7917. skiyrah

Lexical Summary

skiyrah: Wages, hire, payment

Original Word: שְׂכִירָה
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: skiyrah
Pronunciation: skee-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (sek-ee-raw')
KJV: that is hired
Word Origin: [feminine of H7916 (שָׂכִיר - hired man)]

1. a hiring

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

that is hired

Feminine of sakiyr; a hiring -- that is hired.

see HEBREW sakiyr

Topical Lexicon

Scriptural Occurrence

Isaiah 7:20 – “In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates— the king of Assyria—to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to remove your beard as well.” (Berean Standard Bible)

Historical Context

The prophecy is addressed to King Ahaz of Judah (circa 735 BC). Pressured by an anti-Assyrian coalition of Aram and the Northern Kingdom, Ahaz planned to purchase Assyrian help with temple silver and gold (2 Kings 16:7-9). Isaiah warned that relying on human alliances would invite disaster. The “razor hired” represents Assyria—paid by Ahaz yet ultimately commissioned by the Lord—to bring humiliating judgment on Judah and the surrounding nations. Shaving the head, legs, and beard was a vivid Near-Eastern image of disgrace, captivity, and total subjugation (2 Samuel 10:4-5; Ezekiel 5:1-4).

Theological Emphasis

1. Divine Sovereignty over Political Powers: Though Assyria marches for its own gain, Scripture presents it as a tool “hired” by the Lord (compare Isaiah 10:5-15). Human rulers act freely, yet their actions fulfill God’s pre-ordained purposes.
2. Judgment Begins at the House of God: Judah’s unfaithfulness, not merely foreign aggression, triggers the shaving judgment. The same covenant Lord who protects also disciplines His people (Hebrews 12:5-11).
3. Immanuel Assurance amid Judgment: Isaiah 7 contrasts the promised Child (verse 14) with the hired razor. Salvation and chastening proceed simultaneously; the remnant is preserved even as the nation is shorn.

Prophetic Symbolism

• Razor – Instrument of precise, swift, and often painful removal; an apt image of Assyrian campaigns that stripped land, wealth, and dignity.
• Hired – Emphasizes both temporary service and accountability. Once God’s purpose is achieved, the hired agent is dismissed and judged (Isaiah 10:12).
• Shaving – Sign of mourning, captivity, and priestly cleansing (Leviticus 14:8-9). Judah would be rendered outwardly “clean” through painful loss, preparing for future restoration.

Intertextual Connections

• 2 Kings 16:7-9 – Historical narrative of Ahaz sending tribute to Assyria.
• Micah 5:5-6 – Another prophet names Assyria as the rod of chastening yet promises eventual deliverance.
• Hebrews 12:6 – New Testament affirmation that the Lord disciplines those He loves, illuminating the pastoral purpose behind the “hired razor.”

Ministry Applications

1. Warning against Worldly Dependence – Churches and believers who trust political or financial alliances over the Lord may unwittingly hire their own “razor.”
2. Comfort in Chastening – Discipline is neither capricious nor permanent; it yields a harvest of righteousness.
3. Preaching Christ – The same chapter that speaks of the razor also announces Immanuel. Faithful exposition should hold judgment and grace together, directing hearers to the incarnate Savior who bears ultimate shame to remove sin’s reproach.

Homiletical Suggestions

• Sermon Theme: “The Razor Hired by God – When Help Becomes Humiliation.”
• Outline:

1. Ahaz’s Bargain (Historical setting)
2. God’s Barber (Sovereign use of Assyria)
3. Shorn yet Saved (Immanuel promise)
• Application Questions: Where have we sought security apart from God? How might the Lord be shaving away idols today?

Summary

שְׂכִירָה highlights a single but potent idea: God may temporarily “hire” even hostile powers to accomplish His righteous purposes. The concept underscores both the futility of trusting in human schemes and the certainty that God’s redemptive plan—ultimately realized in Immanuel—prevails through and beyond judgment.

Forms and Transliterations

הַשְּׂכִירָ֜ה השכירה haś·śə·ḵî·rāh hassechiRah haśśəḵîrāh

Englishman's Concordance

Isaiah 7:20
HEB: אֲדֹנָי֩ בְּתַ֨עַר הַשְּׂכִירָ֜ה בְּעֶבְרֵ֤י נָהָר֙
NAS: with a razor, hired from regions beyond
KJV: with a razor that is hired, [namely], by them beyond
INT: the Lord A razor hired regions the Euphrates

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 7917
1 Occurrence

haś·śə·ḵî·rāh — 1 Occ.