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שִׁלְחִים

𐤔𐤋𐤇𐤉𐤌

Shilechim

H7978 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שלח to send, to shoot forth, let go, stretch out

Definition

Shilchîm is a proper noun referring to a specific locality in the southern region of ancient Israelite territory, likely in the Negeb area. The name itself is the plural form of a noun meaning 'shoots' or 'sprouts,' or possibly 'missiles' or 'javelins.' In its toponymic use, it designates a settlement or district, not individuals or objects.

Semantic Range

settlement/place name in southern Israel, possibly connoting 'sprouts' or 'shoots' (vegetative), possibly metaphorically 'missiles' or 'javelins' (martial); as a toponym, not used as a common noun in this form

Root / Etymology

From the root שׁ־ל־ח (שלח), meaning 'to send,' 'to shoot forth.' The base noun שֶׁלַח (shelach) can mean 'missile,' 'dart,' or 'shoot' (as in a young branch or sprout). The plural form שִׁלְחִים (Shilchîm) in this context is a place name, possibly indicating 'shoots,' 'sprouts,' or metaphorically 'missiles/javelins.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

Shilchîm appears in Joshua 15:32 as a place listed among settlements in the southernmost region, associated with the territory allocated to the tribe of Judah. The meaning of the name may derive from agricultural imagery ('sprouts,' relating to plant growth or fields) or from military imagery ('javelins,' 'missiles'), but in the biblical text, it exclusively functions as a toponym rather than a common noun. English tradition sometimes renders the site as 'Shilhim' or similar, and some translations refer to its location as 'in Palestine,' but more accurately it was in the Negeb (the southern arid region of the Israelite settlement area). There is no direct evidence that inhabitants of Shilchîm were called by this name as a demonym, nor does the word refer to objects or weapons in this context. The plural form is typical in Hebrew place names, likely reflecting an original meaning related to features or functions of the landscape. The root-related noun שֶׁלַח also appears elsewhere as a common noun (for weapons or plant life), but these uses are distinct from the toponymic one in Joshua.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

plural of שֶׁלַח; javelins or sprouts; Shilchim, a place in Palestine; Shilhim.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שלח (š-l-ḥ) — to send, to shoot forth, to let go, to stretch out

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4916 מִשְׁלוֹחַ for sending-forth of
H4917 מִשְׁלַחַת sending-forth of
H7964 שִׁלּוּחַ her sendings-away
H7971 שָׁלַח I will dispatch
H7972 שְׁלַח Sent-One

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7978-01 וְ/שִׁלְחִ֖ים veshilechim HC/Np Shilhim Shilchim (Shootings) 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7978-01 Joshua 15:32 וְ/שִׁלְחִ֖ים veshilechim HC/Np Shilhim Shilchim (Shootings)
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