H7973 H7973
weapon, missile; dart, javelin (lethal weapon); shoots, sprouts
3. shoots, sprouts — Botanical sense: shoots, branches, or sprouts of a plant, from the verbal root shalach 'to send forth.' Used uniquely in Song of Solomon 4:13 where the beloved's 'shoots' (shelakhayikh, 2fs plural construct) are described as 'an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits.' Arabic renders this as shilakhayikh (transliteration); French uses jets (shoots/sprays); Korean uses ssak-deul (sprouts/buds); Hindi uses shakhaye (branches); Spanish uses renuevos (new shoots/sprouts). This botanical metaphor -- growth 'sent forth' from a plant -- is semantically distinct from the weapon sense and represents a genuine polysemy in the noun, paralleling other Hebrew botanical-military homonyms. 1×
AR["شْلَحَيِكْ"]·ben["তোমার-অঙ্কুর"]·DE["[שלחיך]"]·EN["your-shoots"]·FR["Tes-jets"]·heb["שלחייך"]·HI["तेरी-शाखाएँ"]·ID["Tunas-tunasmu"]·IT["tuo-shoots-tua"]·jav["Tunas-panjenengan"]·KO["네-싹들-이"]·PT["Teus-renovo"]·RU["Побеги-твои"]·ES["Tus-renuevos"]·SW["machipuko-yako"]·TR["sulergilerin"]·urd["تیرے-پودے"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. weapon, missile — A weapon or missile used in warfare, particularly a thrown or projected weapon such as a javelin or spear. Used of personal armament: 'his weapon' (shilkho) that each man held in Nehemiah's rebuilding work (Neh 4:17, 23); 'the weapon' (ha-shalach) that the warriors did not put down (Neh 4:17); Joel's description of the locust army where 'they do not jostle each other, each marches in his path, and through the weapons (ha-shelach) they fall without breaking ranks' (Joel 2:8); 'weapons' (shelach) sent as military equipment (2 Chr 32:5). Arabic uses silah (weapon/arms) consistently; Korean uses mu-gi (weapon); Hindi uses hathiyar (weapon); Spanish uses arma/armas (weapon/weapons). This is the primary sense of the noun, denoting implements of war. 5×
AR["السِّلاحَ","السِّلاحِ","سِلاحُهُ","سِلاَحُهُ","سِلَاحًا"]·ben["অস্ত্র","অস্ত্র-তার","অস্ত্রের","তার-অস্ত্র"]·DE["[שלחו]","der-sandte","sandte"]·EN["his-weapon","the-weapon","the-weapons","weapon-his","weapons"]·FR["Schélach","[השלח]","[שלחו]","le-il-a-envoyé"]·heb["ה-שֶׁלַח","ה-שלח","שלח","שלחו-ו"]·HI["उतारता-था-उन्हें","उसका-हथियार","हथियार"]·ID["senjata","senjata-senjata","senjatanya"]·IT["Shelach","[השלח]","[שלחו]"]·jav["gegaman","gegaman-nipun","gegamanipun","senjata"]·KO["그-무기","그-무기가","그-무기를","그의-무기를","무기를"]·PT["a-arma","arma-dele","arma-sua","armas","o-arremesso"]·RU["оружие","оружие-его"]·ES["armas","el-arma","las-armas","su-arma"]·SW["shelach","silaha","silaha-yake"]·TR["silahlar","silahı","silahın"]·urd["ہتھیار","ہتھیار-اُس-کا","ہتھیار-اپنا","ہتھیار-کے","ہتھیاروں-کے"]
2. dart, javelin (lethal weapon) — A specific deadly projectile weapon -- dart, javelin, or sword -- used in the context of violent death. In Job 33:18 'He keeps back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the shelach (dart/sword)' and Job 36:12 'they shall perish by the shelach (sword).' Arabic uses as-sayf/ar-rumh (the sword/the spear); Korean uses chang (spear); Hindi uses talvar (sword); Spanish uses espada (sword). The cross-linguistic evidence shows translators understood this as a specific lethal instrument (sword/spear) rather than generic 'weapons,' and the Job contexts focus on death by a single instrument rather than warfare with multiple weapons, distinguishing this from the general 'weapon' sense. 2×
AR["بِ-الرُّمحِ","بِ-السَّيفِ"]·ben["তরবারিতে","তলওয়ারে"]·DE["in-sandte"]·EN["by-the-sword"]·FR["dans-jet","jet"]·heb["ב-שלח"]·HI["तलवार-से"]·ID["dengan-senjata","oleh-pedang"]·IT["in-da-il-spada","nel-da-il-spada"]·jav["ing-tombak","kanthi-tombak"]·KO["창","창-에"]·PT["pela-espada","por-espada"]·RU["от-меча","через-копьё"]·ES["por-espada","por-la-espada"]·SW["kwa-upanga"]·TR["silaha","silahla"]·urd["تلوار سے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
I. שֶׁ֫לַח n.[m.] missile, weapon, sprout (late);—abs. שׁ׳ Jo 2:8 +, שָׁ֑לַח Ne 4:11 Jb 33:18, sf. שִׁלְחוֹ Ne 4:17; pl. שְׁלָחִים 2 Ch 23:10, etc.;— 1. missile, weapon, Ne 4:11 and v 17 (where הַמַּיִם corrupt; read probably בִּימִינוֹ or בְּיָדוֹ; v. Ryle Be-Ry Berthol), 2 Ch 23:10 (disting. from חֲנִית, מָגֵן); coll. 32:5 and עָבַר בַּשׁ׳ Jb 33:18; 36:12 (perish by or rush upon [and perish]),…