7594. Sheal

Lexical Summary

Sheal: To ask, inquire, request

Original Word: שְׁאָל
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Sh'al
Pronunciation: sheh-ahl'
Phonetic Spelling: (sheh-awl')
KJV: Sheal
NASB: Sheal
Word Origin: [from H7592 (שָׁאַל שָׁאֵל - ask)]

1. request
2. Sheal, an Israelite

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Sheal

From sha'al; request; Sheal, an Israelite -- Sheal.

see HEBREW sha'al

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from shaal
Definition
an Isr. with a foreign wife
NASB Translation
Sheal (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

שְׁאָל proper name, masculine with foreign wife, Ezra 10:29, ᵐ5 Σαλουια, ᵐ5^L Ασσαηλ.

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Etymology

Sheal (שְׁאָל), from a verbal concept of asking or making entreaty, conveys the idea of one who has been “requested” or “prayed for.” The name therefore carries the nuance of a life granted in answer to petition, hinting at parental desire and at the Godward orientation of Hebrew naming.

Biblical Occurrence

Sheal appears once in the Old Testament—Ezra 10:29—among a list of men who had taken foreign wives during the post-exilic resettlement of Judah: “Of the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Ramoth” (Ezra 10:29). Though the reference is brief, its placement in Ezra’s reform narrative gives the name significant theological weight.

Historical Setting

Ezra returned to Jerusalem in the fifth century BC with a mandate from the Persian king to restore worship according to the Law of Moses. Intermarriage with the surrounding peoples threatened Israel’s covenant identity, prompting Ezra to lead the community in confession and corrective action. Sheal, as one of the sons of Bani, was part of a clan that had embraced foreign alliances and now stood publicly identified in a call to repentance.

Theological Significance

1. Covenant Purity: The sole reference to Sheal underscores the gravity with which Scripture treats fidelity to God’s covenant. By recording individual names, the text emphasizes personal responsibility within communal sin.
2. Grace and Discipline: Ezra 10 is a narrative of both judgment and mercy. The exposure of names, including Sheal’s, served not to shame but to pave the way for reconciliation and restored worship.
3. Intercessory Echo: Given that Sheal’s name derives from the concept of asking, his inclusion in a list that culminates in communal prayer (Ezra 10:1) creates a literary juxtaposition—a man whose name implies petition becomes part of a account that drives the community to petition God for mercy.

Lessons for Ministry Today

• Personal Accountability: Ministry leaders must help believers see that covenant faithfulness is not merely corporate but individual; names matter, choices matter.
• Transparent Confession: Ezra’s public record models how naming sin specifically can lead to specific repentance and genuine renewal.
• Restorative Leadership: Ezra shepherded the people through a difficult reform without abandoning them. Modern shepherds are called to the same balance of truth and grace.
• Intercession as Priority: The narrative begins and ends in prayer. Those who are “asked for” are ultimately sustained by continuing to ask of the Lord.

Related Entries

Bani; Ezra; Intermarriage; Covenant Renewal; Confession and Repentance

Forms and Transliterations

וּשְׁאָ֥ל ושאל ū·šə·’āl ūšə’āl usheAl

Englishman's Concordance

Ezra 10:29
HEB: וַעֲדָיָ֔ה יָשׁ֖וּב וּשְׁאָ֥ל [יְרֵמֹות כ]
NAS: Jashub, Sheal [and] Jeremoth;
KJV: Jashub, and Sheal, and Ramoth.
INT: and Adaiah Jashub Sheal Jermoth

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 7594
1 Occurrence

ū·šə·’āl — 1 Occ.