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יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם

𐤉𐤓𐤅𐤔𐤋𐤌

Yerushalam

H3389 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ירה, שלם to found, to establish, to be whole, to be at peace

Definition

Jerusalem, the principal city associated with the ancient Israelites, serving as religious, political, and administrative center during various periods; the name designates both the physical urban center and, metonymically, its inhabitants, the Israelite polity, or its temple. While often referring to the geographic city, in poetic or prophetic contexts 'Jerusalem' can also symbolize the community, Zion, or broader covenantal concepts.

Semantic Range

physical city of Jerusalem, capital city of the Israelite and Judahite polities, central cultic site, metonym for inhabitants, symbol of corporate identity or covenant, poetic/metaphorical city of hope or restoration, theological symbol in exile and post-exile literature

Root / Etymology

The word יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם likely combines a Semitic root ירה (to found, cast, establish) and שלם (peace, wholeness, completeness), but the etymology is not entirely certain. The commonly cited meaning 'foundation of peace' is traditional but debated among scholars. The form is irregular: the -ַ͏ִם ending resembles a dual form in appearance, though not in function, likely reflecting later scribal vocalization influenced by the perceived presence of two primary hills or districts. The root-level sense relates to establishment or foundation and peace or wholeness, but the compound as a city-name functions as a proper noun.

Historical & Contextual Notes

יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם appears over 600 times in the Hebrew Bible, primarily as the city associated with the monarchy of David and Solomon, the First Temple, and subsequent Israelite and Judahite history. In earlier texts, the city is occasionally called 'Salem' (cf. Genesis 14:18), and the name later acquires theological importance as the locus of the temple and divine presence (Zion). The word transitions from a geographic term to a theological and eschatological symbol, especially in prophetic literature. In exilic and post-exilic periods, Jerusalem also serves as a symbol of hope, restoration, and return from exile. The English word "Jerusalem" derives from the Greek Ἰερουσαλήμ and the Latin Ierusalem, but early biblical use was not limited to strictly religious connotations and encompassed all the connotations of an ancient urban center, including political and residential life. The term is never used to indicate religious identity per se, nor should it be conflated with 'Jew' or 'Judaism,' both of which are later developments. 'Zion' and 'Jerusalem' overlap semantically in poetic and prophetic contexts but are not strictly synonymous; 'Zion' can designate the Temple Mount or the religious heart of the city. The dual-like ending (-ַ͏ִם) is peculiar and not functionally dual in number; it neither refers exclusively to two hills nor to two sections of the city, but reflects scribal tradition.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

rarely יְרוּשָׁלַיִם; a dual (in allusion to its two main hills (the true pointing, at least of the former reading, seems to be that of יְרוּשָׁלֵם)); probably from (the passive participle of) יָרָה and שָׁלַם; founded peaceful; Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of Palestine; Jerusalem.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ירה, שלם (y-r-h; sh-l-m) — to found, establish; wholeness, peace, completeness

Word Forms

15 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3389-14 יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗ם yerushalaim HNp Jerusalem Foundation of Wholeness 345
H3389-01 בִּ/יר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם birushalaim HR/Np in Jerusalem in Yerushalem 154
H3389-10 בִ/ירוּשָׁלִַ֛ם virushalaim HR/Np and Jerusalem Foundation-of-Wholeness 46
H3389-05 מִ/יר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם mirushalaim HR/Np from Jerusalem from Yerushalaim 28
H3389-04 לִ/ירוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ lirushalaim HR/Np to Jerusalem to Foundation-of-Wholeness 27
H3389-08 וּ/בִ/ירוּשָׁלִַ֣ם uvirushalaim HC/R/Np and in Jerusalem and in Jerusalem 21
H3389-09 וְ/לִ/יר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם velirushalaim HC/R/Np and to Jerusalem and to Jerusalem 8
H3389-13 יְרוּשָׁלְַ֗מָ/ה yerushalaemah HNp/Sd to Jerusalem toward Foundation-of-Peace 4
H3389-07 וּ/מִ/ירוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ umirushalaim HC/R/Np and from Jerusalem and from Foundation-of-Wholeness 3
H3389-06 מִ/יר֣וּשָׁלַ֔יִם mirushalayim HR/Np from-Jerusalem From Established Peace-City 2

Occurrences in Scripture

643 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3389-14 Joshua 10:1 יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗ם yerushalaim HNp of Jerusalem Foundation of Wholeness
H3389-14 Joshua 10:3 יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗ם yerushalaim HNp of Jerusalem Foundation of Wholeness
H3389-14 Joshua 10:5 יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם yerushalaim HNp Jerusalem Foundation of Wholeness
H3389-14 Joshua 10:23 יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗ם yerushalaim HNp of Jerusalem Foundation of Wholeness
H3389-14 Joshua 12:10 יְרוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ yerushalaim HNp of Jerusalem Foundation of Wholeness
H3389-14 Joshua 15:8 יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם yerushalaim HNp Jerusalem Foundation of Wholeness
H3389-14 Joshua 15:63 יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֔ם yerushalaim HNp Jerusalem Foundation of Wholeness
H3389-01 Joshua 15:63 בִּ/יר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם birushalaim HR/Np in Jerusalem in Yerushalem
H3389-14 Joshua 18:28 יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ yerushalaim HNp Jerusalem Foundation of Wholeness
H3389-14 Judges 1:7 יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם yerushalaim HNp to Jerusalem Foundation of Wholeness
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