H7971 — שָׁלַח (shalach)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H7971
Original: שָׁלַח
Transliteration: shalach
Pronunciation: shaw-lakh'
Part of Speech: Verb (primitive root)
Root: Primitive root
Occurrences: 790 unique verses (1,113 tokens) across 34 books
First Occurrence: Gen 3:22 — "lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A primitive root; to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications): any wise, appoint, bring (on the way), cast (away, out), conduct, earnestly, forsake, give (up), grow long, lay, leave, let depart (down, go, loose), push away, put (away, forth, in, out), reach forth, send (away, forth, out), set, shoot (forth, out), sow, spread, stretch forth (out).

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Count	Typical Meaning
Qal	563	send, put forth, stretch out (hand)
Piel	268	send away, let go, release, dismiss, divorce
Peal	12	send (Aramaic equivalent of Qal)
Pual	10	be sent, be sent away (passive)
Hiphil	5	cause to send
Peil	2	be sent (Aramaic passive)
Niphal	1	be sent

Stem note: The Qal/Piel distinction is semantically significant. Qal typically means "to send" (dispatch a person or thing on a mission). Piel carries the intensive/frequentative sense: "to send away, let go, release, dismiss" — the dominant stem in the Exodus release-from-slavery and Leviticus scapegoat passages.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
sent / send / sendeth / sendest	~375	47%
let go / let loose / let depart	~45	6%
go (send on way)	41	5%
put forth / put away / put out	~30	4%
stretch forth / stretch out	~10	1%
cast (away/out)	~10	1%
lay (hands)	~8	1%
shoot (forth)	~5	1%
sow / soweth	~5	1%
depart	2	<1%
Other phrases	~259	33%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Obadiah	3	14.3
2 Kings	66	9.2
Malachi	5	9.1
Esther	15	9.0
2 Samuel	56	8.1
1 Samuel	62	7.7
Amos	9	6.2
Jeremiah	79	5.8
Judges	36	5.8
Exodus	65	5.4
1 Kings	43	5.3
Zechariah	10	4.7
Genesis	64	4.2
2 Chronicles	34	4.1
Joel	3	4.1
Joshua	23	3.5
Nehemiah	13	3.2
Haggai	1	2.6
Isaiah	31	2.4
Deuteronomy	20	2.1
Numbers	26	2.0
Ezekiel	26	2.0
Job	20	1.9
1 Chronicles	17	1.8
Psalms	32	1.3
Proverbs	12	1.3
Leviticus	10	1.2
Hosea	2	1.0
Micah	1	1.0
Daniel	2	0.6
Lamentations	1	0.6
Ecclesiastes	1	0.5
Ezra	1	0.4
Song of Solomon	1	—

Pattern: Heaviest in historical narrative (1-2 Sam, 1-2 Kings, Judges) where messengers, armies, and spies are dispatched. Exodus concentrates the "let go / release" sense in the Pharaoh confrontation. Jeremiah uses it both for prophetic commissioning ("I sent my servants the prophets") and judgment dispatching ("I will send the sword, famine, pestilence"). Low in wisdom literature except Job and Proverbs.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Dispatching Persons on a Mission (Messengers, Envoys, Prophets)¶

Gen 32:3 — "Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother"
Num 13:2 — "Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan"
Isa 6:8 — "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"
Jer 7:25 — "I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them"

2. Releasing / Letting Go (Piel dominant)¶

Exo 4:23 — "Let my son go, that he may serve me"
Exo 21:26-27 — "he shall let him go free for his eye's/tooth's sake"
Deut 15:12-13 — "in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free"
Jer 34:9-10 — "every man should let his manservant... go free"

3. Sending Away the Scapegoat / Ritual Dismissal¶

Lev 16:10 — "to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness"
Lev 16:21 — "shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness"
Lev 16:22 — "he shall let go the goat in the wilderness"
Lev 16:26 — "he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes"
Lev 14:7, 53 — "shall let go the living bird out of the city into the open fields"

4. Putting Forth / Stretching Out the Hand¶

Gen 3:22 — "lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life"
Gen 22:10 — "Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife"
Exo 4:4 — "Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail"
1 Sam 24:6 — "the LORD forbid that I should... stretch forth mine hand against the LORD's anointed"

