6744. tselach
Lexical Summary
tselach: To prosper, to succeed, to advance, to make progress

Original Word: צְלַח
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: tslach
Pronunciation: tsaw-lakh'
Phonetic Spelling: (tsel-akh')
KJV: promote, prosper
NASB: enjoyed success, prosper, succeeding, successful
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H6743 (צָּלַח צָּלֵַח - To prosper)]

1. to advance (transitive or intransitive)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
promote, prosper

(Aramaic) corresponding to tsalach; to advance (transitive or intransitive) -- promote, prosper.

see HEBREW tsalach

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to tsaleach
Definition
to prosper
NASB Translation
enjoyed success (1), prosper (1), succeeding (1), successful (1).

Topical Lexicon
Overview

צְלַח portrays forward movement that results in visible success. Whether the work is an architectural project, a prophetic ministry, or the life of a captive exile in a hostile empire, the verb emphasizes progress that cannot be hindered because God Himself is behind it. Every occurrence appears in the Aramaic sections of Ezra and Daniel, underscoring a period when the covenant people lived under foreign rule yet experienced unmistakable blessing.

Occurrences in Redemptive History

1. Ezra 5:8 – Persian officials report that the temple project “is being built with large stones… This work is being done diligently and progressing in their hands.”
2. Ezra 6:14 – “The Jewish elders continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai… and they finished it.”
3. Daniel 3:30 – Nebuchadnezzar “promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.”
4. Daniel 6:28 – “So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”

Taken together, the scenes move from corporate rebuilding (Ezra) to individual advancement (Daniel), revealing a consistent divine pattern: God causes His people and His purposes to flourish even within pagan systems.

Divine Agency in Human Prosperity

צְלַח never depicts merely human ingenuity. In Ezra 6:14 the elders prosper “under the preaching” of Haggai and Zechariah. The prophetic word energizes the work, turning external opposition into accelerated progress. Likewise, Daniel’s elevation follows a miraculous deliverance from the lions’ den; the verb frames his success as the outcome of God’s vindication, not political maneuvering.

Temple Restoration and the Prosperity of God’s Work

The rebuilding narratives emphasize that God’s house will be completed on schedule because His word has gone forth (compare Isaiah 55:11). צְלַח therefore becomes a theological affirmation: the prophetic promise attached to the second temple cannot fail. The term connects the physical structure in Jerusalem to the larger biblical motif of an indestructible dwelling place for God among His people, foreshadowing both the incarnate Christ (John 2:19–21) and the living temple made of believers (1 Peter 2:5).

Exile, Witness, and the Prosperity of the Faithful

In Daniel 3 and 6, the verb marks decisive moments when uncompromising faith meets imperial power. The fiery furnace and the lions’ den end not in martyrdom but in promotion. Outsiders witness the supremacy of Israel’s God and respond with decrees that honor Him (Daniel 3:29; 6:26). Thus צְלַח functions evangelistically: the prosperity granted to the faithful becomes a testimony that “the Most High rules the kingdom of mankind” (Daniel 4:17).

Christological and Eschatological Trajectory

Isaiah foresees the Servant who “will prosper” (52:13, a cognate form). The post-exilic occurrences of צְלַח anticipate that ultimate Servant. Just as temple builders advanced under prophetic impulse and exiles rose in foreign courts, so Jesus Christ would accomplish His mission against all opposition, culminating in the resurrection—the supreme vindication and prospering of God’s plan. Subsequently, the gospel advances “swiftly and triumphantly” (2 Thessalonians 3:1) in the church age, echoing the unstoppable progress signified by this verb.

Pastoral and Practical Implications

• Confidence in God’s promises. When Scripture assigns a task, believers may labor expectantly, knowing that true prosperity comes from divine initiative.
• Courage in hostile environments. Daniel’s account shows that civil loyalty need not compromise spiritual fidelity; God can still cause His servants to thrive.
• Centrality of the prophetic word. The temple prospered “under the preaching” of Haggai and Zechariah; likewise, ministry today advances through faithful proclamation of Scripture rather than human strategy alone.
• Ultimate focus on God’s glory. Promotion and progress are never ends in themselves but platforms for spreading the fame of the living God.

צְלַח therefore stands as a concise testimony that the purposes of God, whether in rebuilding a temple, vindicating His witnesses, or establishing the kingdom of His Son, move forward irresistibly and prosper in His hand.

Forms and Transliterations
הַצְלַ֖ח הַצְלַ֛ח הצלח וּמַצְלְחִ֔ין וּמַצְלַ֥ח ומצלח ומצלחין haṣ·laḥ haṣlaḥ hatzLach ū·maṣ·laḥ ū·maṣ·lə·ḥîn ūmaṣlaḥ ūmaṣləḥîn umatzLach umatzleChin
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Englishman's Concordance
Ezra 5:8
HEB: אָסְפַּ֥רְנָא מִתְעַבְדָ֖א וּמַצְלַ֥ח בְּיֶדְהֹֽם׃ ס
NAS: on with great care and is succeeding in their hands.
KJV: fast on, and prospereth in their hands.
INT: great is going succeeding their hands

Ezra 6:14
HEB: יְהוּדָיֵא֙ בָּנַ֣יִן וּמַצְלְחִ֔ין בִּנְבוּאַת֙ חַגַּ֣י
NAS: of the Jews were successful in building
KJV: builded, and they prospered through the prophesying
INT: of the Jews building were successful the prophesying of Haggai

Daniel 3:30
HEB: בֵּאדַ֣יִן מַלְכָּ֗א הַצְלַ֛ח לְשַׁדְרַ֥ךְ מֵישַׁ֛ךְ
NAS: and Abed-nego to prosper in the province
KJV: the king promoted Shadrach,
INT: Then the king to prosper Shadrach Meshach

Daniel 6:28
HEB: וְדָנִיֵּ֣אל דְּנָ֔ה הַצְלַ֖ח בְּמַלְכ֣וּת דָּרְיָ֑וֶשׁ
NAS: Daniel enjoyed success in the reign
KJV: Daniel prospered in the reign
INT: Daniel this enjoyed the reign of Darius

4 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6744
4 Occurrences


haṣ·laḥ — 2 Occ.
ū·maṣ·laḥ — 1 Occ.
ū·maṣ·lə·ḥîn — 1 Occ.

6743b
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