שַׂלְמָה
𐤔𐤋𐤌𐤄
Salemah
H8009 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Garment, article of clothing, especially an outer garment or cloak; also used as a proper noun referring to the Israelite ancestor Salmah. The term primarily denotes a piece of clothing, often an outer-wrap or cloak worn for protection or as an item exchanged in pledges or as a sign of distress; secondarily, as a name, it refers to a member of an Israelite genealogy.
Semantic Range
garment, cloak, outerwear; something used as a pledge or sign of distress; personal name (Salmah, an Israelite ancestor)
Root / Etymology
From the root שׂלם, 'to be whole, complete, at peace.' The noun שַׂלְמָה appears to derive from the concept of an 'enveloping' or 'complete' garment, possibly emphasizing its function as a full covering. As a personal name, the etymological connection is less certain—possibly signifying 'completeness' or 'peacefulness.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
In biblical usage, שַׂלְמָה primarily designates an item of outer clothing, the type of wrap or cloak used daily in the ancient Near East, referred to in legal and social contexts (e.g., pledged as security in law codes). As a proper noun (Salmah), it appears within genealogical lists (notably as an ancestor of Boaz and King David). Septuagint and later translations often transliterated this as Salmon, which became standard in English Bibles, although the Hebrew form is more accurately Salmah. The semantic relation to שִׂמְלָה (simlah, another term for clothing) is close but likely distinguishes type or form of garment in some passages. In legal contexts (e.g., Exodus 22:25-26), the cloak (שַׂלְמָה) was considered vital to daily life and entitled to special protection. Over time, direct use as the common noun faded, but the genealogical name persisted. Some English translations conflate Salmah with Salmon due to textual variants and LXX renderings; however, the Hebrew text should guide usage in historical contexts.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
the same as שַׂלְמָה; clothing; Salmah, an Israelite; Salmon. Compare שַׂלְמוֹן.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
שׂלם (Salemah) — to be complete, to be finished, to cover, to wrap around
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H8008 | שַׂלְמָה | cloak-wrap |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8009-01 |
שַׂלְמָֽה | salemah | HNp |
Salmon | full-covering cloak | Salemah | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H8009-01 |
Ruth 4:20 | שַׂלְמָֽה | salemah | HNp |
Salmon | full-covering cloak | Salemah |