שָׂכַר
to hire
Definition
The Hebrew verb שָׂכַר fundamentally means 'to hire' or 'to engage for wages.' It describes the act of securing services or labor through payment, as seen when Jacob 'hires' Leah's conjugal rights with mandrakes (Genesis 30:16). The word can also extend to the concept of hiring someone for military service, such as the 'hired' soldiers in Judges 9:4. In some contexts, it carries the sense of earning wages or being rewarded, as in the barren woman who bears seven children but whose 'hire' (or reward) is the children themselves (1 Samuel 2:5).
Biblical Usage
The word is used 18 times across narrative, legal, and poetic books. It appears in legal contexts regarding the hiring of laborers (Deuteronomy 23:4) and in historical narratives for hiring soldiers or advisors (Judges 9:4; 2 Samuel 10:6). A notable pattern is its use in contexts of temporary, contractual agreements, often involving payment with money or goods. In 2 Kings 7:6, it describes the Aramean army imagining they have been 'hired' by kings to come against them.
Etymology
The root is a primitive verb, possibly related through prosthesis (adding a letter at the beginning) to כָּרָה (H3739, 'to dig'), suggesting an original concept of 'cutting' or 'engraving' an agreement. A by-form or permutation is סָכַר (used in Ezra 4:5). It is also akin to the more common שָׁכַר (H7937, 'to be drunk'), though the semantic connection is debated, possibly relating to the concept of 'hiring' for a feast.
Semantic Range
The concept of hiring touches on biblical themes of labor, justice, and divine provision. It highlights the transactional nature of human agreements in contrast to God's gracious, covenantal dealings. In 1 Samuel 2:5, the poetic use for 'reward' connects human labor and divine blessing, showing that God is the ultimate provider of life's true 'wages.' Understanding this term enriches reading by clarifying the conditional, temporary nature of hired service versus the permanent, faithful relationship God offers.
In ancient Israel, hiring was a common economic practice for securing temporary labor, mercenaries, or specialists. Unlike modern employment, it often involved barter (like the mandrakes in Genesis 30:16) or payment in kind, not just coinage. Hiring soldiers was a standard practice for smaller tribes or rulers without a standing army, reflecting the political fragmentation of the period.
עָבַד (ʿāḇaḏ, H5647) — to work or serve, often in a broader, more permanent sense of service, not necessarily for wages. נָשָׂא (nāśāʾ, H5375) — to lift or carry a burden; can imply hired bearing of loads. שָׂכַר (sāḵar, H7936) is distinct in its focus on the contractual, wage-based transaction.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
Full methodology & sources →