שָׁכַח102 H7911
To forget, cease to remember; passive: to be forgotten; causative: to cause to forget
At its heart, shakach captures the painful reality of memory failing — whether human or divine. Israel is repeatedly warned not to forget the LORD's covenant (Deut 4:9, 23; 6:12; 8:11), while the psalmist pleads that God has not forgotten the afflicted (Ps 9:12-13; 10:12). The Aramaic cognate means 'to find,' an ironic semantic cousin — as if what is forgotten in one language is merely waiting to be found in another. The Nifal passive ('to be forgotten') gives voice to the anguish of those who feel erased from memory (Ps 31:12), while the rare causative forms describe God or circumstances actively stripping memory away (Jer 23:27; Lam 2:6).
Senses
1. Qal: to forget — The foundational Qal active sense covering 83 occurrences across all finite forms — perfect, imperfect, imperative, cohortative, and consecutive. Human subjects forget God, covenant, law, and past experiences; God is implored not to forget his people. Deuteronomy alone accounts for a substantial cluster of warnings (4:9, 23; 6:12; 8:11, 14, 19). Arabic nasiya and Korean itda confirm the universal cognitive-failure mapping. 83×
AR["أَنْسى","أَنْسَ","أَنْسَى","تَنسَي","تَنْسَ","تَنْسَوْا","تَنْسَى"]·ben["আমি-ভুলব","আমি-ভুলে-যাব","আমি-ভুলেছি","তুমি-ভুলে-যাও","তোমরা-ভুলে-যাও","ভুলে-যাও","ভুলে-যাস"]·DE["du-vergessen","vergass","vergessen"]·EN["I-have-forgotten","I-will-forget","forget","you-forget"]·FR["oublier","tu-oublier"]·heb["אשכח","אשכחה","שכחתי","תשכח","תשכחו","תשכחי"]·HI["भूल","भूल-जाए","भूल-जाएगा","भूल-जाओ","मैं-भूल-जाऊँगा","मैं-भूला"]·ID["aku-akan-melupakan","aku-lupakan","aku-melupakan","engkau-lupa","engkau-lupakan","kamu-lupa","kamu-melupakan","lupakan","melupakan"]·IT["dimenticare","dimentico'","tu-dimenticare"]·jav["badhé-kula-kesupen","kawula-kesupen","kesupen","kesupèna","kula-supen","panjenengan-kesupen","panjenengan-sadaya-kesupen"]·KO["내가-잊으리라","잊었나이다","잊으라","잊으리라","잊으소서","잊지"]·PT["esquecas","esquecerei","esqueceres","esqueci","esqueçais","esqueças","me-esquecerei","te-esqueças"]·RU["-забудь","-забывай","-забыл-ты","забудешь","забуду","забудь","забывай","забывай,","забыл-ты","забыл-я","забыли-вы"]·ES["Olvidaré","olvidaré","olvidas","olvideis","olvides","olvidé"]·SW["mkasahau","nimesahau","nitasahau","sahau","sijaisahau","sijasahau","sijazisahau","ukamsahau","ukasahau","usisahau","utamsahau","uwasahau"]·TR["unut","unutacaksın","unutacağım","unutma","unuttum","unutursan","unutursun","unutursunuz"]·urd["بھول","بھول-جاؤ","بھول-جاؤں","بھول-جائے","بھولا-میں","بھولوں-گا"]
Gen 27:45, Deut 4:9, Deut 4:23, Deut 6:12, Deut 8:11, Deut 8:14, Deut 8:19, Deut 9:7, Deut 24:19, Deut 26:13, Deut 32:18, Judg 3:7 (+38 more)
2. Nifal: to be forgotten — The Nifal passive stem expressing 'to be forgotten' across 13 occurrences — a person, deed, or thing fades from collective memory. Joseph's years of plenty 'will be forgotten' (Gen 41:30); the dead are 'forgotten' (Eccl 9:5); the psalmist cries 'I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind' (Ps 31:12). Spanish ser olvidado and German vergessen werden consistently mark the passive voice. 13×
