סַלּוּ
𐤎𐤋𐤅
Salu
H5543 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Çallûw (also variant spellings סַלּוּא, סָלוּא, סַלַּי; English transliteration: Sallu or Sallai) is a personal name of several individuals in biblical texts, referring specifically to Israelite men. The primary lexical meaning is as a proper noun: an Israelite personal name, likely originally containing an element referring to being 'weighed' or 'valued,' but used exclusively as a name in biblical contexts. The semantic range is confined to personal name usage.
Semantic Range
proper personal name; used for Israelite men in biblical genealogies and narratives
Root / Etymology
Derived from the Hebrew root סָלָה (samekh-lamed-he), which means 'to weigh' or 'to value.' The name is a formation from this root, though the relationship between the root meaning and the use as a personal name is not explicit within the text. The meaning of the name may indicate a sense of being 'weighed' (evaluated, esteemed), but in practice, it functions solely as a proper name.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Çallûw, with its variants, appears exclusively as the personal name of several Israelite men in biblical genealogies and narratives (e.g., Nehemiah 8:7, 1 Chronicles 9:7, and Numbers 25:14 as Salu). The form shows multiple orthographic variants, reflective of different manuscript traditions or dialects. The meaning of the name is no longer transparent in the biblical narrative; its etymological connection to 'weighing' is primarily of interest to philologists and is not reflected in narrative attributes of the bearers. In later English translations, names like Sallu, Sallai, or Salu are used, and sometimes the bearers of the name have been referred to as 'Jews' in post-exilic contexts (Nehemiah), but in the earliest texts, they are Israelites, members of the returning community, or other genealogical listings. The name does not include religious or geographic identity indicators beyond individual genealogy. It is unrelated to titles or official functions. No evidence suggests broader lexical or semantic use outside its function as a proper name in the Hebrew Bible.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or סַלּוּא; or סָלוּא; or סַלַּי; from סָלָה; weighed; Sallu or Sallai, the name of two Israelites; Sallai, Sallu, Salu.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
סלה (s-l-h) — to weigh, to value, to evaluate
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5541 | סָלָה | you weighed |
| H5542 | סֶלָה | Lift-up pause |
| H5544 | סִלּוֹן | projecting thorn-brier |
| H5552 | סַלְסִלָּה | plaited baskets |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5543-03 |
סָל֑וּא | salu | HNp |
Sallu | Sallu | 4 |
H5543-01 |
לְ/סַלַּ֥י | lesalay | HR/Np |
of Sallai | to Sallai | 1 |
H5543-02 |
סַלָּ֑י | salay | HNp |
Sallai | Sallai | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
6 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5543-03 |
Numbers 25:14 | סָל֑וּא | salu | HNp |
of Salu | Sallu |
H5543-03 |
Nehemiah 11:7 | סַלֻּ֡א | salu | HNp |
Sallu | Sallu |
H5543-02 |
Nehemiah 11:8 | סַלָּ֑י | salay | HNp |
Sallai | Sallai |
H5543-03 |
Nehemiah 12:7 | סַלּ֣וּ | salu | HNp |
Sallu | Sallu |
H5543-01 |
Nehemiah 12:20 | לְ/סַלַּ֥י | lesalay | HR/Np |
of Sallai | to Sallai |
H5543-03 |
1 Chronicles 9:7 | סַלּוּא֙ | salu | HNp |
Sallu | Sallu |