Lexical Summary
shalal: spoil, booty, plunder
Original Word:שָׁלָל
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:shalal
Pronunciation:shah-LAHL
Phonetic Spelling:(shaw-lawl')
KJV: prey, spoil
NASB:spoil, booty, plunder, gain, possessions, spoiler
Word Origin:[fromH7997 (שָׁלַל - Spoil)]
1. booty
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
prey, spoil
Fromshalal; booty -- prey, spoil.
see HEBREWshalal
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
shalalDefinitiona prey, spoil, plunder, booty
NASB Translationbooty (11), gain (1), plunder (3), possessions (1), spoil (57), spoiler (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
751Samuel 30:16 ; — absolute
Genesis 49:27 +; construct
Judges 5:30 +, suffix
Zechariah 14:1,
Isaiah 33:4, etc.; —
prey, of Benjamin as wolfGenesis 49:27 (poem in J; with ).
booty, spoil of war, of all kinds (often "" ): including garments, gold and silverJoshua 7:21 (J), ornamentsJudges 8:24,25, fabrics and womenJudges 5:30 a, b, flocks and herds1 Samuel 30:20;Jeremiah 49:32; 2Chronicles 15:11, + personsDeuteronomy 20:14 (twice in verse), garments, food and drink 2Chronicles 28:15, etc. (58 t.; among these)Deuteronomy 2:25;2 Samuel 12:30;1 Chronicles 20:2 and (+ cattle in addition)Deuteronomy 3:7;Joshua 8:27;Joshua 11:14 (both RD), compare (also of city)Isaiah 8:4;Deuteronomy 13:17 (twice in verse);Zechariah 14:1 and (+ cattle)Joshua 8:2 (RD), but including person and cattleDeuteronomy 20:14, compareDeuteronomy 20:14; figurative of entire nationJeremiah 50:10;Ezekiel 7:21;Zechariah 2:13; in symbolic proper nameIsaiah 8:1,3, above p.555:a; in metaphor of future majesty ofIsaiah 53:12; i.e. life shall be spared,Jeremiah 21:9;Jeremiah 38:2;Jeremiah 39:18, compareJeremiah 45:5.
plunderIsaiah 10:2 (),Proverbs 1:13 and (perhaps in current saying)Proverbs 16:19.
=gainProverbs 31:11. —Judges 5:30 c is clearly wrong; meaning dubious (see especially GFM); plausible conjectures arefor my neck as spoil, ReussBr and others, andfor the neck of the queen Ew Be Kit and others (but elsewhere late); Now strike out and reads .
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Conceptual ScopeAlthough often rendered “plunder” or “spoil,” שָׁלָל encompasses any movable wealth transferred from one party to another by force or divine decree—people, livestock, metals, garments, or produce. The term thus functions as a visible token of victory, judgment, or covenant faithfulness.
Distribution Across the Canon
Shalal appears roughly seventy-three times, concentrated in historical narratives (Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles) and prophetic oracles (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, minor prophets), with a few poetic uses (Psalms, Proverbs). Its span fromGenesis 49:27 toZechariah 14:14 allows it to narrate Israel’s past and foreshadow eschatological hope.
Shalal in Israel’s Warfare
1. Divine Ownership
Victory and its spoils belong first to the LORD. After Jericho’s fall, “The city and everything in it are devoted to the LORD” (Joshua 6:17). Achan’s appropriation of banned shalal (Joshua 7) illustrates how misusing consecrated plunder jeopardizes the nation.
2. Rules of Distribution
Numbers 31:27 divides spoils equally between combatants and the congregation; warriors then tithe one-five-hundredth to the LORD (Numbers 31:28–29). David expands the principle of shared reward—“The share of the one who stays with the supplies shall be the same as the share of the one who goes down to the battle” (1 Samuel 30:24)—establishing lasting precedent (1 Samuel 30:25).
3. Ethical Safeguards
WhileDeuteronomy 20:14 permits taking goods,Deuteronomy 21:10–14 preserves the dignity of female captives, tempering ancient Near-Eastern practices with covenant compassion.
Prophetic Imagery
Isaiah’s son Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz embodies Assyria’s rapid plunder (Isaiah 8:1–4). Later, Zion herself receives the nations’ spoils: “Then the plunder of an abundant harvest will be divided” (Isaiah 33:23).Habakkuk 2:8 andZephaniah 1:13 promise poetic justice—the plunderer becomes the plundered.Zechariah 14:14 closes the Old Testament with Jerusalem’s ultimate triumph, gathering shalal in messianic victory.
