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סָלַח

𐤎𐤋𐤇

çâlach

H5545 verb

SILEX Entry

Root סלח to forgive, to pardon, to grant remission

Definition

To forgive, specifically indicating the act of pardoning or remitting wrongdoing, injury, or guilt, almost exclusively with reference to divine forgiveness as an act of mercy or grace. The verb denotes lifting or removal of liability for offense but does not erase all consequences. It is primarily used to describe YHWH's pardoning of individual or collective transgressions, rarely if ever ascribed to human action in the Hebrew Bible.

Semantic Range

to forgive (divine subject), to pardon, to remit or release from guilt, to spare from punishment (in a divine context); never describes mundane human forgiveness

Root / Etymology

Root is סלח (samekh-lamed-chet), etymology uncertain beyond biblical Hebrew. The word is a verbal root denoting the act of forgiving or pardoning. Distinct from roots meaning 'to cover' (כפר) or 'to bear/carry' (נשא), it focuses on the authoritative granting of release from guilt.

Historical & Contextual Notes

סָלַח is a verb found nearly exclusively in contexts of divine forgiveness. In the Hebrew Bible, it nearly always describes YHWH's willingness or reluctance to forgive the wrongdoing (חֵטְא, עָווֹן, פֶּשַׁע) of individuals, communities, or the nation, often in the context of intercessory prayer (e.g., Exodus 34:9, Numbers 14:19). Unlike כפר ('to atone') and נשא ('to bear, carry away'), סָלַח does not describe ritual or cultic action, but an inner disposition or sovereign act of God toward forgiveness. The term almost never describes interpersonal forgiveness between humans, making its usage distinctive compared to related verbs. Across Israelite history, its nuance remains stable from monarchic to post-exilic texts, with post-exilic and later literature making the theme of divine forgiveness central to penitential prayers (e.g., Daniel 9:19; Nehemiah 9:17). English translations typically render it as 'to forgive' or 'to pardon,' but these do not always convey its specific orientation toward divine prerogative.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to forgive; forgive, pardon, spare.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

סלח (s-l-ḥ) — to forgive, to pardon, to grant remission

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5546 סַלָּח and forgiving
H5547 סְלִיחָה the pardon

Word Forms

15 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5545-12 וְ/נִסְלַ֥ח veniselach HC/VNq3ms and it shall be forgiven and he shall be pardoned 13
H5545-13 וְ/סָלַחְתָּ֛ vesalacheta HC/Vqp2ms and forgive and you pardoned 12
H5545-15 יִֽסְלַח yiselach HVqi3ms may forgive he will pardon 5
H5545-01 אֶֽסְלַֽח eselach HVqi1cs I forgive I will pardon 3
H5545-11 וְ/אֶסְלַ֖ח veeselach HC/Vqi1cs and forgive and I will pardon 2
H5545-07 סְלַֽח selach HVqv2ms forgive Forgive! 2
H5545-14 וְ/סָלַחְתִּ֗י vesalacheti HC/Vqq1cs and-I-will-forgive and I pardoned 2
H5545-04 לִ/סְלֹֽחַ liselocha HR/Vqc to forgive to grant pardon 2
H5545-02 הַ/סֹּלֵ֥חַ hasolecha HTd/Vqrmsa who forgives the pardoning one 1
H5545-03 לָ֔/ךְ lakhe HR/Sp2fs you to you 1

Occurrences in Scripture

48 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5545-13 Exodus 34:9 וְ/סָלַחְתָּ֛ vesalacheta HC/Vqp2ms pardon and you pardoned
H5545-12 Leviticus 4:20 וְ/נִסְלַ֥ח veniselach HC/VNq3ms and it shall be forgiven and he shall be pardoned
H5545-12 Leviticus 4:26 וְ/נִסְלַ֥ח veniselach HC/VNq3ms and-it-shall-be-forgiven and he shall be pardoned
H5545-12 Leviticus 4:31 וְ/נִסְלַ֥ח veniselach HC/VNq3ms and-it-shall-be-forgiven and he shall be pardoned
H5545-12 Leviticus 4:35 וְ/נִסְלַ֥ח veniselach HC/VNq3ms and it shall be forgiven and he shall be pardoned
H5545-12 Leviticus 5:10 וְ/נִסְלַ֥ח veniselach HC/VNq3ms and he shall be forgiven and he shall be pardoned
H5545-12 Leviticus 5:13 וְ/נִסְלַ֣ח veniselach HC/VNq3ms and it shall be forgiven and he shall be pardoned
H5545-12 Leviticus 5:16 וְ/נִסְלַ֥ח veniselach HC/VNq3ms and it shall be forgiven and he shall be pardoned
H5545-12 Leviticus 5:18 וְ/נִסְלַ֥ח veniselach HC/VNq3ms and it shall be forgiven and he shall be pardoned
H5545-12 Leviticus 5:26 וְ/נִסְלַ֣ח veniselach HC/VNq3ms and he shall be forgiven and he shall be pardoned
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