שָׁלִ֫שָׁה (sha.li.shah)
sha.li.shah
Shalishah
N:N--LQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--L
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun shalishah appears only once in the Old Testament, serving as a proper place name in 1 Samuel 9:4. It identifies a district located near Mount Ephraim, marking the specific geographic route Saul and his servant took while searching for King Saul’s lost donkeys.
Lexical sources describe its meaning as "third," which aligns with the root number three. However, the exact nature of this location remains uncertain to scholars. It is not a major city but rather a lesser-known region or waystation that provided context for Saul’s journey through the hill country of Ephraim.
Its sole occurrence highlights how biblical geography often anchors narrative events in real places. By naming shalishah, the text grounds the story of Israel’s first king in a tangible landscape, showing that divine guidance often unfolds within ordinary, specific locations rather than abstract settings.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word shalishah appears just once in Scripture, tucked into a quiet moment in 1 Samuel 9:4. It names a small district Saul and his servant passed through while searching for lost donkeys. This detail reminds us that God’s plans often unfold in the middle of ordinary tasks. The narrative does not skip over the mundane; it includes it.
By naming this specific place, the text shows that divine guidance is not limited to grand miracles or dramatic mountain top experiences. It happens on familiar roads and in known regions. Your daily routine, with all its small steps and minor detours, is the very ground where God meets you. He knows the geography of your life as well as He knows the land of Ephraim.
You do not need to search for special signs or wait for extraordinary events to find Him. The Lord is present in the straightforward moments of obedience and persistence. Even when the outcome seems unclear, like searching for missing items, you are moving within a landscape that God oversees. Trust that He is with you in the everyday.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Shalisha1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- שָׁלִ֖שָׁה1×
Key Verses
-
I Samuel 9:4
He passed through the hill country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they didn’t find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and they weren’t there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they didn’t find them.
This single occurrence anchors Saul's search for donkeys in a specific geographic location, showing that biblical narrative often grounds major historical shifts in ordinary, tangible settings.