אָכֵן

Genesis 28:16 אָכֵן֙ truly

When Jacob woke up, he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was unaware of it.”

Exodus 2:14 אָכֵ֖ן truly

But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I have done has surely become known.”

Here: A word of sudden realization that overturns what one had assumed: 'So it's true after all!' (compare Gen 28:16, 'Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it').

1 Samuel 15:32 אָכֵ֖ן truly

Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.” Agag came to him cheerfully, for he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”

1 Kings 11:2 אָכֵן֙ truly

These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love.

Here: A strong word of certainty: "they will certainly..." It supplies the reason for the ban. The Hebrew has no separate "for"; English versions add one.

Job 32:8 אָ֭כֵן nevertheless

But there is a spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.

Here: A particle that marks a realisation overturning what was assumed. It answers v. 7's "I said": "I thought age should speak — but in truth..." It carries both "but" and "actually" at once.

Psalm 31:22 אָכֵ֗ן nevertheless

In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from Your sight!” But You heard my plea for mercy when I called to You for help.

Here: A particle that asserts what is really true, often against what was thought (Gen 28:16, 'Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it'). Here: 'But actually...', overturning the panicked statement.

Psalm 66:19 אָ֭כֵן nevertheless

But God has surely heard; He has attended to the sound of my prayer.

Here: A word that states something firmly, usually in contrast to what was expected or just said. After verse 18's 'If I had cherished wickedness, the Lord would not have listened', it means 'But in fact…', and turns the hypothetical into what really happened.

Psalm 82:7 אָ֭כֵן nevertheless

But like mortals you will die, and like rulers you will fall.”

Isaiah 40:7 אָכֵ֥ן truly

The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass.

Isaiah 45:15 אָכֵ֕ן truly

Truly You are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, the Savior.

Here: This is more than a word of emphasis. It marks a realization that overturns what the speaker assumed before: 'So it is true after all!' The same word opens Jacob's 'Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it' (Gen 28:16) and 'Surely he has borne our griefs' (Isa 53:4).

Isaiah 49:4 אָכֵן֙ nevertheless

But I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent My strength in futility and vanity; yet My vindication is with the LORD, and My reward is with My God.”

Here: The turn of the verse: "but actually, in truth". It corrects a mistaken impression, as in Psalm 31:22 ('I said… I am cut off; yet [akhen] you heard') and Psalm 82:6–7.

Isaiah 53:4 אָכֵ֤ן nevertheless

Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.

Here: A word for sudden realization that overturns an earlier assumption, as when Jacob wakes and says 'Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it' (Gen 28:16). It answers verse 3's 'we did not value him': 'But in fact…'

Jeremiah 3:20 אָכֵ֛ן nevertheless

But as a woman may betray her husband, so you have betrayed Me, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 3:23 אָכֵ֥ן אָכֵן֙ truly

Surely deception comes from the hills, and commotion from the mountains. Surely the salvation of Israel is in the LORD our God.

Here: A word for strong affirmation that often marks a sudden realization ('so it really is true!'), sometimes against what the speaker had assumed before (Gen 28:16; Exod 2:14). It opens the confession: the people now see what they would not see before.

Jeremiah 4:10 אָכֵן֩ truly

Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, how completely You have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ while a sword is at our throats.”

Here: A word for sudden, often unwelcome realization: 'So it really is true that…' (compare Genesis 28:16). Jeremiah has just grasped what the promise of peace has led to.

Jeremiah 8:8 אָכֵן֙ truly

How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the Law of the LORD is with us,’ when in fact the lying pen of the scribes has produced a deception?

Here: 'Truly' or 'but in fact'. It marks the real state of things against the claim just quoted. Jeremiah 3:23 uses the same pair, ʾākēn laššeqer: 'surely the hills are a lie / in vain'.

Zephaniah 3:7 אָכֵן֙ nevertheless

I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me and accept correction.’ Then her dwelling place would not be cut off despite all for which I punished her. But they rose early to corrupt all their deeds.

Here: A strong turn, "but in fact". It sets what really happened against what God had expected, and its sound echoes the opening ʾak.