Original Word: צְלוּל
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: tsluwl
Pronunciation: tseh-LOOL or tseh-LEEL
Phonetic Spelling: (tsel-ool')
KJV: cake
NASB: loaf
Word Origin: [from H6749 (צָּלַל - sank) in the sense of rolling]

1. a (round or flattened) cake

cake

From tsalal in the sense of rolling; a (round or flattened) cake -- cake.

see HEBREW tsalal

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
a cake, round loaf
NASB Translation
loaf (1).

צלול Kt, צְלִיל Qr noun masculine cake, round loaf; — לֶחֶם שְׂעֹרִים ׳צ Judges 7:13 (compare GFM).

צלם (√ of following; Nö^{ZMG xi (1886), 733 f.} compare Arabic , cut off (e.g. an ear, anose); — Late Hebrew צֶלֶם = Biblical Hebrew, so Assyrian ƒalmu, Sabean צלם Gildemeister^{ZMG xxiv (1870), 180} CIS^{iv, no. 2, 1. 4}, Aramaic צַלְמָא, , Old Aramaic צלמא, so Nabataean, Palmyrene (also צלמתא of woman's statue)).

Biblical Context and Single Occurrence

צְלוּל appears once, in Judges 7:13, within the account of Gideon’s covert visit to the Midianite camp on the eve of battle. A Midianite soldier recounts a dream: “I had a dream: A loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the camp of Midian. It struck the tent so hard that it fell and overturned, so that the tent lay flat” (Judges 7:13). The word designates that “loaf of barley bread,” a compact, round cake easily baked on hot stones or coals.

Historical and Cultural Background

Barley was the grain of the poor (Ruth 2:17; 2 Kings 4:42). Whereas wheat featured at royal tables, barley sustained common households and soldiers. A single humble loaf thus vividly represents insignificance from a human perspective. Archaeological finds from the Late Bronze and Iron Ages confirm small, round, slightly flattened barley cakes formed by hand and roasted on embers—just the sort of provision an Israelite farmer-warrior like Gideon would recognize.

Symbolism within Gideon’s Narrative

1. Humility overcoming might. Midian’s professional raiders (Judges 6:3-5) are leveled by a peasant staple.
2. Divine inversion. God repeatedly reduces Gideon’s forces (Judges 7:2-7), then pictures victory through the most ordinary of foods.
3. Unity in simplicity. A single loaf speaks of oneness; Israel’s three hundred men act in coordinated obedience (Judges 7:20-21).

Theological Themes

• God’s power perfected in weakness (compare 2 Corinthians 12:9).
• The surety of divine revelation. Gideon receives confirmation not by weaponry but by a dream whose interpretation is immediately acknowledged as “This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite” (Judges 7:14).
• The sufficiency of faith over material resources. Israel’s lack of iron and horses (Judges 5:8) contrasts with the Lord’s guarantee of victory.

Christological Echoes

Barley bread surfaces again when Jesus multiplies the five barley loaves (John 6:9-13). In both Testaments a modest barley loaf becomes the medium of miraculous deliverance: physical for the five thousand, military for Gideon. Both scenes invite trust in God’s provision through what appears inconsequential (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

Ministry Applications

• Encouragement for small congregations: size does not limit God.
• Emphasis on prayerful confirmation: Gideon’s listening posture models seeking divine assurance before critical action.
• Call to humility: leaders are reminded that God may choose the least obvious means to accomplish His purposes.

Related Biblical Imagery

Barley as firstfruits (Leviticus 23:10-14), provision amid famine (2 Kings 7:1), and prophetic sign of judgment overturned by grace (Ezekiel 4:9) rounds out Scripture’s treatment of the grain. Each context underscores dependence upon the Lord, aligning with the lesson embedded in צְלוּל: a modest loaf that topples an army because God is in the midst of His people.

צְלִ֜יל צליל ṣə·lîl ṣəlîl tzeLilInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts