שָׁכַךְ (sha.khakh)
sha.khakh
to subside
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb shaḵakh describes a process of settling down or losing intensity, such as floodwaters receding after a storm. In its basic form, it conveys the idea of abating or decreasing, capturing the natural quiet that follows turbulence. This physical sense appears in Genesis when the waters of the Flood gradually subside, marking the end of divine judgment and the beginning of new life.
The word also carries a metaphorical weight when applied to human emotion or conflict. In Jeremiah, it is used in the Hiphil stem to describe God’s promise to allay the murmuring of the people. Here, the verb shifts from describing nature to describing peace; it suggests that agitation can be calmed and unrest brought to rest. This usage highlights a transition from chaos to stability.
Though rare, appearing in only four verses, shaḵakh provides a precise image for relief. It is not merely the absence of noise, but the active settling of things into order. Translators often render it as "subside" or "abate," preserving the sense of something heavy or overwhelming finally lifting its weight.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
Life often feels like a sudden storm, where pressures rise and emotions run high. The Hebrew word shaḵakh offers a quiet image of relief: waters that once surged are now settling down. In Genesis, this verb describes the floodwaters receding after judgment, marking a shift from chaos to stability. It reminds us that turbulent seasons do not last forever. There is a natural rhythm to life where intensity eventually fades into calm.
When anxiety or conflict overwhelms you, this word suggests that peace is not just an absence of noise, but a process of settling. In Esther, the king’s wrath subsides, allowing a new chapter to begin. God can bring that same stillness to your heart. You do not have to force the waters to stop rising; you can trust in the quiet work of restoration that follows the storm.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- when/ subsided1×
- it subsided1×
- as/ bend1×
- and/ they subsided1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- שָׁכָֽכָה\׃\ \פ1×
- כְּ/שֹׁ֕ךְ1×
- כְּ/שַׁ֣ךְ1×
- וַ/יָּשֹׁ֖כּוּ1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 8:1
God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ship; and God made a wind to pass over the earth. The waters subsided.
This verse uses the word to describe the literal receding of floodwaters, symbolizing the end of judgment and the start of new life.
-
Esther 2:1
After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was pacified, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.
Here the term describes the king’s anger calming down, which creates space for Vashti’s fate to be reconsidered.
-
Esther 7:10
So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath was pacified.
The word appears again as the king’s wrath subsides after Haman’s execution, showing how divine justice brings resolution to conflict.