H7918 H7918
to decrease, abate, subside; of floodwaters receding and anger cooling
A verb describing the diminishing or subsiding of powerful forces — whether physical or emotional. Its most vivid use is in Genesis 8:1, where God causes a wind to blow and the floodwaters abate. In Esther, it describes the king's wrath cooling after Haman's execution (7:10) and before Esther's selection (2:1). The Arabic cognate sakka ('to humble oneself') and the NH sense of 'allaying anger' both illuminate the emotional dimension. The difficult Jeremiah 5:26 usage may describe fowlers crouching or lurking.
Senses
1. sense 1 — To decrease, abate, subside — said of floodwaters (Gen 8:1), royal anger (Esth 2:1; 7:10), and possibly the crouching of fowlers (Jer 5:26). Also used of causing complaints to cease (Num 17:5). Spanish and German renderings ('se calmó,' 'es sanken') capture the dual physical-emotional range: waters sink down, wrath settles. French 'diminua' highlights the quantitative decrease. The root conveys the ebbing of any overwhelming force, whether nature's deluge or a king's fury. 5×
AR["كَ-سُكُونِ", "كَـ-كَمِينِ", "هَدَأَتْ", "وَ-أُسْكِتُ", "وَ-هَدَأَتِ"]·ben["এবং-আমি-থামাব", "এবং-নেমে-গেল", "ফাঁদের-মতো", "যখন-শান্ত-হল", "শান্ত-হল"]·DE["[כשך]", "[שככה]", "und-es-sanken", "und-ich-wird-cause-zu-cease"]·EN["and-I-will-cause-to-cease", "and-subsided", "like-lurking-of", "subsided", "when-subsided"]·FR["[כשך]", "[שככה]", "et-diminua", "et-je-fera-cause-à-cesser"]·heb["ו-השכתי", "ו-ישכו", "כ-שך", "שככה"]·HI["और-घता", "और-शांत-करूँगा", "जब-शांत-हुआ", "जैसे-छुपते-हैं", "शान्त-हो-गया"]·ID["dan-Aku-membuat-reda", "dan-surutlah", "ketika-mereda", "mereda", "seperti-pemburu"]·IT["[כשך]", "[שככה]", "e-io-fara-cause-a-cease", "e-subsided"]·jav["kados-juru-pikat", "lan-Kawula-badhé-mandhegaken", "lan-surut", "nalika-surut", "surut"]·KO["가라앉았다", "가라앉을-때에", "그리고-내가-멈추게-할-것이다", "그리고-줄어들었다", "덩처럼"]·PT["acalmou", "como-armadilha-de", "e-diminuíram", "e-farei-cessar", "quando-acalmou"]·RU["и-успокоились", "и-успокою", "как-устанавливающий", "когда-утих", "утихла"]·ES["al-calmarse", "como-cazadores-de", "se-calmó", "y-disminuyeron", "y-haré-cesar"]·SW["ilitulia", "kama-wawindaji", "na-nitayanyamazisha", "na-yakapungua", "ulipotulia"]·TR["tuzakçı-gibi", "ve-azaldı", "ve-dindireceğim", "yatıştı", "yatıştığında-"]·urd["اور-میں-خاموش-کروںگا", "اور-گھٹ-گئے", "جب-ٹھنڈا-ہوا", "مانند-شکاری-کے", "ٹھنڈا-ہوا"]
Related Senses
H3605 1. all, every, whole (5352×)H0259 1. one (cardinal numeral) (940×)H8147 1. cardinal number two (666×)G3956 1. all (collective plural) (616×)H3967 1. cardinal numeral hundred (550×)H1419a 1. great, large (general quality) (486×)H7969 1. cardinal number three (431×)H0505 1. cardinal number thousand (427×)H7651 1. seven (cardinal number) (393×)G1520 1. cardinal number one (339×)H6240 1. ten (cardinal number) (334×)H6242 1. twenty (cardinal number) (315×)H2568 1. cardinal number five (309×)H0702 1. four (cardinal number) (277×)G3956 2. every, each (distributive) (227×)H8337 1. six (cardinal number) (215×)G3956 3. all things, everything (substantive) (211×)G3956 4. (187×)H6235 1. ten (177×)G3173 1. great in size or extent (176×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [שָׁכַךְ] vb. decrease, abate (NH שְׁכִיכָה is allaying of anger; שִׁכֵּךְ אֹזֶן soothe, satisfy the ear (so appar. Dalm), i.e. allow it to hear and understand, cf. LevyNHWB (and Arabic سَكَّ be narrow, have small ears, be deaf, Frä 90); Arabic سَكّ v. humble oneself, Wahrm humiliate);— Qal Impf. 3 mpl. וַיָּשֹׁכּוּ Gn 8:1 the waters abated; Inf. cstr. כְּשֹׁךְ Est 2:1 when abated the king’s…