שָׁלַח
to send
also: send away, let go, stretch out fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
- Preposition
- A relational word (e.g. “in,” “to,” “from”) governing a noun.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘send’
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem. Here: ‘send off’
- Hiphil
- The causative active stem (“he caused / brought about”).
- Pual
- The passive counterpart of the Piel.
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”).
Form
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
- Cohortative
- A first-person volitional form expressing wish or resolve (“let me / let us write”).
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
37 verses where H7971 appears in the Qal stem in the Book of 1 Kings. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
1 Kings
- 1 Kings 1:44 וַ/יִּשְׁלַ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms and the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and they have caused him to ride on the king's mule;
- 1 Kings 1:53 וַ/יִּשְׁלַ֞ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. He came and did obeisance to king Solomon; and Solomon said to him, Go to your house.
- 1 Kings 2:25 וַ/יִּשְׁלַח֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms King Solomon sent by Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell on him, so that he died.
- 1 Kings 2:29 וַ/יִּשְׁלַ֨ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms It was told king Solomon, Joab is fled to the Tent of Yahweh, and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall on him.
- 1 Kings 2:36 וַ/יִּשְׁלַ֤ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, Build yourself a house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and don't go forth from there any where.
- 1 Kings 2:42 וַ/יִּשְׁלַ֨ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, Didn't I adjure you by Yahweh, and protest to you, saying, Know for certain, that on the day you go out, and walk abroad any where, you shall surely die? and you said to me, The saying that I have heard is good.
- 1 Kings 5:1 וַ֠/יִּשְׁלַח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.
- 1 Kings 5:2 וַ/יִּשְׁלַ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
- 1 Kings 5:8 וַ/יִּשְׁלַ֤ח שָׁלַ֖חְתָּ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Qal pf 2ms Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have heard [the message] which you have sent to me: I will do all your desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir.
- 1 Kings 5:9 תִּשְׁלַ֥ח Qal impf 2ms My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place that you shall appoint me, and will cause them to be broken up there, and you shall receive them; and you shall accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.
- 1 Kings 5:14 וַ/יִּשְׁלָחֵ֣/ם conj + Qal wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3mp He sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses; a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home; and Adoniram was over the men subject to forced labor.
- 1 Kings 7:13 וַ/יִּשְׁלַח֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms King Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.
- 1 Kings 8:44 תִּשְׁלָחֵ֑/ם Qal impf 2ms + sfx pers 3mp If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to Yahweh toward the city which you have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for your name;
- 1 Kings 9:14 וַ/יִּשְׁלַ֥ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Hiram sent to the king one hundred twenty talents of gold.
- 1 Kings 9:27 וַ/יִּשְׁלַ֨ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Hiram sent in the navy his servants, sailors who had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.
- 1 Kings 12:3 וַֽ/יִּשְׁלְחוּ֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp and they sent and called him), that Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came, and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,
- 1 Kings 12:18 וַ/יִּשְׁלַ֞ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the men subject to forced labor; and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. King Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.
- 1 Kings 12:20 וַֽ/יִּשְׁלְח֗וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp It happened, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was returned, that they sent and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none who followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.
- 1 Kings 13:4 וַ/יִּשְׁלַ֨ח שָׁלַ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Qal pf 3ms It happened, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. His hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to him.
- 1 Kings 14:6 שָׁל֥וּחַ Qal ptcp.pass ms It was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, you wife of Jeroboam; why feign you yourself to be another? for I am sent to you with heavy news.
- 1 Kings 15:18 וַ/יִּשְׁלָחֵ֞/ם conj + Qal wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3mp Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and the treasures of the king's house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants; and king Asa sent them to Ben Hadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived at Damascus, saying,
- 1 Kings 15:19 שָׁלַ֨חְתִּֽי Qal pf 1cs [There is] a league between me and you, between my father and your father: behold, I have sent to you a present of silver and gold; go, break your league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.
