שֶׁ֫קֶר113 H8267
Falsehood, deception, or vain emptiness; the Hebrew word for lies, fraud, and all that betrays trust or proves worthless.
Sheqer is the biblical vocabulary's sharpest word for what is false. It covers deliberate lying (as in the ninth commandment, Exod 20:16), fraudulent conduct (Prov 11:18), and the deceptive emptiness of things that promise much but deliver nothing—like a horse whose strength proves vain in battle (Ps 33:17) or charm that ultimately disappoints (Prov 31:30). Across languages the translation signatures converge: Spanish mentira/falsedad, French mensonge, German Luege—all centered on the lie. Yet the Hebrew range is wider than any single word in these languages, stretching from a courtroom perjury to the cosmic futility of idols (Jer 10:14).
Senses
1. falsehood, lie — The dominant sense covers falsehood and lying as a substantive reality—a false statement, an untruth, or the quality of being false. Used as subject ('falsehood springs up,' Ps 85:11 reversed), object ('speak sheqer,' Jer 9:5), or in construct chains ('witnesses of sheqer,' Deut 19:18). The multilingual evidence is unanimous: eng 'falsehood/lie,' spa 'mentira/falsedad,' fra 'mensonge,' deu 'Luege.' This is the sense behind the ninth commandment prohibition (Exod 20:16) and prophetic condemnations of false prophecy (Jer 23:25–32). 107×
AR["الكَذِبَ","الْكَذِبِ","زُورًا","زُورٍ","كَذِب","كَذِبًا","كَذِبٌ","كَذِبٍ"]·ben["মিথ্যা","মিথ্যা।","মিথ্যাকে","মিথ্যার"]·DE["Luege","ein-lagern","falsehood","falsely","lies","lying"]·EN["a-lie","falsehood","falsely","lies","lying"]·FR["falsehood","faussement","mensonge"]·heb["שקר","שקרים"]·HI["आत्मा","झूठ","झूठ-की","झूठ-के","झूठी","झूठी-की","झूठे"]·ID["dusta","kebohongan"]·IT["falsehood","falsely","falsità","menzogna"]·jav["dora","eh","goroh","palsu"]·KO["거짓","거짓-으로","거짓-을","거짓-의","거짓된","거짓으로","거짓을","거짓의","거짓이"]·PT["falsas","falsidade","mentira","mentiras","mentirosa"]·RU["лжи","лживые","ложным","ложь"]·ES["falsedad","mentira","mentiras"]·SW["la-uongo","uongo","ya-uongo"]·TR["yalan","yalancılık","yalanlar","yalanı","yalanın"]·urd["جَھوٹ","جھوٹ","جھوٹ-کی","جھوٹ-کے","جھوٹی","جھوٹے-کے"]
Exod 5:9, Exod 23:7, Lev 6:3, Deut 19:18, 2 Sam 18:13, 1 Kgs 22:22, 1 Kgs 22:23, 2 Chr 18:21, 2 Chr 18:22, Job 13:4, Job 36:4, Ps 7:14 (+38 more)
2. vain, deceptive emptiness — A smaller but distinct sense marks vain, deceptive emptiness—things that betray hope rather than speak untruths. In 1 Sam 25:21 David guarded Nabal's goods 'for sheqer' (in vain); Ps 33:17 declares a war-horse 'sheqer for salvation' (deceptively empty of saving power); Prov 31:30 calls charm 'sheqer' (vain, illusory). Spanish 'engaño/por-la-falsedad' and French 'dans-vain' reflect this vanity nuance that the core 'lie' translations miss. 3×
AR["باطِلاً","بَاطِلٌ","كَذِبٌ"]·ben["মিথ্যা","মিথ্যায়"]·DE["Luege","deceptive","in-vain"]·EN["deceptive","in-vain"]·FR["dans-vain","mensonge"]·heb["ל-שקר","שקר"]·HI["झूठ","यह-व्यर्थ-में","व्यर्थ-आशा"]·ID["Palsu","sia-sia"]·IT["in-vain","menzogna"]·jav["Goroh","apus","kangge-sia-sia"]·KO["거짓말이다","헛되도다","헛되이"]·PT["Engano","engano","para-a-falsidade"]·RU["ложь","напрасно","обманчива"]·ES["Engaño","por-la-falsedad"]·SW["Uongo","kwa-uongo","uongo"]·TR["-boşuna","Aldatıcı","Yalan"]·urd["بیکار","جھوٹا-ہے"]
3. deception, fraud — Active deception or fraudulent conduct, where the emphasis shifts from the false statement to the treacherous act of deceiving. Prov 11:18 warns that the wicked earns 'wages of sheqer' (fraudulent gain), Prov 20:17 pictures bread gained by deceit, and Isa 28:15 describes a covenant with death built on deception. The Spanish 'engaño' and German 'und-in-Luege' capture the active, relational dimension of fraud rather than mere falsehood. 3×
AR["غِشٍّ","كَذِبٍ","وَ-بِـ-الزُّورِ"]·ben["ও-প্রতারণায়-","মিথ্যার"]·DE["Luege","und-in-Luege"]·EN["deceit","deception"]·FR["et-dans-mensonge","mensonge"]·heb["ו-ב-שקר","שקר"]·HI["और-में-छल","झूठ-की","झूठे-का"]·ID["dan-dalam-kepalsuan","penipuan","yang-menipu"]·IT["e-menzogna","menzogna"]·jav["goroh","lan-ing-apus-apusan"]·KO["거짓-의","그리고-에-거짓에","속임-의"]·PT["e-em-falsidade","falsidade"]·RU["и-во-лжи","лживый","ложную"]·ES["de-engaño","engaño","y-en-falsedad"]·SW["na-katika-udanganyifu","uongo","wa-udanganyifu"]·TR["ve-aldatmacada","yalancı","yalanın"]·urd["اور-فریب-میں","جھوٹ-کی","جھوٹے-کا"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
שֶׁ֫קֶר113 n.m. deception, disappointment, falsehood;—שׁ׳ Ex 23:7 + 64 times; שָׁ֑קֶר Ex 5:9 + 42 times; pl. שְׁקָרִים ψ 101:7 + 3 times; sf. שִׁקְרֵיהֶם Je 23:32;— 1. deception,what deceives, disappoints, and betrays one: a molten image Je 10:14 = 51:17; gift Pr 25:14; grace of person 31:30, etc.; אֹ֫רַח שׁ׳ ψ 119:104, 128; דֶּ֫רֶךְ שׁ׳ v 29; בטח בשׁ׳ Je 13:25; נחל שׁ׳ 16:19, cf. also ψ 7:15;…