TR: tsêl / tsalmâveth → skiá (Shadow)¶
The Chain¶
Hebrew OT LXX (Greek OT) Greek NT
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צֵל (tsêl) H6738, 47x → σκιά (skiá) → σκιά (G4639)
"shade, shadow" 24 co-occ (PMI 8.28) 7x in NT
"shadow"
צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmâveth) → σκιά θανάτου → σκιά θανάτου
H6757, 17x 12 co-occ (PMI 8.68) Matt 4:16; Luke 1:79
"shadow of death" set phrase quoting Isa 9:2; Ps 107:10
OT Usage (Hebrew)¶
H6738 — צֵל (tsêl): Shade, Shadow¶
| Strong's | Word | Occurrences | Primary Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| H6738 | צֵל (tsêl) | 47 | shade, shadow — literal shade from sun; metaphor for divine protection |
The dominant OT use of tsêl is divine protection imagery — God's shadow sheltering his people:
- Ps 91:1 — "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty"
- Ps 17:8 — "hide me under the shadow of thy wings"
- Isa 25:4 — "a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall"
- Isa 49:2 — "in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me"
Also used for the political shadow of nations (Isa 30:2–3 — "trust in the shadow of Egypt") and the literal shade of plants (Jonah 4; Ezek 17:23).
[Canonical word study: TODO(need H6738 study)]
H6757 — צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmâveth): Shadow of Death¶
| Strong's | Word | Occurrences | Primary Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| H6757 | צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmâveth) | 17 | deep darkness, shadow of death — mortal peril, the grave |
A Hebrew compound (tsêl + mâveth = "shadow of death") or intensive form for "deepest darkness." Used for the domain of death and mortal peril:
- Ps 23:4 — "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil"
- Ps 107:10 — "Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron"
- Isa 9:2 — "they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined"
- Job 3:5 — "Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it" (Job's birth-day curse)
[Canonical word study: TODO(need H6757 study)]
LXX Bridge¶
| Hebrew | Greek Translation | Co-occ | PMI | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tsêl (H6738) | σκιά (G4639) | 24 | 8.28 | Shade, protection — primary rendering |
| tsalmâveth (H6757) | σκιά θανάτου | 12 | 8.68 | "Shadow of death" phrase — Greek unpacks the Hebrew compound |
Semantic note: The LXX renders the Hebrew compound צַלְמָוֶת as the noun phrase σκιά θανάτου ("shadow of death") — unpacking the compound where Hebrew uses a single intensive noun. This phrase then passes directly into the NT as a fixed formula.
NT Usage (Greek)¶
| Strong's | Word | Occurrences | Primary Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| G4639 | σκιά (skiá) | 7 | shadow; typological prefiguration |
The NT splits σκιά along two lines introduced by the LXX:
Death-shadow formula (from tsalmâveth via LXX): - Matt 4:16 — "to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up" (citing Isa 9:2 LXX) - Luke 1:79 — "To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death" (Zechariah's Benedictus, citing Ps 107:10 LXX)
Typological shadow (new NT development — not in OT tsêl): - Col 2:17 — "Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ" - Heb 8:5 — "Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things" - Heb 10:1 — "the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things"
[Canonical word study: G4639]
Direct OT→NT Quotations¶
| NT Verse | Quotes OT | Shared Word | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt 4:16 | Isa 9:2 | צַלְמָוֶת → σκιά θανάτου | Matthew's formula echoes LXX Isa 9:1; the messianic light appears where death's shadow reigned |
| Luke 1:79 | Ps 107:10 | צַלְמָוֶת → σκιά θανάτου | Zechariah's prophecy draws the same OT imagery to announce the forerunner's mission |
Continuity and Shifts¶
What stays the same: - Shadow as something real but derivative — it requires a substance to produce it; this idea persists from OT tsêl to NT typological σκιά - The light/shadow contrast — OT protection language (shadow sheltering from burning light) and the death-shadow passages both set up the NT redemptive pattern (light breaking into shadow)
What shifts: - tsalmâveth (one compound noun in Hebrew) becomes σκιά θανάτου (phrase in Greek) — the LXX regularizes the Hebrew compound; the NT inherits the phrase form - New typological sense: The NT adds a semantic dimension absent from OT tsêl — OT institutions as σκιά of heavenly realities. This is a distinctly Pauline/Hebrews development; the OT uses no equivalent typological formula - Protection sense diminished: OT tsêl frequently means divine protection ("shadow of thy wings"). The NT does not develop this sense with σκιά (though ἐπισκιάζω preserves it at the Transfiguration and Annunciation)
Generated from: gather_word_data.py (G4639, H6738, H6757), search_strongs.py --hebrew-source Last updated: 2026-04-01