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סֹלְלָה

𐤎𐤋𐤋𐤄

çôlᵉlâh

H5550 noun

SILEX Entry

Root סלל to pile up, heap up, raise

Definition

A raised structure of earth or materials constructed primarily during siege warfare to provide access to fortified cities or positions. This term refers specifically to a siege ramp or embankment built by besieging forces in order to breach city walls or enable assault. It can also denote an earthwork or mound in a military context, though the predominant usage is in descriptions of siege tactics.

Semantic Range

military siege ramp, embankment, brief mound constructed for assault, siege bank, earthwork built by besiegers

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root סָלַל (to pile up, heap, build up a mound), סֹלְלָה is the feminine form of the active participle but is typically used in a passive sense, denoting the thing which is built up. The sense development moves from the act of piling up earth to the resulting raised structure, especially in the context of ancient warfare.

Historical & Contextual Notes

סֹלְלָה appears almost exclusively in descriptions of military sieges in biblical narrative (e.g., 2 Samuel 20:15; Isaiah 37:33; Jeremiah 32:24; Ezekiel 4:2, 17:17, 21:27, 26:8, 29:18). In these contexts it denotes a mound built by an attacking army against city walls for the purpose of assault or breaching defenses. The function parallels the Assyrian and Egyptian siege ramps known from extrabiblical archaeology. The term distinguishes itself from other forms of earthwork or wall terminology (e.g., חוֹמָה 'city wall', תָּל 'ruin mound'), as it specifically describes a constructed military structure of attackers rather than permanent defensive structures or communal earthworks. English translations such as 'bank,' 'ramp,' or 'siege mound' may not always convey the engineered and tactical purpose implied in the Hebrew usage. There is no evidence of a significant semantic shift over time; סֹלְלָה consistently signifies a tactical siege ramp during the monarchic, exilic, and post-exilic periods. Later English translations and interpretations may conflate this term with broader or unrelated uses of 'mound,' but the biblical context is uniformly military and related to siegecraft.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or סוֹלְלָה; active participle feminine of סָלַל, but used passively; a military mound, i.e. rampart of besiegers; bank, mount.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

סלל (s-l-l) — to pile up, heap up, raise

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4546 מְסִלָּה on the raised causeway
H4547 מַסְלוּל raised roadway
H5536 סַל in the woven basket
H5538 סִלָּא Silla
H5549 סָלַל one lifting himself up

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H5550-03 סֹֽלְלָה֙ solelah HNcfsa a mound piled-up siege ramp 8
H5550-01 הַ/סֹּלְל֗וֹת hasolelot HTd/Ncfpa the siege ramps the piled-up siege ramps 2
H5550-02 סֽוֹלֲלָ֔ה solalah HNcfsa a siege ramp piled-up siege ramp 1

Occurrences in Scripture

11 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H5550-03 2 Samuel 20:15 סֹֽלְלָה֙ solelah HNcfsa a mound piled-up siege ramp
H5550-03 2 Kings 19:32 סֹלְלָֽה solelah HNcfsa a siege mound piled-up siege ramp
H5550-03 Isaiah 37:33 סֹלְלָֽה solelah HNcfsa a siege ramp piled-up siege ramp
H5550-03 Jeremiah 6:6 סֹלְלָ֑ה solelah HNcfsa siege-mound piled-up siege ramp
H5550-01 Jeremiah 32:24 הַ/סֹּלְל֗וֹת hasolelot HTd/Ncfpa the siege ramps the piled-up siege ramps
H5550-01 Jeremiah 33:4 הַ/סֹּלְל֖וֹת hasolelot HTd/Ncfpa the siege ramps the piled-up siege ramps
H5550-03 Ezekiel 4:2 סֹֽלְלָ֑ה solelah HNcfsa siege ramp piled-up siege ramp
H5550-03 Ezekiel 17:17 סֹלְלָ֖ה solelah HNcfsa a mound piled-up siege ramp
H5550-03 Ezekiel 21:27 סֹלְלָ֖ה solelah HNcfsa a mound piled-up siege ramp
H5550-03 Ezekiel 26:8 סֹֽלְלָ֔ה solelah HNcfsa a ramp piled-up siege ramp
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