- 1 Kings 15:20 וַ֠/יִּשְׁלַח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Ben Hadad listened to king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel, and struck Ijon, and Dan, and Abel Beth Maacah, and all Chinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.
- 1 Kings 18:10 שָׁלַ֨ח Qal pf 3ms As Yahweh your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom, where my lord has not sent to seek you: and when they said, He is not here, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they didn't find you.
- 1 Kings 18:19 שְׁלַ֨ח Qal impv 2ms Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, who eat at Jezebel's table.
- 1 Kings 18:20 וַ/יִּשְׁלַ֥ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to Mount Carmel.
- 1 Kings 19:2 וַ/תִּשְׁלַ֤ח conj + Qal wimpf 3fs Then Jezebel send a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I don't make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
- 1 Kings 20:2 וַ/יִּשְׁלַ֧ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms He sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said to him, Thus says Ben Hadad,
- 1 Kings 20:5 שָׁלַ֤חְתִּי Qal pf 1cs The messengers came again, and said, Thus speaks Ben Hadad, saying, I sent indeed to you, saying, You shall deliver me your silver, and your gold, and your wives, and your children;
- 1 Kings 20:6 אֶשְׁלַ֤ח Qal impf 1cs but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house, and the houses of your servants; and it shall be, that whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.
- 1 Kings 20:7 שָׁלַ֨ח Qal pf 3ms Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Please notice how this man seeks mischief: for he sent to me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I didn't deny him.
- 1 Kings 20:9 שָׁלַ֨חְתָּ Qal pf 2ms Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that you did send for to your servant at the first I will do; but this thing I may not do. The messengers departed, and brought him word again.
- 1 Kings 20:10 וַ/יִּשְׁלַ֤ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Ben Hadad sent to him, and said, The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me.
- 1 Kings 20:17 וַ/יִּשְׁלַ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben Hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out from Samaria.
- 1 Kings 21:8 וַ/תִּשְׁלַ֣ח conj + Qal wimpf 3fs So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, [and] who lived with Naboth.
- 1 Kings 21:11 שָׁלְחָ֥ה שָׁלְחָ֖ה Qal pf 3fs Qal pf 3fs The men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, according as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them.
- 1 Kings 21:14 וַֽ/יִּשְׁלְח֖וּ conj + Qal wimpf 3mp Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
At its core, שלח (shâlach) means “to send.” Across 5 stems, its meaning turns on the binyan (Qal, Niphal). It turns up in 790 verses across 34 books, one of the most common footprint. It first appears in Genesis 3:22. It clusters with משלוח, שלוח and שלח under a shared root. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H7971 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 790
