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שָׁלָל

𐤔𐤋𐤋

shâlâl

H7998 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Material goods, livestock, or persons captured or taken during a military conflict, raid, or violent encounter; refers to the tangible possessions seized from defeated opponents. In certain contexts, may also refer more generally to prey in a non-military sense. The term can encompass anything of value confiscated as a result of victory, including property, livestock, and occasionally people or prisoners.

Semantic Range

booty, spoils of war, prey, goods or livestock seized in battle or raids, property taken by force, captured persons or animals, metaphorically prey taken by animals

Root / Etymology

Root: שלל. Derived from the verb שלל (shalal), meaning 'to plunder, spoil, take by force.' The noun form שָׁלָל is a direct derivative indicating the things or persons successfully plundered or taken as spoils of war.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the ancient Israelite context, שָׁלָל primarily denotes items seized as the result of military campaigns. It appears frequently in narratives concerning conquest and war (e.g., Joshua, Samuel, Kings), as well as in prophetic and poetic passages. Distribution of שָׁלָל among warriors was a formal, often regulated process (see 1 Samuel 30). The use of the word overlaps with terms like מַלְקוֹחַ (malqôach, 'booty, something taken'), but שָׁלָל is more commonly used for general spoils, while מַלְקוֹחַ can emphasize the act of taking or specifically refer to persons captured. In non-military contexts, the word may also be used metaphorically to describe prey seized by animals (cf. Isaiah 33:23). Standard English translations like 'spoil,' 'booty,' or 'prey' capture aspects of the meaning but do not always reflect distinctions between types of property or the processes by which שָׁלָל was distributed or sanctified. In later periods (post-exilic), the term retains the sense of seized goods but is less central in the literature. English translations and some tradition employ the term 'spoils,' which may not fully convey the diverse objects or implications of the Hebrew term within its socio-historical context.

Translation Consistency

primary "spoils" 29 occurrences

H7998 chiefly denotes goods or property taken in victory; the idiom “spoils” (as in “the spoils of war”) is the most natural, immediately clear English rendering and matches the majority of existing renderings (spoil/plunder). It covers booty, captured livestock, and seized property in ordinary usage.

Alternatives (21 occurrences):
"plunder-spoils of" (7x) "spoils-of" (6x) "plunder" (5x) "plundered goods" (1x) "plunder of" (1x) "spoil" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שָׁלַל; booty; prey, spoil.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

שלל (shôwlâl) — to strip, plunder, take away

Root שלל to plunder, to carry off, to spoil
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7758 שׁוֹלָל stripped one

Word Forms

19 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H7998-06 שָׁלָ֖ל shalal HNcmsa spoil plundered goods spoils 18
H7998-01 הַ/שָּׁלָ֖ל hashalal HTd/Ncmsa the spoil the plundered spoils the plundered spoils 10
H7998-03 לְ/שָׁלָ֑ל leshalal HR/Ncmsa for spoil for plunder-spoil for spoils 7
H7998-07 שְׁלַ֥ל shelal HNcmsc spoil plunder-spoil of plunder-spoils of 7
H7998-08 שְׁלָלָ֗/הּ shelalah HNcmsc/Sp3fs its spoil her plunder her spoils 5
H7998-16 וּ/שְׁלַ֥ל ushelal HC/Ncmsc and spoil and plunder-of and spoils-of 5
H7998-04 מֵ/הַ/שָּׁלָ֛ל mehashalal HR/Td/Ncmsa from-the-spoil from the plunder from the spoils 3
H7998-09 שְׁלָלָ/ם֒ shelalam HNcmsc/Sp3mp their spoil their plundered goods their spoils 3
H7998-19 וְ/שָׁלָ֥ל veshalal HC/Ncmsa and spoil plundered spoil and spoils 3
H7998-05 מִ/שְּׁלַ֥ל mishelal HR/Ncmsc from-spoil-of from plunder-of from spoils-of 2

