Original Word: שָׂכָר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: sakar
Pronunciation: sah-KAR
Phonetic Spelling: (saw-kawr')
KJV: hire, price, reward(-ed), wages, worth
NASB: wages, reward, wage, compensation, fare, hire, rewarded
Word Origin: [from H7936 (שָׂכַר סָכַר - hired)]

1. payment of contract
2. (concretely) salary, fare, maintenance
3. (by implication) compensation, benefit

hire, price, rewarded, wages, worth

From sakar; payment of contract; concretely, salary, fare, maintenance; by implication, compensation, benefit -- hire, price, reward(-ed), wages, worth.

see HEBREW sakar

Word Origin
from sakar
Definition
hire, wages
NASB Translation
compensation (1), fare (1), hire (1), reward (6), rewarded (1), service (1), wage (2), wages (15).

I. שָׂכָר noun masculine^{Ezekiel 29:18} hire, wages, only singular, not with article; — absolute ׳שׂ Numbers 18:31 +, construct שְׂכַר Deuteronomy 15:18 +, suffix שְׂכָרִי Genesis 30:18 +, etc.; —

1 wages, of servant, Genesis 30:28; Genesis 30:32; Genesis 30:83 (J), Genesis 31:8 (twice in verse); Exodus 2:9 (all E), Deuteronomy 15:18 (שָׂכִיר ׳שְׂ), Deuteronomy 24:15; 1 Kings 5:20; Zechariah 8:10; Malachi 3:5 (שָׂכִיר ׳שְׂ); soldiers Ezekiel 29:18,19; shepherd (symbol) Zechariah 11:12 (twice in verse); beast Exodus 22:14 (E), Zechariah 8:10.

2 = reward, for work done, faithfulness, etc., Genesis 15:1 (JE), Genesis 30:18 (E) in explanation of name יששכר, Numbers 18:31 (P), כִּי לִפְעֻלָּתֵךְ ׳יֵשׁ שׂ Jeremiah 31:16 (cf, 2 Chronicles 15:7), Isaiah 40:10 = Isaiah 62:11 (figurative of reward of ׳יs labours), Psalm 127:3; Ecclesiastes 4:9; Ecclesiastes 9:5.

3 passage-money, fare, Jonah 1:3.

שִׁכְּ מִי adjective, of a people of שֶׁכֶם, with article as collective noun ׳הַשּׁ Numbers 26:31.

Scope and Motifs

שָׂכָר occurs about twenty-eight times and gathers three interlocking ideas: (1) the ordinary wage or hire due for work rendered, (2) the recompense God Himself grants, whether blessing or judgment, and (3) the ethical obligation to treat labourers justly. Together these uses create a theology of reward that spans covenant history and finds its consummation in the Messiah.

Wages in Patriarchal and Tribal Life

Genesis provides the first narrative cluster (Genesis 30–31). Jacob’s dealings with Laban show שָׂכָר as the agreed remuneration for shepherding. Laban’s repeated changes of “wages” (31:7-8, 41) unveil both the vulnerability of the worker and the certainty of divine oversight. Leah, too, speaks of “my wages” (30:18), revealing that even within the household setting compensation could be recognised and claimed.

In Exodus 22:16 (Hebrew 22:15) the term is the “bride price,” confirming that in early Israelite culture שָׂכָר could be the legal payment that rectifies a social wrong. The Law upholds these customary arrangements while regulating them by divine justice.

Mosaic Legislation: Economic Righteousness

Leviticus 19:13 commands, “Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.” Deuteronomy 24:14 strengthens the prohibition, placing the cause of the hired labourer squarely under Yahweh’s protection. Deuteronomy 15:18 further instructs masters to send released servants away “with a generous reward,” binding mercy to economic practice. These statutes reveal that withholding שָׂכָר is not merely a social offence but a covenant violation that calls down divine displeasure.

Reward as Divine Recompense

From the outset God proclaims Himself Abram’s reward: “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward” (Genesis 15:1). Here שָׂכָר transcends monetary value; God Himself is the believer’s compensation. Later promises echo this theme:

• Ruth 2:12 “May the LORD repay your work and your reward be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

• Isaiah 40:10 “See, the Lord GOD comes with power… His reward is with Him.”

• Isaiah 62:11 “See, your Savior comes! Look, His reward is with Him.”

• Jeremiah 31:16 “Your work will be rewarded.”

