Senses
1. fox, jackal (small wild canid) — Masculine noun denoting a small wild canid, encompassing both foxes and jackals, as Biblical Hebrew does not consistently distinguish between the two animals. English translations vary between 'foxes' and 'jackals' depending on context (Lam 5:18 favors 'jackals,' Judg 15:4 and Song 2:15 favor 'foxes'), but the Hebrew lexeme covers both referents as a single semantic category. All four clusters show the same noun with grammatical variation: plural, singular, with preposition כ (like). Arabic ثَعَالِب/ثَعْلَب (foxes/fox) is used across all clusters without distinction. Korean 여우 (fox), Spanish zorras/zorros (foxes), Hindi लोमड़ी/सियार/गीदड़ (fox/jackal), and Swahili mbweha (fox/jackal) confirm the unified sense. 7×
AR["الثَّعالِبِ","ثَعَالِبَ","ثَعَالِبُ","ثَعْلَبٌ","شُوعَلِيم","كَالثَّعَالِبِ"]·ben["-শেয়ালদের","শিয়াল","শিয়ালেরা","শৃগালদের-মতো","শৃগালের"]·DE["Fuchs","Fuechse","[כשעלים]","jackals"]·EN["fox","foxes","jackals","like-foxes"]·FR["[שועל]","[שועלים]","les-renards","les-renards,","renard","renards"]·heb["כ-שועלים","שועל","שועלים"]·HI["गीदड़ों-का","जैसे-लोमड़ी","लोमड़ियाँ","लोमड़ियां","लोमड़ियों","लोमड़ी","सियार"]·ID["Seperti-rubah-rubah","rubah","rubah-rubah","seekor-rubah","serigala-serigala"]·IT["[כשעלים]","[שועל]","[שועלים]","[שעלים]","foxes","volpi"]·jav["Kados-rubah-rubah","asu-ajag","asu-alas","rubah"]·KO["여우-들-의","여우가","여우들","여우들-을","여우들-이","여우들처럼-"]·PT["como-raposas","de-raposas","raposa","raposas"]·RU["как-лисицы","лисиц","лисица","лисицы","станут"]·ES["Como-zorros","zorras","zorro","zorros"]·SW["kama-mbweha","la-mbweha","mbweha"]·TR["gibi","tilki","tilkiler","tilkileri","tilkilerin"]·urd["لومڑی","لومڑیاں","لومڑیوں","لومڑیوں-کی-طرح"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. שׁוּעָל n.m. Ct 2:15 fox, perhaps also jackal;—abs. שׁ׳ Ne 3:25; pl. שׁוּעָלִים Ju 15:4 +, שֻׁ׳ Ez 13:4; Ct 2:15 b;—fox (prob.) Ne 3:25; Ct 2:15(×2); perhaps (from large no.) jackal Ju 15:4; as haunting ruins Ez 13:4; La 5:18; eating offal ψ 63:11.