18.0.1 n.[m.] shadow of death, gloom, deep darkness, compound of צֵל shadow and מָוֶת death
(מָוֶת perh. being understood as indicating a
superlative, thus deep darkness*), or
em. all occurrences to צַלְמוֹת darkness or צַלְמוּת darkness, <obj>
הפך turn (into) Am 5:8. <cstr> אֶרֶץ צַלְמָוֶת land of the shadow
of death Is 9:2; Jr 2:6, גֵּיא valley of Ps 23:4. <prep> לְ into,
+ שׂים place, i.e. turn Jr 13:16; בְּ of instrument, by (means of), with, + כסה pi. cover
Ps 44:19, שׂוך fence in 1QH 1333. <coll> צַלְמָוֶת
‖ עֲרָפֶל darkness Jr 13:16, לַיְלָה night Am 5:8; + צִיָּה dryness, dry
ground Jr 2:6, נֶשֶׁף twilight, i.e. darkness Jr 13:16; :: אוֹר light Is 9:2;
Jr 13:16, בֹּקֶר morning Am 5:8.
Also perh. 4QPrFêtesc
1893.
<syn> עֲרָפֶל darkness, לַיְלָה night.
<ant> אוֹר light, בֹּקֶר morning.
►
צֵל shadow + מָוֶת death. (The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew,
7:125)
. . . the noun ṣlmwt, which is traditionally vocalised
in MT as ṣalmāwet, and was so
understood also by the Septuagint (skia
thanatou), has been thought by many to have been originally ṣalmût, the Massoretic vocalisation
being due to a popular etymology. But D. Winton Thomas has shown that the form ṣalmāwet, though unusual, is entirely
acceptable from the standpoint of the Hebrew language. His view that māwet is used merely as a superlative,
and that ṣalmāwet means simply “deep
darkness”, is not so convincing, but the validity of the traditional
vocalisation is not dependent on this hypothesis. It is perhaps preferable to
understand māwet in the sense of evil
powers encroaching upon life, for physical death is not in view in most of the
contexts in which ṣalmawet occurs.
One cannot prove that ṣalmût was not
the original vocalisation, but such a supposition appears unnecessary. (David
J. A. Clines, “The Etymology of Hebrew Ṣelem,” Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages 3 [1974]: 23–24)
