צָלָה (tsa.lah)
tsa.lah
to roast
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb tsalah means to roast meat, specifically over an open fire or hot coals. It appears only three times in the Old Testament, making it a rare and specific term for food preparation. In its few occurrences, such as in 1 Samuel 2:15 where raw meat is demanded before the fat is roasted, the word highlights the physical reality of cooking fresh animal flesh.
This action distinguishes cooked from raw food, carrying significant cultural weight in ancient Israelite society. The text uses tsalah to describe a process that transforms ingredients into a meal ready for consumption. By specifying "roasted," the biblical writers emphasize the method of cooking, which was distinct from boiling or baking, and often associated with specific ritual or social contexts.
Its limited usage suggests it was not a common daily verb in literary Hebrew but served a precise descriptive function when the mode of cooking mattered to the narrative. The word grounds abstract concepts of sacrifice or provision in tangible, sensory details of heat and smoke, reminding readers of the physical labor involved in preparing food in the ancient Near East.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word tsalah describes the simple, physical act of roasting meat over an open fire. In ancient Israel, this was not just cooking; it was a tangible interaction with heat and smoke that transformed raw ingredients into sustenance. When we read about this process, we are reminded of the concrete reality of daily life in biblical times, where food preparation required effort and attention to detail.
This verb appears in contexts that highlight human dependence on God’s provision. Whether it is the serious demand for roasted meat in 1 Samuel or the mundane satisfaction of a meal in Isaiah, tsalah grounds our understanding of scripture in physical reality. It reminds us that God cares about the details of our lives, including how we prepare and share food.
Reflecting on this word can deepen your appreciation for the sensory world of the Bible. It invites you to see the ordinary acts of daily life as part of a larger story of provision and community. May you find peace in knowing that the God who created fire also provides for our needs, one meal at a time.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- to/ roast1×
- he roasts1×
- I roasted1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לִ/צְל֖וֹת1×
- יִצְלֶ֥ה1×
- אֶצְלֶ֥ה1×
Key Verses
-
I Samuel 2:15
Yes, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man who sacrificed, “Give meat to roast for the priest; for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but raw.”
This verse uses tsalah to highlight the priest's corrupt demand for roasted meat before the fat was burned, showing how the word marks a specific ritual violation.
-
Isaiah 44:16
He burns part of it in the fire. With part of it, he eats meat. He roasts a roast and is satisfied. Yes, he warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm. I have seen the fire.”
Here the term illustrates the idolater's self-sufficiency, as he roasts meat for his own satisfaction while warming himself by the same fire.
-
Isaiah 44:19
No one thinks, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned part of it in the fire. Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals. I have roasted meat and eaten it. Shall I make the rest of it into an abomination? Shall I bow down to a tree trunk?”
The word appears in a rhetorical question where the man fails to recognize that the same fire used to roast his meat was also used to bake bread and burn wood for an idol.