H8248 H8248
To give drink, water, or irrigate; Hifil causative of drinking — providing water to people, animals, or land.
Shaqah in its Hifil form is the Bible's standard verb for giving someone or something a drink — a deceptively simple action that carries enormous narrative weight. Rebekah waters Abraham's servant's camels, triggering the patriarchal marriage narrative (Gen 24:14-46). Moses strikes the rock to 'give them drink' (Num 20:8). The multilingual evidence reveals a consistent split: when living beings are the object, languages use 'give drink' vocabulary (Spanish dar de beber, Arabic saqaa), but when land is the object, they shift to irrigation words (Spanish regar, Korean 적시다) — a genuine semantic boundary baked into the verb.
3. sense 3 — A problematic occurrence at Amos 8:8 where the text is likely corrupt or involves a different root. The Ketiv/Qere issue is visible in the multilingual confusion — Spanish renders y se hundira ('and it will sink'), English gives the bracketed marker [K], and German provides the raw Hebrew form. The context describes the land rising and sinking like the Nile, suggesting this may belong to a root meaning 'subside' or 'overflow' rather than 'give drink.' A textual-critical boundary case rather than a true sense of shaqah. 1×
AR["[وَ-تَغُورُ]"]·DE["[[ונשקה]]"]·EN["[K]"]·FR["et-abreuver"]·heb["[ונשקה]"]·IT["[ונשקה]"]·jav["lan-surud"]·KO["[uff08그리고)]"]·PT["[e-afundará]"]·ES["[y-se-hundirá]"]·SW["K"]·TR["[ve-batırılacak]"]·urd["[قاری]"]
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
1. give drink to living beings — Giving drink to living beings — persons or animals — the primary sense at 51 occurrences. Rebekah waters the camels (Gen 24:14-46), Lot's daughters give their father wine (Gen 19:32-35), Hagar gives Ishmael water (Gen 21:19), and the psalmist asks God to 'give them tears to drink' (Ps 80:5). Spanish dar de beber, Arabic saqaa, and Hindi pilaana all consistently select interpersonal drinking vocabulary. The Hifil causative force is crucial — the subject enables or compels the drinking of another, making this fundamentally a verb of provision and care (or, as with the bitter water ordeal of Num 5:24-27, a verb of coerced consumption). 51×
AR["أَسْقِي","اسْقِينِي","وَ-أَسْقِهَا","وَ-أُسْقِيهِمْ","وَ-سَقَتَا","وَ-سَقَتْ","وَ-سَقَتْهُ","وَ-سَقَى","وَأَسْقِيهِمْ","وَاسْقِهِمْ","وَسَقَاهُمْ","وَسَقَتْهُ","وَسَقَى","وَيَسْقُونَ","يَسْقِينِي"]·ben["আমাকে-পান-করাবে","আমি-জল-খাওয়াব","আর-পান-করাত","আর-পান-করাবে","আর-পান-করালেন","এবং-তাকে-জল-খাওয়াল","এবং-তিনি-পান-করিয়েছিলেন","এবং-পান-করাও","এবং-পান-করাল-তাকে","ও-আমি-পান-করাচ্ছি-তাদের","ও-জল-দিল","ও-পান-করাব-তাদের","ও-পান-করালেন","জল-পান-করাও-আমাকে","জল-পান-করাও-আমাকে-","পান-করাবে-আমাকে"]·DE["[ישקני]","tränke-mich","tränke-mich-","und-er-watered","und-gab-trinken","und-sie-gab-ihn-ein-trinken","und-traenken","und-tränkte","und-tränkte-ihn","und-tränkten","will-ich-tränken","wird-gib-mich-trinke"]·EN["I-will-water","and-gave-drink","and-gave-him-drink","and-give-drink-to","and-giving-them-to-drink","and-he-watered","and-make-drink","and-making-them-drink","and-she-gave-him-a-drink","and-they-made-drink","and-watered","give-me-drink","will-give-me-drink"]·FR["Je---eau","[ישקני]","donner-moi-boire","et