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 790 distinct verses.
- 34 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 34 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #52
- by frequency
- Top 100 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 52 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 790 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 790 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 456 verses · 58%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 185 verses · 23%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 149 verses · 19%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Sent 211×, He sent 53×, Send 35×
- American Standard Version: Sent 194×, He sent 48×, Send 35×
- Berean Standard Bible: Sent 148×, I will send 34×, Send 28×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Sent 176×, And 106×, He sent 69×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H7971 across 852 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 223 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H7971 across 851 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 242 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H7971 across 827 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 253 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 19 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H7971 across 1,063 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 170 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
35 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Pual (the passive of Piel).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 35 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Qal
- Pf. 3 ms. שׁ׳ Gn 42:4 +, 2 ms. sf. שְׁלַחְתָּ֑נִי Ex 5:22, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יִשְׁלַח Gn 3:22 +, 2 fpl. תִּשְׁלַ֫חְנָה Ez 23:40 (Ju 5:26 read תִּשְׁלָחֶנָּה? Ob 3 תִּשְׁלַח יָד? Ges§ 47 k); Imv. ms. שְׁלַח 1 S 20:31 +, mpl. שְׁלָ֑חוּ 2 K 2:17; Inf. abs. שָׁל(וֹ)חַ Nu 22:37 +; cstr. שְׁלֹחַ v 15 +, שְׁלַח Is 58:9, sf. שָׁלְחֶ֑ךָ Gn 38:17, etc.; Pt. act. שֹׁלֵחַ Ex 9:14 +, etc.; שָׁלוּחַ 1 K 14:6 +, etc.;— e.g. Genesis 42:4
- 1. send: human subj., especially
- a. acc. pers. Gn 42:4; 43:8 (both J; c. אֵת with, pers.) Nu 22:15 (E) + often, c. ל rei for which Je 14:3; 16:16; sq. אֶל pers. Gn 37:13 (J), 2 S 11:6; Ne 6:5 +; rarely c. ל pers. Gn 32:19 (J; pass.), אֶל loc. 2 Ch 16:4, ב loc. 1 S 11:3, acc. loc. 2 K 22:3, -ה loc. 1 K 5:28, -ה loc. + מֵעַל pers. 2 S 13:17, מִן loc. Gn 37:14 (J), Nu 13:3 (P), etc.; sq. inf. purpose 1 S 25:14 (+ מִן loc.), 2 K 1:16 Je 40:14 +, אֶל pers. c. inf. purpose 2 S 10:3; Je 42:9 +, c. ו subord. 2 K 5:6, c. vb. fin. actionis Ex 2:5 (E), sent her maid and took, +, etc. (many combinations); acc. pers. alone 24:5 (E), Jos 7:22 (E), 2 S 10:7 + often e.g. Genesis 42:4
- b. less often acc. rei (sometimes c. בְּיַד of agent), c. אֶל pers. 1 S 16:20; 2 K 5:5; 20:12 +, 1 K 5:23 (= designate by sending unto), ל pers. Ju 3:15; 1 K 5:22 +, אֶל loc. Est 1:22, שָׁ֫מָּה 2 K 6:14; + inf. purpose 1 Ch 19:4; Est 4:4; + vb. fin. action. ψ 105:28; acc. of kid, alone, Gn 38:23 also (acc. om.) v 17, etc. e.g. 1 Samuel 16:20
