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# צֵל

Biblical Hebrew · Strong's H6738

**shadow** — used 53 times in the Hebrew Bible. Below: its meanings with their sources, MACULA's glosses, and 2 verses word for word and in JPS 1917.

## Meaning

### OpenScriptures lexical index

shadow [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/6738/#m1)

### Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906

צֵל²: n.m. shadow [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/6738/#m2)

**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. ψ 144:4 shadow;—צ׳ abs. 2 K 20:9 +, cstr. Gn 19:8 +; sf. צִלְּךָ ψ 121:5, צִלּוֹ Ez 31:6 +, also צִלְלוֹ Jb 40:22, etc.; pl. צְלָלִים Ct 2:17; 4:6; cstr. צִלְלֵי Je 6:4;— shadow on dial 2 K 20:9, 10(×2), 11 ‖ Is 38:8; צִלְלֵי־עָ֑רֶב Je 6:4, cf. Ct 2:17; 4:6; of mt. Ju 9:36. shadow, shade, as protection (from sun): of branches, Ju 9:15 (in allegory), Ho 4:13; Jb 40:22; Jon 4:5, 6 and (in fig.) Ho 14:8; Ez 17:23; 31:6, 12, 17 ψ 80:11 Ct 2:3 (of refreshment, delight); of rock Is 32:2 (sim.); צ׳ קֹרָתִי Gn 19:8 shadow of my roof; of cloud Is 25:4 and (fig. of י׳’s protection 4:6; 25:4, so prob. 16:3; צ׳ כְּנָפֶיךָ shadow of thy wings, fig. of י׳’s protection ψ 17:8; 36:8; 57:2; 63:8; shade, in gen., Jb 7:2, fig. of י׳ ψ 121:5; hence = protection, defence, of city (wall) Je 48:45; of י׳ Nu 14:9 (JE), ψ 91:1 (v. also n.pr. בְּצַלְאֵל), cf. צֵל יָדוֹ Is 49:2 (covering prophet, under fig. of sword), 51:16 (covering people); of human ally Is 30:2, 3, of king La 4:20; also of wisdom Ec 7:12, money v 12.—בְּצִלָּהּ Is 34:15 appar. ref. to קִפּוֹז, but improb.; read perhaps בֵּצֶיהָ her eggs Du CheHpt. (CheHeb. Hpt. transp. וּבָֽקְעָה וְדָֽגְרָה). shadow as symb. of transitoriness of life Jb 8:9; 14:2 ψ 144:4 (כְּצֵל עוֹבֵר), Ec 6:12; 8:13; כְּצֵל נָטוּי of an individ. life near its end ψ 102:12, so כְּצֵל כִּנְטוֹתוֹ 109:23; in sim. of emaciated members, וִיצֻרַי כַּצֵּל Jb 17:7.

Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 49 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (5 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (2 candidates)

## Glosses

MACULA's English glosses of the word in the text, with how often each is used: shade (19); the shadow (14); shadow (12).

## In the verses

[Psalms 91:1](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.91.1/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.91.1/#tree)

יֹ֭שֵׁב בְּסֵ֣תֶר עֶלְי֑וֹן בְּצֵ֥ל שַׁ֝דַּ֗י יִתְלוֹנָֽן׃

*Word for word:* \[one.who\].dwells in the.shelter of.the.Most.High in the.shadow of.\[the\].Almighty he.will.lodge

*JPS 1917:* O thou that dwellest in the covert of the Most High, and abidest in the shadow of the Almighty;

[Job 40:22](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.40.22/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.40.22/#tree)

יְסֻכֻּ֣הוּ צֶאֱלִ֣ים צִֽלֲל֑וֹ יְ֝סֻבּ֗וּהוּ עַרְבֵי־נָֽחַל׃

*Word for word:* they cover.it thorny.lotus.plants shade its they surround.it \[the\].poplars of.\[the\].wadi

*JPS 1917:* The lotus-trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.

## On Mova

- [This word in the Tanakh dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/6738.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of its meanings](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/6738/): every English meaning parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.

Sources. The words, their counts, glosses and the word-for-word renderings: MACULA Hebrew (the Westminster Leningrad Codex; Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0). Meanings: the OpenScriptures lexical index (CC BY 4.0), Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906 and Jastrow 1903 (public domain, via Sefaria); Targum Onkelos from Sefaria (public domain). Translation: JPS 1917 (public domain, from eBible.org).