# H7592 - shaal

<!-- type: lexicon | created: 2026-05-27 | updated: 2026-05-27 -->

**Strong's:** [H7592](https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h7592/) · BLB lookup
**Pronunciation:** shaw-al′ (long *ā*; guttural opening sibilant)
**Part of speech:** verb (primarily qal; also niphal "be asked of," piel "inquire diligently," hiphil "lend, grant a request")
**OT occurrences:** ~176 in the Hebrew Bible, the standard verb for petition, inquiry, and request across narrative, legal, prophetic, and wisdom corpora
**Greek equivalent (LXX / NT):** typically rendered *aiteō* (αἰτέω, "ask, request") or *erōtaō* (ἐρωτάω, "ask, inquire"); the NT "ask and you shall receive" pattern ([Matt 7:7](/codex/matthew-7-7/); [John 14:13-14](/codex/john-14-13-14/); [Jas 1:5](/codex/james-1-5/)) operates within the same petition-grammar

## Semantic range (BDB / HALOT)

1. **Ask a question, inquire**, request information from another ([Gen 24:47](/codex/genesis-24-47/), Abraham's servant asks Rebekah's name; [Judg 13:6](/codex/judges-13-6/), Manoah's wife inquires of the angel; [1 Sam 14:37](/codex/1-samuel-14-37/), Saul *inquires of God*)
2. **Ask for, request, petition**, request a gift, favor, or possession ([1 Kgs 3:5](/codex/1-kings-3-5/), God to Solomon: *"Ask what you wish Me to give you"*; [Ps 2:8](/codex/psalms-2-8/), *"Ask of Me, and I will give the nations as your inheritance"*)
3. **Inquire of God / consult an oracle**, formal religious-inquiry usage ([1 Sam 22:10](/codex/1-samuel-22-10/), Doeg reports Ahimelech *inquired of the LORD* for David; [1 Sam 23:2](/codex/1-samuel-23-2/), David *inquires of the LORD*; common with Urim/Thummim, prophets, and ephod)
4. **Demand, exact**, formal claim made on another ([Deut 10:12](/codex/deuteronomy-10-12/), *"what does the LORD your God require/ask of you"*; [Mic 6:8](/codex/micah-6-8/), *"what does the LORD ask of you"*)
5. **Borrow, request the use of**, petition-form extended to property ([Exod 3:22](/codex/exodus-3-22/); 11:2; 12:35, Israel *asks* of the Egyptians articles of silver and gold; [Exod 22:14](/codex/exodus-22-14/), *borrowing* an animal)
6. **Greet, ask after welfare**, idiomatic *shaal le-shalom* ("ask after the peace of"); standard Hebraic greeting-formula ([Gen 43:27](/codex/genesis-43-27/); [Judg 18:15](/codex/judges-18-15/); [1 Sam 10:4](/codex/1-samuel-10-4/); 17:22; 25:5)

## Theological force

*Shaal* is the load-bearing Hebrew verb of **petitionary prayer** and **divine inquiry**. Three intersecting theological accents make it lexicon-worthy:

### 1. The Hannah / Samuel naming pattern

The book of 1 Samuel opens with one of the OT's most concentrated wordplays on *shaal*. Hannah is barren; she **asks** the LORD for a son ([1 Sam 1:11](/codex/1-samuel-1-3/) cluster); the LORD grants her petition; she names the child **Samuel** (*Shmuel*, שְׁמוּאֵל). The narrative explicitly grounds the name in the verb:

> And it came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, 'Because I have **asked** him of the LORD.' ([1 Samuel 1:20](/codex/1-samuel-1-20/), NASB95)

The Hebrew is unambiguous: *ki me-YHWH she'iltiyv*, "because I asked him of the LORD." The same *shaal*-root saturates the surrounding context ([1 Sam 1:17](/codex/1-samuel-1-17/), *"may God grant your petition (*sheʾēlātēk*) which you have asked (*shaalt*)"*; [1 Sam 1:27-28](/codex/1-samuel-1-27-28/), *"For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated (*shaul*, "asked / requested") to the LORD"*). The wordplay extends across the chapter, Samuel's whole identity is the *asked-of* child.

(Note: *Shmuel*'s precise etymology is debated. The traditional "name of God" reading derives from *shem-El*; the narrative's own etymology emphasizes the *shaal* connection. Both readings stand in the tradition; the *asked-of-God* reading is the one the text itself foregrounds.)

### 2. The people *ask* for a king, covenantal rupture

The same verb carries the **negative-petition** weight when Israel demands a king at [1 Sam 8:5-7](/codex/1-samuel-8-6-7/): *shimah-lanu melek* ("appoint for us a king") and *vayyirah ha-davar be-eyney Shmuel* ("the thing was displeasing in Samuel's eyes"). Samuel, *the asked-of* child, now confronts a people who *ask* (*shaal*) for a king like the nations. The reproach lands again at [1 Sam 12:13](/codex/1-samuel-12-13/): *"now behold, the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked (*sheʾeltem*) for"*, the LORD lets them have what they asked for, but the asking itself is judgment.