-abreuver","et-arrosa","et-donna-boire","et-donna-lui-boire","et-elle-donna-lui-un-boire","et-il-arrosa","et-ils-fit-boire","fera-donne-moi-bois"]·heb["אשקה","השקיני-י","ו-השקו","ו-השקית","ו-השקיתה","ו-השקיתים","ו-השקתהו","ו-ישק","ו-תשק","ו-תשקהו-ו","ו-תשקין","ישק-ני","ישקני-י"]·HI["और-पिलय","और-पिला","और-पिलाऊँगा-उन्हें","और-पिलाते-थे","और-पिलाया","और-पिलाया-उसे","और-मैं-पिलाऊँगा-उन्हें","पिला","पिलाएगा-मुझे","मैं-पिलाऊँगी"]·ID["akan-memberi-aku-minum","akan-memberi-minum-kepadaku","aku-akan-memberi-minum","berikanlah-aku-minum","dan-akan-memberi-minum-mereka","dan-berikanlah-minum","dan-berilah-minum","dan-memberi minum","dan-memberi-minum","dan-memberi-minum-mereka","dan-memberinya-minum","dan-memberinya-minumlah-ia","dan-meminumkan-mereka"]·IT["dare-me-bere","e-abbeverare","e-abbevero'","e-diede-bere","e-diede-lui-bere","e-egli-watered","e-ella-diede-lui-un-bere","e-essi-fece-bere","e-watered","far-bere","io-will-acqua","vorrà-da-me-bevi"]·jav["Lan-sami-ngombèni","Mugi-maringi-ngunjuk-kula","Mugi-maringi-ngunjuk-kula-","badhé-maringi-ngombe-kula","badhé-maringi-ngombé-kawula","kula-badhé-maringi-ngunjuk","lan-Kula-badhé-maringi-unjukan-piyambakipun","lan-dipunombeni","lan-maringi-ngombe","lan-maringi-ngunjuk","lan-ngombèni","lan-paring-ngunjuk","lan-piyambakipun-ngombeni","lan-sukani-nginum","saha-Panjenengan-sampun-maringi-ngombe"]·KO["그리고-내가-마시게-하리라","그리고-마시게-하라","그리고-마시게-하리라","그리고-마시게-해주었다-그를","그리고-마시게-했다","그리고-마시게하였다-그를","그리고-마시게했다","그리고-물을-먹였다","길어-주리라","나를-마시게-하리","마시게-하리라-나에게","마시게-하셨나이다","마시게-해주소서","마시게-해주소서-나를"]·PT["Dá-me-de-beber","E-deram-de-beber","dar-me-á-de-beber","darei-de-beber","e-dando-de-beber-lhes","e-darás-de-beber","e-davam-de-beber","e-deu-de-beber","e-deu-lhe-de-beber","e-dá-o-de-beber","e-farei-beber-os","me-dará-de-beber"]·RU["И-напоили","и-напои","и-напоил","и-напоил-Он","и-напоила","и-напоила-его","и-напою-их","и-поили","напои-меня","напоит-меня","напою"]·ES["Y-dieron-a-beber","dame-de-beber","daré-de-beber","me-dará-de-beber","y-abrevaban","y-abrevó","y-dio-de-beber","y-haciéndoles-beber","y-harás-beber","y-le-dio-de-beber","y-les-darás-de-beber","y-les-daré-de-beber"]·SW["ataninywesha","na-akakamata","na-akamnywesha","na-akampa-kunywa","na-akanywesha","na-akawanywesha","na-nitawanywesha","na-uwanywesha","na-uwanyweshe","na-wakamlisha","na-wamenywesha","nipe-ninywe","nitawanywesha"]·TR["Ve-içirdiler","içir-bana-","içirecek-bana","içirir-beni","sulayacağım","ve-içir","ve-içirdi","ve-içirdi-ona","ve-içirdi-onu","ve-içireceğim","ve-suladı","ve-sularlardı","İçir-bana"]·urd["اور-پلا","اور-پلا-اُنہیں","اور-پلاؤں-گا","اور-پلاؤں-گا-اُنہیں","اور-پلاتے-تھے","اور-پلایا","اور-پلایا-اُسے","اور-پلایا-اُنھوں-نے","مجھے-پلائے-گا","پلا","پلاؤں-گی","پلائے-گا-مجھے"]
2. water or irrigate land — Watering or irrigating land, gardens, or plants — 9 occurrences where the object is agricultural rather than animate. The river goes out of Eden 'to water the garden' (Gen 2:10), the mist rises 'to water the whole face of the ground' (Gen 2:6), and the land of Egypt requires manual irrigation unlike Canaan's rain-fed soil (Deut 11:10). Spanish regar, Korean 적시다, and Hindi siinchna all shift to irrigation-specific vocabulary, confirming a real lexicographic boundary. Psalm 104:13 and Ecclesiastes 2:6 extend this to God's cosmic and royal watering of the earth. 9×
