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צִלָּה

𐤑𐤋𐤄

Tsilah

H6741 noun

SILEX Entry

Root צ-ל-ל to shade, to darken, to provide shadow

Definition

A personal name, Tsillah, feminine; primarily known as a woman in the antediluvian genealogies (specifically, a wife of Lamech and mother of Tubal-cain and Naamah). The name likely means 'shade' or 'protection,' and by extension may imply 'one who provides shade' or 'sheltered one,' but in biblical context functions exclusively as a proper name.

Semantic Range

proper name (antediluvian woman), possible sense of 'shade' or 'protection'

Root / Etymology

From the root צ-ל-ל (צֵל), meaning 'to be or provide shade.' Tsillah is the feminine form, formed by the addition of the feminine ending -ָה (ah). The name constructs a noun form meaning 'shade' or 'shadow,' potentially expressing protection or shelter. As a proper name, it does not function as a common noun.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Tsillah appears only as a proper name in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in Genesis 4:19, 22-23, as one of the wives of Lamech and mother of Tubal-cain and Naamah. The genealogical setting is pre-flood ('antediluvian'), and the use of 'Tsillah' as a personal name may reflect a symbolic value, perhaps connected to the positive quality of providing shade in an ancient Near Eastern context. The English KJV and many later translations transliterate the name as 'Zillah,' rather than translating the semantic content, which may obscure its potential meaning in Hebrew. No evidence suggests the term was used as a common noun or title in ancient Israelite society. The root צ-ל-ל also yields the common noun צֵל (tsel, 'shade'), but in the context of Tsillah, the word is exclusively nominal and personal, not geographic or common. Later periods and translations sometimes treat the name as a generic female figure, but in the Hebrew Bible it refers only to this specific woman.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of צֵל; Tsillah, an antediluvian woman; Zillah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

צלל (ṣ-l-l) — to shade, to darken, to provide shadow

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1212 בְּצַלְאֵל In-the-Shadow-of-God
H4698 מְצִלָּה tinkling-bells of
H4699 מְצֻלָּה in the deep abyss
H4700 מְצֵלֶת with the ringing cymbal-pair
H6738 צֵל in the shade

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6741-02 וְ/צִלָּ֣ה vetsilah HC/Np and Zillah Tsillah 2
H6741-01 צִלָּֽה tsilah HNp Zillah Tsillah 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6741-01 Genesis 4:19 צִלָּֽה tsilah HNp Zillah Tsillah
H6741-02 Genesis 4:22 וְ/צִלָּ֣ה vetsilah HC/Np And Zillah Tsillah
H6741-02 Genesis 4:23 וְ/צִלָּה֙ vetsilah HC/Np and Zillah Tsillah
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