The pattern is theologically rich: legitimate *shaal* (Hannah's petition, David's inquiries) yields covenantal blessing; *shaal* that rivals or replaces YHWH's kingship yields the king they wanted and the judgment they didn't.

### 3. *Ask of Me*, the messianic petition-formula

> Ask (*sheʾal*) of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ([Psalm 2:8](/codex/psalms-2-6-8/), NASB95)

The royal-coronation psalm puts the *shaal*-verb on the Father's lips addressed to the Son. The messianic king is *invited* to ask for the nations as inheritance, and the NT ([Acts 13:33](/codex/acts-13-33/); [Heb 1:5](/codex/hebrews-1-5/); [Heb 5:5](/codex/hebrews-5-5/); [Rev 2:26-27](/codex/revelation-2-26-27/)) reads this Christologically: the risen-and-enthroned Christ is the one to whom the nations are given in answer to His petition. The *shaal*-grammar of [Ps 2:8](/codex/psalms-2-8/) thus undergirds the missiological-eschatological hope that the gospel goes to *all* nations because the Son *asked* and the Father *gave*.

### 4. "Inquire of the LORD", divinatory and prophetic usage

Throughout Judges, 1-2 Samuel, and 1-2 Kings, *shaal be-YHWH* ("inquire of the LORD") is the standard formula for legitimate oracular inquiry, through priestly Urim/Thummim, prophet, or ephod. David inquires before battle ([1 Sam 30:8](/codex/1-samuel-30-1-2/)); Saul fails to inquire and *then* inquires illegitimately of the medium of Endor ([1 Sam 28:6-7](/codex/1-samuel-28/)). The verb is morally neutral; the *object* of the asking determines whether the asking is faithful or idolatrous.

This pairs *shaal* directly with the prohibition on consulting mediums and necromancers ([Deut 18:9-14](/codex/deuteronomy-18-9-14/)): the legitimate covenantal *asking* is of YHWH alone; *shaal* directed elsewhere is *to'evah* (abomination).

## Notable verses

- **[1 Samuel 1:20](/codex/1-samuel-1-20/), [27-28](/codex/1-samuel-1-27-28/)**, Hannah names Samuel *because I asked him of the LORD*; the verb saturates the chapter
- **[1 Samuel 8:10](/codex/1-samuel-8-10/)** / **[1 Samuel 12:13](/codex/1-samuel-12-13/)**, the people *ask* for a king; the verb carries covenantal-rupture force
- **[Psalm 2:8](/codex/psalms-2-6-8/)**, *"Ask of Me, and I will give the nations as Your inheritance"*, messianic petition-formula
- **[1 Kings 3:5](/codex/1-kings-3-5/)**, God to Solomon at Gibeon: *"Ask what you wish Me to give you"*; Solomon asks for wisdom
- **[Psalm 27:4](/codex/psalms-27-4/)**, *"One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek..."*, the consolidated-desire prayer
- **[Psalm 122:6](/codex/psalms-122-6/)**, *"Pray for the peace (*shaalu shalom*) of Jerusalem"*, petition-greeting idiom
- **[Deuteronomy 10:12](/codex/deuteronomy-10-12/)**, *"what does the LORD your God require/ask of you"*, demand-sense
- **[Micah 6:8](/codex/micah-6-8/)**, *"He has told you what is good; and what does the LORD require/ask of you"*
- **[Isaiah 7:11](/codex/isaiah-7-11/)**, *"Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD"*, Ahaz refuses to ask
- **[Jeremiah 6:16](/codex/jeremiah-6-16/)**, *"Ask for the ancient paths"*, wisdom-petition
- **[Exodus 3:22](/codex/exodus-3-22/); 11:2; 12:35**, Israel *asks* of Egyptians; despoiling-Egypt narrative
- **[Joshua 9:14](/codex/joshua-9-14/)**, Israel *did not inquire* of the LORD before treaty with Gibeonites; the failure-to-ask is the failure

## NT continuity, *aiteō* and *erōtaō*

The petition-pattern of *shaal* is continuous with the NT *aiteō* / *erōtaō* "ask" vocabulary:

- **[Matthew 7:7-11](/codex/matthew-7-7-11/)**, *"Ask (*aiteite*), and it will be given to you... If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him"*, the *ask-and-receive* logic of Hannah and Solomon extended to the disciples
- **[John 14:13-14](/codex/john-14-13-14/); 15:7, 16; 16:23-24**, Jesus's repeated *whatever you ask in My name* promise
- **[James 1:5-6](/codex/james-1-5-6/); 4:2-3**, *"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God... You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives"*, the moral-asymmetry of legitimate vs. illegitimate asking, echoing the OT *shaal* pattern
- **[1 John 3:22](/codex/1-john-3-22/); 5:14-15**, confidence in petition when asking *according to His will*

The NT does not invent petitionary prayer; it inherits and intensifies the *shaal*-tradition with the Father-Son-Spirit grammar of the Trinity.

