A verb meaning to hire or employ someone for wages, appearing in Ezra 4:5. The spelling with samekh (סָכַר) rather than sin (שָׂכַר) represents a scribal error or dialectical variant—the roots are identical in meaning. The text describes enemies of Judah hiring counselors against the returned exiles to frustrate their temple rebuilding efforts. This 'hiring' carries the negative sense of bribery or employing agents for subversive purposes. The Qal participle (סֹכְרִים) functions as a substantive: 'ones hiring' or 'hirers.' The verb captures the political machinations that opposed post-exilic restoration, where foreign adversaries used financial resources to undermine covenant renewal.