שָׁלָךְ (sha.lakh)
sha.lakh
cormorant
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun sha.lakh refers to a bird of prey, with scholars identifying it as likely being the cormorant. This small cluster of occurrences appears primarily in the legal texts of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, where it is listed among unclean animals that the Israelites were forbidden to eat.
Its placement in these purity laws highlights its role as a scavenger or predator, marking it as ritually impure for consumption. The word does not appear in narrative or poetic contexts, suggesting its significance lies strictly in its classification within the dietary code rather than in symbolic imagery or character description.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word sha.lakh appears in the Old Testament as a specific type of bird, identified by scholars as a cormorant. You will find it listed alongside other birds like the owl and vulture in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. These passages form part of the dietary laws given to ancient Israel, distinguishing between clean and unclean animals for food.
For modern readers, this classification is less about biological taxonomy and more about the concept of holiness through separation. In these texts, the cormorant represents a creature set apart from the community’s table. It serves as a concrete example of how physical boundaries were used to teach spiritual principles of purity and distinctness.
Understanding this word helps us appreciate the detailed nature of biblical law. It reminds us that faithfulness in ancient Israel involved careful attention to daily practices, including what was eaten. This level of detail underscores the seriousness with which they viewed their covenant relationship with God.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ cormorant2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- הַ/שָּׁלָֽךְ\׃1×
- הַ/שָּׁלָ֖ךְ1×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 11:17
the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,
This verse places the cormorant in the priestly source of dietary law, grouping it with other scavenging birds to define ritual impurity.
-
Deuteronomy 14:17
the pelican, the vulture, the cormorant,
Here the word appears in Moses’ restatement of the law, reinforcing the prohibition for a new generation entering the land.