Dictionary:שאל/0

שאל

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שאל

Part of Speech	Verb
Occurrences	1721
Possible Meanings	Ask Inquire Request Solicit a gift Borrow
Related Words	שְׁאֵלָה

Possible Meanings

The verb שאל means to ask, and it can take on several possible connotations:

1. Inquire

• Biblical verses – Bereshit 32:30, Bereshit 40:7, Bereshit 43:7, Shemot 13:14, Devarim 13:15, Shemuel I 23:4, and many others
• Additional data – 

2. Request

Disputed Cases

There are two cases where the meaning of the root is debated:²

Shemot 3:22, 11:2, and 12:35-36

There are two approaches among the commentators – see Despoiling Egypt:

• To request as presents (וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ) or give as gifts (וַיַּשְׁאִלוּם) – R. Saadia Tafsir Shemot 3:22, 11:2, 12:35–36, Commentary of R. Saadia cited by R. Avraham b. HaRambam 11:2, R. Chananel Shemot 3:22 (Cited by R. Bachya), Ibn Janach Sefer HaShorashim s.v. שאל, Rashbam Shemot 3:22, 11:2, 12:36, and many other exegetes.
• To borrow (וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ) or to lend (וַיַּשְׁאִלוּם) – Rashi Shemot 14:5, R. Yosef Bekhor Shor Shemot 3:22, Radak Sefer HaShorashim s.v. שאל, Sforno Shemot 3:22, Shadal Shemot 3:22, and many others.

Shemuel I 1:27-28

Here, too, there are two possible renderings:

• To request (שָׁאַלְתִּי) and give (הִשְׁאִלְתִּהוּ) a gift – Ibn Janach Sefer HaShorashim s.v. שאל, Radak Shemuel I 1:28.
• To borrow (שָׁאַלְתִּי) and to loan (הִשְׁאִלְתִּהוּ) – Rashi Shemuel I 1:28,³ Ralbag Shemuel I 1:28, R. Hirsch Shemot 3:22.

Idioms

שאל מֵ

Several commentators have attempted to distinguish between the meanings of שאל depending on whether it is followed by a מ:

• Radak (Sefer HaShorashim s.v. שאל) differentiates between asking for knowledge and asking for an object (either as a loan or as a gift), suggesting that the latter is accompanied by the preposition "מ"‎.⁴
• R. Hirsch suggests that the use of שאל as a request for something that is to be kept and not returned is the predominant one in Tanakh, and that its use to mean borrow is the rare exception. He writes:

  למלת "שאל" לא האיר מזלה. מאות פעמים, לפחות, היא מופיעה במקרא, ומובנה תמיד: לתבוע, לבקש; לעולם לא: לקחת בהשאלה. רק פעם יחידה נזכרת היא בהוראה זו: וכי – ישאל איש מעם רעהו (להלן כב, יג)‏.

  ⁵

  To support his explanation, he points to a distinction between the verb's accompanying prepositions in its different usages. When the root means to request something that it is not to be returned it is followed by "מאת" or "מ", but when it means to borrow it is followed by "מעם"‎.⁶ R"E Samet in עיונים בפרשת השבוע סדרה שנייה, (ירושלים תשס"ד): 278-276, argues that the distinction does not hold up, pointing out that by Channah's request for Shemuel, the word is accompanied once by "מעם" and once by "מ" alone. In other cases as well (Devarim 18:16, Shemuel I 1:28, Yeshayahu 7:11 and others), the verb means to ask for something that is not to be returned and is nonetheless accompanied by "מעם"‎.⁷ Conversely, in Melakhim II 4:3 where the verb seems to mean to borrow, it is followed by "מאת".
• R"E Samet in עיונים בפרשת השבוע סדרה שנייה, (ירושלים תשס"ד): 279–282, proposes that when the root שאל means to request without expectation of return, it is accompanied by an additional verb⁸ explaining the nature of the request. If there is no such extra verb, then the word means to borrow.⁹ Some exceptions to this theory include Shemuel I:12:17 where the people's mention of their request for a king ("לִשְׁאֹל לָנוּ מֶלֶך") is not accompanied by any extra verb, and Yeshayahu 7:11 where Yeshayahu tells Achaz to ask for a sign using just שאל.

Relationship to Synonyms

בקש, דרש

• –
• –

Semantic Evolution

Intra-Biblical

Rabbinic Hebrew

The three connotations of the verb listed above are all found in Mishnaic Hebrew as well, but the relative usage of each term differs and some of the more specific meanings are missing.

• Inquire – As in Biblical Hebrew, this is the predominant Mishnaic usage.
• Borrow – This usage is much more common in Mishnaic Hebrew than in Biblical Hebrew, appearing dozens of times rather than a mere handful.¹⁰
• Requesting without intention to return – This usage appears in many prayer-related discussions (as in שאלת גשמים), but the connotation of requesting a tangible article as a gift is not prevalent. Additionally, in Mishnaic Hebrew, the hiphil form of the verb always means to lend rather than to give as a gift.

The high incidence in Mishnaic Hebrew of the meaning of to borrow or lend, together with the lack of instances meaning to ask as a gift, likely influenced some commentators to similarly interpret the root שאל in Biblical Hebrew as to borrow or lend.

Modern Hebrew

In Modern Hebrew, as in Rabbinic Hebrew, שאל usually means to inquire or to borrow. שאל is not used to describe the request of a gift.¹¹

¹ There are another six instances in which the Aramaic equivalent appears.

² In each of these two instances, both the pa'al and hiphil forms of the verb appear and both meanings are disputed. It is possible that the Rabbinic and Modern Hebrew understanding of the hiphil form as "to lend" influenced various exegetes' readings of the Biblical text as well.

³ It is unclear how both Rashi and Ralbag understand the pa'al form in this case. It is possible that they maintain that Channah is saying that she received Shemuel as a gift from Hashem and is now lending that gift to Hashem to serve Him.

⁴ He does not attempt to distinguish further between requesting and borrowing.

⁵ R. Hirsch's totals are not precise – see above.

⁶ R. Hirsch explains that "מעם" simply connotes physically taking an article away from a person while it still belongs to him whereas מאת means separating the person and the article totally.

⁷ In R. Hirsch's defense, it is noteworthy that in all these cases nothing tangible is being requested, and that could account for the different preposition. R. Hirsch is aware of the usage of "מעם" by Channah's request for Shemuel, but explains that in this case, the child on one level always belongs to Hashem and is thus "borrowed." He does not explain why a different verse in the same context ("כִּי מֵה' שְׁאִלְתִּיו") uses "מ" alone.

⁸ Such as forms of the root נתן.

⁹ In other words, the default understanding of the root שאל is either to borrow or to inquire; if one is requesting that something be done or given, an extra clarifying verb must be present.

¹⁰ Cf. Ibn Janach Sefer HaShorashim s.v. שאל who comments: "וענין אחר וכי ישאל איש מעם רעהו השאלת חפץ, והלשון הזה בא הרבה במשנה בענין זה".

¹¹ בקש is the Modern Hebrew verb used to describe the request of a gift. Interestingly, this connotation of בקש is found only in later Biblical books.