שָׁקַל (b. h.; Shaf. of קל) 1) [to swing,] to weigh, balance. Gen. R. s. 4 הכנס ורחוץ ושְׁקוֹל וכ׳ go in and bathe, and weigh thyself before and after &c.; כיון שיצא וש׳ וכ׳ when he came out and weighed himself, he had lost nothing. B. Bath. V, 11 היה שׁוֹקֵל לוֹ עין בעין if he gave him exact weight, v. עַיִן. Ib. 89ᵃ לא יאמר לו שקול … אלא שוקל ליטרא וכ׳ he cannot say to him, weigh me three single fourths of a litra, but he weighs (puts in the balance) one litra, and puts one-fourth of a litra with the meat; a. fr.—Trnsf. to weigh, consider, account. Koh. R. to XII, 14 עבד שרבו שוקל וכ׳ a slave to whom his master accounts errors as wilful offenses; Ḥag. 5ᵃ. Ib. (ref. to Mal. III, 5) אוי לני שש׳ … קלות וכ׳ woe unto us to whom the Scripture accounts light offenses alike with severe crimes; Yalk. Mal. 589. Mekh. Yithro, s. 8 חביב … שש׳ כבודן וכ׳ the honoring of father and mother is precious before God, for he put their honor and the fear of them on a level with his own honor &c.; (Kidd. 30ᵇ השוה); a. e. —2) (denom. of שֶׁקֶל) to offer the head-tax (half a Shekel). Shek. I, 4 כל כהן ששוקל וכ׳ a priest that pays the head-tax. Ib. 6 השוקל על ידי וכ׳ if one pays the head-tax for a priest, a woman, or a minor, he is exempt (from paying agio). Ned. IV, 2 (33ᵃ) את שקלו (לו)שוקל may pay the head-tax for him; a. fr.—In gen. to pay taxes. Tosef. Dem. VI, 3; 4; Y. ib. VI, end, 26ᵃ, v. אוֹצָר.—Part. pass. שָׁקוּל; f. שְׁקוּלָה; pl. שְׁקוּלִים, שְׁקוּלִין; שְׁקוּלוֹת even-balanced, of equal importance. Snh. 3ᵇ, a. fr. אין בית דין ש׳ a court must never be even-balanced, i.e. not be of even numbers, opp. נוטה; v. בַּיִת. Num. R. s. 188 (ref. to Ps. XCIX, 6) שמואל שש׳ כנגד וכ׳ Samuel who is balanced against Moses and Aaron together; Ber. 31ᵇ (ref. to I Sam. I, 11, זרע אנשים) זרע שש׳ כנגד שני אנשים וכ׳ a seed (son) that will hold the balance against two men &c. Ib. 33ᵃ מזכירין … שש׳ כתחיית וכ׳ we insert ‘the power of rain’ (v. גְּבוּרָה) in the section about resurrection, because it is equal to resurrection. B. Kam. 3ᵃ ש׳ הן וכ׳ they (the two kinds of damages) are even-balanced (you cannot decide between the two), let both be included; Zeb. 4ᵇ; Naz. 58ᵇ ש׳ הוא the balance is even; Arakh. 4ᵇ. Sifra Vayikra, N’dab., ch. XVII, Par. 14; Yalk. Lev. 462 (ref. to Lev. III, 4) הדבר ש׳ יטול וכ׳ it may be understood either way, he should take that part of the midriff which is by the liver, or a portion of the liver with the midriff &c.; a. fr.
Hif. - הִשְׁקִיל to weigh, ponder, estimate. Gen. R. s. 59 (ref. to Hos. XII, 8) that is Eliezer, שהיה יושב ומַשְׁקִיל את בתו וכ׳ for he sat and pondered on his daughter: is she or is she not worthy?; Yalk. Hos. 528 ומְשַׁקֵּל (Pi.).