Lexical Summary
tsalmaveth: Shadow of death
Original Word:צַלְמָוֶת
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:tsalmaveth
Pronunciation:tsal-maw'-veth
Phonetic Spelling:(tsal-maw'-veth)
KJV: shadow of death
NASB:deep darkness, deep shadow, shadow of death, thick darkness, black gloom, dark
Word Origin:[fromH6738 (צֵּל - shadow) andH4194 (מָוֶת - death)]
1. shade of death, i.e. the grave (figuratively, calamity)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
shadow of death
Fromtsel andmaveth; shade of death, i.e. The grave (figuratively, calamity) -- shadow of death.
see HEBREWtsel
see HEBREWmaveth
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
tsel and
mavethDefinitiondeath-like shadow, deep shadow
NASB Translationblack gloom (1), dark (1), deep darkness (6), deep shadow (4), shadow of death (4), thick darkness (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
, in poetry (probably = + , . (usually) , compare , so Thes Schw
Leben n. d. Tode, 194, see especially Nö
ZAW xvii (1897), 183 ff.; Ew Br and most modern (after older commentaries) read
darkness, deep darkness, compare Arabic
IV, Assyrian [
ƒalâmu], Ethiopic
be black, dark); compare
darkness; We
Kl. Proph. ed. 3, 81 would read feminine plural , like
Qor 2:16; 2:18; and frequently. —
death-shadow, often "" , etc., and opposed to , .
=deep shadow, darkness (compare , ):Amos 5:8;Job 3:5;Job 12:22;Job 24:17aJob 28:3;Job 34:22; of eyes heavy with weepingJob 16:16; Job 24:17bterrors of the darkness.
figurative
of distressJeremiah 13:16;Psalm 107:10;Psalm 107:14;Isaiah 9:1.
of extreme dangerJeremiah 2:6;Psalm 23:4;Psalm 44:20.
characterizing world of the dead,Job 10:21,Job 10:22 (text dubious, see Bu Du);Job 38:17 ( ; "" ).
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Scopeצַלְמָוֶת denotes the deepest darkness known to human experience—darkness so dense that it is identified with death itself. Scripture employs it both literally, of places where light is absent, and metaphorically, of conditions in which hope, order, and life are eclipsed.
Occurrences and Theological Trajectory
The term appears eighteen times, with the greatest concentration in the Book of Job. Early wisdom literature uses it to expose the frailty of human existence (Job 3:5;Job 10:21-22). Psalms then transform the image into a setting for divine deliverance (Psalm 23:4;Psalm 107:14). The prophets carry the motif forward, contrasting Israel’s self-chosen darkness with the covenant light God supplies (Isaiah 9:2;Jeremiah 2:6;Amos 5:8).
Portrait of Human Suffering
Job repeatedly turns to צַלְמָוֶת to describe life’s most desolate places: “He uncovers the depths of darkness and brings deep darkness into light” (Job 12:22). InJob 16:16 swollen eyes testify to grief;Job 24:17 depicts criminals who love the night because to them “deep darkness is morning.” The vocabulary admits that suffering sometimes feels impenetrable, yet even in lament the righteous do not deny God’s sovereignty (Job 34:22).
Realm of Death and Sheol
Job 38:17 couples the “gates of death” with “the gates of deepest darkness,” suggesting that צַלְמָוֶת borders Sheol, the unseen realm. The phrase thus functions as a poetic parallel to death itself and reminds readers that only the Creator fully comprehends that territory.
Divine Reveal in Deep Darkness
Psalm 23:4 famously reorients the phrase: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” Presence, not circumstance, determines security.Psalm 44:19 adds a national angle: “You have crushed us in the place of jackals and covered us with deepest darkness,” turning calamity into intercession.Psalm 107:14 declares God’s answer: “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke away their chains.” Deliverance is not merely emotional; it is historical and bodily.
Messianic and Redemptive Hope
Isaiah 9:2 links צַלְמָוֶת with the coming light of messianic salvation: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”Matthew 4:16 applies the verse to Jesus’ Galilean ministry, showing that the Old Testament anticipation of emerging light converges on the person of Christ.Amos 5:8 similarly calls Israel to seek “the LORD … who turns darkness into dawn,” implying that covenant faith returns light where sin had invited darkness.
Pastoral and Ministry Implications
1. Comfort in grief:Psalm 23 authorizes believers to name the intensity of pain while clinging to the Shepherd’s guidance.
2. Evangelism:Isaiah 9 invites proclamation that the Light has already dawned in Christ; the shadow remains only where the gospel is resisted.
3. Discipleship:Jeremiah 13:16 urges confession lest “your feet stumble on the darkening hills.” Spiritual vigilance keeps believers from descending into needless gloom.
4. Social justice:Job 24:17 andPsalm 107:10 remind ministries that oppression often flourishes “in darkness,” and gospel light addresses both personal sin and systemic bondage.
Worship and Prayer
These texts shape corporate lament and praise. Congregations may confess, “We sit in darkness,” yet quickly rehearse the Lord’s saving acts. The Psalms demonstrate that praying truthfully about the shadow of death honors God by expecting Him to act within it.
Eschatological Outlook
While צַלְמָוֶת can describe the finality of physical death, Scripture ultimately portrays it as temporary.Revelation 21:23 foresees a city where “the glory of God gives it light,” fulfilling the anticipation seeded inIsaiah 9:2. For those in Christ, the deepest darkness is a passageway, not a destination.
Forms and Transliterations
בְצַלְמָֽוֶת׃ בצלמות׃ וְ֭צַלְמָוֶת וְצַלְמָ֑וֶת וְצַלְמָ֔וֶת וְצַלְמָֽוֶת׃ וצלמות וצלמות׃ לְצַלְמָ֔וֶת לצלמות צַ֭לְמָוֶת צַלְמָ֑וֶת צַלְמָ֔וֶת צַלְמָ֡וֶת צַלְמָ֣וֶת צַלְמָֽוֶת׃ צלמות צלמות׃ ḇə·ṣal·mā·weṯ ḇəṣalmāweṯ lə·ṣal·mā·weṯ ləṣalmāweṯ letzalMavet ṣal·mā·weṯ ṣalmāweṯ Tzalmavet Vetzalmavet wə·ṣal·mā·weṯ wəṣalmāweṯ
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