## Patristic note

- **Origen** *On Prayer* (c. 233-234), extended treatment of *aiteō* and the *ask-and-receive* promises; reads Hannah's prayer ([1 Sam 1](/codex/1-samuel-1/)) as a model of *prayer-of-the-soul* rather than verbal-only petition
- **Augustine** *On the Sermon on the Mount* II.21, exegetes [Matt 7:7-11](/codex/matthew-7-7-11/)'s *ask* in light of the OT inquiry-tradition; the *good gifts* the Father gives are spiritual, not chiefly material
- **John Chrysostom** *Homilies on Hannah*, Hannah's *shaal*-prayer as a pattern for Christian intercession; the *asked-of* child as a model of dedicated-life
- **Aquinas** *ST* II-II, q. 83, petitionary prayer as fitting because it makes us properly disposed to receive what God has already willed to give; the *shaal*-tradition's covenantal-petition logic is preserved

## Apologetic load

1. **Petitionary prayer is not magic.** The OT *shaal*-tradition (Hannah, Solomon, David, the Psalms) shows that God's sovereignty is not threatened by petition, petition is the **ordained means** by which God grants what He has determined to give. Atheist / deist objections that prayer is *either* causally efficacious (so God's will is moved by humans) *or* causally inert (so why pray) miss the biblical structure: prayer is *participation* in God's purposes, not manipulation of them. See [Prayer](/codex/prayer/).

2. **The Samuel-naming wordplay is evidence of unified Hebrew narrative artistry.** The *shaal*-saturation of [1 Sam 1](/codex/1-samuel-1/) (across 1:17, 1:20, 1:27-28, with the cognate noun *sheʾēlāh*) is the kind of integrated wordplay that resists hypotheses of clumsy redactional composition. The narrative is etymologically coherent in Hebrew in a way no translation fully captures.

3. **Messianic [Ps 2:8](/codex/psalms-2-8/) anchor.** The *sheʾal-mimmenni* ("ask of Me") of [Ps 2:8](/codex/psalms-2-6-8/) is one of the most-cited messianic texts in the NT and Patristic period; the *shaal*-grammar grounds the missiological claim that the nations belong to Christ by paternal-gift in answer to filial-petition. See [Salvation Exclusivity](/codex/salvation-exclusivity/) and [Gospel](/codex/g2098-euangelion/).

4. **Anti-mediumistic / anti-occult anchor.** The legitimate / illegitimate *shaal* distinction (David inquires of YHWH; Saul inquires of the medium of Endor; [Deut 18:9-14](/codex/deuteronomy-18-9-14/) prohibits non-YHWH inquiry) is the OT's load-bearing answer to syncretistic spirituality. The *asking* posture is universal; the *object* of asking is what distinguishes faithful from idolatrous religion. See [New Age Spiritualism](/codex/new-age-spiritualism/) for contemporary application.

## See also

### Lexicon
- [H1697 - dabar](/codex/h1697-dabar/), *dabar* / word, matter; what is *asked-about* or *requested*
- [H8034 - shem](/codex/h8034-shem/), *shem* / name; the name-giving tradition that anchors Hannah's *shaal*-wordplay
- [H3068 - YHWH](/codex/h3068-yhwh/), the proper object of all legitimate inquiry and petition

### Concepts and syntheses
- [Prayer](/codex/prayer/), petition, intercession, and the *ask-and-receive* logic
- [Gospel](/codex/g2098-euangelion/), the messianic *sheʾal-mimmenni* as missiological foundation
- [Salvation Exclusivity](/codex/salvation-exclusivity/), the nations given to the Son in answer to His *shaal*
- [Names of Jehovah](/codex/names-of-jehovah/), name-giving tradition adjacent to Hannah's etymology

### Entities
- [Paul the Apostle](/codex/paul-the-apostle/), engages the *ask of Me / Father give the nations* logic in [Romans 9](/codex/romans-9/)-11 missiology

### Passages
- [1 Samuel 1.3](/codex/1-samuel-1-3/), Hannah's vow and the *shaal*-saturated naming
- [1 Samuel 8.6-7](/codex/1-samuel-8-6-7/), the people *ask* for a king
- [1 Samuel 28](/codex/1-samuel-28/), Saul's illegitimate *inquiry* of the medium of Endor
- [1 Samuel 30.1-2](/codex/1-samuel-30-1-2/), David *inquires of the LORD* before battle
- [Psalms 2.6-8](/codex/psalms-2-6-8/), *"Ask of Me, and I will give the nations"*
- [Psalms 27.4](/codex/psalms-27-4/), *"One thing I have asked from the LORD"*
- [Deuteronomy 18.9-14](/codex/deuteronomy-18-9-14/), prohibition on illegitimate inquiry