AR["أَسْقِيهَا","السّاقيَ","لِأَسْقِيَ","لِيَسْقِيَ","لِيَسْقِيَهَا","وَ-تَسْقي","وَ-يَسْقِي","وَأَسْقِي","وَتَسْقِي"]·ben["আর-আমি-ভিজাব","আর-সিক্ত-করত","এবং-জল-দেবে","এবং-তুমি-সেচ-করো","জল-দিই-এটাকে","জল-দেওয়ার-জন্য","যিনি-সিক্ত-করেন","সিক্ত-করতে"]·DE["[והשקה]","[והשקיתי]","[להשקות]","traenken","und-du-Wasser","und-tränkte","watering","zu-bewässern"]·EN["and-I-will-drench","and-watered","and-will-water","and-you-water","moment","to-water","watering"]·FR["abreuver","de-abreuver","et-abreuver","et-arrosa","et-tu-eau","à-eau","à-faire-boire"]·heb["אשקנה","ו-השקה","ו-השקית","ו-השקיתי","ל-השקות","משקה"]·HI["और-मैं-सींचूँगा","और-सींचता-था","और-सींचता-था-तू","और-सींचेगा","जो-सींचता-है","सींचने-के-लिए","सींचने-को","सींचूंगा-उसे"]·ID["Aku-menyiramiNya","Dan-Aku-akan-menyirami","dan-kamu-mengairi","dan-membasahi","dan-mengairi","untuk-mengairi","untuk-menyirami","yang-memberi-minum"]·IT["[והשקה]","[והשקיתי]","[להשקות]","a-acqua","abbeverare","abbevero'","e-tu-acqua","e-watered","per-a-acqua"]·jav["Lan-Kawula-badhe-ngenumaken","Ngunjuki","kangge-nyelep","kangge-nyirami","kawula-nyirami","lan-ngunjuki","lan-nyelep","lan-panjenengan-mbanyoni","supados-nyirami"]·KO["그리고-물을-대리라-네가","그리고-적셨다","그리고-적시리라","그리하여-내가-적시리라","물-대기-위하여-","물주리라","에-적시기-위해","적시기-위해","적시시는-이-가"]·PT["E-regarei","Rega","a-regarei","e-regará","e-regas","e-regava","para-regar"]·RU["Напояющий","и-напоит","и-напою","и-орошал","и-поливаешь","поливаю-его","чтобы-напоить","чтобы-орошать"]·ES["El-que-riega","Y-regaré","la-regaré","para-regar","y-regaba","y-regabas","y-regará"]·SW["Na-nitailowesha","kuinywesha","kumwagilia","na-itanywesha","na-kumwagilia","na-ukalowanisha","ninalinyunyizia","unayenywesha"]·TR["sulamak-icin","sulamak-için","sularim-onu","sulayıcı","ve-sulamaktaydı","ve-sulayacak","ve-sulayacağım","ve-suluyorsun"]·urd["اور-سیراب-کرتا-تھا","اور-سیراب-کرتا-تھا-تُو","اور-سیراب-کروں-گا","اور-سیراب-کرے-گا","سیراب-کرنے","سیراب-کرنے-والا","سیراب-کرنے-کو","سیراب-کروں-گا-اُسے"]
4. sense 4 — A single occurrence at Job 21:24 where the verb appears to mean 'be moistened' or 'be well-watered,' describing the marrow or body of the wicked as being fully nourished. Spanish esta regado ('is watered') and English 'is moistened' both point to a stative or passive sense — the body is in a state of being saturated — rather than the active causative found elsewhere. This may represent a rare Qal passive or a denominative use, standing at the far periphery of the root's semantic range. 1×
AR["يُسْقَى"]·ben["সিক্ত-হয়"]·DE["[ישקה]"]·EN["is-moistened"]·FR["faire-boire"]·heb["ישוקה"]·HI["सिंचित-होती-है"]·ID["basah"]·IT["è-moistened"]·jav["teles"]·KO["적셔지나니"]·PT["está-irrigado"]·RU["увлажнён"]·ES["está-regado."]·SW["umelowa"]·TR["sulanan"]·urd["سیراب ہے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [שָׁקָה] vb. Hiph. cause to drink water, give to drink (NH Hiph. id.; Arabic سَقَى i. give to drink; Sab. סקי be irrigated Fell ZMG liv (1900), 246, מסקי drinks Hom Chr 124, מסתקין id. DHM Hofmus., No. 1, 1.7; Ethiopic ሰቀየ: water, irrigate; Assyrian šaḳû i. = Heb. Hiph., Aramaic שְׁקָא, ܫܩܳܐ Aph.);—for Qal v. שָׁתָה" dir="rtl" >I. שָׁתָה;—Pf. 3 ms. consec. וְהִשְׁקָה Gn 2:6 +, sf. וְהִשְׁקָהּ…