---
title: שָׁכַם — start · The Tanakh dictionary
description: שָׁכַם (7925), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 65 times: start. BDB 1906: vb. denom. start, rise, early. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# שָׁכַם

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«שָׁכַם» in the Tanakh dictionary: **start** — 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:** 65 times · **Key:** 7925 · **BDB:** שָׁכַם

### Glosses

he.rose.early (22); they.rose.early (17); rising.early (14)

### Meaning (OSHB)

start [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/7925/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. denom. start, rise, early [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/7925/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. denom. start, rise, early (proposes load backs of beasts for day’s journey);—Pf. 3 ms. consec. וְהִשְׁכִּים 2 S 15:2; Jb 1:5, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. וַיַּשְׁכֵּם Gn 19:27 +, 2 ms. תַּשְׁכִּים Ju 9:33, etc.; Imv. הַשְׁכֵּם Ex 8:16 +; Inf. abs. הַשְׁכֵּם Je 7:25 +, -כֵּים Je 44:4; Pr 27:14, erron. אַשְׁכֵּים Je 25:3 (Ges§ 53 k); Pt. מַשְׁכִּים Ho 6:4 +, etc.;—rise early, make an early start, of journey (Hex only JE); לְדַרְכְּכֶם Ju 19:9 (+ מָחָר), cf. Ct 7:13; + vb. of going Gn 19:2 (J), standing 2 S 15:2, encamping Ju 7:1, etc.; + inf. 1 S 15:12 (cf. Dr), 29:11; 2 K 6:15 (לָקוּם), מַשְׁכִּימֵי קוּם ψ 127:2 (opp. מְאַחֲרֵי שֶׁבֶת); usually c. בַּבֹּקֶר Gn 19:27 (J; אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם), 1 S 29:10(×2) + 27 times, + (hyperbol.) מַשְׁכִּימֵי בַבּ׳ שֵׁבָר יִרְרֹּ֑פוּ Is 5:11 (‖ מְאַחֲרֵי בַנֶּשֶׁף); c. מִמָּחֳרָת Ex 32:6 (E), Ju 6:28 + 3 times; c. בַּעֲלוֹת הַשַּׁחַר Jos 6:15 (J), 1 S 9:26; וַיְמַהֲרוּ וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ וַיֵּצְאוּ Jos 8:14 (J) they made a quick and early start, and went out; †Inf. abs. (Ges§ 113 s) as adv. הַשׁ׳ וְהַעֲרֵב 1 S 17:16 at early morning and at evening; especially of י׳, in Je: הַשׁ׳ וְדַבֵּר = speaking early and often 7:13; 35:15 and (of Je) 25:3, cf. 11:7; 32:33; often הַשׁ׳ וְשָׁלוֹחַ = sending early and often 7:25; 25:4; 26:5; 29:19; 35:15; 44:4, also 2 Ch 36:15; so vb. fin. הִשְׁכִּימוּ הִשְׁחִיתוּ Zp 3:7 = with eagerness they corrupted (Ges§ 120 g); pt. כַּטַּל מַשְׁ׳ הֹלֵךְ Ho 6:4 like the dew departing early, 13:3 (Ges ib.).—1 S 9:26 read וַיִּשְׁכַּב, v. שׁכב.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 36 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (5 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (4 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «שָׁכַם» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/7925/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[1 Samuel 17:16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/1SA.17.16/)

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וַיִּגַּ֥שׁ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֖י הַשְׁכֵּ֣ם וְהַעֲרֵ֑ב וַיִּתְיַצֵּ֖ב אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יֽוֹם׃פ

*Word for word:* and he.drew.near the Philistine rising.early and doing.in.the.evening and he.took.his.stand forty day\[s\]

*JPS 1917:* And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

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[Joshua 6:12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/JOS.6.12/)

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וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֥ם יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ בַּבֹּ֑קֶר וַיִּשְׂא֥וּ הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים אֶת־אֲר֥וֹן יְהוָֽה׃

*Word for word:* and he.rose.early Joshua in the morning and they.lifted the priests (et) the.ark of.Yahweh

*JPS 1917:* And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.

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