שְׁחֵלֶת (H7827) — Hebrew Lexicon

שְׁחֵלֶת

𐤔𐤇𐤋𐤕

shᵉchêleth

H7827 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שחל to be strong, to be muscular, (of animal) to be fierce or predatory

Definition

An aromatic substance used in ancient Israelite incense, specifically one of the ingredients prescribed for the sacred incense (qetoret) in the Tabernacle ritual; most likely the operculum (opening-closing 'lid') of a particular mollusk, valued for its scent upon burning.

Semantic Range

aromatic shell, mollusk operculum, onycha (ingredient in incense), possibly aromatic plant resin

Root / Etymology

From the root שׁחל, which can mean 'to be muscular, strong' or refer to a type of predator (often a lion). However, the precise derivation is uncertain, as the connection between 'strength' or the lion (שַׁחַל) and an aromatic shell or scale is not linguistically transparent. The word שְׁחֵלֶת stands apart from its presumed root, serving, by tradition, as the name for this aromatic substance.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שְׁחֵלֶת appears only in Exodus 30:34 as a key ingredient in the incense prescribed for the sanctuary. Ancient translations (e.g., the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate) and later rabbinic literature equate it with 'onycha', understood by many as the operculum of certain sea snails, used for fragrance. Its identification has been debated since antiquity. Some modern scholars and botanists consider alternative plant resins, but the mollusk-derived onycha is the dominant tradition. It is notable that the KJV and early English translations borrowed the Latin/Greek term 'onycha', which does not clarify its Hebrew sense for modern readers. Use of this term is limited to priestly ritual contexts and directly linked to Israelite cultic practice; the word does not refer to a people or place but an aromatic material. Its semantic scope is thus far narrower than many biblical nouns, restricted by its ritual function.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

lemma שְׁחֶלֶת second vowel, corrected to שְׁחֵלֶת; apparently from the same as שַׁחַל through some obscure idea, perhaps that of peeling off by concussion of sound; a scale or shell, i.e. the aromatic mussel.; onycha.

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Root Family

שחל (sh-ḥ-l) — strength, muscularity, fierceness (of a predator)

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H7826	שַׁחַל	fierce lion

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H7827-01`	וּ/שְׁחֵ֨לֶת֙	ushechelet	`HC/Ncfsa`	and onycha	aromatic shell	1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H7827-01`	Exodus 30:34	וּ/שְׁחֵ֨לֶת֙	ushechelet	`HC/Ncfsa`	and onycha	aromatic shell

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