Lexical Summary Tsalmonah: Tsalmonah Original Word: צַלְמֹנָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Zalmonah Feminine of tsalmaveth; shadiness; Tsalmonah, a place in the Desert -- Zalmonah. see HEBREW tsalmaveth NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfem. of Tsalmon Definition a place in the desert NASB Translation Zalmonah (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs צַלְמִנָה proper name, of a location station of Israel in wilderness Numbers 33:41,42, Σελμωνα. Topical Lexicon Biblical Occurrences Numbers 33 twice records Zalmonah as a campsite on Israel’s wilderness journey: “They set out from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. They set out from Zalmonah and camped at Punon” (Numbers 33:41-42). The entry is brief, yet its placement immediately after Aaron’s death at Mount Hor (Numbers 20:23-29; 33:38-39) situates Zalmonah within a season of transition, testing, and renewed guidance under the LORD. Historical and Geographical Considerations Mount Hor rises above the north-central Arabah on Edom’s western border. From there the caravan moved southeast into the Arabah depression, skirting Edomite territory on a route later called the “Way of the Red Sea” (Numbers 21:4). Zalmonah therefore lay somewhere in the lower Arabah, north of the Gulf of Aqaba but south of Punon (identified with Feinan, a copper-mining center). The region is harsh: blistering heat, limited water, and glaring white gravel plains occasionally broken by low, dark folds of igneous rock. Against that backdrop the stopover name—suggesting shade or protection—heightens the contrast between the place itself and the gracious presence that accompanied Israel by cloud and fire (Exodus 13:21-22). Context within the Wilderness Itinerary 1. Leadership change: Aaron’s priestly vestments passed to Eleazar on Mount Hor; Moses now guided a second-generation community poised to enter Canaan (Numbers 20:28; Deuteronomy 1:35-39). Zalmonah represents one of the first encampments under this new order. Theological Themes and Lessons • God’s faithful leading: Each campsite affirmes the LORD’s detailed care; none is random (Psalm 37:23). Zalmonah, though otherwise silent, witnesses to a Shepherd who numbers every step (Psalm 23:4). Intertextual Echoes While Zalmonah itself is mentioned only in Numbers 33, its setting interacts with passages describing the same segment of the journey (Numbers 20:22-29; 21:4-9; Deuteronomy 10:6). The pattern—death of a mediator, murmuring, judgment, and merciful deliverance—finds ultimate resolution at Calvary, where the greater High Priest died outside the camp and rose to lead His people into rest (Hebrews 13:11-14). Ministry Significance Today 1. Leadership transition: Churches navigating pastoral change can glean confidence from Zalmonah; the pillar of cloud did not lift because Aaron was gone. Summary Zalmonah stands as a quiet marker between a mountain of mourning and a valley of fiery serpents. Though the scriptural note is brief, its position in the inspired travel log highlights God’s unbroken guidance, the endurance of His covenant people, and the foreshadowing of the healing found in the uplifted Son. Forms and Transliterations בְּצַלְמֹנָֽה׃ בצלמנה׃ מִצַּלְמֹנָ֑ה מצלמנה bə·ṣal·mō·nāh bəṣalmōnāh betzalmoNah miṣ·ṣal·mō·nāh miṣṣalmōnāh mitztzalmoNahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Numbers 33:41 HEB: הָהָ֑ר וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּצַלְמֹנָֽה׃ NAS: Hor and camped at Zalmonah. KJV: Hor, and pitched in Zalmonah. INT: Mount and camped Zalmonah Numbers 33:42 2 Occurrences |
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