שָׁאַל170 H7592
To ask, inquire, request, demand, borrow, or lend; covering question-asking, petition, and the loan transaction in both directions
Sha'al is the quintessential verb of human need voiced aloud — whether seeking information, requesting a favor, or negotiating a loan. Its semantic range runs from the simple question ('What is your name?' Gen 32:29) to the desperate petition (Hannah's plea for a son, 1 Sam 1:20), and even extends into the economics of borrowing and lending. Arabic sa'ala preserves the same core of voiced inquiry, while the Korean split between mul-eotda (asking) and guhaetda (requesting) exposes the line between information-seeking and favor-seeking that Hebrew leaves implicit. The wordplay on Samuel's name — 'I asked him of the LORD' — shows how deeply this verb is woven into Israel's narrative theology.
1. ask, inquire, question — To ask a question or make an inquiry, seeking information from another person or from God. Arabic sa'ala and Korean mul-eotda (to ask) consistently mark this as the information-seeking register. This is the dominant sense (96x), ranging from simple interpersonal questions (Gen 26:7 'the men of the place asked about his wife') to formal divine inquiry through priest or prophet (Judg 1:1; 1 Sam 10:22). The construction often takes a double accusative — asking someone about something — and the multilingual glosses converge on consultar/demander/befragen, all emphasizing the investigative dimension. 96×
AR["فَ-سَأَلَ","فَسَأَلَ","وَ-سَأَلَ","وَ-سَأَلُوا","وَسَأَلَ"]·ben["আর-জিজ্ঞাসা-করল","আর-জিজ্ঞাসা-করলেন","এবং-জিজ্ঞাসা-করল","এবং-জিজ্ঞাসা-করলেন","এবং-জিজ্ঞেস-করল","এবং-জিজ্ঞেস-করলেন","ও-জিজ্ঞাসা-করলেন"]·DE["und-befragten","und-er-fragte","und-fragen","und-fragte","und-inquired","und-sie-befragten"]·EN["and-asked","and-he-asked","and-inquired","and-they-inquired"]·FR["et-consulta","et-demanda","et-demander","et-il-demanda","et-ils-interrogèrent","et-interrogea"]·heb["ו-ישאל","ו-שאל","ו-שאלו"]·HI["और-उन्होंने-पूछा","और-पुचछ","और-पुछ","और-पूछा","वय्यिश्अल"]·ID["Dan-bertanya","Dan-bertanyalah","Dan-ia-bertanya","dan-bertanya","dan-bertanyalah","dan-dia-bertanya","dan-mereka-bertanya"]·IT["e-chiese","e-consultò","e-domandare","e-domandò","e-egli-chiese","e-essi-consultò"]·jav["Lan-Yakub-tangled","Lan-nakèkaken","Lan-ndangu","Lan-nyuwun-pirsa","Lan-nyuwun-pitedah","Lan-taken","lan-nyuwun-pirsa","lan-taken"]·KO["그-와-물었다","그리고-구하였다","그리고-물었다"]·PT["E-consultaram","E-consultou","E-perguntou","e-consultaram","e-perguntaram","e-perguntou"]·RU["И-спросил","и-вопросил","и-спросил","и-спросили"]·ES["Y-consultaron","Y-consultó","Y-preguntó","y-consultaron","y-preguntaron","y-preguntó"]·SW["Na-akauliza","Na-wakauliza","akauliza","na-akauliza","na-akawauliza","na-wakainama","na-wakaomba","na-wakauliza"]·TR["Ve-sordu","Ve-sordular","ve-sordu","ve-sordular"]·urd["اور-پوچھا"]
Gen 26:7, Gen 32:29, Gen 32:29, Gen 37:15, Gen 38:21, Gen 40:7, Gen 43:7, Gen 43:7, Gen 43:27, Gen 44:19, Exod 13:14, Exod 18:7 (+38 more)
▼ 5 more senses below
Senses
