Lexical Summary
sakar: Wages, reward, payment, hire
Original Word:שָׂכַר
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:sakar
Pronunciation:sah-KAR
Phonetic Spelling:(saw-kar')
KJV: earn wages, hire (out self), reward, X surely
NASB:hired, hire, earns, hires, surely hired
Word Origin:[a primitive root (apparently akin (by prosthesis) toH3739 (כָּרָה - bargain) through the idea of temporary purchase)]
1. to hire
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
earn wages, hire out self, reward, surely
Or (by permutation) cakar (Ezra 4:5) {saw-kar'}; a primitive root (apparently akin (by prosthesis) tokarah through the idea of temporary purchase; compareshakar); to hire -- earn wages, hire (out self), reward, X surely.
see HEBREWkarah
see HEBREWshakar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto hire
NASB Translationearns (2), hire (3), hired (11), hires (2), surely hired (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
II. [] ( = ; erroneously for ); — only
Participle pluralEzra 4:5 and hiring against () them agents.
(Late Hebrewid.; Sabeanhire oneself out (?),recompense (?) DHMHofmus. 11; Ethiopic
hired; Arabic
reward, thank, modern Palestinian
hired, of land ploughed by hire, BergheimPEQ 1894, 196; Palmyrene perhapsrewarding Lzb375); —
Perfect3masculine singularDeuteronomy 23:5;2 Kings 7:6, suffixNehemiah 6:12; 1singular suffixGenesis 30:16;Imperfect3masculine singularJudges 9:4 +, etc.;Infinitive absoluteGenesis 30:16;construct1 Chronicles 19:6;Participle activeProverbs 26:10 (twice in verse), plural 2Chronicles 24:12 (Ezra 4:5 see II. );passiveNehemiah 6:13; —hire, retainersJudges 9:4 ( pret.), soldiers, etc.2 Samuel 10:6 =1 Chronicles 19:6,7;2 Kings 7:6; 2Chronicles 25:6 ( pret.), priestJudges 18:4, artificersIsaiah 46:6; 2Chronicles 24:12, husband's favourGenesis 30:16 (J; pret.);Proverbs 26:10 (twice in verse) obscure, see De Now Toy; for evil purposeDeuteronomy 23:5 =Nehemiah 13:2 (against),Nehemiah 6:12,13,
hire oneself out, Perfect1 Samuel 2:5.
earn wages, ParticipleHaggai 1:6 (as substantive),Haggai 1:6 (as verb, + location, construction praegn.).
Topical Lexicon
General Concept and Thematic OverviewThe verb שָׂכַר (sākar, Strong’s 7936) revolves around the idea of paying or receiving wages for a service. In Scripture it spans ordinary labor, military contracts, priestly stipends, prophetic bribery, and even relational bargaining. By touching every social stratum—from patriarchal households to royal courts—it exposes the heart-attitude behind financial exchange, contrasting mercenary self-interest with covenantal faithfulness.
Narrative Occurrences and Their Contexts
• Patriarchal bargaining –Genesis 30:16 records Leah’s words to Jacob, “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” A domestic “hire” underscores the brokenness caused by rivalry, reminding readers that transactional relationships cannot produce covenantal rest.
• National hostility –Deuteronomy 23:4 andNehemiah 13:2 recall Moab’s hiring of Balaam to curse Israel, turning wages into weapons against God’s people.
• Opportunistic power-grabs –Judges 9:4; 18:4;2 Samuel 10:6;2 Kings 7:6;1 Chronicles 19:6-7;2 Chronicles 25:6 depict kings or tribes hiring mercenaries. The theme highlights human reliance on bought strength rather than divine protection.
• Socio-economic reversals – In Hannah’s song, “Those who were full hire themselves out for bread” (1 Samuel 2:5). God overturns status through the very instrument of hire, exalting the humble and humbling the proud.
• Temple restoration –2 Chronicles 24:12 shows godly use of hire: wages paid to craftsmen rebuilding the house of the Lord. When funds serve worship, hire becomes holy stewardship.
• Post-exilic opposition –Ezra 4:5;Nehemiah 6:12-13 expose conspirators who “had hired him to intimidate me.” Hire can corrupt spiritual leadership when the price is right.
• Wisdom literature –Proverbs 26:10 warns, “Like an archer who wounds at random is he who hires a fool or passer-by.” Careless hiring multiplies harm, reminding readers that stewardship includes discerning character.
• Idolatrous craftsmanship –Isaiah 46:6 portrays idolaters who “hire a goldsmith” to fashion a god that cannot save, spotlighting the futility of investing resources in what is spiritually powerless.
• Economic frustration –Haggai 1:6 twice laments, “You earn wages, but put them into a bag with holes.” Illicit priorities drain hired earnings, calling Judah back to first-love devotion.