5. God Sending Judgment (Fire, Pestilence, Famine, Beasts)¶

Num 21:6 — "the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people"
Amos 1:4, 7, 10, 12 — "I will send a fire into the house of Hazael / on the wall of Gaza / Tyrus / Teman"
Eze 14:19, 21 — "if I send a pestilence... my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem"
Deut 28:20 — "the LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke"

6. Divorce / Marital Sending Away¶

Deut 24:1, 3 — "write her a bill of divorcement... sendeth her out of his house"
Isa 50:1 — "Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away?"
Jer 3:1, 8 — "If a man put away his wife... I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce"
Mal 2:16 — "the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away"

7. Shooting / Sending Forth Projectiles or Natural Forces¶

2 Sam 22:15 — "he sent out arrows, and scattered them"
Job 38:35 — "Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go?"
Prov 6:14, 19 — "he soweth discord... he that soweth discord among brethren"
Isa 32:20 — "ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth the feet of the ox"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
אָמַר (ʼamar)	H559	308x (39%)	"said... sent" — speech introducing or following the sending
יְהֹוָה (YHWH)	H3068	221x (28%)	"the LORD sent" — divine commissioning
מֶלֶךְ (melek)	H4428	155x (20%)	"the king sent" — royal dispatch of messengers
יָד (yad)	H3027	121x (15%)	"put forth his hand" / "by the hand of"
בּוֹא (boʼ)	H935	118x (15%)	"sent... and came" — dispatch followed by arrival
אִישׁ (ʼiysh)	H376	114x (14%)	"sent men" / "a fit man" (Lev 16:21)
אֱלֹהִים (ʼelohiym)	H430	102x (13%)	"God sent" — divine agency
עַם (ʻam)	H5971	91x (12%)	"let the people go" — Exodus refrain
לָקַח (laqach)	H3947	77x (10%)	"sent and took/fetched" — dispatch to retrieve
דָּוִד (David)	H1732	73x (9%)	"David sent" — narrative formula in Samuel/Kings

Synonyms¶

H6398 פָּלַח (palach) — cleave, slice through; overlaps only in specialized cutting/sending sense
H935 בּוֹא (boʼ) — come, go; complements shalach (one sends, the other arrives)

Word Family / Cognates¶

H7972 שְׁלַח (shelach) — Aramaic cognate: to send, put (Dan 3:28, 5:24, 6:22)
H7973 שֶׁלַח (shelach) — a missile weapon, dart, sprout (noun)

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἀποστέλλω (apostello)	G649	"sent" (37v overlap)	Greek NT equivalent; carries "authoritative commissioning" nuance
πέμπω (pempo)	G3992	"sent" (24v overlap)	Greek NT; simple dispatch without commissioning nuance
נָתַן (nathan)	H5414	"sent" (4v overlap)	nathan = "give/deliver"; only occasionally "send"
גָּרַשׁ (garash)	H1644	"cast out" (2v overlap)	garash = forceful driving out/expulsion; shalach = directed sending
שָׁלַךְ (shalak)	H7993	"cast out" (2v overlap)	shalak = throw/hurl/discard (no commissioning); shalach = send purposefully
נָטָה (natah)	H5186	"stretched forth" (6v overlap)	natah = stretch/extend (a rod, tent); shalach = put forth (hand)

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occurrences	PMI Score	Notes
ἀποστέλλω (apostello) G649	443	29.09	Primary equivalent — authoritative sending; root of "apostle"
ἐξαποστέλλω (exapostello) G1821	210	25.59	Intensive "send away forth" — Piel releasing sense
ἄγγελος (aggelos) G32	68	13.53	Indirect — co-occurs when shalach dispatches messengers
ἐκτείνω (ekteino) G1614	38	12.03	"Stretch out" — for the "put forth hand" usage
ἐλεύθερος (eleutheros) G1658	12	10.99	"Free" — for the manumission/release usage
ἀποστάσιον (apostasion) G647	4	7.84	"Bill of divorcement" — for the divorce usage

Note: The LXX translators distinguish shalach's semantic range through multiple Greek renderings. ἀποστέλλω captures the dominant "commission and send" sense. ἐξαποστέλλω captures the Piel "send away/release" sense, particularly in the Exodus and Leviticus scapegoat passages.