שָׁכֵן (sha.khen)
sha.khen
neighboring
H:NQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 15 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N
Word Overview
The Hebrew word shāken describes a neighbor or fellow inhabitant, emphasizing the physical closeness of those who live side by side. It appears fifteen times in the Old Testament, with notable usage in Exodus, Psalms, and Jeremiah. Rather than referring to abstract friendship, it points to the immediate community surrounding an individual—the people whose daily lives intersect because of shared geography.
This term carries significant weight in legal and ethical contexts, particularly regarding how one treats those nearby. In Exodus 23:4-5, for instance, the law commands helping a neighbor’s lost animal, framing shāken as someone deserving aid even when no personal relationship exists. The word underscores that proximity creates responsibility, making the stranger next door a legitimate object of care and justice.
Its root sense relates to dwelling or inhabiting, linking identity with place. When Psalms speak of those who dwell near God, they use related imagery to describe intimacy through presence. Shāken reminds readers that community is not optional but inherent to human life, demanding practical kindness toward those sharing our space.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word shāken points to the person living right next door, the one whose daily routine intersects with yours by mere chance of geography. It is not a term reserved for close friends or blood relatives, but for any fellow inhabitant sharing your immediate space. This distinction matters because it expands our circle of care beyond those we naturally like or know well.
In ancient Israel, this proximity carried legal and ethical weight. Laws commanded helping a neighbor even when no personal relationship existed, such as returning a lost animal. This teaches that community is not optional but inherent to human life. Your presence in a neighborhood creates a responsibility for practical kindness toward those sharing your space.
When you encounter someone nearby, whether they are a friend or a stranger, this word invites you to see them as part of your immediate community. It challenges us to move beyond indifference and offer help simply because we share the same ground. This simple act of neighborliness reflects a deeper call to live faithfully within our daily surroundings.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 15 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- to/ neighbors/ our2×
- neighbors/ its2×
- and/ neighbors/ its2×
- a neighbor2×
- the/ [female] neighbors1×
- neighbors/ your1×
- neighbors/ my1×
- from/ [female] neighbor/ her1×
- and/ neighbor/ his1×
- an inhabitant1×
- [the] inhabitant[s] of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- שָׁכֵ֥ן2×
- שָׁכֵ֖ן1×
- שְׁכַ֣ן1×
- שְׁכֵנָי/ו֒1×
- שְׁכֵנָ֑יִ/ךְ1×
- שְׁכֵנַ/י֙1×
- שְׁכֵנֶ֖י/הָ1×
- מִ/שְּׁכֶנְתָּ/הּ֙1×
- לִ/שְׁכֵנֵ֣י/נוּ1×
- לִ/שְׁכֵנֵ֑י/נוּ1×
- וּ/שְׁכֵנָ֖י/ו1×
- וּ/שְׁכֵנֶ֖י/הָ1×
Key Verses
-
Exodus 3:22
But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her who visits her house, jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and clothing. You shall put them on your sons, and on your daughters. You shall plunder the Egyptians.”
This verse shows shāken used in a context of economic interaction, where women ask neighbors for items, highlighting the word's application to everyday social and material exchanges within a community.
-
Ruth 4:17
The women, her neighbors, gave him a name, saying, “A son is born to Naomi”. They named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Here, the women who are shāken give Naomi’s grandson his name, demonstrating how neighbors play an active role in welcoming and defining new members of the family unit.
-
Proverbs 27:10
Don’t forsake your friend and your father’s friend. Don’t go to your brother’s house in the day of your disaster. A neighbor who is near is better than a distant brother.
This proverb contrasts a distant brother with a near neighbor, emphasizing that physical closeness often provides more immediate and reliable support than distant familial ties during times of disaster.