2. request, petition, demand — To request, petition, or demand something from someone, seeking to obtain goods, favors, or outcomes rather than information. Arabic talaba (to seek/request) and Korean guhaetda (to seek to obtain) distinguish this from mere inquiry. Covers Moses's statement of what God 'asks of' Israel (Deut 10:12), Caleb's daughter requesting springs of water (Josh 15:18), and the elders demanding a king (1 Sam 8:10). Spanish pedir and French demander in the petitionary register confirm the shift from question to request. Hannah's naming of Samuel — she'iltiv, 'I asked him of the LORD' (1 Sam 1:20) — is the theological pinnacle of this sense. 73×
AR["أَنْ-أَطْلُبَ","اسْأَلِي","اسْأَلْ","اسْأَلْنِي","تَسْأَلْ","تَسْأَلْهُ","سَأَلَ","سَأَلْتَ","طَلَبَ","طَلَبْتَ","لِ-طَلَبِ","لِ-يَسْأَلَ","لِ-يَطْلُبَ"]·ben["-কে","চাইতে","চাও","চেয়েছ","চেয়েছিল","তুমি-চেয়েছিলে","তোমার-শত্রুদের","দিন","ধন","শলোমন","সে-চেয়েছিল"]·DE["ask","du-fragte","er-fragte","frage","fragen","fragte","zu-fragen","zu-fragte"]·EN["ask","asked","he-asked","to-ask","you-asked"]·FR["demanda","demande","demander","il-demanda","tu-asked","tu-demanda","zu-Saül","à-demander"]·heb["ל-שאול","שאל","שאלי","שאלת"]·HI["तूने-मांगा","माँग","माँगने-को","माँगा","मांग","मांगने-को","मांगा","मांगा-था"]·ID["Mintalah","dia-pinjamkan","diminta","dimintanya","engkau-meminta","engkau-minta","ia-minta","kamu-minta","meminta","mintalah","untuk-meminta"]·IT["a-Saul","a-chiedere","che-a","chiedi","chiese","domandare","egli-chiese","per-chiedere","tu-chiese","tu-domando"]·jav["Nyuwun","Nyuwuna","dipunsuwun","kangge-nyuwun","kanggé-nyuwun","nyuwun","nyuwuna","panjenengan-nyuwun","panyuwunipun","piyambakipun-nyuwun"]·KO["구하기-위해","구하라","구하라고","구한","구했다","네가-요구했다","로-요청하다","에게-구하려고","요구하라","요구했다","요청하였다","청하였다"]·PT["Pede","a-pedir","de-pedir","para-pedir","pede","pediste","pediu"]·RU["одолжил","проси","просил","просил-ты","просить","чтобы-просить"]·ES["Pide","de-pedir","para-pedir","pediste","pide","pidió"]·SW["Niombe","aliloliomba","aliomba","hili","kuomba","kwako","nikupe","omba","sitakukataa","uliomba","umeomba","utajiri"]·TR["iste","istedi","istedin","istemek","istemek-için","istemesi-için","isteyerek","ödünç-verdi"]·urd["تُو-نے-مانگا","مانگ","مانگا","مانگنے کے لیے","مانگنے-کو","مانگنے-کے-لیے","مانگی-گئی","مانگے"]
Deut 10:12, Deut 14:26, Deut 18:16, Josh 15:18, Josh 19:50, Judg 1:14, Judg 5:25, 1 Sam 1:20, 1 Sam 1:27, 1 Sam 2:20, 1 Sam 12:13, 1 Sam 12:17 (+38 more)
3. borrow — To borrow, to receive something on loan from another. Arabic musta'ar (borrowed) and Korean billin (borrowed) mark the economic transaction. Rare (3x), appearing in the case law of Exod 22:14 regarding liability for a borrowed animal, Hannah's declaration that Samuel was 'lent to the LORD' (1 Sam 1:28 — a deliberate wordplay on borrowing/lending), and the floating axe head that 'was borrowed' (2 Kgs 6:5). The semantic extension from 'ask for' to 'borrow' is natural and paralleled across Semitic languages. 3×
AR["استَعارَ","مُسْتَعارٌ","مُعَارٌ"]·ben["ধার-করা","ধার-দেওয়া","ধার-নেয়"]·DE["borrows","ist-lieh","war-borrowed"]·EN["borrows","is-lent","was-borrowed"]·FR["borrows","est-prêta","fut-borrowed"]·heb["ישאל","שאול"]·HI["माँगा-हुआ","माँगे","शाऊल"]·ID["dipinjam","dipinjamkan","meminjam"]·IT["borrows","era-borrowed","è-prestò"]·jav["dipunsuwun","nyambut","tiyang-nyilih"]·KO["빌리면","빌린","빌린-것이다"]·PT["emprestado","pedido","pedir-emprestado"]·RU["возьмёт-взаймы","одолжен","одолжено"]·ES["era-prestado!","pida-prestado","prestado"]·SW["akikopa","ameombwa","kilikuwa-kimekopwa"]·TR["odunc","ödünç-alırsa","ödünç-verilmiş"]·urd["اُدھار-لے","مانگا-گیا","مانگا-ہوا-تھا"]
