Word Study for H8259 (שָׁקַף)

shâqaph /shaw-kaf'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningproperly, to lean out (of a window), i.e. (by implication) peep or gaze (passively, be a spectacle)

KJV usageappear, look (down, forth, out).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of shâqaph — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word shâqaph, represented by H8259, is a primitive root used to convey the act of looking. It appears 22 times across 22 unique verses. Its core meaning is properly to lean out of a window to peep or gaze, but by implication it expands to mean to look down, forth, out, or to appear as a spectacle.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The usage of H8259 falls into several distinct contexts. It is frequently used for the literal act of a person looking out from a H2474 window, as when Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and despised David in her heart 2 Samuel 6:16. In a contrasting sense, it describes a divine and powerful observation, such as when the H3068 LORD looked down from H8064 heaven to assess the children of men Psalms 14:2. The term can also denote something appearing or looking out from a direction, as in the warning that "evil appeareth out of the north" Jeremiah 6:1, or describe a geographical vantage point, where a location looketh toward a region like Jeshimon Numbers 23:28.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the meaning of shâqaph:

H2474 challôwn (window): This is the physical opening through which the act of looking often takes place. It is the setting for the observations of Michal 1 Chronicles 15:29, Jezebel 2 Kings 9:30, and Sisera's mother Judges 5:28.
H8064 shâmayim (heaven): This is the lofty position from which God looks down H8259. It establishes the divine perspective, contrasting with the limited, earthly view from a window (Psalms 53:2, Deuteronomy 26:15).
H7200 râʼâh (to see): This word is often paired with H8259, showing a sequence of action. A person first looks H8259 out, and then sees H7200 something, as when Michal looked through a window and saw King David 2 Samuel 6:16.
H959 bâzâh (despise): This word describes the result of a human observation using H8259. After Michal looked out at David dancing, she despised him, linking the act of looking to human judgment 1 Chronicles 15:29.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H8259 is significant, highlighting the nature of divine versus human observation.

Divine Assessment: God's act of "looking down" is not passive. He looked down from heaven to see if anyone understood or sought Him, implying a gaze of scrutiny and judgment (Psalms 14:2, Psalms 53:2). This same active look was directed at the Egyptian host, resulting in their trouble Exodus 14:24.
A Call for Intervention: Humans plead for God to look down H8259, an act they believe will bring blessing and deliverance. This is seen in the prayer, "Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel" Deuteronomy 26:15 and in the cry, "Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven" Lamentations 3:50.
Human Vantage and Judgment: In contrast, the human act of looking out is often from a confined space like a H2474 window and leads to earthly reactions. Michal's look leads to contempt 2 Samuel 6:16, and Jezebel's defiant look precedes her death 2 Kings 9:30, illustrating a limited and often flawed perspective.

Summary

In summary, H8259 shâqaph is a dynamic word of observation that draws a sharp distinction between the perspective of God and that of humanity. Whether it is a person peering from a window or the Lord gazing from the height of His sanctuary, the word signifies more than a simple glance. It captures an intentional look that assesses, judges, or responds, revealing the profound difference between the all-encompassing divine gaze and the limited, often critical, view of mankind.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 22 occurrences, inflected in 11 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

יַּשְׁקֵף
נִשְׁקְפָה
הִשְׁקִיף
יַּשְׁקִפוּ
נִשְׁקָפָה
נִּשְׁקָף
תַּשְׁקֵף
הַשְׁקִיפָ
יַשְׁקִיף
נִשְׁקָפְתִּי
נִשְׁקָף

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 22 verses across 14 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Psalms (4 verses); never once in the other 25.

Genesis

Exodus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Judges

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

2 Kings

1 Chronicles

Psalms

Proverbs

Song of Solomon

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.