H7989 H7989
ruler, one having mastery or dominion; someone with authority or controlling power, whether legitimate or imperious
This adjective-turned-noun describes someone having mastery or ruling authority. Genesis 42:6 uses it of Joseph as 'the ruler over the land' of Egypt. Ecclesiastes employs it three times: 7:19 speaks of rulers in a city, 8:8 notes that no one has mastery over the wind or the day of death, and 10:5 describes an error proceeding from 'the ruler.' The multilingual glosses (Spanish gobernador/gobernante, French gouverneur/chef, German transliterations) recognize this as an authority figure. Ecclesiastes' usage is particularly nuanced—rulers have power, but ultimate realities (death, natural forces) remain beyond human mastery. The term can carry neutral or negative connotations depending on context, from legitimate governance to domineering control.
Senses
1. sense 1 — One having mastery or ruling authority; a ruler or governor. Joseph is identified as 'the ruler over the land' in Genesis 42:6. Ecclesiastes uses it for city rulers (7:19), those in positions of power (10:5), while also noting the limits of human mastery—no one rules over death or wind (8:8). The term emphasizes the possession and exercise of control, whether legitimate governance or imperious domination, while acknowledging ultimate boundaries to human authority. 4×
AR["الْ-مُسَلَّطُ", "عَشْرَةِ", "مُتَسَلِّطٌ", "هَ-شَّلِّيط"]·ben["শাসক", "শাসকদের", "শাসকের", "শাসনকর্তা"]·DE["[השליט]", "[שליט]", "[שליטים]", "der-Herrscher"]·EN["ruler", "rulers", "the-ruler"]·FR["gouverneur", "le-chef", "le-gouverneur"]·heb["ה-שליט", "שליט", "שליטים"]·HI["अधिकारी", "शासक", "शासक-के", "शासकों"]·ID["penguasa", "yang-berkuasa"]·IT["il-governatore", "il-il-ruler", "ruler", "rulers"]·jav["nguwaosi", "panguwasa", "panguwåså", "panguàsa"]·KO["다스리는-자", "지배자", "통치자-그", "통치자들"]·PT["governadores", "o-governador", "o-governante", "que-governa"]·RU["властителей,", "властитель", "властителя:", "властного"]·ES["el-gobernador", "el-gobernante", "gobernantes", "que-domina"]·SW["mkubwa", "mtawala", "mwenye-mamlaka", "watawala"]·TR["-yönetici", "hakim", "hakimin", "hakimler"]·urd["اختیار-والا", "حاکم-تھا", "حکمران-کے", "حکمرانوں"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† שַׁלִּיט adj. having mastery, domineering;— 1. having mastery: אֵין אָדָם שׁ׳ בָּרוּחַ Ec 8:8; elsewhere as subst. הַשּׁ׳ the ruler 10:5, so (c. עַל־הָאָרֶץ) Gn 42:6 (prob. late substitution for original word of E); pl. as subst. שַׁלִּיטִים Ec 7:19 (specif. of Alex.’s successors PerlesAnal. 42). 2. domineering, imperious, fs. (Köii 1. 201) אִשָּׁה זוֹנָה שַׁלָּ֑טֶת Ez 16:30 (Jerusalem personified).