Lexical Summary shaken: Neighbor, inhabitant, dweller Original Word: שָׁכֵן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance inhabitant, neighbor, nigh From shakan; a resident; by extension, a fellow-citizen -- inhabitant, neighbour, nigh. see HEBREW shakan NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom shakan Definition inhabitant, neighbor NASB Translation inhabitants (1), neighbor (4), neighbor women (1), neighbors (13), resident (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs שָׁכֵן adjective inhabitant, neighbour; — ׳שׁ Isaiah 33:24 +; construct שְׁכַן Hosea 10:5; suffix שְׁכֵנוֺ Exodus 12:4; שְׁכֵָנ֑יִכְי֯ 2 Kings 4:3 etc.; feminine suffix שְׁכֶנְתָּהּ Exodus 3:22; feminine plural שְׁכֵנוֺת Ruth 4:17; — 1 inhabitant, Isaiah 33:24; Hosea 10:5. 2 neighbour: woman Exodus 3:22 (E); plural Ruth 4:7; man Exodus 12:4 (P) Jeremiah 6:21; Proverbs 27:10, plural 2 Kings 4:3; of places Deuteronomy 1:7; nations, to Judah Ezekiel 16:26; Psalm 79:12; חֶרְמָּה לִשְׁכֵנֵי(נוּׅ Psalm 44:14; Psalm 79:4, compare Psalm 31:2; Psalm 89:42; ׳מָדוֺן לשׁ Psalm 80:7; to Edom Jeremiah 49:10; to Sodom Jeremiah 49:18; Jeremiah 50:40; to ׳י Jeremiah 11:4 (because to his people). Topical Lexicon Root Idea of Shared Dwelling and Proximity שָׁכֵן (shaken) arises from the broader family of verbs that express “to dwell” or “settle.” Thus a שָׁכֵן is not only the person next door but anyone whose life‐space overlaps mine in daily experience. The word can denote a literal resident of a town (Isaiah 33:24) or the nations bordering Israel (Deuteronomy 1:7), yet its theological weight grows out of the covenant expectation that life lived in proximity is life lived under Yahweh’s gaze. Neighbors in Ordinary Covenant Life 1. Mutual Provision – In the first appearance, Hebrew women are told, “Every woman is to ask her neighbor for articles of silver and gold” (Exodus 3:22; cf. Exodus 12:4). Deliverance begins with neighborly generosity that equips a pilgrim people for worship. Social and Relational Tensions The Psalter repeatedly laments the breakdown of neighborly honor: Broken neighborliness functions as a barometer of national sin and divine displeasure. Wisdom’s Counsel Proverbs 27:10 urges loyalty that transcends blood ties: “Better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.” Healthy community, says wisdom, is cultivated before calamity strikes. Prophetic Indictments and Judgment on Unfaithful Neighbors Jeremiah widens the term to hostile peoples: “All My wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance… I will uproot” (Jeremiah 12:14; cf. 49:10, 18; 50:40). Ezekiel echoes the charge when Jerusalem “multiplied your acts of prostitution with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors” (Ezekiel 16:26). The prophets insist that nations living “next door” to covenant land are accountable to covenant standards. Promise of Restoration Conversely, Isaiah foresees a day when “no resident of Zion will say, ‘I am sick’” (Isaiah 33:24). The healed inhabitant embodies the shalom that will yet radiate from the holy city to every surrounding neighbor. Foreshadowing New-Covenant Ethics By rooting the idea of neighbor in shared dwelling, שָׁכֵן prepares the soil for the Torah’s summons, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), and for Jesus’ expansion of that command in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The term therefore bridges Old-Testament community life and New-Testament ecclesiology, where believers are “members of one another” (Ephesians 4:25). Ministry Implications Today • Foster tangible generosity that mirrors Exodus 3:22—meeting needs equips others for worship. שָׁכֵן thus calls every generation to embody covenant faithfulness in the places where God has planted us, until the day when all redeemed neighbors dwell securely under the righteous reign of the Messiah. Forms and Transliterations הַשְּׁכֵנ֥וֹת השכנות וְלִשֲׁכֵנַ֨י ׀ וּשְׁכֵנ֛וֹ וּשְׁכֵנֶ֖יהָ וּשְׁכֵנָ֖יו ולשכני ושכנו ושכניה ושכניו לִשְׁכֵנֵ֑ינוּ לִשְׁכֵנֵ֣ינוּ לִשְׁכֵנָֽיו׃ לשכניו׃ לשכנינו מִשְּׁכֶנְתָּהּ֙ משכנתה שְׁכֵנֶ֖יהָ שְׁכֵנַ֖יִךְ שְׁכֵנַי֙ שְׁכֵנָיו֒ שְׁכַ֣ן שָׁכֵ֖ן שָׁכֵ֥ן שְׁכֵנָ֑יִךְ שכן שכני שכניה שכניו שכניך haš·šə·ḵê·nō·wṯ hashshecheNot haššəḵênōwṯ liš·ḵê·nāw liš·ḵê·nê·nū lishcheNav lishcheNeinu lišḵênāw lišḵênênū miš·šə·ḵen·tāh mishshechenTah miššəḵentāh šā·ḵên šāḵên šə·ḵan šə·ḵê·na·yiḵ šə·ḵê·nā·yiḵ šə·ḵê·nāw šə·ḵê·nay šə·ḵê·ne·hā šəḵan šəḵênāw šəḵênay šəḵênayiḵ šəḵênāyiḵ šəḵênehā shaChen sheChan shecheNai shecheNav shecheNayich shecheNeiha ū·šə·ḵê·nāw ū·šə·ḵê·ne·hā ū·šə·ḵê·nōw ūšəḵênāw ūšəḵênehā ūšəḵênōw ushecheNav ushecheNeiha ushecheNo velishacheNai wə·li·šă·ḵê·nay wəlišăḵênayLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 3:22 HEB: וְשָׁאֲלָ֨ה אִשָּׁ֤ה מִשְּׁכֶנְתָּהּ֙ וּמִגָּרַ֣ת בֵּיתָ֔הּ NAS: shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives KJV: shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth INT: shall ask woman of her neighbor lives her house Exodus 12:4 Deuteronomy 1:7 Ruth 4:17 2 Kings 4:3 Psalm 31:11 Psalm 44:13 Psalm 79:4 Psalm 79:12 Psalm 80:6 Psalm 89:41 Proverbs 27:10 Isaiah 33:24 Jeremiah 6:21 Jeremiah 12:14 Jeremiah 49:10 Jeremiah 49:18 Jeremiah 50:40 Ezekiel 16:26 Hosea 10:5 20 Occurrences |
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