 27:21; sf. וּשְׁאֵלְךָ consec. Gn 32:18 (Ges§ 64 f), וּשְׁאֵלֵךְ consec. Ju 4:20; 1 s. sf. שְׁאִלְתִּיו 1 S 1:20, שְׁאִלְתִּיהוּ Ju 13:16; 3 pl. sf. שְׁאֵלוּנוּ ψ 137:3; 2 mpl. שְׁאֶלְתֶּם 1 S 12:13 (del. 𝔊 Th We Dr and most), Jb 21:29, וּשְׁאֶלְתֶּס־ consec. 1 S 25:5, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יִשְׁאַל Ex 22:13 +, etc.; Imv. שְׁאַל Is 7:11 +, שְׁאָלוּנִי Is 45:11 (תִּשְׁאָלוּנִי Weir Che al.), etc.; Inf. abs. שָׁאוֹל Gn 43:7 +; cstr. לִשְׁאֹל Ju 1:14 +, etc.; Pt. act. שֹׁאֵל 2 S 3:13 +, fs. שֹׁאֶלֶת 1 K 2:20, 22, mpl. הַשֹּׁאֲלִים 1 S 8:10; pass. שָׁאוּל 1:28; 2 K 6:5;— ask, ask for, acc. rei (vel pers.) Ju 5:25; 8:26; 1 K 3:10 ψ 122:6 (= pray for) +; שׁ׳ אֶת־נַפְשׁוֹ לָמוּת 1 K 19:4; Jon 4:8, i.e. pray for death, but Jb 31:30 demand the life of another בְּאָלָה by a curse; c. ל pers. 1 K 2:22(×2) + (ל pers. reflex.) 1 S 12:17, 19 +; c. מִן pers. Ju 8:24 (acc. cogn.), Ezr 8:22; Zc 10:1 +; sq. הָבִין 1 K 3:11; sq. cl. שׁ׳ מָה אֶתֶּן־לָֽךְ׃ 1 K 3:5 = 2 Ch 1:7, cf. 2 K 2:9; c. acc. + מֵאֵת pers. 1 S 8:10 ψ 27:4 (from י׳) +; + מֵעִם pers. Is 7:11 (from י׳) +; c. acc. pers. (from whom) + rei †ψ 137:3; acc. om. Is 7:12; 2 S 12:20; 1 K 2:20; c. מִן pers. ψ 2:8; abs. Mi 7:3 ψ 105:40 (of prayer); הִקְשִׁיתָ לִשְׁאוֹל 2 K 2:10, i.e. thou hast asked for a difficult thing.—1 S 2:20 v. Hiph. specif. ask as a favour, for temporary use, i.e. borrow (cf. לָוָה, as matter of business, v. Bu 1 S 1:28), Ex 22:13 (E; acc. rei + מֵעִם pers.), 2 K 4:3 (acc. rei + מִן of source + ל pers. reflex.), 6:5 (pt. pass. abs.); so also (according to many), c. acc. rei Ex 3:22 (+ מִן pers.) 11:2; 12:35 (both + מֵאֵת pers.; all E),—it is, however, not clear that there was any pretext of mere temporary use; pt. pass. שָׁאוּל לי׳ 1 S 1:28 (lent, granted) made over to י׳ (in effect pass. of Hiph., q.v.). in weakened sense, seek, desire (late), c. acc. 2 Ch 11:23 Ec 2:10 (subj. עֵינַי); Pr 20:4 in harvest he shall look \[for a crop\], וָאָ֑יִן and there shall be none. inquire of, c. acc. pers. + לֵאמֹר before inquiry Gn 32:18 (E), 44:19 (J) +; c. וְאָמַר Ju 4:20, וַיֹּאמֶר, etc., Gn 24:47 (J), Je 37:13; sq. וְאָמַר without acc. pers. Gn 32:30 (J), cf. 1 S 19:22, sq. לֵאמֹר Jos 4:6 (JE); c. acc. pers. + עַל rei Ne 1:2; עַל rei alone, Ec 7:10 (+ מֵחָכְמָה, i.e. prompted by wisdom); c. acc. pers. + rei (about which) 2 S 14:18; Is 45:11 + 4 times; acc. pers. + indir.quest. Ju 13:6; c. acc. pers. only, Ju 8:14; 1 S 25:8 Dt 32:7 +, inquire of beasts (acc.) Jb 12:7; c. acc. rei only, Je 50:5; c. ל pers. = acc. 2 K 8:6 (KöSynt. § 289 h); c. ל rei about which Gn 26:7 (J), 32:30 (J), Ju 13:18; 2 S 11:7; Je 6:16; Jb 8:8, also (+ לאמר before the inquiry) Gn 43:7 (J), and (sq. direct question) Dt 4:32; c. ל pers. about whom, Gn 43:27 (J), cf. phr. of greeting, שׁ׳ אִישׁ לְרֵעֵהוּ לְשָׁלוֹם Ex 18:7 (E) ask each for (or about) his fellow as to welfare, cf. †Ju 18:15; 1 S 10:4; 17:22; 25:5; 30:21 \[read וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ לוֹ 𝔊 𝔖 We Dr HPS Bu\] 2 S 8:10; Je 15:5; 1 Ch 18:10; sq. direct question only, 1 S 17:56; Je 18:13 (c. ב loc.), sq. indirect question only (c. אִם) Je 30:6; שׁ׳ אֶת־פִי פ׳ Gn 24:57 (J); abs. make inquiry Dt 13:15 (+ דָּרַשׁ, חָקַר). inquire of, consult, deity, oracle, etc. (JastrJBL xix (1900), 88 ff.), sq. acc. פִּי י׳ Jos 9:14 (JE), Is 30:2, י׳ 65:1 (‖ בִּקֵּשׁ); elsewhere in Hex only (acc. om.), Nu 27:21 (P; c. ל pers. for whom, + ב instr.), cf. Jos 19:50; also שׁ׳ אוֹב Dt 18:11 (pt. as subst.; JägerBAS ii. 292 cp. Assyrian maššaku ša šâ’ili, i.e. skin-vessel of the oracle-seeker, cf. JastrJBL xix (1900), 96 ff.); c. acc. of human agent 1 S 28:16; Je 38:14, 27; usually (ancient usage, chiefly Ju Sm) שׁ׳ בי׳ לֵאמֹר (בְּ perhaps orig. local, so GFM, or instr.), Ju 1:1; 20:23; 1 S 23:2; 30:8; 2 S 2:1; 5:19 = 1 Ch 14:10; לֵאמֹר om. 1 S 10:22 (sq. direct question), 22:10 (ל pers. for whom), 23:4; 28:6; 2 S 5:23 = 1 Ch 14:14; Ju 20:27; שׁ׳ בֵּאלֹהִים Ju 18:5; 20:18; 1 S 14:37 (sq. direct question), also (ל pers. for whom), 22:13, 15; שׁ׳ בִּדְבַר הָא׳ 2 S 16:23; likewise שׁ׳ בְּעֵצוֹ Ho 4:12 (i.e. his idol), בַּתְּרָפִים Ez 21:26, בָּאוֹב 1 Ch 10:13; perhaps = receive as oracle Dt 18:16 (מֵעִם י׳), Jastrl.c.. ask for oneself (Ges§ 51 e), specif. ask leave of absence, c. מִן pers.: Pf. 3 ms. + Inf. abs. נִשְׁאֹל נִשְׁאַל 1 S 20:6 (sq. inf.), v 28 (sq. עַד;? ins. ל inf. HPS); Pf. 1 s. נִשְׁאַלְתִּי מִן־הַמֶּלֶךְ Ne 13:6 (abs.). inquire carefully: Impf. 3 mpl. + Qal Inf. abs. שָׁאוֹל יְשָֽׁאֲלוּ 2 S 20:18 (Bu proposes Qal Impf. יִשְׁאֲלוּ), c. ב loc.; on foll. context v. We Dr HPS Bu. beg, practise beggary, Pf. 3 pl. וְשִׁאֵ֑לוּ (consec.) ψ 109:10. (proposes let one ask \[successfully\], give, or lend, on request, then) grant, make over to (as a favour, with or without request): Pf. 1 s. sf. הִשְׁאִלְתִּהוּ לי׳ 1 S 1:28 I have made him over to י׳ (cf. Dr HPS Bu and Qal Pt. pass., ib.); perhaps also read 3 fs. הִשְׁאִילָה לי׳ 2:20 (whom) she hath made over to י׳ (for שָׁאַל לי׳) Bu HPS (after 𝔊 in part; other conj. in Dr); Impf. 3 mpl. sf. rei וַיַּשְׁאִלוּם Ex 12:36 (E) and they handed them over. Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 123 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (6 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (5 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «שָׁאַל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/7592/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Psalms 122:6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.122.6/) שַׁ֭אֲלוּ שְׁל֣וֹם יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם יִ֝שְׁלָ֗יוּ אֹהֲבָֽיִךְ׃ *Word for word:* ask.for the.peace of.Jerusalem may.they.be.at.ease \[those who\].love.you *JPS 1917:* Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may they prosper that love thee. [Judges 5:25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/JDG.5.25/) מַ֥יִם שָׁאַ֖ל חָלָ֣ב נָתָ֑נָה בְּסֵ֥פֶל אַדִּירִ֖ים הִקְרִ֥יבָה חֶמְאָֽה׃ *Word for word:* water he.asked milk she.gave in a.bowl of.nobles she.brought.near curd\[s\] *JPS 1917:* Water he asked, milk she gave him; in a lordly bowl she brought him curd. - ← previous: [שְׁאִיָּה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/7591.md) - next →: [שְׁאָל](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/7594.md) - ↑ back to [ש](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1513.md)