4. lend, grant on loan — Hifil causative: to lend, to grant on loan to another. Arabic a'ara (to lend) and Korean billyeojuda (to lend) confirm the causative flip from receiving to granting. Appears only twice: the Israelites being granted gold and silver by the Egyptians at the Exodus (Exod 12:36), and Hannah's vow that she has 'lent' Samuel to the LORD (1 Sam 1:28). The Exodus passage is remarkable — Spanish les dieron ('they gave them') and the broader translation tradition show how 'lending' shades into 'granting,' since these loans were never repaid. 2×
AR["أَعَرْتُهُ","وَ-أَعَارُوهُمْ"]·ben["এবং-তারা-ধার-করালেন","ধার-দিলাম-তাকে"]·DE["ich-habe-lieh-ihn","und-sie-lieh-ihnen"]·EN["I-have-lent-him","and-they-lent-them"]·FR["et-ils-prêta-eux","je-ai-prêta-lui"]·heb["השאלתיהו","ו-השאילום"]·HI["उधार-दिया","और-उधार-दिया-उन्होंने"]·ID["dan-mereka-meminjamkan","meminjamkannya"]·IT["e-essi-prestò-loro","io-avere-prestò-lui"]·jav["lan-tiyang-maringi","masrahaken-piyambakipun"]·KO["그리고-보내주었다-그들이-그들에게","빌려주었다-그-를"]·PT["e-emprestaram-lhes","emprestei-o"]·RU["и-давали-им","отдала-его"]·ES["lo-presté","y-les-dieron"]·SW["na-wakawakopesha","nimemkabidhi"]·TR["ve-verdiler","ödünç-verdim-onu"]·urd["امانت-دیتی-ہوں-اُسے","اور-دیا-انہوں-نے"]
5. sense 5 — To ask leave, to request permission for departure. A specialized pragmatic extension of the petition sense, appearing in Neh 13:6 where Nehemiah asks the king's permission to return to Jerusalem. Spanish pedi permiso and English 'I asked leave' confirm the diplomatic-courtly register. The construction is idiomatic: sha'al functions as requesting formal authorization rather than simply asking a question or requesting an object. 1×
AR["اسْتَأْذَنْتُ"]·ben["অনুমতি-চাইলাম"]·DE["fragte"]·EN["I-asked-leave"]·FR["demander"]·heb["נשאלתי"]·HI["मैंने-अनुमति-ली"]·ID["aku-minta-izin"]·IT["domandare"]·jav["kula-nyuwun"]·KO["허락-구했다-내가"]·PT["pedi-licença"]·RU["попросил-я"]·ES["pedí-permiso"]·SW["niliomba"]·TR["izin-istedim"]·urd["رخصت-لی"]
6. sense 6 — To beg, to plead as a destitute person. A register shift toward abject supplication, appearing in the imprecatory Ps 109:10 ('let his children beg'). Spanish mendiguen (let them beg) captures the social degradation implied. Where sense 2 covers dignified petition, this sense carries the connotation of desperate, repeated asking born of poverty — the semantic floor of a verb whose ceiling is royal petition. 1×
AR["وَ-يَسأَلون"]·ben["এবং-ভিক্ষা-করুক"]·DE["und-lass-ihnen-beg"]·EN["and-let-them-beg"]·FR["et-demander"]·heb["ו-שאלו"]·HI["और-माँगें"]·ID["dan-mengemis"]·IT["e-chiese"]·jav["lan-mengemis"]·KO["그리고-구걸하게-하소서"]·PT["e-mendiguem"]·RU["и-просят"]·ES["y-mendiguen"]·SW["na-waombe"]·TR["ve-dilencillik-etsinler"]·urd["اور-بھیک-مانگیں"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)H???? 1. (4670×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H6213a 2. make, construct, fabricate (148×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
שָׁאַל170 vb. ask, inquire (NH id.; Assyrian šaʾâlu, Arabic سَأَلَ, Ethiopic ሰአለ: Sab. מסאל request, petition, HomChrest. 124 Levy-Os ZMG xix (1865), 165; Aramaic ܫܶܐܠ, שְׁאֵיל; O Aramaic Zinj. שאל Ldzb371, Nab. Hiph. lend id.ib.;—on שׁ׳ cf. Jastr JBL xix (1900), 82 ff.);— Qal Pf. 3 ms. שׁ׳ Ju 5:25 +, שָׁאָ֑ל Ju 8:26 + 2 times; consec. וְשָׁ֫אַל לוֹ Nu 27:21; sf. וּשְׁאֵלְךָ consec. Gn 32:18…