Lexical Summary
Shalman: Shalman
Original Word: שַׁלְמַן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Shalman
Pronunciation: shal-MAN
Phonetic Spelling: (shal-man')
KJV: Shalman
NASB: Shalman
Word Origin: [of foreign derivation]
1. Shalman, a king apparently of Assyria
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Shalman
Of foreign derivation; Shalman, a king apparently of Assyria -- Shalman. Compare Shalman'ecer.
see HEBREW Shalman'ecer
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof foreign origin
Definitionprobably a king of Assyr., perhaps same as NH8022
NASB TranslationShalman (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
שַׁלְמָן (van d. H.
מ־ַן)
proper name, masculine or
of a location (compare Palmyrene proper name שלמן GACooke299; Phoenician proper name, of divinity שלמן Lzb377 GACooke42; Assyrian Salamanu, of Moabite prince COTHosea 10:14; proper name, of divinity Šulmanu, see following); — בֵּית אַרְבֵּאל ׳כְּשֹׁד שׁHosea 10:14, Σαλαμαν (compare also FieldHex. ii. 957); — dubious, We Now think = following (and clause inserted after Hosea's time), compare also Marti; others compare Moabitish prince, see above; SpiegelbZA xiii (1898), 120 f. suggests proper name, of a location, compare Ša-ra-ma-na in Egyptian
Topical Lexicon
Name and Identification Shalman is the personal name of an aggressor mentioned once in the Hebrew Scriptures (Hosea 10:14). Many scholars identify him with an Assyrian monarch—most plausibly Shalmaneser III or Shalmaneser V—though the text itself simply preserves the name as the designation of a destructive foreign king.
Biblical Reference
Hosea 10:14: “the day of battle shall arise against your people, O house of Israel, so that all your fortresses will be devastated—as Shalman devastated Beth-arbel on the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to pieces with their children.”
Historical Background
1. Geopolitical Context
• Hosea prophesied in the eighth century BC, when the Northern Kingdom was in political turmoil, frequently shifting allegiances between Egypt and Assyria.
• Assyria, under a succession of strong rulers, conducted annual campaigns westward, exacting tribute and brutally punishing rebellion. The name Shalman evokes this climate of terror that loomed over Israel.
2. Possible Identification
• Shalmaneser III (858–824 BC) campaigned in the Levant and is depicted on the Kurkh Monolith battling a coalition that included Ahab.
• Shalmaneser V (726–722 BC) besieged Samaria and began the deportation of Israel (2 Kings 17:3–6).
• Whether the Hosea reference recalls one of these kings or a different commander, the single verse underlines the relentless Assyrian practice of turning rebellious cities into examples of utter ruin.
3. “Beth-arbel”
• Its exact location is uncertain, but Hosea cites it as the site of a massacre so notorious that it served as a proverb of terror.
• The mention of mothers and children accentuates Assyria’s indiscriminate cruelty, giving Hosea’s warning sharp emotional impact.
Theological Significance
1. Divine Justice Through Human Agents
• Throughout Hosea, the covenant Lord employs foreign powers to chasten His covenant people (compare Isaiah 10:5–6). Shalman embodies this divinely permitted rod.
• The singularity of the reference heightens the rhetorical force: one brutal memory is enough to convict Israel of spiritual adultery and warn of what their sin will reap.
2. Covenant Accountability
• Hosea’s prophecy links Israel’s idolatry (Hosea 10:1–2) to military catastrophe. Shalman’s atrocity is not random but part of God’s consistent covenant dealings (Leviticus 26:14–17).
• The verse is therefore a call to repentance; wrath is not arbitrary but proportionate to covenant violation.
Spiritual Applications
1. Reality of Divine Discipline
• Just as ancient Israel could not rely on fortified cities to protect it from divinely ordained judgment, believers today must recognize that no earthly security can compensate for covenant unfaithfulness (Hebrews 12:5–11).
2. Sanctity of Human Life
• The horror of mothers and children cut down reveals how sin’s consequences assault the most vulnerable. The Church is reminded to defend life and to abhor violence from personal to geopolitical levels.
3. Memory and Moral Warning
• Scripture uses historical events as moral signposts (1 Corinthians 10:11). Shalman’s deed endures as a narrative marker of what happens when nations harden their hearts.
Intertestamental and New Testament Echoes
• Though the name Shalman does not appear after Hosea, the broader theme of God employing foreign powers continues: Babylon (Habakkuk 1:5–11), Rome (John 19:11).
• The New Testament underscores that final judgment and salvation alike are executed through the risen Christ (Acts 17:31), fulfilling the covenant storyline in which Shalman once played a grim but subordinate role.
Lessons for Today
• National pride and military strength are hollow without covenant faithfulness.
• Historical atrocities recorded in Scripture serve not merely as warnings but as incentives to pursue justice, mercy, and humble obedience (Micah 6:8).
• God’s redemptive plan moves forward despite, and sometimes through, the darkest episodes of human history—reminding believers that ultimate hope rests in the sovereign Lord who judges and saves.
Forms and Transliterations
שַֽׁלְמַ֛ן שלמן šal·man šalman shalMan
Links
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