- c. very often without obj.: + vb. fin. action., send and do so and so, Gn 27:45 (E), 2 K 11:4; Jb 1:5 +; c. אֶל pers. Ho 5:13; 2 S 11:6 +, especially + לֵאמֹר Gn 38:25 (J), 1 K 20:5 (often S K), Je 29:28 +; c. inf. purpose Gn 32:6 (J), Nu 21:32 (J), 1 S 22:11 +, etc. (and so 1 S 31:9, reading וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ, for Pi., Th We Dr Now, not HPS Bu); abs. 2 K 2:16, 17; 2 S 14:29; = send to inquire 1 K 20:17, etc. e.g. Genesis 27:45
- 2. send: subj. י׳ (God),
- a. acc. pers. Gn 45:5 (E; לִפְנֵי pers.), 1 S 15:18 (בְּדָ֑רֶךְ), + אֶל pers. 2 S 12:1; acc. of angel, לִפְנֵי pers. Gn 24:7; Ex 33:2 (both J), אֵת with Gn 24:40 (J), etc.; c. acc. pers. = commission Ex 3:12 (E), Ju 6:14; Is 6:8; Je 14:14, 15 + often Je, Zc 2:13 +; also (c. אֶל pers.) Ex 3:13 (E), Je 25:4; Ez 3:6 +, etc.; especially of sending prophet, (שָׁלַח), הַשְׁכֵּם וְשָׁלוֹחַ Je 7:25 + (v. [שָׁכַם]); acc. pers. + inf. purpose 1 S 15:1; Je 19:14 +; + עַד loc. 2 K 2:2, acc. loc. v 4, ה—ָ loc. v 6, etc. e.g. Genesis 45:5
- b. c. acc. rei, plagues Ex 9:14 (c. אֶל־לֵב, ב pers.), fig. arrows 2 S 22:15 = ψ 18:15 (+ vb. fin. action.), ψ 144:6, cf. Je 25:16 al.; his word Is 9:7 (ב gent.), 55:11 (אשׁר to which), Zc 7:12 (ב agent.), ψ 107:20 (+ vb. fin. action.), 147:15 (+ acc. אֶרֶץ); acc. help 20:3 (מִן loc.), light and truth 43:3 (+ vb. fin. action.), cf. 57:4. e.g. Exodus 9:14
- 3. stretch out, especially acc. hand:
- a. human subj., c. ב pers. against, Gn 37:22 (E), 1 S 24:11; Est 2:21 +; c. ב rei (property of others) Ex 22:7, 10 (E), Est 9:10 +, בַּחַלָּמִישׁ Jb 28:9; c. אֶל pers. against Gn 22:12 (E), 2 S 18:12, עַל pers. 1 K 13:4, etc.; אֶל rei (for good) 2 S 6:6 (יָד om.); from outside, inward, Ct 5:4 (מִן loc.); abs. Jb 30:24 (read טֹבֵעַ for בְּעִי Di Bi Bu). + inf. purpose 1 S 22:17; 2 S 1:14; 1 Ch 13:9; + vb. fin. act. Gn 3:22 (J) Dt 25:11; Ju 15:15 +; שׁ׳ אֶצְבַּע Is 58:9, in token of scorn; c. acc. of rod 1 S 14:27; שִׁלֳחוּ מַגָּל Jo 4:13 stretch out (the) sickle. e.g. Genesis 37:22
- b. י׳ subj., acc. hand, + אֶל pers. against Ex 24:11 (E), cf. (עַל) ψ 138:7; + vb. fin. act. †Ex 3:20 (JE), 9:15 (J), Jb 1:11; 2:5; in favour, Je 1:9, abs. ψ 144:7 (מִן loc.), also (pass.) Ez 2:9 and (acc. תַּבְנִית יָד), 8:3. e.g. Exodus 24:11
- c. acc. hand, subj. angel, + acc. loc., inf. purpose 2 S 24:16, cherub, אֶל rei, מִן loc. Ez 10:7; adversary, אֶל pers. Jb 1:12; subj. angle, acc. rod Ju 6:21. e.g. 2 Samuel 24:16
- d. stretched out, slender, of tree Gn 49:21 (poem in J), v. i. אֵלָה supr. p. 18b. e.g. Genesis 49:21
- e. perhaps extend, direct, acc. rei Ez 8:17 (v. זְמוֹרָה supr. p. 274b, also conj. in Toy Krae). e.g. Ezekiel 8:17
- 4. rarely send away (v. Pi.): human subj., acc. pers. Ju 11:38 (+ acc. temp.), Gn 28:5 (P). e.g. Judges 11:38
- 5. let loose (v. Pi.), perhaps only ψ 50:19 (fig.) thy mouth hast thou let loose in evil. e.g. Psalms 50:19
Niphal
