שַׁל

From the study of 2 Samuel 6:7

Range of meaning

Uncertain, because this is the only place the word occurs in the Bible. There are three main proposals:

• Negligence, fault or error. This links it to a family of words seen in Aramaic shalu ("negligence, fault": Daniel 6:4; Ezra 4:22) and Hebrew shalah ("to be negligent": 2 Chronicles 29:11).
• Irreverence, rashness or insolence. This follows ancient translators and a possible comparison with Akkadian shillatu ("insolence, blasphemy"). The Akkadian link is suggestive, not proven.
• Not an original word at all. On this view it is what remains of a longer clause, "because he put out his hand," with shal as a broken-off form of shalach ("he put out").

Against the English

"Error" (KJV, WEB, YLT, ESV) can sound like an innocent slip. "Irreverence" (BSB, NASB) and "irreverent act" (NIV) name an attitude of disrespect. "Indiscretion" (NJPS) sounds milder, closer to poor judgment. NLT's "because of this" sidesteps the word and points back to the act. Each is a defensible guess, and none can claim to be the settled meaning.

How it drifted

The English range comes from ancient guesses more than from known usage. Aquila's Greek and the Latin Vulgate chose words for rashness (propeteia, temeritas), while the Aramaic Targum chose erring or negligence. Later translations inherited these choices, and a single English word then makes an uncertain term look certain.

Used elsewhere in the period

1 Chronicles 13:10 has "because he put out his hand on the ark" in its place. The main Septuagint text has nothing for it. The Targum reads a verb meaning "erred" or "was negligent." Josephus (Antiquities 7.81) explains the death by saying Uzzah touched the ark though he was not a priest. The Talmud (b. Sotah 35a) preserves disagreement over the phrase, which shows it was already puzzling in antiquity.