Lexical Summary tsallachath: Bowl, dish Original Word: צַלַּחַת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bosom, dish From tsalach; something advanced or deep, i.e. A bowl; figuratively, the bosom -- bosom, dish. see HEBREW tsalach NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as tselachah Definition a dish NASB Translation dish (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs צַלַּ֫חַת noun feminine dish; — 2 Kings 21:13 (simile), צַלָּ֑חַת Proverbs 19:24; Proverbs 26:15 (see טמן). Topical Lexicon Form and FunctionTsallachath denotes a shallow dish, pan, or platter fashioned of clay, bronze, or occasionally stone, wide enough for washing, cooking, or communal eating. Its shape allowed easy wiping and quick inversion, the very actions appealed to in the Scriptures where the word occurs. Archaeological finds from Iron-Age Judah show low-walled bowls, roughly thirty centimeters in diameter, matching the implied dimensions in the texts. Occurrences in Scripture 1. 2 Kings 21:13 Though numerically few, these references place the utensil in three distinct literary settings—historical narrative, wisdom exhortation, and prophetic oracle—providing a multifaceted theological testimony. Divine Judgment Illustrated (2 Kings 21:13) “I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.” The pan becomes an object lesson in total judgment. Just as grease and crumbs are removed before a dish is inverted to dry, so the Lord promises to scour Jerusalem of idolatry and then upend the city. The imagery stresses completeness: nothing clings, no remnant escapes. For preaching and teaching, the verse underscores God’s holiness and the certainty that sin will be dealt with exhaustively (compare Leviticus 18:28; Revelation 18:21). The Folly of Sloth (Proverbs 19:24; 26:15) “The slacker buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth.” (Proverbs 19:24) “A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.” (Proverbs 26:15) Here the tsallachath becomes a silent witness against laziness. In a culture where communal dishes occupied the meal’s center, it is nearly unimaginable for a diner to grow too languid to lift food to his lips. The hyperbole shames apathetic hearers and calls them to diligence (see also Ecclesiastes 9:10; 2 Thessalonians 3:10–12). Ministers may press the point that spiritual lethargy can leave believers famished though nourishment lies within reach. Historical and Cultural Backdrop Shared dishes promoted fellowship; to dip one’s hand into the same bowl signified acceptance within the group (cf. Ruth 2:14; Matthew 26:23). Consequently, God’s choice of a dish to portray Jerusalem’s fate speaks of broken covenant fellowship, while the sluggard’s half-hearted dipping hints at fractured social responsibility—his indolence burdens others at the table. Theological Themes • Holiness and thorough cleansing—God removes every defilement (2 Kings 21:13). Ministerial Applications • Call to Repentance: Use the inverted pan of 2 Kings 21 as a vivid illustration that unconfessed sin invites wholesale upheaval. Intertextual Echoes Revelation’s “bowls of wrath” (Revelation 16) amplify the cleansing motif found in 2 Kings 21. Likewise, the call to diligence in Proverbs resonates with Paul’s athletic metaphors (1 Corinthians 9:24–27). Summary Tsallachath, though a humble household utensil, conveys weighty truths: God cleanses thoroughly, and His people must not grow weary in reaching for the grace placed before them. Forms and Transliterations בַּצַּלָּ֑חַת בצלחת הַצַּלַּ֙חַת֙ הצלחת baṣ·ṣal·lā·ḥaṯ baṣṣallāḥaṯ batztzalLachat haṣ·ṣal·la·ḥaṯ haṣṣallaḥaṯ hatztzalLachatLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 2 Kings 21:13 HEB: יִמְחֶ֤ה אֶת־ הַצַּלַּ֙חַת֙ מָחָ֔ה וְהָפַ֖ךְ NAS: as one wipes a dish, wiping KJV: as [a man] wipeth a dish, wiping INT: one wipes A dish wiping and turning Proverbs 19:24 Proverbs 26:15 3 Occurrences |
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