שַׁעַלְבִים
𐤔𐤏𐤋𐤁𐤉𐤌
Shaalevim
H8169 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A town or settlement in the Shephelah, likely meaning 'place of foxes' or 'fox dens'. The name is derived from the word for fox (שׁוּעָל), possibly referencing the natural wildlife of the area or a characteristic landscape feature. Used specifically as a place name in biblical geographic lists and narratives, not as a common noun or general descriptor.
Semantic Range
place name, site associated with 'foxes'; never used as a common noun, only as a proper noun; refers specifically to a town in the lowland region (Shephelah) near the territory of Dan
Root / Etymology
Derived from the Hebrew root שׁ-ע-ל (שׁוּעָל), meaning 'fox'. The -ים ending is the regular masculine plural, though its use in the place name is idiomatic rather than strictly grammatical (i.e., 'place of foxes'). The formation is consistent with other ancient Hebrew place names based on animals or distinctive features.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Shaalbim appears as a geographic location in Joshua 19:42 and Judges 1:35, among others, within the territory listings for the tribe of Dan and in accounts of regional conflict. The double forms שַׁעַלְבִים and שַׁעֲלַבִּין likely reflect variant vocalizations in the textual tradition rather than distinct entities. The name is constructed from the noun for fox but is never used literally for foxes in narrative passages. English translations routinely transliterate rather than translate the name. In later Jewish and Greco-Roman periods, the site was associated with the region of Aijalon. The semantic connection to foxes is retained in place name tradition but does not imply pastoral, cultic, or symbolic associations beyond location.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or שַׁעֲלַבִּין; plural from שׁוּעָל; fox-holes; Shaalbim or Shaalabbin, a place in Palestine; Shaalabbin, Shaalbim.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שׁעל (š-ʿ-l) — to be hollow, den, dig out; fox (as burrower)
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4934 | מִשְׁעוֹל | in a hollowed footpath of |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8169-01 |
וּ/בְ/שַֽׁעַלְבִ֑ים | uveshaalevim | HC/R/Np |
and in Shaalbim | and in Fox-Dens | 2 |
H8169-02 |
וְ/שַֽׁעֲלַבִּ֥ין | veshaalabin | HC/Np |
and Shaalabbin | and Fox-Dens | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8169-02 |
Joshua 19:42 | וְ/שַֽׁעֲלַבִּ֥ין | veshaalabin | HC/Np |
and Shaalabbin | and Fox-Dens |
H8169-01 |
Judges 1:35 | וּ/בְ/שַֽׁעַלְבִ֑ים | uveshaalevim | HC/R/Np |
and in Shaalbim | and in Fox-Dens |
H8169-01 |
1 Kings 4:9 | וּ/בְ/שַֽׁעַלְבִ֖ים | uveshaalevim | HC/R/Np |
and in Shaalbim | and in Fox-Dens |