These verses anchor human hope, assuring the faithful that service rendered in love will never be forgotten. God’s reward is invariably commensurate with His character—righteous, generous, and sure.

Wisdom Literature: Moral Cause and Effect

Proverbs adopts שָׂכָר to assert moral order:

• Proverbs 11:18 “The wicked man earns an empty wage, but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.”

• Proverbs 13:21 “Misfortune pursues sinners, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous.”

Psalm 127:3 widens the perspective: “Sons are indeed a heritage from the LORD, children are a reward.” Thus blessing may arrive in relational and generational form, not merely in material gain.

Psalms of Imprecation and Vindication

Psalm 109 employs שָׂכָר in the plea for equitable retribution: “May this be the LORD’s reward to my accusers” (109:20). Here the term aligns with divine justice against slander and persecution, assuring the righteous that God balances accounts.

Prophetic Oracles: Wages Withheld and Granted

Ezekiel 29:18-19 underscores international dimensions. Nebuchadnezzar received “no wages” for besieging Tyre; therefore the Lord gave Egypt to him “as wages for his army.” Zechariah 8:10 recalls the era before the temple’s restoration: “For before those days there were no wages for man or beast.” In both cases the prophetic voice shows that national fortunes still turn on the principle of due recompense.

Job’s Lament and the Struggle for Meaning

Job 7:2 pictures the laborer “earnestly waiting for his wages.” The verse captures the existential ache of the sufferer who cannot perceive immediate reward. Yet Job’s very complaint presupposes that God ultimately gives שָׂכָר—an expectation vindicated in Job’s restoration.

Children as Reward and Continuity

Psalm 127:3 marks a distinctive theological use: offspring are God-given wages. The blessing assures households that covenant faithfulness multiplies through future generations, reinforcing hope in the promised Seed.

Christological Trajectory

Isaiah’s declarations that the Servant-King brings His reward prefigure Revelation 22:12. When Jesus announces, “Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me,” He appropriates the שָׂכָר theme, affirming His sovereign authority to recompense all humanity.

Practical Ministry Implications

1. Fair Compensation: Congregations, mission agencies, and Christian employers must heed Leviticus 19:13—payment should be timely and just.

2. Encouragement in Service: Workers in undervalued ministries can rest in Genesis 15:1; God Himself is their surpassing reward.

3. Social Advocacy: Prophetic passages instruct believers to champion the rights of the poor and hired laborer, knowing that oppression of wages offends the Lord.

4. Hope amid Delay: Like Job, saints may not see immediate שָׂכָר; nonetheless divine recompense is certain.

Summary

שָׂכָר weaves through Scripture as a thread of divine justice, covenant faithfulness, and gracious promise. It sanctions fair human economics, celebrates God as the ultimate paymaster, and anticipates the consummate reward brought by the returning Christ.

בִּשְׂכָרֽוֹ׃ בשכרו׃ וְ֠שָׂכָר וּשְׂכַ֤ר וּשְׂכַ֥ר ושכר כר שְׂכַ֣ר שְׂכַ֤ר שְׂכַר־ שְׂכָר֜וֹ שְׂכָרְךָ֖ שְׂכָרְךָ֛ שְׂכָרִ֔י שְׂכָרִ֖י שְׂכָרִֽי׃ שְׂכָרֵ֑ךְ שְׂכָרֶ֔ךָ שְׂכָרָ֜הּ שְׂכָרוֹ֙ שָׂ֝כָ֗ר שָׂכָ֔ר שָׂכָ֖ר שָׂכָ֤ר שָׂכָ֥ר שכר שכרה שכרו שכרי שכרי׃ שכרך שכרש־ biś·ḵā·rōw bischaRo biśḵārōw Char ḵār śā·ḵār saChar śāḵār śə·ḵa·r·śā- śə·ḵā·rāh śə·ḵā·re·ḵā śə·ḵā·rə·ḵā śə·ḵā·rêḵ śə·ḵā·rî śə·ḵā·rōw śə·ḵar seChar sechaRah sechaRech sechareCha sechaRi sechaRo secharSa śəḵar śəḵārāh śəḵārêḵ śəḵāreḵā śəḵārəḵā śəḵārî śəḵārōw śəḵarśā- ū·śə·ḵar useChar ūśəḵar Vesachor wə·śā·ḵār wəśāḵārInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts