Lexical Summary shalaph: To draw out, to pull out, to take out Original Word: שָׁלַף Strong's Exhaustive Concordance draw off, grow up, pluck off A primitive root; to pull out, up or off -- draw (off), grow up, pluck off. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to draw out or off NASB Translation draw (9), drawn (4), drawn forth (1), drew (7), grows (1), removed (2), swordsmen* (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs שָׁלַף verb draw out, off (Late Hebrew id., loosen, draw (nail, sword; Jastr); Assyrian šalâpu, pluck out, draw sword; Aramaic לְֵַף draw sword, draw off shoe,  draw sword, in Lexicons remove corselet; Arabic  is pass, pass away,  strip, plunder, etc.); — Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳שׁ Judges 3:22 +; Imperfect3masculine singular וַיִּשְׁלֹף Ruth 4:8, etc.; Imperative masculine singular שְׁלֹף Judges 9:54 +; Participle active שֹׁלֵף Judges 8:10 +, etc.; passive feminine שׁלוּפָה Numbers 22:23 +; — 1 draw out sword from (מִן) wound Judges 3:22, compare Job 20:25; usually sword from sheath Judges 8:20; Judges 9:54; 1 Samuel 31:4 = 1 Chronicles 10:4, + מִתַּעְרָהּ 1 Samuel 17:51; וְחַרְבּוֺ שָׁלוּפָה בְּיָדוֺ Numbers 22:23,31; Joshua 5:13 (all J), 1 Chronicles 21:16; elsewhere ׳אִישׁ שֹׁלֵף ח collective Judges 8:10; Judges 20:2,15,17,46; 2 Samuel 24:9; 2 Kings 3:26; 1 Chronicles 21:5 (twice in verse), compare Judges 20:35 and (׳שְׁלֹפֵי ח) Judges 20:25. 2 draw off sandal Ruth 4:7,8 (compare I. חלץ 1; also RSK 269 DrDeuteronomy 25:9 BewerSK lxxvi (1903), 332). 3 shoot up (?), i.e. draw out blade, of grass on roof Psalm 129:6 (compare Ew Bae and others); Che Dr is unsheathed (verb with subject indefinite = passive), with same meaning; Hup-Now proposes שָׁלֵם (with "" in Syriac); see OrtenbergTextkrit1 K d. Ps. (1861), 30 שֶׁחָלָף, WeHpt Du חֲלֹף (as Psalm 90:5; Psalm 90:6, see ׳ח 2). Topical Lexicon Overview of the Motif Shalaph depicts the decisive act of pulling something free from its place—most frequently a sword from its sheath but also a sandal from a foot, an arrow from a wound, or a plant from parched soil. In every scene the verb signals a moment of transition: confrontation, covenant, or consequence. Shalaph and Divine Judgment The drawn sword in angelic hands frames two solemn warnings. In Numbers 22:31 the Angel of the LORD blocks Balaam’s path: “he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in His hand”. The same posture meets Joshua before Jericho (Joshua 5:13). Both visions remind leaders that Yahweh Himself prosecutes covenant holiness; no human agenda escapes His looming blade. David later beholds that identical sword above Jerusalem when the plague follows his unauthorized census (1 Chronicles 21:16). Judgment pauses only when sacrifice is offered, foreshadowing the ultimate satisfaction provided at Calvary. Shalaph in Israel’s Warfare Military usage dominates the narrative books. Lists of “men who drew the sword” (for example, Judges 20:2; 2 Samuel 24:9) mark the mustering of armies. The expression does more than count soldiers; it declares their readiness. Israel’s victories and defeats unfold under this banner, reinforcing that battles are won or lost not by numbers but by obedience. Individual incidents sharpen the point: Covenant Redemption and Legal Assurance Outside battle, shalaph seals legal redemption. In Ruth 4:7–8 a nearer kinsman relinquishes his claim by removing his sandal: “to confirm a transaction, one man would remove his sandal and give it to the other”. The deliberate act of slipping the sandal from the foot publicly transfers responsibility, making the unseen obligation visible. Boaz thereby lawfully gains Ruth, and through the line that follows, Messiah enters history. Prophetic and Poetic Nuances Job 20:25 pictures the wicked pierced by an arrow: “He pulls it out of his back… Terrors come over him”. The recoil of shalaph intensifies the certainty of retribution. Psalm 129:6 likens Zion’s foes to roof-top grass that “withers before it can grow up,” underscoring their brief, uprooted existence. Redemptive-Historical Trajectory Each appearance of shalaph advances the storyline of Scripture: These threads converge at the cross, where judgment, warfare and redemption meet in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Ministry Reflections 1. Spiritual Readiness: Believers are called to “draw” the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) with the same immediacy witnessed in Israel’s soldiers. The verb shalaph therefore urges God’s people toward decisive obedience, sober worship and confident hope, knowing that the same sovereign hand that draws the sword also extends the scepter of grace. Forms and Transliterations וַֽיִּשְׁלְפָ֤הּ וַיִּשְׁלֹ֖ף וישלף וישלפה שְׁלֹ֤ף שְׁלֹ֥ף שְׁלֻפָ֖ה שְׁלוּפָ֖ה שְׁלוּפָה֙ שָׁלַ֛ף שָׁלַ֣ף שָׁלַ֥ף שָׁלַ֨ף שָׁלַף֮ שֹׁ֣לֵֽף שֹׁ֥לְפֵי שֹׁ֥לֵֽף שֹׁ֥לֵף שלופה שלף שלפה שלפי šā·lap̄ šālap̄ šə·lōp̄ šə·lu·p̄āh šə·lū·p̄āh šəlōp̄ šəlup̄āh šəlūp̄āh shaLaf sheLof sheluFah Sholef Sholefei šō·lə·p̄ê šō·lêp̄ šōlêp̄ šōləp̄ê vaiyishleFah vaiyishLof way·yiš·lə·p̄āh way·yiš·lōp̄ wayyišləp̄āh wayyišlōp̄Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Numbers 22:23 HEB: בַּדֶּ֗רֶךְ וְחַרְבּ֤וֹ שְׁלוּפָה֙ בְּיָד֔וֹ וַתֵּ֤ט NAS: in the way with his drawn sword KJV: and his sword drawn in his hand: INT: the way sword his drawn his hand turned Numbers 22:31 Joshua 5:13 Judges 3:22 Judges 8:10 Judges 8:20 Judges 9:54 Judges 20:2 Judges 20:15 Judges 20:17 Judges 20:25 Judges 20:35 Judges 20:46 Ruth 4:7 Ruth 4:8 1 Samuel 17:51 1 Samuel 31:4 2 Samuel 24:9 2 Kings 3:26 1 Chronicles 10:4 1 Chronicles 21:5 1 Chronicles 21:5 1 Chronicles 21:16 Job 20:25 Psalm 129:6 25 Occurrences |
    |