sha.kham denotes getting up early, often before beginning a journey, task, gathering, or other action.

The verb consistently marks an early rising or early start before what follows: people set out, travel, observe events, worship, assemble, or undertake a task; in several prophetic clauses it accompanies sending or speaking.

1. Getting up early to begin what follows · dominant

   The sequential imperfect forms introduce an early start before a subsequent action: Abraham saddles his donkey and departs in Genesis 22:3, David leaves the flock and goes in 1 Samuel 17:20, and Judah goes out to the wilderness in 2 Chronicles 20:20. The same pattern can precede worship or public action, as Moses builds an altar in Exodus 24:4 and Hezekiah assembles officials and goes to the house of the LORD in 2 Chronicles 29:20. Infinitive-absolute clauses also pair the action with sending or testifying, as the APB renders in Jeremiah 11:7, "rising early and testifying."

   Genesis 22:3Exodus 24:41 Samuel 17:202 Chronicles 20:202 Chronicles 29:20Jeremiah 11:7

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across the narrative clauses, the APB commonly presents the action as "rose early in the morning" or "rose early." In prophetic infinitive-absolute clauses it renders the surrounding sequence as "rising early and sending" or "rising early and testifying".