Dictionary:שלח/0

שלח

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שלח

Part of Speech	Verb
Occurrences	846
Possible Meanings	Send
Related Words	שִׁלּוּחִים

Possible Meanings

1. Send

• Various forms of the verb שלח appear over 800 times in Tanakh, and all of the forms are related to the same basic meaning of sending.
• While the standard active (פָּעַל) form usually means simply "to send,"¹ the intensive (פִּעֵל and פֻּעַל) forms of the verb frequently² have the more specific connotation of "to send away" (permanently)³ or "to send upon/against" (forcefully). In some verses, the intensive form describes sending away a woman after a divorce.⁴

Semantic Evolution

Intra-Biblical

Rabbinic Hebrew

Modern Hebrew

¹ In exceptional cases, the קל form also means to send away permanently or forcefully – see Shemuel II 13:17. See also Bereshit 28:5-6 where the standard and intensive forms appear to be used interchangeably.

² There are cases in which even the intensive form means simply "to send" – e.g. Mishlei 31:19.

³ See A Three Day Journey for a discussion of the meaning of "שַׁלַּח אֶת עַמִּי".

⁴ See Devarim 24:1-4, Yeshayahu 50:1, Yirmeyahu 3:1. Regarding Shemot 18:2, see אחר שלוחיה. While Rabbinic Hebrew generally employs the verb גרש to refer to the act of divorcing, Biblical Hebrew use the verb forms of שלח (see Bereshit 21 regarding the case of Hagar). However, Biblical Hebrew does use the noun גרושה to refer to a divorcee (see Vayikra 21:14, 22:13, Bemidbar 30:10, Yechezkel 44:22, 45:9).