- Inf. abs. וְנִשְׁלוֹחַ סְפָרִים = letters were sent (Ges§ 114 z gg) Est 3:13 (+ אֶל pers., בְּיַד agent., inf. purpose). e.g. Esther 3:13
Piel
- Pf. 3 ms. שִׁלַּח Ex 8:28 +, sf. שִׁלַּחֲךָ 1 S 20:22, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יְשַׁלַּח Je 3:1 +, יְשַׁלֵּ֑חַ Is 45:13; Pr 6:14; 1 s. sf. אֲשַׁלֵּחֲךָ Gn 32:27, אֲשַׁלְּחֶ֫ךָּ 2 S 11:12 1 K 20:34, etc.; Imv. ms. שַׁלַּח Ex 4:23 +, etc.; Inf. abs. Dt 22:7 1 K 11:22; cstr. שַׁלַּח Gn 8:10 +, שַׁלֵּ֑חַ Ex 7:27 +, etc.; Pt. מְשַׁלֵּחַ Gn 43:4 +, etc.;— e.g. Exodus 8:28
- 1. send off, away, human subj.:
- a. acc. pers. + ל loc. Jos 24:28 (E), Ju 7:8; 1 S 10:25 +; + ל pers. Je 48:12; + -ה loc. Ju 12:9 and (c. inf. purpose) Gn 28:6 (P); acc. of goat, לַעֲזָאזֵל Lv 16:10 (-ה loc.), v 26; send out, different ways, acc. pers., ב loc. Ju 19:29; 20:6; send into exile, י׳ subj., c. מִן loc. Je 24:5, -ה loc. 29:20. e.g. Joshua 24:28
- b. send away, dismiss, acc. pers. Gn 21:14 (E), 25:6 (J; מֵעַל pers.), 2 S 13:16 +; specif., c. acc. of wife (= divorce), Dt 22:19, 29; 24:1, 3; Je 3:1 +, abs. Mal 2:16. e.g. Genesis 21:14
- c. send away empty (-handed) רֵיקָם, + acc. pers. Gn 31:42 (E), Dt 15:13; Jb 22:9. e.g. Genesis 31:41
- d. send off, give a ‘send-off’ (sometimes escort part way), acc. pers., Gn 18:16; 24:59; 31:27 (all J), 1 S 9:26; 2 S 19:32; 2 K 5:24; 6:23; Ob 7. e.g. Genesis 18:16
- e. acc. rei 1 S 6:8 Ne 8:12 +, c. acc. loc. 1 S 5:10; 6:3, אֶל pers. Je 27:3, etc. e.g. 1 Samuel 6:8
- 2.
- a. send away, subj. י׳, acc. pers. Gn 19:29 (J; מִתּוֹךְ), 1 K 9:7 (מֵעַל פְּנֵי). e.g. Genesis 19:29
- b. give over, acc. pers. ψ 81:13 (ב of evil). e.g. Psalms 81:13
- c. cast out, acc. pers. Je 28:16 (מֵעַל־פְּנֵי), Lv 18:24; 20:23 (both מִפְּנֵי). e.g. Jeremiah 28:16
- d. send out, forth, send on a mission, especially of י׳, c. acc. of hornet Dt 7:20, cf. 28:20; 32:24 (all ב pers.), serpents Nu 21:6 (E; ב pers.), lions 2 K 17:25, 26 (both id.), foes 2 K 24:2(×2) (+ inf. purpose); pestilence Am 4:10; Ez 28:23 (ב pers.), etc.; also springs into (ב) channel ψ 104:10. e.g. Deuteronomy 7:20
- 3. let go, set free (sometimes c. חָפְשִׁי) Ex 4:23; 5:2(×2) (all JE), 2 S 3:21, 23, 24 +; = cease to abuse Ju 19:25; + inf. purpose Gn 24:56 (J), Ex 5:1 (E; + 10 times Ex), 1 S 5:11; c. acc. of bird Gn 8:7, 8 (+ מֵאִתּוֹ) +; + עַל־פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה Lv 14:7, cf. v 53 (both P); = let loose, acc. of beast, Ex 22:4 (E), Lv 16:22 (ב loc.); acc. of bridle Jb 30:11 (fig.); metaph. of strife Pr 6:14, 19; 16:28; let loose waters, subj. י׳, Jb 12:15. e.g. Exodus 4:23
- 4. shoot forth branches, Je 17:8 ψ 80:12 Ez 31:5 (but v. i. שֶׁלַח 2); cf. of locks (פֶּרַע) Ez 44:20 = let grow long. e.g. Jeremiah 17:8
- 5. let down, acc. pers. Je 38:6 (ב instr.), acc. rei v 11 (id. + אֶל pers. et loc.). e.g. Jeremiah 38:6
- 6. shoot (acc. of arrow om.), לְשַׁ׳ לִי לְמַטָּרָה 1 S 20:20. e.g. 1 Samuel 20:20
