Lexical Summary cakan: To be of use, to benefit, to be profitable, to be familiar with Original Word: סָכַן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance acquaint self, be advantage, ever, be, unprofitable, treasurer, be wont A primitive root; to be familiar with; by implication, to minister to, be serviceable to, be customary -- acquaint (self), be advantage, X ever, (be, (un-))profit(-able), treasurer, be wont. Brown-Driver-Briggs I. [סָכַן] verb be of use of service, benefit (Tel Amarna sakânu, care for (with preposition ana) ZimZA vi. 248 WklTA Glossary; Phoenician סכן prefect Lzb329; compare perhaps Tel Amarna zukini as loan-word Wkll.c.); — Qal Imperfect3masculine singular only Job: יִסְכֹּן Eccl 22:2, וֺן- Eccl 15:3, יִסְכָּןֿ Eccl 22:22t.; Participle סֹכֵן Isaiah 22:15; feminine סֹכֶ֫נֶת 1 Kings 1:2,4; — 1 be of use or service, only participle ׳וּתְהִי לוֺ ס 1 Kings 1:2 and let her become servitress to him, so 1 Kings 1:4 (+ וְתְּשָׁרֲתֵהוּ); סֹכֵן Isaiah 22:15 = servitor, steward. 2 benefit, profit, absolute Job 15:3; with לְ person Job 22:2; Job 35:3, עַלֿ person Job 22:2; with accusative Job 34:9 (or absolute gain benefit, גבר subject). Hiph`il Perfect1singular הִסְכַּ֫נְתִּי Numbers 22:20; 2masculine singular הִסְבַּ֑נְתָּה Psalm 139:3; Imperative הַסְכֶּןנָֿא Job 22:21; Infinitive abs. הַסְכֵּן Numbers 22:30; — be used, wont, strictly exhibit use, or habit, הַהַסְכֵּן הִסְכַּנְתִּי לַעֲשׂוֺת לְךָ כֹּה Numbers 22:30 (J) have I ever shewn the habit of doing thus to thee? hence shew harmony with (עִם) one Job 22:21, be familiar with, know intimately (subject ׳י) Psalm 139:3 (with accusative דְּרָכַי). Topical Lexicon Overview of Usage The verb סָכַן appears twelve times in the Old Testament and consistently conveys the idea of becoming of benefit, being accustomed to, or entering an intimate, profitable relationship. The contexts range from everyday companionship to royal service and from human-divine questions of profit to God’s perfect knowledge of His servants. Together they trace a biblical theology of profitable familiarity—how God, kings, and ordinary people relate in ways that are expected to yield good. Habitual Companionship and Trust (Numbers 22:30) In Balaam’s confrontation with his donkey the animal pleads, “Am I not the donkey you have ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?” (Numbers 22:30). Here סָכַן highlights lifelong reliability. The donkey’s record of faithful service exposes Balaam’s rashness and models a relationship in which usefulness builds trust over time. Ministry application: genuine service over years becomes a living testimony that restrains folly and points observers back to God’s providence. Service to Kingship and Leadership (1 Kings 1:2; 1 Kings 1:4) When King David’s servants sought help for their aging ruler, they proposed finding a young woman “to attend the king and take care of him.” Abishag the Shunammite then “attended to the king and served him” (1 Kings 1:2, 4). סָכַן frames her ministry as more than domestic duty; it is earnest, beneficial care for the anointed king. The episode underscores the biblical value of practical, even intimate, service rendered to God’s appointed leaders, foreshadowing the New Testament pattern of believers supplying what is “profitable” for the body of Christ. Profit and the Human–Divine Relationship (Job 15:3; 22:2, 21; 34:9; 35:3) Job and his friends wrestle with whether human beings can be of any use to God: “Can a man be of use to God? Can even a wise man benefit Him?” (Job 22:2). Later Elihu reports Job’s complaint, “It profits a man nothing that he should delight in God” (Job 34:9). סָכַן becomes the pivot for existential questions: Does righteousness yield tangible benefit? Scripture answers first with Job 22:21—“Reconcile now and be at peace with Him; thereby good will come to you”—and finally with the Lord’s appearance, showing that God is already “familiar” with human ways and calls for trust rather than negotiation of advantage. The book turns utilitarian religion on its head: God is not served by us as if He needed anything, yet He graciously makes our uprightness fruitful. Divine Familiarity and Omniscience (Psalm 139:3) “You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways” (Psalm 139:3). Here סָכַן affirms that God is not a distant examiner but an intimately acquainted Lord. David rests in the truth that the One who profits no more by our actions than by our sin still chooses to be personally familiar with every detail of our lives. In pastoral ministry this verse offers deep comfort: our unseen labors and hidden hurts are known to the Father who cares. Stewardship and Accountability (Isaiah 22:15) Isaiah is sent to denounce Shebna “this steward… who is in charge of the palace.” The term encapsulates both privilege and responsibility—he is meant to be useful to the house of David, yet his self-exaltation betrays the office. The judgment that follows warns every steward in God’s economy: usefulness is measured by faithfulness, not personal advancement. Historical Insight Across these passages סָכַן illuminates ancient Near-Eastern social structures: trusted beasts of burden, palace attendants, household stewards, and sages in debate. Each setting expects relational loyalty and demonstrable advantage for the one served. Scripture appropriates that cultural expectation and directs it toward covenant faithfulness. Theological Trajectory and Christological Echoes The Old Testament picture of profitable companionship anticipates Jesus Christ, the ultimate Servant who “did not come to be served, but to serve” and who makes His followers friends, not mere servants (John 15:15). In Him the seemingly impossible question of Job—“Can a man be of benefit to God?”—finds a surprising answer. The Father is well pleased with the Son’s obedience, and in union with Christ believers truly become “useful” vessels (2 Timothy 2:21). Practical Ministry Applications 1. Cultivate faithful familiarity: long-term, humble service builds credibility that God can employ for timely witness, as with Balaam’s donkey. Through סָכַן Scripture teaches that life with God is neither impersonal duty nor calculated barter but a relationship marked by familiar fellowship and fruitful service, secured for us in the Servant-King who is “gentle and lowly in heart.” Forms and Transliterations הִסְכַּ֔נְתִּי הִסְכַּֽנְתָּה׃ הַֽהַסְכֵּ֣ן הַסְכֶּן־ הַסֹּכֵ֣ן ההסכן הסכן הסכן־ הסכנתה׃ הסכנתי יִּסְכָּן־ יִסְכָּן־ יִסְכֹּ֖ן יִסְכּ֑וֹן יסכון יסכן יסכן־ סֹכֶ֑נֶת סֹכֶ֙נֶת֙ סכנת ha·has·kên hahasKen hahaskên has·ken- has·sō·ḵên hasken hasken- hassoChen hassōḵên his·kan·tāh his·kan·tî hisKantah hiskantāh hisKanti hiskantî sō·ḵe·neṯ soChenet sōḵeneṯ yis·kān- yis·kō·wn yis·kōn yiskān- yisKon yiskōn yiskōwnLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Numbers 22:30 HEB: הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה הַֽהַסְכֵּ֣ן הִסְכַּ֔נְתִּי לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת NAS: day? Have I ever been accustomed KJV: ever since [I was] thine unto this day? was I ever wont INT: age to this been accustomed been accustomed to do Numbers 22:30 1 Kings 1:2 1 Kings 1:4 Job 15:3 Job 22:2 Job 22:2 Job 22:21 Job 34:9 Job 35:3 Psalm 139:3 Isaiah 22:15 12 Occurrences |
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