H8032 H8032
Day before yesterday; idiomatically 'formerly, previously, in time past' (always in the phrase temol shilshom)
A temporal adverb literally meaning 'three days ago' or 'the day before yesterday,' but almost always appearing in the fixed idiomatic pair temol shilshom ('yesterday and the day before'), which together mean 'formerly, in time past, as before.' Moses protests he is not eloquent 'neither yesterday nor the day before' (Exod 4:10); a goring ox is liable if it gored 'in time past' (Exod 21:29). Spanish anteayer ('day before yesterday') preserves the literal sense, while French and German renderings often transliterate, reflecting the phrase's idiomatic nature.
Senses
1. day before yesterday / formerly — The temporal adverb 'day before yesterday' or 'three days ago,' functioning almost exclusively within the idiom temol shilshom meaning 'formerly, previously, in time past.' Attested with various prepositions: ki-temol shilshom ('as formerly,' Gen 31:2, 5; 1 Sam 19:7), mi-temol shilshom ('from aforetime,' Exod 21:29; Deut 4:42; 19:4, 6), and gam-temol gam-shilshom ('neither yesterday nor the day before,' Exod 4:10; 2 Sam 3:17). Spanish anteayer and antes-de-ayer consistently capture both the literal and idiomatic temporal reference. 24×
AR["أَوَّلَ-أَمْس", "أَوَّلَ-أَمْسِ", "أَوَّلِ-أَمسِ", "أَوَّلِ-أَمْسِ", "أَوْ-أَوَّلَ-أَمْسِ", "البارِحَةِ", "مَا-قَبْلَهُ", "وَ-أَوَّلَ-أَمْسِ", "وَأَوَّلِ"]·ben["তার-আগেকাল-থেকে", "তিন-গতকাল", "পরশু", "পরশু-থেকে", "পরশুতে", "পরশুদিন", "পরশুর", "পরশুর-মতো"]·DE["[שלשום]", "drei-Tage-ago", "dritter-Tag", "und-vorgestern", "vor", "vor-gestern"]·EN["before", "before-yesterday", "third-day", "three-days-ago"]·FR["[שלשום]", "devant", "devant-hier", "trois-jours-ago", "trois-jours-il-y-a", "troisième-jour"]·heb["שִׁלְשׁוֹם", "שלשום", "שלשם"]·HI["परसो̃", "परसों", "परसों-की-तरह", "परसोम", "पहले", "शिल्शोम"]·ID["dahulu", "dahulu-kala", "dan-kemarin-dulu", "kala", "kelmarin", "kemarin-dulu", "kemarinnya"]·IT["[שלשום]", "davanti", "davanti-a", "davanti-a-ieri", "davanti-a-yesterday", "terzo-giorno", "tre-giorni-ago", "tre-giorni-fa"]·jav["kala-dhisik", "kala-wingi-dhèk-wingi,", "kala-wingingipun", "kala-wingking", "kalawingi", "kalih-dinten-kepengker", "kapriyen", "lan-kala-dhèk-wingi", "lan-kala-winginipun", "wingi-kawuri", "wingi-èmben"]·KO["[10]", "그저께", "그저께-같이", "그저께도", "그저께부터", "그저께에", "그제", "그제처럼"]·PT["anteontem", "anteriormente", "antes", "antesontem", "de-anteontem", "e-anteontem"]·RU["и-позавчера", "и-третьего-дня", "позавчера"]·ES["anteayer", "antes-de-ayer", "y-anteayer"]·SW["jana", "juzi", "mtatu", "na-juzi"]·TR["evvelki-gün", "önceki-gün", "önceki-günden"]·urd["بار-بار", "پرسوں", "پرسوں-سے", "پرسوں-کی", "کل-پرسوں"]
2. previously (anomalous gloss) — A single anomalous occurrence in Prov 22:20 where the Ketiv reading shilshom appears in a context unrelated to temporal reference. Some translations render it as 'previously' (English, Spanish antes), but Hindi, Arabic, and Swahili glosses suggest 'thirty' (sheloshim), pointing to a possible textual confusion with the numeral. Many modern scholars emend to shalishim ('excellent things' or 'thirty sayings'), understanding this as the introduction to the Thirty Sayings of the Wise. 1×
AR["[ثلاثين]"]·ben["তীসটা"]·DE["[[שלשום]]"]·EN["[previously]"]·FR["[שלשום]"]·heb["[שלשום]"]·HI["[तीस]"]·ID["[dahulu]"]·IT["[previously]"]·jav["tigang-puluh"]·KO["[전에]"]·PT["[trinta]"]·RU["[ктив:третьего-дня]"]·ES["[antes]"]·SW["mambo-thelathini"]·TR["[üç-kez]"]
Related Senses
H3605 1. all, every, whole (5352×)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×)H0259 1. one (cardinal numeral) (940×)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×)H8147 1. cardinal number two (666×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† שִׁלְשֹׁם and (less often) שִׁלְשׁוֹם 25 adv. = three days ago, specif. day before yesterday (Köii. 1. 255 f. LagBN 20 Anm. BaNB § 216b);—in phr. תְּמוֹל שׁ׳ Ex 5:8 yesterday (and) day before, idiomat. for hitherto, so Ru 2:11, אֶתְמוֹל שׁ׳ 1 S 4:7; כִּת׳ שׁ׳ Gn 31:2, 5 (E), Ex 5:7, 14 (J), 2 K 13:5, cf. 1 S 14:21; 19:7; גַּם־ת׳ גַּם־שׁ׳ Ex 4:10 (J), 2 S 3:17; 1 Ch 11:2, cf. 2 S 5:2; מִתּ׳ שׁ׳…