Hebrew word · H7957

שַׁלְהֶ֫בֶת

shalhevet

flame

šalhebet means flame (Job 15:30; Ezek 21:3 [20:47]). The added -yâ is either the short divine name Yah (as in Hallelu-yah) or an ending that makes the noun as strong as possible: 'a flame of God' meaning 'an enormous flame', as 'mountains of God' means mighty mountains (Ps 36:6).

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

flame

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Song of Songs 8:6

Range of meaning

šalhebet means flame (Job 15:30; Ezek 21:3 [20:47]). The added -yâ is either the short divine name Yah (as in Hallelu-yah) or an ending that makes the noun as strong as possible: 'a flame of God' meaning 'an enormous flame', as 'mountains of God' means mighty mountains (Ps 36:6).

Against the English

KJV 'a most vehement flame' and BSB 'the fiercest blaze of all' read a superlative. WEB, ESV and NASB read 'the (very) flame of the LORD'. YLT has 'a flame of Jah'. NIV and NLT drop any divine reference.

Used elsewhere in the period

Other possible cases of -yâ used as an intensifier include maʾpēlyâ, 'deep darkness' (Jer 2:31), and merḥabyâ, 'wide open space' (Ps 118:5, where it is also written in different ways). The Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate do not translate a divine name here.

From the study of Job 15:30

Range of meaning

'Flame, blaze'. Probably an expanded form of the root lhb, 'to flame', with an intensifying prefix, so 'raging flame'.

Against the English

English 'the flame' is accurate. Paraphrases sometimes change it to the sun or heat. The Septuagint has 'wind' instead.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ezek 20:47 (21:3 Heb.): 'the blazing flame shall not be quenched' as God's fire on a forest; Song 8:6, šalhebetyâ, 'a flame of Yah' or 'a mighty flame', describing love. Rare in the Bible.

Where it appears

Job · 1

  1. Job 15:30 שַׁלְהָ֑בֶת a flame

    He will not escape from the darkness; the flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away.

    Here: A rare, vivid word for a blazing flame (also Ezek 20:47; Song 8:6). Here it pictures scorching heat, like fire or a burning wind, that shrivels green growth.

Song of Songs · 1

  1. Song of Songs 8:6 שַׁלְהֶ֥בֶתְיָֽה׃ a flame of [the] Lord

    Set me as a seal over your heart, as a seal upon your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as unrelenting as Sheol. Its sparks are fiery flames, the fiercest blaze of all.

    Here: 'Flame' with the ending -yah. This is either the short divine name Yah ('a flame of the LORD'), the only possible mention of God in the Song, or a way of saying 'the utmost, mightiest flame'. Either way the poem's picture of love's fire reaches its peak on this word.

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 20:47 שַׁלְהֶ֔בֶת flame

    Say to the forest of the Negev: Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: I am about to ignite in you a fire, and it will devour all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and by it every face from south to north will be scorched.

    Here: A rare, intensified form of the same root. 'Flame of flame' piles up sound and sense: the fiercest blaze there is (KJV 'flaming flame').

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.