Aramaic word · H7912

שְׁכַח

hishtekhachat

to find

Šəkaḥ, "to find". In the passive-reflexive form it means "be found, turn out to be, be discovered", often for a quality shown under examination.

A Biblical Aramaic word, from the parts of the Old Testament written in Aramaic. Why Aramaic?

Appears 18 times in 15 verses of the Aramaic of the Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to find

1a) (Aphel) to find

1b) (Ithp'al) to be found

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Daniel 5:14

Range of meaning

Šəkaḥ, "to find". In the passive-reflexive form it means "be found, turn out to be, be discovered", often for a quality shown under examination.

Against the English

KJV, WEB, YLT and NASB keep "found in you". BSB and NIV turn it into "you have", which loses the sense of examination and the link to 5:27.

Used elsewhere in the period

The word is used repeatedly in Daniel for what testing reveals: 1:19–20 (in Hebrew, none was "found" like them), 2:35, 5:11–12, 6:4–5, 22–23 (no fault was "found" in Daniel), and above all 5:27, hishtəkaḥtə ḥassîr, "you have been found wanting".

From the study of Daniel 6:22

Range of meaning

'To be found, discovered, turn out to be.' This is the passive-reflexive form of šəkaḥ, 'to find.' It is often used in judging and inspecting: what is 'found' in someone after examination (Daniel 5:11–12, 14, 27, 'you were weighed and found lacking').

Against the English

All the major versions keep 'found,' which is accurate. BSB/NASB 'I was found innocent' turns it into a personal passive. KJV/WEB 'innocence was found in me' keeps the Aramaic picture of something found in him.

Used elsewhere in the period

Daniel 2:35; 5:11, 12, 14, 27; 6:4–5 (twice, of the officials who could find no fault); 6:23; Ezra 4:15, 19; 6:2 (archives searched and a document 'found'). It is the word for the result of an official investigation.

From the study of Daniel 6:23

Range of meaning

šəḵaḥ means "to find, discover." The passive or reflexive form (hithpeel) means "to be found." It often has the sense of what turns up under examination: a fault, a person, a fact in the records (Ezra 6:2).

Against the English

All the major versions render it "found," which is accurate. What English cannot easily show is how often the chapter repeats the word.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Daniel 6: no grounds of accusation "could be found" (6:4–5), the conspirators "found" Daniel praying (6:11), innocence "was found" in him before God (6:22), no harm "was found" on him (6:23). Compare Dan 5:27: Belshazzar was weighed and "found" wanting.

Where it appears

Ezra · 4

  1. Ezra 4:15 וּ֠תְהַשְׁכַּח so you may find

    that a search should be made of the record books of your fathers. In these books you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, inciting sedition from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.

  2. Ezra 4:19 וְהַשְׁכַּ֔חוּ and they found

    I issued a decree, and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has revolted against kings from ancient times, engaging in rebellion and sedition.

  3. Ezra 6:2 וְהִשְׁתְּכַ֣ח and it was found

    And a scroll was found in the fortress of Ecbatana, in the province of Media, with the following written on it: Memorandum:

  4. Ezra 7:16 תְהַשְׁכַּ֔ח you will find

    together with all the silver and gold you may find in all the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem.

Daniel · 14

  1. Daniel 2:25 הַשְׁכַּ֤חַת I have found

    Arioch hastily brought Daniel before the king and said to him, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who will tell the king the interpretation.”

  2. Daniel 2:35 הִשְׁתֲּכַ֣ח it was found

    Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

    Here: 'Was found.' 'No place was found for them' is an idiom for vanishing without a trace, with no remnant and no site to point to.

  3. Daniel 5:11 הִשְׁתְּכַ֣חַת it was found

    There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your father he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and diviners. Your own father, the king,

    Here: 'Was found' — the language of testing and examination (compare 1:20; 6:4, 22). The queen speaks of proven qualities on record, not reputation or rumour. The verb is feminine singular, agreeing with the nearest noun, 'wisdom', while covering all three qualities.

  4. Daniel 5:12 הִשְׁתְּכַ֤חַת it was found

    did this because Daniel, the one he named Belteshazzar, was found to have an extraordinary spirit, as well as knowledge, understanding, and the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Summon Daniel, therefore, and he will give you the interpretation.”

    Here: 'Was found'. The verb is passive and singular, so the whole list is treated as one combined gift that people observed in him. It repeats v.11 ('was found in him').

  5. Daniel 5:14 הִשְׁתְּכַ֥חַת it was found

    I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that you have insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom.

    Here: "Was found": shown by experience, proven when tested. The same verb comes back in 5:27, where Belshazzar is "found wanting."

  6. Daniel 5:27 וְהִשְׁתְּכַ֥חַתְּ and you have been found

    TEKEL means that you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.

  7. Daniel 6:4 לְהַשְׁכָּחָ֥ה לְהַשְׁכָּחָ֗ה הִשְׁתְּכַ֖חַת to find, it was found

    Thus the administrators and satraps sought a charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no charge or corruption, because he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him.

    Here: Infinitive, 'to find'. This is the first of three uses of the verb 'find' in the verse. The repetition stresses how hard they looked and how completely they failed.

  8. Daniel 6:5 נְהַשְׁכַּ֛ח הַשְׁכַּ֥חְנָֽה we will find, we have found

    Finally these men said, “We will never find any charge against this Daniel unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God.”

    Here: “We will find” (causative stem, imperfect). The verb “find” runs all through chapter 6 (vv. 4, 5, 11, 22, 23): his enemies look for something to find against Daniel, and in the end God finds him blameless.

  9. Daniel 6:11 וְהַשְׁכַּ֖חוּ and they found

    Then these men went as a group and found Daniel petitioning and imploring his God.

  10. Daniel 6:22 הִשְׁתְּכַ֣חַת it was found

    My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O king.”

    Here: 'Was found.' 'Find' is the key word of the chapter. His enemies searched to find a charge and found none (6:4–5). They 'found' him praying (6:11). Now God's court 'found' him innocent, and in 6:23 no wound is 'found' on him.

  11. Daniel 6:23 הִשְׁתְּכַ֣ח it was found

    The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den, and when Daniel was lifted out of the den, no wounds whatsoever were found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

    Here: "Was found," as when an examiner inspects something. The verb runs through the chapter: no fault could be "found" in Daniel (6:4–5), innocence was "found" in him before God (6:22), and now no harm is "found" on him.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.