Theological Themes
• Sovereignty: The LORD “delivers the plunder” (2 Kings 3:23) or “dries up the bounty” (Hosea 13:15), displaying absolute control.
• Justice: Nations that seize Israel’s wealth reap the same fate (Jeremiah 30:16).
• Stewardship: Portions of every victory are devoted to God (2 Chronicles 31:5–6).
• Redemption Typology: Christ’s triumph “disarmed the rulers and authorities” (Colossians 2:15), echoing the stripping of enemy shalal; He now distributes gifts to His people (Ephesians 4:8).
Ministry Significance
• Celebrate victories as God’s, resisting self-glory.
• Model equitable sharing of resources, honoring those in support roles as David did.
• Dedicate firstfruits of gain to the LORD, reinforcing stewardship and gratitude.
• Anticipate the final reversal when Christ claims all that sin and darkness once held.
Representative References
Genesis 49:27;Exodus 15:9;Numbers 31:11, 32;Deuteronomy 20:14;Joshua 7:21;Judges 5:19;1 Samuel 14:30;1 Samuel 30:16–24;1 Chronicles 26:27;2 Chronicles 14:13;Psalm 68:12;Proverbs 1:13;Isaiah 8:1–4;Isaiah 33:23;Jeremiah 30:16;Ezekiel 38:12–13;Hosea 13:15;Nahum 3:10;Habakkuk 2:8;Zephaniah 1:13;Zechariah 14:14.
Forms and Transliterations
בַשָּׁלָ֡ל בשלל הַשָּׁלָ֔ל הַשָּׁלָ֖ל הַשָּׁלָ֣ל הַשָּׁלָל֒ הַשָּׁלָ֔ל השלל וְ֝שָׁלָ֗ל וְשָׁלָ֛ל וְשָׁלָ֥ל וּמִשְּׁלַ֛ל וּמִשָּׁלָ֔ל וּשְׁלַ֥ל וּשְׁלַל֙ וּשְׁלָלָ֖ם ומשלל ושלל ושללם לְשָׁלָ֑ל לְשָׁלָ֔ל לְשָׁלָ֖ל לְשָׁלָֽל׃ לַשָּׁלָ֖ל לל לשלל לשלל׃ מִשְּׁלַ֖ל מִשְּׁלַ֥ל מֵֽהַשָּׁלָ֛ל מֵהַשָּׁלָ֖ל מֵהַשָּׁלָ֛ל מהשלל משלל שְׁלַ֞ל שְׁלַ֣ל שְׁלַ֤ל שְׁלַ֥ל שְׁלַלְכֶ֔ם שְׁלַל־ שְׁלָל֑וֹ שְׁלָלֵ֖ךְ שְׁלָלָ֔ם שְׁלָלָ֖הּ שְׁלָלָ֗הּ שְׁלָלָ֥הּ שְׁלָלָ֥ם שְׁלָלָהּ֙ שְׁלָלָם֒ שְׁלָלֽוֹ׃ שָׁ֝לָ֗ל שָׁלָ֑ל שָׁלָ֖ל שָׁלָ֗ל שָׁלָ֥ל שָׁלָֽל׃ שָׁלָל֒ שָׁלָל֙ שלל שלל־ שלל׃ שללה שללו שללו׃ שללך שללכם שללם ḇaš·šā·lāl ḇaššālāl haš·šā·lāl hashshaLal haššālāl Lal lāl laš·šā·lāl lashshaLal laššālāl lə·šā·lāl ləšālāl leshaLal mê·haš·šā·lāl mehashshaLal mêhaššālāl miš·šə·lal mishsheLal miššəlal šā·lāl šālāl šə·lā·lāh šə·lā·lām šə·lā·lêḵ šə·lā·lōw šə·lal šə·lal- šə·lal·ḵem šəlal šəlal- šəlālāh šəlālām šəlālêḵ šəlalḵem šəlālōw shaLal sheLal shelaLah shelaLam shelalChem shelaLech shelaLo ū·miš·šā·lāl ū·miš·šə·lal ū·šə·lā·lām ū·šə·lal umishshaLal umishsheLal ūmiššālāl ūmiššəlal ūšəlal ūšəlālām usheLal ushelaLam vashshaLal veshaLal wə·šā·lāl wəšālāl
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