Covenantal Ethics of Labor and Compensation
The Mosaic Law repeatedly insists on timely, just wages (compareLeviticus 19:13;Deuteronomy 24:14-15). Each occurrence of sākar either upholds or violates that ethic:
• Positive:2 Chronicles 24:12 honors workers rebuilding the Temple; labor is dignified and compensated.
• Negative:Judges 9:4 andNehemiah 6:12 hire men to subvert righteousness, cheapening human life into a commodity.
The pattern teaches that compensation is never morally neutral; motive and purpose determine whether wages bless or corrupt.
Military and Political Hire
Ancient Near Eastern kings often bought foreign armies. Scripture records Israel’s neighbors—and at times Judah’s own monarchs—following the practice (2 Samuel 10:6;2 Kings 7:6;2 Chronicles 25:6). The chronicler’s rebuke of Amaziah’s Ephraimite mercenaries (2 Chronicles 25:7-9) underscores God’s sufficiency: “The LORD can give you much more than this.” Military hire thus becomes a test of trust—will God’s people depend on divine covenant or purchased muscle?
False Prophecy and Spiritual Compromise
Shemaiah (Nehemiah 6:12-13) accepted wages to prophesy fear, echoing Balaam’s ancient hire. The pattern culminates in the New Testament figure of Judas, paid thirty silver pieces (Matthew 26:15). Scripture consistently exposes paid religion as counterfeit, contrasting it with faithful servants who minister “without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1).
Wisdom Perspective on Wealth and Work
Proverbs 26:10 warns against indiscriminate hiring;Haggai 1:6 shows wages evaporating when God’s house lies desolate. Together they teach:
1. Discern character before entrusting resources.
2. Align expenditure with covenant priorities lest God withhold blessing.
Prophetic Hope and Eschatological Echoes
Haggai’s futile wages propel the remnant to rebuild the Temple, prefiguring the ultimate dwelling of God with humanity (Revelation 21:3).Isaiah 46:6 contrasts the hired goldsmith’s impotent idol with the living God who carries His people (Isaiah 46:4), anticipating the incarnation in which God Himself “took the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7).
New Testament Resonance
While sākar is Hebrew, its themes reappear in the Greek misthos (wages). Jesus’ parable of the laborers (Matthew 20:1-16) and Paul’s “wages of sin” (Romans 6:23) echo the Old Testament tension between earned pay and unmerited grace. The Good Shepherd contrasts Himself with “the hired hand” who abandons the flock (John 10:12-13), embodying covenant loyalty over contractual obligation.
Pastoral and Ministry Applications
• Uphold just, timely compensation; church budgets mirror covenant values.
• Guard against mercenary motives in ministry; gospel service is stewardship, not hireling work (1 Peter 5:2).
• Discern partnerships; avoid alliances purchased at the cost of integrity.
• Teach believers that ultimate reward is from the Lord Christ (Colossians 3:24), not merely earthly wages.
In every occurrence שָׂכַר exposes the heart’s orientation toward money, labor, and trust. Whether wages bless or corrupt depends on alignment with the righteous character of the covenant-keeping God.
Forms and Transliterations
וְהַ֨מִּשְׂתַּכֵּ֔ר וְסֹכְרִ֧ים וְשֹׂכֵ֥ר וַיִּשְׂכְּר֣וּ וַיִּשְׂכְּרֵ֕נִי וַיִּשְׂכְּרוּ֩ וַיִּשְׂכֹּ֣ר וַיִּשְׂכֹּ֨ר והמשתכר וישכר וישכרו וישכרני וסכרים ושכר יִשְׂכְּר֤וּ ישכרו לִשְׂכֹּ֣ר לשכר מִשְׂתַּכֵּ֖ר משתכר נִשְׂכָּ֔רוּ נשכרו שְׂכַרְתִּ֔יךָ שְׂכָרֽוֹ׃ שָֽׂכַר־ שָׂכַ֨ר שָׂכֹ֣ר שָׂכוּר֙ שֹׂכְרִים֙ שכור שכר שכר־ שכרו׃ שכרים שכרתיך liś·kōr lisKor liśkōr miś·tak·kêr mistakKer miśtakkêr niś·kā·rū nisKaru niśkārū śā·ḵar śā·ḵar- śā·ḵōr śā·ḵūr saChar saChor saChur śāḵar śāḵar- śāḵōr śāḵūr śə·ḵā·rōw śə·ḵar·tî·ḵā sechaRo secharTicha śəḵārōw śəḵartîḵā śō·ḵə·rîm socheRim śōḵərîm vaiyiskeReni vaiyiskeRu vaiyisKor veHammistakKer vesoCher vesocheRim way·yiś·kə·rê·nî way·yiś·kə·rū way·yiś·kōr wayyiśkərênî wayyiśkərū wayyiśkōr wə·ham·miś·tak·kêr wə·sō·ḵə·rîm wə·śō·ḵêr wəhammiśtakkêr wəśōḵêr wəsōḵərîm yiś·kə·rū yiskeRu yiśkərū
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