Original Word: שֵׁלָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Shelah
Pronunciation: shay-lah'
Phonetic Spelling: (shay-law')
KJV: Shelah
NASB: Shelah
Word Origin: [the same as H7596 (שְׁאֵלָה שֵׁלָה - petition) (shortened)]

1. request
2. Shelah, the name of a postdiluvian patriarch and of an Israelite

Shelah

The same as sh'elah (shortened); request; Shelah, the name of a postdiluvian patriarch and of an Israelite -- Shelah.

see HEBREW sh'elah

Word Origin
from shalah
Definition
a son of Judah
NASB Translation
Shelah (8).

II. שֵׁלָה proper name, masculine son of Judah, Σηλωμ[ν]: Genesis 38:5,11,14,26 (J), Genesis 46:12 (P); Numbers 26:20 (P), 1 Chronicles 2:3; 1 Chronicles 4:21.

Family setting

Shelah was the third son born to Judah and “the daughter of Shua the Canaanite” (Genesis 38:2-5). His birth at Chezib marked the expansion of Judah’s household in Canaan and set the stage for subsequent events that would shape Judah’s lineage. Although Shelah was fully Judah’s son, his maternal Canaanite background underscores the mingling of Israel with its neighbors during the patriarchal era, a mingling that created both complications and opportunities for God’s unfolding plan.

The episode with Tamar

Judah promised his widowed daughter-in-law Tamar that, when Shelah came of age, he would fulfill the levirate duty by marrying her so “that he may raise up offspring for his brother” (Genesis 38:11). Yet Judah failed to keep that commitment. The inspired narrator twice stresses that Tamar remained “a widow in your father’s house” ( Genesis 38:11) and later notes that “Shelah had grown up, and yet she had not been given to him” (Genesis 38:14).

Tamar therefore disguised herself, and through Judah fathered Perez and Zerah. When Judah recognized his accountability he confessed, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah” (Genesis 38:26). Thus Shelah’s non-participation became the turning point that preserved the line through which the Messiah would come (Matthew 1:3). The episode illustrates the gravity of covenant obligations, the sanctity of family continuity, and the sovereign providence of God using human failure to accomplish redemptive purposes.

Shelah’s descendants: the Shelanites

By the time Israel camped on the plains of Moab, Shelah’s offspring constituted a recognized clan within Judah. “These were the descendants of Judah by their clans: through Shelah, the Shelanite clan” (Numbers 26:20). The census records them alongside the Perezite and Zerahite clans, highlighting their permanence in tribal structure.

Later genealogical notes reveal the clan’s industrious character. 1 Chronicles 4:21–23 lists sons of Shelah who were skilled workers in fine linen, royal potters, and residents of “the king’s service.” Their craftsmanship suggests that the Shelanites contributed materially and artistically to Judah’s economy and worship, reflecting the variety of gifts God plants within His people.

Shelah in canonical genealogies

Genesis 46:12 includes Shelah among those who went down to Egypt, affirming his place in the covenant family protected during famine. 1 Chronicles 2:3 repeats his position as the third son of Judah, ensuring his ongoing remembrance in post-exilic Israel. These textual placements show that, although Shelah was not in the direct messianic line, Scripture esteems every branch of Judah as integral to the nation’s identity.

Theological reflections

1. Covenant responsibility: Judah’s withholding of Shelah teaches that covenant promises, especially within family structures, carry divine weight.
2. Divine providence: God’s redemptive plan moved forward despite human negligence, turning Shelah’s absence into the occasion for Perez’s birth, ancestor of David.
3. Vocational diversity: The Shelanites’ roles as artisans and royal servants affirm the dignity of varied callings in God’s kingdom.

Ministry applications

• Faithfulness in small obligations (parental promises, marital duties) safeguards larger purposes in God’s plan.
• Believers can trust that apparent setbacks—such as Shelah’s deferred marriage—are not final barriers to divine intention.
• Every family line and vocational skill within the church contributes to its witness, echoing the Shelanites who served both temple and monarchy.

וְשֵׁלָ֔ה וְשֵׁלָ֖ה ושלה לְשֵׁלָ֗ה לְשֵׁלָ֣ה לשלה שֵׁלָ֑ה שֵׁלָ֔ה שֵׁלָ֣ה שלה lə·šê·lāh ləšêlāh lesheLah šê·lāh šêlāh sheLah vesheLah wə·šê·lāh wəšêlāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts