שָׁלוּ (sha.lu)
sha.lu
neglect
A:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:N-F
Word Overview
The noun shalu denotes a state of neglect or remissness, describing the failure to attend to a duty that requires attention. In the Hebrew Bible, this term appears only three times, specifically within the books of Ezra and Daniel. Its usage highlights a passive failure to act rather than an active rebellion, marking a lapse in responsibility.
Contextually, shalu often relates to the oversight of religious or civic obligations. For instance, it describes the neglect of the temple’s maintenance or the disregard for covenantal laws by the community. The word captures the quiet erosion of duty when vigilance is abandoned, serving as a precise label for spiritual or administrative sloth.
Translators typically render shalu as "neglect" to preserve its sense of omission. This distinction is important because it separates simple error from the deliberate refusal to serve; here, the fault lies in what was not done. The rarity of the word underscores how seriously ancient Israelite texts viewed the maintenance of order and devotion.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word shalu describes a quiet failure to act, a state of neglect where duty is overlooked rather than actively defied. It captures the subtle erosion of responsibility when vigilance is abandoned. In Ezra, this term warns against being slack in maintaining order and devotion, highlighting how easily spiritual and civic obligations can slip away through simple inattention.
This concept invites us to examine our own lives for areas where we might be passive rather than rebellious. Often, the greatest challenges are not bold acts of defiance but small, repeated omissions—ignoring prayer, neglecting community, or failing to care for what has been entrusted to us. Recognizing this gentle drift allows for timely correction before it becomes a deeper habit.
By staying attentive to our responsibilities, we honor the trust placed in us. This awareness encourages a steady, faithful engagement with our duties, ensuring that our actions reflect the care and order God desires. It is an invitation to remain watchful and present in our daily walk.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- negligence3×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- שָׁלוּ֙1×
- שָׁלֽוּ\׃1×
- שָׁל֖וּ1×
Key Verses
-
Ezra 4:22
Be careful that you not be slack doing so. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?
This verse uses the concept to warn officials against being slack, linking negligence directly to potential damage for the kings.
-
Daniel 3:29
Therefore I make a decree that every people, nation, and language which speak anything evil against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill, because there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.”
The decree highlights the severe consequence of speaking against God, implying that such evil speech is a form of neglecting His authority.