Occurrences in Scripture

74 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H7998-06 Genesis 49:27 שָׁלָֽל shalal HNcmsa spoil plundered goods spoils
H7998-06 Exodus 15:9 שָׁלָ֑ל shalal HNcmsa spoil plundered goods spoils
H7998-01 Numbers 31:11 הַ/שָּׁלָ֔ל hashalal HTd/Ncmsa the spoil the plundered spoils the plundered spoils
H7998-01 Numbers 31:12 הַ/שָּׁלָ֖ל hashalal HTd/Ncmsa the spoil the plundered spoils the plundered spoils
H7998-16 Deuteronomy 2:35 וּ/שְׁלַ֥ל ushelal HC/Ncmsc and spoil and plunder-of and spoils-of
H7998-16 Deuteronomy 3:7 וּ/שְׁלַ֥ל ushelal HC/Ncmsc and the spoil and plunder-of and spoils-of
H7998-08 Deuteronomy 13:17 שְׁלָלָ֗/הּ shelalah HNcmsc/Sp3fs its-spoil her plunder her spoils
H7998-08 Deuteronomy 13:17 שְׁלָלָ/הּ֙ shelalah-2 HNcmsc/Sp3fs its-spoil her plunder her spoils
H7998-08 Deuteronomy 20:14 שְׁלָלָ֖/הּ shelalah HNcmsc/Sp3fs its spoil her plunder her spoils
H7998-07 Deuteronomy 20:14 שְׁלַ֣ל shelal HNcmsc spoil plunder-spoil of plunder-spoils of
H7998-18 Joshua 7:21 בַ/שָּׁלָ֡ל vashalal HRd/Ncmsa among the spoil in the plunder in the plunder
H7998-08 Joshua 8:2 שְׁלָלָ֥/הּ shelalah HNcmsc/Sp3fs its spoil her plunder her spoils
H7998-16 Joshua 8:27 וּ/שְׁלַל֙ ushelal HC/Ncmsc and the spoil and plunder-of and spoils-of
H7998-07 Joshua 11:14 שְׁלַ֞ל shelal HNcmsc spoil plunder-spoil of plunder-spoils of
H7998-07 Joshua 22:8 שְׁלַל shelal HNcmsc spoil plunder-spoil of plunder-spoils of
H7998-06 Judges 5:30 שָׁלָ֗ל shalal HNcmsa spoil plundered goods spoils
H7998-07 Judges 5:30 שְׁלַ֤ל shelal HNcmsc spoil plunder-spoil of plunder-spoils of
H7998-07 Judges 5:30 שְׁלַ֥ל shelal-2 HNcmsc spoil plunder-spoil of plunder-spoils of
H7998-06 Judges 5:30 שָׁלָֽל shalal-2 HNcmsa spoil plundered goods spoils
H7998-12 Judges 8:24 שְׁלָל֑/וֹ shelalo HNcmsc/Sp3ms of his spoil his plunder his plunder
H7998-12 Judges 8:25 שְׁלָלֽ/וֹ shelalo HNcmsc/Sp3ms of his spoil his plunder his plunder
H7998-05 1 Samuel 14:30 מִ/שְּׁלַ֥ל mishelal HR/Ncmsc from the spoil from plunder-of from spoils-of
H7998-13 1 Samuel 14:32 שלל shll HNcmsa spoil plunder plunder
H7998-01 1 Samuel 14:32 הַ/שָּׁלָ֔ל hashalal HTd/Ncmsa the spoil the plundered spoils the plundered spoils
H7998-01 1 Samuel 15:19 הַ/שָּׁלָ֔ל hashalal HTd/Ncmsa the spoil the plundered spoils the plundered spoils
H7998-04 1 Samuel 15:21 מֵ/הַ/שָּׁלָ֛ל mehashalal HR/Td/Ncmsa from the spoil from the plunder from the spoils
H7998-01 1 Samuel 30:16 הַ/שָּׁלָ֣ל hashalal HTd/Ncmsa the spoil the plundered spoils the plundered spoils
H7998-14 1 Samuel 30:19 וּ/מִ/שָּׁלָ֔ל umishalal HC/R/Ncmsa and-from-spoil and from plundered goods and from plundered goods
H7998-07 1 Samuel 30:20 שְׁלַ֥ל shelal HNcmsc spoil plunder-spoil of plunder-spoils of
H7998-04 1 Samuel 30:22 מֵ/הַ/שָּׁלָ֖ל mehashalal HR/Td/Ncmsa of the spoil from the plunder from the spoils
H7998-04 1 Samuel 30:26 מֵֽ/הַ/שָּׁלָ֛ל mehashalal HR/Td/Ncmsa from-the-spoil from the plunder from the spoils
H7998-05 1 Samuel 30:26 מִ/שְּׁלַ֖ל mishelal HR/Ncmsc from-spoil-of from plunder-of from spoils-of
H7998-19 2 Samuel 3:22 וְ/שָׁלָ֥ל veshalal HC/Ncmsa and spoil plundered spoil and spoils
H7998-15 2 Samuel 8:12 וּ/מִ/שְּׁלַ֛ל umishelal HC/R/Ncmsc and from the spoil of and from plunder-of and from plunder of
H7998-16 2 Samuel 12:30 וּ/שְׁלַ֥ל ushelal HC/Ncmsc and spoil and plunder-of and spoils-of
H7998-02 2 Kings 3:23 לַ/שָּׁלָ֖ל lashalal HRd/Ncmsa to the spoil to the plunder to the plunder
H7998-07 Isaiah 8:4 שְׁלַ֣ל shelal HNcmsc the spoil plunder-spoil of plunder-spoils of
H7998-06 Isaiah 9:2 שָׁלָֽל shalal HNcmsa spoil plundered goods spoils
H7998-09 Isaiah 10:2 שְׁלָלָ֔/ם shelalam HNcmsc/Sp3mp their spoil their plundered goods their spoils
H7998-06 Isaiah 10:6 שָׁלָל֙ shalal HNcmsa spoil plundered goods spoils
H7998-11 Isaiah 33:4 שְׁלַלְ/כֶ֔ם shelalekhem HNcmsc/Sp2mp your spoil your plunder your spoil
H7998-06 Isaiah 33:23 שָׁלָל֙ shalal HNcmsa spoil plundered goods spoils
H7998-06 Isaiah 53:12 שָׁלָל֒ shalal HNcmsa spoil plundered goods spoils
H7998-03 Jeremiah 21:9 לְ/שָׁלָֽל leshalal HR/Ncmsa as spoil for plunder-spoil for spoils
H7998-03 Jeremiah 38:2 לְ/שָׁלָ֖ל leshalal HR/Ncmsa as-spoil for plunder-spoil for spoils
H7998-03 Jeremiah 39:18 לְ/שָׁלָ֔ל leshalal HR/Ncmsa for-spoil for plunder-spoil for spoils
H7998-03 Jeremiah 45:5 לְ/שָׁלָ֔ל leshalal HR/Ncmsa as spoil for plunder-spoil for spoils
H7998-03 Jeremiah 49:32 לְ/שָׁלָ֔ל leshalal HR/Ncmsa for spoil for plunder-spoil for spoils
H7998-03 Jeremiah 50:10 לְ/שָׁלָ֑ל leshalal HR/Ncmsa for spoil for plunder-spoil for spoils
H7998-03 Ezekiel 7:21 לְ/שָׁלָ֑ל leshalal HR/Ncmsa for spoil for plunder-spoil for spoils
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