AR["المَنسِيّينَ","الْمَنْسِيَّةُ","تُنْسَى","فِي-الأَيَّامِ-","نُسِيتُ","نُسِيَتْ","نِشْكَح","وَ-يُنْسَى","وَتُنْسَى","يُنْسَى"]·ben["-ভুলে-যাওয়া","আর-ভুলে-যাবে","ও-ভুলে-যাবে","ভুলে-গেছি","ভুলে-যাওয়া","ভুলে-যাবে","ভুলে-যায়","ভোলা-যাবে।","ভোলা-হবে"]·DE["es-wird-sein-forgotten","und-vergessen","und-vergessen-wird","vergass","vergessen"]·EN["I-have-been-forgotten","and-will-be-forgotten","are-forgotten","forgotten","is-forgotten","it-will-be-forgotten","shall-be-forgotten","the-forgotten","will-be-forgotten"]·FR["cela-fera-être-oublié","et---être-forgotten","et-oublier","il-oubliera","le-oublier","oublier"]·heb["ה-נשכחים","ו-נשכח","ו-נשכחת","יישכח","נשכח","נשכחה","נשכחו","נשכחתי","תישכח","תשכח"]·HI["और-भुलाई-जाएगी","और-भूला-जाएगी","भुला-दिया-जाएगा","भुला-दी-गई-है","भुला-दी-जाएँगी","भुलाई-गई","भुलाई-जाएगी","भुलाया-जाएगा","भूली-जाएगी","भूले-हुए","मैं-भुला-दिया-गया"]·ID["akan-dilupakan","akan-terlupakan","dan-akan-terlupakanlah","dan-dilupakan","dilupakan","yang-dilupakan","yang-terlupakan"]·IT["dimenticare","dimentico'","e-dimenticare","e-will-essere-forgotten","esso-fara-essere-forgotten","il-dimenticare"]·jav["Kula-sampun-dipun-lalèkaken","badhe-kasupekaken","badhe-kasupen","dipun-lalekaken","dipun-supèkaken","dipunlalekaken","dipunsupekaken","ingkang-dipun-lalekaken","ingkang-kasupekaken","kasupekaken","lan-badhé-kasupèn","lan-dipun-lalekaken"]·KO["그리고-잊혀지리니","그리고-잊혀질것이다","잇혀지리라","잊혀졌나이다","잊혀졌다","잊혀지는","잊혀지지","잊혀진","잊혀진다","잊혔다","잊힘을-것이다","잊힘을-받았는데-"]·PT["Fui-esquecido","e-será-esquecida","esquecida","foi-esquecida","foram-esquecidas","os-esquecidos","será-esquecida","será-esquecida.","será-esquecido","é-esquecido"]·RU["будет-забыт","забудется","забыт-я","забыта","забытая","забыто,","забыты","забытые","и-будет-забыт","и-забудется"]·ES["He-sido-olvidado","es-olvidado","fue-olvidado","los-olvidados","olvidada","será-olvidada","será-olvidado","serán-olvidadas","y-será-olvidada"]·SW["Nimesahauliwa","atasahauliwa","haitasahaulika","iliyosahaulika","imesahauliwa","na-itasahaulika","na-utasahaulika","sahaulika","utasahauliwa","waliosahaulika","wamesahaulika","zimesahaulika"]·TR["Unutuldum","unutulacak","unutuldu","unutulmus","unutulmuş-olanlar","unutulur","ve-unutulacak"]·urd["اور-بھولا-جائے-گا","اور-بھولایا-جائے-گا","بھلا دیے گئے","بھلائی-گئی","بھول-جائے-گا","بھولا-جائے-گا","بھولا-دیا-گیا","بھولی-جائے-گی","بھولی-جائےگی","بھولی-ہوئی","بھولے-گا","میں-بھولا-دیا-گیا"]
3. Piel/Hifil: to cause to forget — The rare causative stems — Piel perfect and Hifil infinitive — expressing the action of making someone forget, with only two occurrences. False prophets 'cause my people to forget my name' through their dreams (Jer 23:27), and God 'has caused festival and sabbath to be forgotten' in Zion's destruction (Lam 2:6). Arabic ansa (to cause to forget) mirrors this causative morphology precisely. 2×
AR["أَنْسَى","لِإِنْسَاءِ"]·ben["ভুলিয়ে-দিতে","ভুলিয়ে-দিয়েছেন"]·DE["vergass","vergessen"]·EN["has-caused-to-forget","to-make-forget"]·FR["oublier"]·heb["ל-השכיח","שיכח"]·HI["भुला-दिया","भुलाने-को"]·ID["menyebabkan-dilupakan","untuk-melupakan"]·IT["dimenticare"]·jav["Panjenengan-ndadosaken-kesupen","kangge-ndadosaken-kesupen"]·KO["에-잇게-하려고","잊게-했네"]·PT["fazer-esquecer","fez-esquecer"]·RU["забыл","заставить-забыть"]·ES["ha-hecho-olvidar","hacer-olvidar"]·SW["Amefanya-kusahau","kuwasahaulisha"]·TR["unutturdu","unutturmayı"]·urd["بھلا-دیا","بھلوانے-کے-لئے"]
4. Qal ptcp: one who forgets — The Qal active participle used substantivally to denote 'those who forget' — a nominal classification of agents marked by habitual forgetfulness toward God. Job 8:13 warns that 'the paths of all who forget God' perish; Psalm 50:22 admonishes 'you who forget God.' Only two occurrences, both carrying a judgmental theological weight. 2×
