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צְלוּל

𐤑𐤋𐤅𐤋

tsᵉlûwl

H6742 noun

SILEX Entry

Root צְלַל to roll, to tumble, to revolve

Definition

A type of baked or fried cake, typically of a round or flattened shape, made from grain or meal. The term refers to a prepared food item, often produced by rolling or shaping dough and sometimes associated with ritual or festive contexts.

Semantic Range

cake, round cake, flattened cake, biscuit, rolled baked good

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root צָלַל (ts-l-l), which in its core sense conveys the idea of rolling or tumbling. The form צְלוּל is a noun created by nominal derivation from this root, possibly from onomatopoeic basis, reflecting something that is rolled out or formed by rolling action. The exact morphological process is atypical, but the association with rolling is widely accepted.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The word appears only in 1 Kings 14:3, in the context of items taken to a prophet: 'ten loaves, and cakes, and a jar of honey.' The form is rare and has sometimes been rendered as 'biscuit,' 'cake,' or 'loaf' in English translations, but the precise nature of the food is unclear beyond its general preparation by rolling or flattening. The term is thus distinguished from other bread-related words (such as לֶחֶם leḥem - general bread; חַלָּה challah - specific ritual bread) by its mode of preparation. While later Jewish tradition uses similar terms for festival or everyday cakes, the ancient Israelite usage likely denoted an everyday food rather than a ritual or holiday item. English translations sometimes obscure the specific culinary nuance by treating all such items simply as 'cakes.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from צָלַל in the sense of rolling; a (round or flattened) cake; cake.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

צלל (ts-l-l) — to roll, to tumble, to revolve

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1212 בְּצַלְאֵל In-the-Shadow-of-God
H4698 מְצִלָּה tinkling-bells of
H4699 מְצֻלָּה in the deep abyss
H4700 מְצֵלֶת with the ringing cymbal-pair
H6738 צֵל in the shade

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6742-01 צְלִ֜יל tselil HNcmsc of barley bread rolled cake of 1
H6742-02 צלול tslvl HNcmsc a cake rolled cake of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6742-02 Judges 7:13 צלול tslvl HNcmsc a cake rolled cake of
H6742-01 Judges 7:13 צְלִ֜יל tselil HNcmsc of barley bread rolled cake of
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