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שַׁבְלוּל

𐤔𐤁𐤋𐤅𐤋

shablûwl

H7642 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שבל to flow, stream, trail, slide

Definition

Gastropod mollusk, likely referring to a slug or snail; in poetic extended use, symbolizing something that decays, melts away, or vanishes. The primary lexical meaning refers to a creeping soft-bodied invertebrate, but the term may also metaphorically describe dissolution or disappearance.

Semantic Range

snail, slug, soft-bodied creeping animal, (poetic) something that melts or vanishes, dissolution, decay

Root / Etymology

Root/etymology: Derived from the root שבל (ש-ב-ל), meaning 'to flow, stream, slide, trail.' The noun שַׁבְלוּל is related to the word שֹבֶל (shōvel), 'flow, tail, trail, train (of a garment).' The root connotes movement along a path, trailing, or streaming, which aligns with the observed movement and trail of mucus left by a snail or slug. The actual lexical meaning refers to the small, slimy creature, but draws on this root idea of trailing or streaming motion.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שַׁבְלוּל appears only once in the Hebrew Bible (Psalms 58:9 [MT v.8]), in a poetical context describing something that melts away: 'Like a snail that melts as it goes along.' This usage is evocative—emphasizing the visible slime trail fading or the creature seemingly dissolving—but it is unclear whether a true shelled snail or a slug (i.e., without visible shell) is intended. There is no evidence that שַׁבְלוּל referred specifically to a species or genus; its identification is based on observation of local mollusks in ancient Israel and comparison with modern Hebrew usage, where shablul refers to both snails and slugs. English 'snail' is the traditional translation, but some scholars suggest 'slug' may be more accurate, as slugs visibly 'melt' in the sun. The term is not highly frequent, and there is no evidence it carried symbolic or ritual meaning in other biblical passages. The image of vanishing or decay is unique to this poetic usage and should not be generalized.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from the same as שֹׁבֶל; a snail (as if floating in its own slime); snail.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שבל (š-b-l) — to flow, stream, trail, slide

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7635 שָׁבִיל trails of
H7640 שֹׁבֶל trailing robe-train
H7641 שִׁבֹּל ears of
H7732 שׁוֹבָל to Shobal

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7642-01 שַׁ֭בְּלוּל shabelul HNcmsc a snail trail-sliding snail 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7642-01 Psalms 58:9 שַׁ֭בְּלוּל shabelul HNcmsc a snail trail-sliding snail
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