---
title: צֶלֶם — image · The Tanakh dictionary
description: צֶלֶם (6754), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 15 times: image. BDB 1906: n.m. image. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/6754.html)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [צ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1510-2.md)‎ / צֶלֶם‎

<!-- .hw dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
# צֶלֶם

<!-- .meta -->
«צֶלֶם» in the Tanakh dictionary: **image** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Used:** 15 times · **Key:** 6754 · **BDB:** צֶ֫לֶם

### Glosses

images (6); the.images (4); image (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

image [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/6754/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. image [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/6754/#m2)

<!-- fold -->
**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. Ez 16:17 image (something cut out, cf. פֶּסֶל; Nö ‘Schnitzbild’);—צ׳ abs. ψ 39:7, cstr. Gn 1:27 +; sf. צַלְמוֹ v 27; 5:3, צַלְמֵנוּ 1:26, צַלְמָם ψ 73:20; pl. cstr. צַלְמֵי 1 S 6:5(×2) +, sf. צְלָמָיו 2 K 11:18; 2 Ch 23:17, צַלְמֵיכֶם Am 5:26;— images of tumours and mice (of gold) 1 S 6:5(×2), 11; especially of heathen gods Am 5:26 (text dub.; del. We as gloss, cf. GASm Dr), 2 K 11:18 = 2 Ch 23:17 (both c. vb. שִׁבְּרוּ), Ez 7:20, so צ׳ זָכָר 16:17 (i.e. in male form, according to fig. of harlotry for idolatry); צַלְמֵי מַסֵּכֹתָם Nu 33:52 their molten images; of painted pictures of men Ez 23:14. image, likeness, of resemblance, בְּצ׳ (בָּרָא) עָשָׂה, of God’s making man in his own image, Gn 1:26 (‖ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ), v 27:27; 9:6, כְּצ׳ 5:3 (‖ בִּדְמוּתוֹ; all P). fig. = mere, empty, image, semblance, בְּצ׳ ψ 39:7 as (ב essentiae) a (mere) semblance man walks about; צַלְמָם תִּבְזֶה 73:20 thou wilt despise their semblance.

<!-- .note -->
Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 13 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «צֶלֶם» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/6754/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Genesis 9:6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.9.6/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
שֹׁפֵךְ֙ דַּ֣ם הָֽאָדָ֔ם בָּֽאָדָ֖ם דָּמ֣וֹ יִשָּׁפֵ֑ךְ כִּ֚י בְּצֶ֣לֶם אֱלֹהִ֔ים עָשָׂ֖ה אֶת־הָאָדָֽם׃

*Word for word:* the.\[one.who\].sheds (of).the.blood of.(the) humankind by (the) humankind blood his it.will.be.shed (dm) in the.image of.God he.made (et) (the) humankind

*JPS 1917:* Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Ezekiel 23:14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/EZK.23.14/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
וַתּ֖וֹסֶף אֶל־תַּזְנוּתֶ֑יהָ וַתֵּ֗רֶא אַנְשֵׁי֙ מְחֻקֶּ֣ה עַל־הַקִּ֔יר צַלְמֵ֣י כַשְׂדִּ֔ים חֲקֻקִ֖ים בַּשָּׁשַֽׁר׃

*Word for word:* and she.added to prostitution(s) her and she.saw men of.a.carved.\[thing\] on the wall the.images of.\[the\].Chaldeans inscribed with (the) vermilion

*JPS 1917:* And she increased her harlotries; for she saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [צָלַל](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/6751.md)
- next →: [צֶלֶם](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5e6_5b6_5dc_5b6_5dd.md)
- ↑ back to [צ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1510-2.md)