---
title: צַלְמָוֶת — death-shadow · The Tanakh dictionary
description: צַלְמָוֶת (6757), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 18 times: death-shadow. BDB 1906: death-shadow, deep shadow. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# צַלְמָוֶת

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«צַלְמָוֶת» in the Tanakh dictionary: **death-shadow** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 18 times · **Key:** 6757 · **BDB:** צַלְמָ֫וֶת

### Glosses

deep.darkness (13); of.deep.darkness (5)

### Meaning (OSHB)

death-shadow [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/6757/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

death-shadow, deep shadow [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/6757/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.\[m.\] death-shadow, deep shadow, poet. (prob. = צֵל + מָוֶת, 𝔊 (usually) σκιὰ θανάτου, cf. 𝔖 𝔙, so Thes SchwallyLeben n. d. Tode, 194, v. especially NöZAW xvii (1897), 183 ff.; Ew Br and most mod. (after older comm.) read צַלְמוּת darkness, deep darkness, cp. Arabic ظَلَمَ iv, Assyrian \[ṣalâmu\], Ethiopic ጸልመ be black, dark);—death-shadow, cf. ظُلْمَةٌ 6, often ‖ חֹשֶׁךְ, לַיְלָה, etc., and opp. בֹּקֶר, אוֹר. = deep shadow, darkness (cf. הַרְרֵי אֵל, אַרְזֵי אֵל): Am 5:8; Jb 3:5; 12:22; 24:17a; 28:3; 34:22; of eyes heavy with weeping 16:16; בַּלְהוֹת צ׳ 24:17b terrors of the darkness. fig. of distress Je 13:16 ψ 107:10, 14; אֶרֶץ צ׳ Is 9:1. of extreme danger Je 2:6 ψ 23:4; 44:20. characterizing world of the dead, אֶרֶץ חֹשֶׁךְ וצ׳ Jb 10:21, כְּמוֹ אֹפֶל צ׳ v 22 (text dub., v. Bu Du); וְשַׁעֲרֵי צ׳ 38:17 (𝔊 πυλωροὶ δὲ ᾅδου; ‖ שַׁעֲרֵי־מָ֑וֶת).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 17 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «צַלְמָוֶת» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/6757/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Psalms 107:10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.107.10/)

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יֹ֭שְׁבֵי חֹ֣שֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָ֑וֶת אֲסִירֵ֖י עֳנִ֣י וּבַרְזֶֽל׃

*Word for word:* \[those.who\].sat of.darkness and deep.darkness prisoners of.affliction and iron

*JPS 1917:* Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron —

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[Job 12:22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.12.22/)

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מְגַלֶּ֣ה עֲ֭מֻקוֹת מִנִּי־חֹ֑שֶׁךְ וַיֹּצֵ֖א לָא֣וֹר צַלְמָֽוֶת׃

*Word for word:* \[he.is\].revealing unfathomable.\[things\] from darkness and he.brought.out to the light deep.darkness

*JPS 1917:* He uncovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

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- ← previous: [צַלְמוֹן](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5e6_5b7_5dc_5b0_5de_5d5_5b9_5df.md)
- next →: [צַלְמֹנָה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/6758.md)
- ↑ back to [צ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1510-2.md)