- 7. phrases: שִׁלַּח (אֶת־)הָעִיר בָּאֵשׁ †Ju 1:8; 20:48, cf. 2 K 8:12 ψ 74:7; but also שׁ׳ אֵשׁ בְּ †Am 1:4, 7, 10, 12; 2:2, 5; Ho 8:14; Ez 39:6; rare expressions are: וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם בְּיַד־פִּשְׁעָם Jb 8:4 (God subj.); stretch out hand, ב rei (for use) Pr 31:19, ל pers. (charity) v 20; חֶבְלֵיהֶם תְּשַׁלַּחְנָה Jb 39:3 (of hinds, bearing); שַׁלַּח לַחְמְךָ עַל־פְּנֵי הַמָּ֑יִם Ec 11:1.—רַגְלַי שִׁלֵּ֑חוּ Jb 30:12 is corrupt; Theod Ew Di רַגְלָם שִׁלֵּ֑חוּ; Me Bu Be al. dittogr. from v 11 b. e.g. Judges 1:8
Pual
- Pf. 3 ms. שֻׁלַּח Ju 5:15; Jb 18:8, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יְשֻׁלַּח Pr 17:11; Pt. מְשֻׁלָּח Is 16:2 +;—be sent off (started on journey) Gn 44:3 (J); with commission, ב pers. Ob 1; Pr 17:11, אֶל pers. Dn 10:11; be put away, divorced, of wife Is 50:1 (fig.); be impelled (?), בְּרַגְלָיו (= at his heels?), c. ב loc. Ju 5:15 (vb. dub.), cf. שֻׁלַּח בְּרֶשֶׁת בְּרַגְלָיו Jb 18:8 he is hurried into the net with his feet (? 𝔊 Du שֻׁלְּחָה רַגְלוֹ); קֵן מְשֻׁלָּח Is 16:2 a driven (scattered) nest (‖ עוֹף נוֹדֵד), cf. נָוֶה מְשׁ׳ וְנֶעֱזָב כַּמִּדְבָּר 27:10; נַעַר מְשׁ׳ Pr 29:15 a boy let loose (unrestrained). e.g. Judges 5:15
Hiphil
- Pf. 1 s. וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּ֫י and I (י׳) will send famine, בָּאָרֶץ Am 8:11, cf. Ez 14:13, wild beasts; ב pers. Lv 26:22 (H); Pt. מַשְׁלִיחַ, acc. of flies, ב pers. Ex 8:17 (J); Inf. cstr. לְהַשְׁלִיחַ, acc. of foe, ב gent. 2 K 15:37. e.g. Amos 8:11
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
vb. send (NH id.; Ecclus 48:18 +; Aramaic שְׁלַח, ܫܠܰܚ, SoBuhl BaES 41 cp. Arabic سَرَحَ (r = l), send forth, drive cattle to pasture, send messenger, etc., but then diff. √ for i. שֶׁלַח, Arabic سِلَاحٌ, سِلَحٌ weapon; Assyrian prob. šalû (send, hurl?), whence tešlîtu, command);—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
שָׁלַח
- to draw out; to stretch forth; to send. Erub. III, 2 השׁוֹלֵחַ ערובו וכ׳ if one sends his ‘Erub (עֵרוּב) forth to be laid by a deaf and dumb person. Ḥull. 59ᵇ, a. fr. שָׁלְחוּ מתם they sent word from there (from Palestine to Babylonia). Gitt. IV, 1 השולח גט וכ׳ if a man sends a letter of divorce to his wife &c. B. Kam. VI, 4, v. בְּעֵרָה. Ib. ש׳ ביד פיקח (ib. 60ᵃ שִׁילֵּחַ) if he sent out fire through a sane person; a. fr.—Part. pass. שָׁלוּחַ q. v.—ש׳ יד ב־ [to stretch out a hand against,] to make illegitimate use of, to misappropriate (Ex. XXII, 10). B. Mets. III, 12 השולח יד בפקדון if a person makes use of a trust. Ib. החושב לִשְׁלוֹחַ יד וכ׳ if he declares his intention to use a trust; אינו חייב עד שיִשְׁלַח בו יד he is not responsible (for loss), until he has used it; a. fr. e.g. Exodus 22:10
- same, to send; to send away, dismiss. Bets. I, 9 אין מְשַׁלְּחִין בי"ט וכ׳ on the Holy Day you dare not send (to a friend) anything except portions (of eatables, ready for use); משלחין בהמה וכ׳ you may send cattle … alive or slaughtered. Ḥull. XII, 3 שִׁלְּחָהּ וחזרה if he sent the mother bird away, and she came back. Ib. אמר … ומְשַׁלֵּחַ הבנים if he says, I will take the mother, and send the young away; חייב לשַׁלֵּחַ he is bound to send her away. Gen. R. s. 21 שִׁלְּחוֹ מגן … ושלחו וכ׳ he banished him (Adam) from the paradise of this world and from that of the other world; a. fr.
