H8245 H8245
To watch, keep vigil, be wakeful; of God watching over his word or his people; also to watch with hostile intent
A verb of intense, purposeful wakefulness that spans the spectrum from divine faithfulness to predatory menace. Its most famous occurrence is Jeremiah 1:12, where God declares 'I am watching over my word to perform it' -- a passage enriched by the wordplay with shaqed (almond tree), the 'watcher' that blooms first in spring. The same root describes sleepless vigil in Psalm 102:7, where the psalmist lies awake 'like a lonely bird on a rooftop.' Spanish 'velar/veló' (to keep vigil) captures the sustained attentiveness across all uses, while German 'wachen' (to watch/wake) preserves the root connection between watching and wakefulness. At its darkest, the word describes a leopard 'watching' against cities to seize prey (Jer 5:6).
2. be wakeful, lie awake — To be wakeful, lie awake, remain sleepless -- describing a state of wakefulness without necessarily implying purposeful vigilance. Psalm 102:7 paints a haunting picture: 'I lie awake; I am like a lonely bird on a housetop.' Psalm 127:1 warns that unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman 'stays awake' in vain. German 'ich-lagern-aufwachen' (I lie awake) and Spanish 'velo' (I keep vigil) preserve the nocturnal, insomniac quality of this sense. 2×
AR["سَهِرتُ","يَسهَرُ"]·ben["আমি-জেগে-থাকি","জেগে-থাকে"]·DE["ich-lagern-aufwachen","wacht"]·EN["I-lie-awake","watches"]·FR["veiller"]·heb["שקד","שקדתי"]·HI["जागता-है","मैंने-जागा"]·ID["aku-terjaga","berjaga"]·IT["veglio'"]·jav["Kula-mejeng","jaga"]·KO["깨어-있었도다","깨어-있었도다-내-가"]·PT["Vigio","vigia"]·RU["Бодрствовал","бодрствует"]·ES["Velo","vela"]·SW["anakesha","nimeangalia"]·TR["gözler","uyanık-kaldım"]·urd["جاگتا-ہے","میں-جاگتا-رہا"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. watch over, keep vigil — To keep watch, be vigilant, or guard attentively over something or someone. Often used of God's watchful oversight: Jeremiah 1:12 declares God 'watching over' his word to fulfill it, and Jeremiah 31:28 promises that as God watched to uproot, so he will watch to build. Proverbs 8:34 blesses the one who watches daily at Wisdom's gates. Spanish 'velar/velad' (keep vigil/keep watch!) and French 'veiller' (to watch) consistently render this purposeful, sustained attentiveness. Ezra 8:29 extends it to human guardianship of sacred vessels. 8×
AR["أَسْهَرُ","اِسْهَرُوا","سَاهِرٌ","سَهِرْتُ","لِيَسْهَرَ","وَ-سَهِرَ","يَسْهَرُ"]·ben["এবং-জেগে-ছিলেন","জাগ্রত","জাগ্রত-থাকো","জেগে-আছি","প্রহরা-করতে","সতর্ক-ছিলাম-আমি","সতর্ক-থাকব-আমি","সে-পাহারা-দেবে"]·DE["[וישקד]","[ישקוד]","[לשקד]","[שקדו]","wachen"]·EN["I-watched","I-will-watch","and-watched","he-keeps-watch","watch","watching"]·FR["[שקדו]","et-veiller","veiller","à-veiller"]·heb["אשקוד","ו-ישקוד","ישקוד","ל-שקוד","שוקד","שקדו","שקדתי"]·HI["और-जागता-रहा","जागता","जागता-रहा-मैं","जागता-हूँ","जागते-हुए","जागूँगा-मैं","निगरानी रखो","वह-पहरा-देता-है"]·ID["Aku-akan-berjaga-jaga","Aku-berjaga-jaga","Berjagalah","Maka-TUHAN-berjaga","berjaga","ia-berjaga","untuk-berjaga"]·IT["[וישקד]","[שקדו]","egli-keeps-watch","per-watching","vegliare"]·jav["Kawula-jagi","Kawula-njagi","jaganen","kanggé-njaga","lan-Yéhuwah-waspada","piyambakipun-jagi","tansah-waspadha"]·KO["그리고-지키셨으니","깨어-있으라","지켜보고-있다","지켜보리라","지켜보았다","지켜본다-내가","지키는","지키리라"]·PT["E-vigiou","para-velar","vigiai","vigiando","vigiarei","vigiará","vigiei","vigilante"]·RU["Бдите","бдительно","бодрствовал-Я","бодрствую","бодрствующий","будет-сторожить","буду-бодрствовать","и-бодрствовал"]·ES["Y-veló","para-velar","velad","velará.","velaré","velé","vigilante","vigilo"]·SW["ataangalia","kukesha","lindeni","na-Yahwe-alikuwa-macho","nilivyokesha","ninaangalia","ninawaangalia","nitakesha"]·TR["Bekleyin","beklemek-için","bekçiyim","gözeteceğim","gözettim","nöbet-tutar","uyanık","ve-uyandı"]·urd["اور-جاگتا-رہا","جاگتا","نگرانی-کروں-گا","نگرانی-کی-میں-نے","پہرہ دیتا ہے","پہرہ-دینے-کو","چوکس-رہو","چوکس-ہوں"]
3. watch for evil, lie in wait — To watch with hostile intent, lurking or lying in wait to do harm. Isaiah 29:20 denounces 'those who watch for iniquity,' and Jeremiah 5:6 depicts a leopard 'watching against their cities' to seize anyone who ventures out. Spanish 'acecha' (stalks/lurks) and 'los que velan para' (those who watch for) capture the predatory, menacing quality that inverts the protective watching of sense 1. 2×
AR["السَّاهِرِينَ-عَلَى","رَاصِدٌ"]·ben["দেখাকারীদের","প্রহরী"]·DE["wachen"]·EN["those-watching-for","watching"]·FR["veiller"]·heb["שוקד","שוקדי"]·HI["घात-लगाए-हुए","ताकने-वाले"]·ID["mengintai","yang-berjaga"]·IT["vegliare"]·jav["njagi","tiyang-ingkang-nggegoleki-"]·KO["악을-힘쓰는-자들이","지켜보고-있다"]·PT["espreita","vigilantes-de"]·RU["стерегущие-","стерегущий"]·ES["acecha","los-que-velan-para"]·SW["anavizia","wanaotafuta"]·TR["gozleyenleri","pusuya-yatan"]·urd["گھات-لگائے-ہوئے","گھات-لگانے-والے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† שָׁקַד vb. watch, wake (Ph. שקד be circumspect; NH שָׁקַד be insistent; 𝔗 שְׁקֵד = BH);— Qal Pf. 3 ms. שׁ׳ ψ 127:1, שָׁקַ֫דְתִּי Je 31:28 ψ 102:8; Impf. 3 ms. יִשְׁק֑וֹד Jb 21:32 (Me Bu יִשְׁקֹ֑דוּ), וַיִּשְׁקֹד Dn 9:14, 1 s. אֶשְׁקֹד Je 31:28; Imv. mpl. שִׁקְדוּ Ezr 8:29; Inf. cstr. לִשְׁקֹד Pr 8:34; Pt. act. שֹׁקֵד Je 1:12 +; pl. cstr. שֹׁקְדֵי Is 29:20;— 1. keep watch of, be wakeful over,…