Lexical Summary
solelah: Siege ramp, mound, embankment
Original Word:סֹלְלָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:collah
Pronunciation:so-leh-LAH
Phonetic Spelling:(so-lel-aw')
KJV: bank, mount
NASB:siege ramp, ramp, ramps, siege ramps
Word Origin:[active participle feminine ofH5549 (סָלַל - build), but used passively]
1. a military mound, i.e. rampart of besiegers
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
bank, mount
Or cowllah {so-lel-aw'}; active participle feminine ofcalal, but used passively; a military mound, i.e. Rampart of besiegers -- bank, mount.
see HEBREWcalal
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
salalDefinitiona mound
NASB Translationramp (2), ramps (2), siege ramp (4), siege ramps (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
; —
2 Samuel 20:15 7t.;
Daniel 11:15; plural
Jeremiah 32:24;
Jeremiah 33:4. —
cast up mound against the city, besieging it,
2 Kings 19:32 =
Isaiah 37:33;
Jeremiah 6:6;
Ezekiel 4:2;
Ezekiel 26:8; with
2 Samuel 20:15 (error for ); without
Ezekiel 17:17;
Ezekiel 21:17;
Daniel 11:15 without verb
Jeremiah 32:24;
Jeremiah 33:4.
Topical Lexicon
Concept and ImageryThe term describes the massive earthen ramp or mound heaped up against a city wall in order to breach its defenses during a siege. Such an engineering feat demanded large numbers of laborers, timber for retaining walls, and a prolonged commitment of troops. In the Old Testament the ramp is always the visible sign that a city has entered the final and most desperate phase of siege warfare; once the mound is finished, the gates are doomed. Consequently, the word carries connotations of relentless pressure, impending judgment, and the humbling of human pride before superior force.
Occurrences in Scripture
2 Samuel 20:15 introduces the motif: Joab’s men “cast up a siege ramp against the city” while seeking the rebel Sheba.
2 Kings 19:32 andIsaiah 37:33 are twin declarations that “He will not… build a siege ramp against it,” underscoring the Lord’s protection of Jerusalem from Assyria.
Jeremiah repeatedly pictures Babylonian aggression: 6:6; 32:24; 33:4. The prophet’s realism—“See how the siege ramps are mounted against the city” (32:24)—validates his call for repentance while affirming God’s sovereignty in judgment.
Ezekiel employs the image in 4:2; 17:17; 21:22; 26:8. In 4:2 the prophet makes a model of Jerusalem and “builds a siege ramp against it,” dramatizing exile as a settled divine decree.
Daniel 11:15 shows the same tactic in later Hellenistic conflicts: “the king of the North will come, build up siege ramps, and capture a fortified city,” illustrating that world powers rise and fall under God’s supervision.
Historical Background
Ancient Near Eastern armies customarily surrounded a city, cut off supplies, and then raised a ramp using soil, stones, and felled trees. Assyrian reliefs display long, sloping causeways lined with wooden fascines, allowing battering rams and troops to reach the parapet. The labor-intensive ramp mirrored the besiegers’ determination and the defenders’ growing despair. Biblical writers assumed this military reality and used it to communicate spiritual truth.
Theological Significance
1. Token of Divine Judgment
In every punitive context (Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel) the siege ramp is more than human aggression; it is the instrument by which the Lord disciplines covenant breakers. The tangible mound rising day by day tells the inhabitants that divine warnings have turned into action.
2. Symbol of Divine Restraint
In2 Kings 19:32 andIsaiah 37:33, the very absence of the ramp proves God’s deliverance. Hezekiah’s prayer is answered not by diplomacy but by the divine word: the Assyrian king “will not… build a siege ramp.” Thus the ramp becomes a negative sign of salvation.
3. Revelation of God’s Sovereignty Over Nations
Whether employed by Israel (2 Samuel 20:15), Babylon (Jeremiah), Tyre’s conqueror (Ezekiel 26:8), or Seleucid forces (Daniel 11:15), the siege ramp appears in a single theological light: the Lord governs the instruments of war to accomplish His purposes and timetable.
Ministerial Application
• Warning to the Unrepentant
Jeremiah’s vivid depictions call modern readers to examine complacency. Spiritual walls crumble when sin is tolerated; the mounting ramp urges urgent repentance before judgment reaches the gate.
• Encouragement to the Faithful
Hezekiah’s experience reminds believers that threatening circumstances, however formidable, cannot proceed one inch beyond God’s allowance. The promise that no ramp will be built still emboldens prayer and trust.
• Call to Intercession
Ezekiel 4:2 challenges leaders and intercessors to portray, pray over, and warn their communities when divine displeasure approaches. Prophetic dramatization serves pastoral ends.
Christological and Eschatological Outlook
The siege language of the prophets foreshadows the ultimate confrontation between the Kingdom of God and rebellious humanity. Revelation adopts similar imagery when “the nations gathered… and fire came down from heaven” (Revelation 20:9), presenting the final overthrow of every earthly siege against the people of God. In the Gospel account Christ Himself endures the onslaught of sin and death; yet in His resurrection the enemy’s ramp is forever dismantled, guaranteeing the security of the New Jerusalem where no accursed thing shall ever breach the walls.
Summary
Throughout its eleven appearances, the word paints a consistent picture: the inexorable advance of judgment or, in its withheld form, the glorious defense of the Lord. Whether warning Israel, humbling empires, or encouraging the faithful, the siege ramp stands as a concrete reminder that God alone exalts and overthrows, and that refuge is found not in walls of stone but in obedience and trust in Him.
Forms and Transliterations
הַסֹּלְל֖וֹת הַסֹּלְל֗וֹת הסללות סֹֽלְלָ֑ה סֹֽלְלָ֔ה סֹֽלְלָה֙ סֹלְלָ֑ה סֹלְלָ֖ה סֹלְלָֽה׃ סֽוֹלֲלָ֔ה סוללה סללה סללה׃ has·sō·lə·lō·wṯ hassoleLot hassōləlōwṯ sō·lə·lāh sō·w·lă·lāh solaLah soleLah sōləlāh sōwlălāh
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