- to be sent off; to be commissioned. Yoma VI, 2, a. e. המִשְׁתַּלֵּחַ the goat that is to be sent away (Lev. XVI, 10), the scapegoat. Ib. 1 נשפך … המשתלח if the blood (of the goat designated for sacrifice) was spilt, the scapegoat is to be put to death (cannot be used for the ceremony). Gen. R. s. 49 מעשה באחד שנש׳ לגבות וכ׳ it happened that one was commissioned to tax the inhabitants &c.; a. fr. e.g. Leviticus 16:10
שְׁלַח
- 1. to send, send off. Targ. Num. XIII, 2. Targ. O. ib. 16. Targ. Ps. XLIV, 3 Ms. (ed. פסד׳). Targ. Jer. XLII, 6 שָׁלְחִין (not שולחין); a. fr.—Part. pass. שְׁלִיחַ; f. שְׁלִיחָא; pl. שְׁלִיחִין, שְׁלִיחָן. Ob. I, 1. Targ. Is. XLIV, 26 שְׁלִיחוֹהִי ed. Lag. (ed. Wil. שְׁלוּח׳). Targ. I Chr. XIV, 15; a. fr.—Ber. 28ᵃ ש׳ להו וכ׳ R. J. sent them word to the school house; a. fr.—Koh. R. to III, 2 שְׁלִיחְהוֹן דברייתא the messenger of men (men’s guardian angel). e.g. Obadiah 1:1
- 2. to throw off, undress, flay (cmp. פָּשַׁט). Targ. Esth. V, 14. Targ. Is. XXXII, 11. Targ. II Chr. XXIX, 34; a. fr.—Ber. l. c. שְׁלַח מדך take off thy cloak (v. מַדָּא). Y. Taan. III, end, 67ᵃ הוה ש׳ מסאניה he took off one shoe; כד הוה ש׳ תריהון when he had taken off both of them; a. fr.—Part. pass. as ab. Sot. 8ᵇ (proverbial expression) ש׳ ערטילאי וכ׳ undressed, naked, but with shoes on (a person cares more for shoes than for any other article of dress); Keth. 65ᵇ top האי תנא ש׳ וכ׳ this Tannai (who gave the wife the right to ask for three pairs of shoes and one suit of clothes) seems to assume that a woman cares more for shoes &c. Koh. R. to V, 10 איך אינון אתיין שליחין וכ׳ (not שלו׳) how will they come (on resurrection day), naked, or dressed? Ib. היך זרעתין ש׳ וכ׳ how didst thou plant them (the beans), undressed or dressed (in the pods)? a. e.
- 1. to send; to send off, dismiss. Targ. O. Lev. XVI, 21, sq. Targ. O. Ex. VIII, 17; a. fr.—Part. pass. מְשַׁלַּח; f. מְשַׁלְּחָא &c. Targ. O. Gen. XXXII, 19.
- 2. to strip, undress. Y. R. Hash. II, 58ᵇ top ובטול … יְשַׁלַּח and in the shade of the fig tree he (the ox) would shed his skin (feeling warm, he would rub himself against the tree); Snh. 18ᵇ. Sabb. 33ᵇ הוו מְשַׁלְּחֵי מנייהו used to put off their clothes. Shebu. 41ᵃ צורבא דרבנן משלח וכ׳ may a scholar strip a man of his cloak? (i.e. should a scholar as such have any prerogatives in law?); a. fr.
