שָׁכַב (sha.khav)
sha.khav
to lie down: lay down
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 170 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb sha.khav means to lie down, covering a wide range of physical states from resting and sleeping to dying or engaging in sexual relations. Its core image is one of bending or inclining oneself onto a surface, whether that is a bed for sleep, a grave for death, or another person in intimacy. This single word captures the full spectrum of human vulnerability and rest.
The specific meaning depends entirely on context. In Genesis 28:11, Jacob uses it to describe lying down with a stone for his pillow during a journey. In contrast, passages like Leviticus 20:12 use it to describe sexual immorality, while phrases like "lying with one's fathers" in Kings signal death and burial. The verb’s flexibility allows Scripture to link rest, intimacy, and mortality under one physical action.
Its etymology connects to the root for bending or inclining, similar to the Greek word for reclining. This physical posture underscores the word’s theological weight: lying down implies surrendering control, whether in sleep, in death, or in covenantal union. Translators must choose carefully between "sleep," "die," or "lie with" based on the surrounding narrative.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word sha.khav captures the full range of human vulnerability, from the simple act of resting after a long day to the profound surrender of death. When Jacob lay down with a stone for his pillow in Genesis 28:11, he was exhausted and alone, yet it was in that posture of rest that God met him. This reminds us that our moments of weakness or fatigue are not barriers to divine presence but often the very places where grace finds us.
Scripture uses this single term for sleeping, dying, and intimacy because all three involve letting go of control. Whether we are laying down to sleep, laying down our lives in love, or laying down in the grave, we are acknowledging that we do not hold ourselves up by our own strength. This word invites us to trust God with our rest, our relationships, and our final moments.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 170 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ he lay down43×
- he will lie with8×
- [was] lying7×
- and/ he lay6×
- lie down5×
- and/ you will lie down4×
- and/ he will lie4×
- [one who] lies4×
- you will lie down3×
- they have lain down3×
- he will lie down3×
- he will lie3×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וַ/יִּשְׁכַּ֤ב21×
- וַ/יִּשְׁכַּ֥ב9×
- וַ/יִּשְׁכַּ֣ב7×
- שֹׁכֵ֣ב4×
- יִשְׁכַּב֙4×
- וַ/יִּשְׁכַּ֨ב4×
- וַ/יִּשְׁכַּ֖ב4×
- שֹׁכֵ֖ב3×
- יִשְׁכַּ֨ב3×
- יִשְׁכַּ֥ב3×
- וַ/יִּשְׁכַּב֙3×
- וְ/שָׁכַ֥ב3×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 28:11
He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.
This verse shows the word used for physical rest during a journey, highlighting how God meets us in our exhaustion.
-
Genesis 47:30
but when I sleep with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying place.” Joseph said, “I will do as you have said.”
Here the phrase 'sleep with my fathers' uses sha.khav to refer to death and burial, linking rest with the hope of resurrection.
-
Genesis 39:12
She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” He left his garment in her hand, and ran outside.
Joseph’s refusal to lie with Potiphar’s wife demonstrates how this word for intimacy can be a test of moral integrity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does sha.khav mean in the Bible?
Why does the same word mean both sex and death?
How is sha.khav different from other words for sleep?
Every Occurrence (170 verses across 22 books)
Genesis 18 verses
But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the…
Genesis 19:32Come, let’s make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve our father’s family line.”
Genesis 19:33They made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father. He didn’t know when…
Genesis 19:34It came to pass on the next day, that the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father.…
Genesis 19:35They made their father drink wine that night also. The younger went and lay with him. He didn’t know when she lay down,…
Genesis 26:10Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you…
Genesis 28:11He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the…
Genesis 28:13Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. I will…
Genesis 30:15Leah said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes,…
Genesis 30:16Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, “You must come in to me; for I have…
Genesis 34:2Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. He took her, lay with her, and humbled her.
Genesis 34:7The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it. The men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he…
Genesis 35:22While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now…
Genesis 39:7After these things, his master’s wife set her eyes on Joseph; and she said, “Lie with me.”
Genesis 39:10As she spoke to Joseph day by day, he didn’t listen to her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
Genesis 39:12She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” He left his garment in her hand, and ran outside.
Genesis 39:14she called to the men of her house, and spoke to them, saying, “Behold, he has brought a Hebrew in to us to mock us. He…
Genesis 47:30but when I sleep with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying place.” Joseph said, “I…