AR["النّاسينَ","يا-ناسي"]·ben["ভুলে-যাওয়ারা","যারা-ভুলে-যায়"]·DE["vergass","welcher-meine-Kraft"]·EN["forgetters-of","you-who-forget"]·FR["oublier"]·heb["שוכחי"]·HI["भूलने-वालों-के","भूलनेवालो"]·ID["yang-melupakan"]·IT["coloro-che-dimenticano","dimenticare"]·jav["Gusti Allah","ingkang-kesupen"]·KO["잇는-자들의","잊는-자들아"]·PT["que-esquecem-de","vós-que-esqueceis"]·RU["забывающие","забывающих"]·ES["los-que-olvidan-a","los-que-olvidan-de"]·SW["wanaomsahau","wanaomwacha"]·TR["unutanlar","unutanların"]·urd["بھولنے-والو","بھولنے-والوں-کے"]
5. sense 5 — An infinitive absolute occurrence in Deuteronomy 8:19 functioning as an emphatic intensifier — 'if you indeed forget (shakhoach tishkach) the LORD your God.' The doubled construction (infinitive absolute + finite verb) is a classic Hebrew emphasis device. The English 'forgetting' and Spanish 'olvidar' reflect the infinitival form without capturing the rhetorical intensification. 1×
AR["نِسْيَانًا"]·ben["ভুলে-যাওয়া"]·DE["forgetting"]·EN["forgetting"]·FR["forgetting"]·heb["שכוח"]·HI["भूलते-हुए"]·ID["dengan-sungguh-sungguh"]·IT["forgetting"]·jav["kesupen"]·KO["잊기를"]·PT["esquecer"]·RU["-забывая"]·ES["olvidar"]·SW["kusahau"]·TR["unutarak"]·urd["بھولنا"]
6. sense 6 — A single Nifal occurrence in Ecclesiastes 8:10 — the wicked 'were forgotten' in the city where they had acted — that was clustered separately due to its unusual syntactic context within Qoheleth's distinctive prose style. Functionally identical to Sense 2 (passive 'be forgotten'), this verse's isolation reflects the clustering algorithm rather than a genuinely distinct meaning. 1×
AR["يَذْهَبُونَ"]·ben["এবং-ভুলে-যায়"]·DE["und-vergass"]·EN["and-were-forgotten"]·FR["et-oublier"]·heb["ו-ישתכחו"]·HI["और-वे-भुला-दिए-गए"]·ID["dan-mereka-dilupakan"]·IT["e-dimenticare"]·jav["lan-dipun-lalekaken"]·KO["그리고-잊혀졌다"]·PT["e-foram-esquecidos"]·RU["и-забываются"]·ES["y-fueron-olvidados"]·SW["na-wakasahauliwa"]·TR["ve-unutuldular"]·urd["اور-بھول-جاتے-تھے"]
Related Senses
H3045 1. Qal: to know, perceive, understand (829×)H5315 1. soul, inner being (647×)H3820a 1. heart, inner self (mind/will/emotion) (572×)H4672 1. Qal: find, discover (289×)G1492 1. know facts or truths (285×)H3824 1. heart, inner self (mind/will/emotion) (250×)H1245 1. seek, search for (200×)G1097 1. know, be acquainted with (196×)H2142 1. Qal: remember, recall (173×)G2588 1. heart (inner self, mind, will) (158×)H0977 1. choose, select (Qal active) (145×)G2147 1. find, discover (144×)G5590 1. soul, inner self (100×)H4672 2. Niphal: be found, be discovered (99×)H1875 1. seek, search for (96×)H5315 2. life, vitality (94×)H1847 1. knowledge, discernment (90×)H2450 1. wise, prudent (84×)H3684 1. fool, dullard (70×)G2212 1. seek, search for, look for (64×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
שָׁכַח102 vb. forget (NH id.; Ecclus 45:26c and (Pi.) 11:25(×2); Aramaic שְׁכַח, ܫܟܰܚ is find);— Qal86 Pf. 3 ms. שׁ׳ ψ 9:13 +, sf. שְׁכֵחָ֑נִי Is 49:14; 2 fs. שָׁכַחַתְּ Je 13:25; 1 pl. sf. שְׁכַחֲנוּךָ ψ 44:18, etc.; Impf. יִשְׁכַּח Dt 4:31 +, etc.; Imv. fs. שִׁכְחִי ψ 45:11; Inf. abs. שָׁכֹחַ; Pt. pl. cstr. שֹׁכְחֵי Jb 8:13 ψ 50:22;—forget: 1. subj. man, a. acc. rei Gn 27:45 (E), Dt 4:9; 9:7…