- 1. to send off, let loose. Targ. O. Ex. VIII, 17.
- 2. to strip, throw off; to flay. Targ. I Sam. XIX, 24. Targ. II Chr. XXXV, 11. Targ. Lev. I, 6 (Y. II ויחליש). Targ. Num. XX, 26; a. fr.
- 1. to be sent, sent off. Targ. Jud. V, 15. Targ. Y. Gen. XXXII, 19; a. fr.
- 2. to be stripped; to shed the skin. Ib. III, 21.—Ḥull. 59ᵃ מאן … מִישְׁתַּלַּח משכיה he who eats three Tiḳlas of asafoetida on an empty stomach, will shed his skin; ואי לא … מישת׳ משכאי had I not sat in water, I should have &c.
שֶׁלַח I
- (preced.) hide, fresh skin. Makhsh. V, 6 החובט על הש׳ he who beats upon a (wetted) hide. Bekh. IX, 4 נשחטה … והש׳ קיים when its mother has been killed, but the hide is still intact. Tosef. Sabb. VIII (IX), 1; a. e.—Pl. שְׁלָחִין. Sabb. IV, 2 טומנין בש׳ you may keep dishes warm (for the Sabbath) in fresh hides. Ib. 49ᵃ ש׳ של בעה"ב hides belonging to a private man; של אומן to a mechanic (shoemaker &c.). Ib.ᵇ הביאו ש׳ וכ׳ bring us hides to sit down on them; a. e.
שֶׁלַח
- (שָׁלַח) [stripped of its skin,] a pressed olive the stone of which slips out at a touch.—Pl. שְׁלָחִין, שְׁלוּ׳. Ab. Zar. II, 7 (39ᵇ; Mish. a. Y. ed. שלו׳). Ib. 40ᵇ היכי דמי ש׳ וכ׳ when are they called Sh’laḥin? When the stone slips out as you take the olive in your hand.
שֶׁלַח III
- , pl. שְׁלָחִין (tradit. pronunc. שַׁלְחִין) (שלח; cmp. Job V, 10, a. Neh. III, 15) arms, ditches for irrigation; בית הש׳ (שדה) a field which needs irrigation, opp. בית הבעל (v. בַּעַל). M. Kat. I, 1. Tosef. ib. I, 1 שדה בית הש׳ שחרבה a field dependent on irrigation which has become dry. Ib. 4 השלוחין ed. Zuck. (Var. השלח׳). M. Kat. 2ᵃ מאי משמע דהאי בית הש׳ לישנא דצחותא וכ׳ what evidence is there that beth hash-sh’laḥin has the meaning of thirstiness (dryness)? Answ. ref. to מְשַׁלְהֵי for עָיֵף (v. שַׁלְהֵי I). B. Bath. IV, 7 בית הש׳ the fields belonging to a township; expl. ib. 68ᵃ באגי fields, גינונייתא gardens (ref. to Cant. IV, 13). Ib. 99ᵇ; a. e. e.g. Job 5:10
שֶׁלַח IV
- (שָׁלַח) extension, stepping space or depth of a step. Midd. II, 3; III, 6 ושִׁלְחָהּ אמה and the depth of each step was one cubit, v. רוּם II.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 457 distinct written forms H7971 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 397 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H7971, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
- משלוח mishlôwach H4916 pasture
- שלוח shillûwach H7964 parting gift
- שלח shᵉlach H7972 to send
- שלח shelach H7973 weapon
- שלחן shulchân H7979 table
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 7 — not the complete family. 1 of the same-root words is a proper name (a person or place). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 745 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 790 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 3:22
- Exodus 2:5
- Leviticus 14:7
- Numbers 5:2
- Deuteronomy 1:22
- Joshua 1:16
- Judges 1:8
- 1 Samuel 4:4
- 2 Samuel 1:14
- 1 Kings 1:44
- 2 Kings 1:2
- 1 Chronicles 8:8
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
