שַׁלּוּן
Shallun, an Israelite
Definition
Shallun is a proper name referring to an Israelite mentioned in Nehemiah 3:15. He is identified as the son of Col-hozeh, the ruler of the district of Mizpah. In the biblical narrative, Shallun is noted for his role in the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, specifically repairing the Fountain Gate and the wall of the Pool of Shelah (or Siloam) by the king's garden. The name itself is a variant of the more common name Shallum (H7967), meaning 'retribution' or 'recompense.' As a proper noun, it refers solely to this individual and carries no other semantic senses.
Biblical Usage
The word שַׁלּוּן (Shallûwn) is used only once in the Old Testament, in Nehemiah 3:15. It functions strictly as a personal name for a figure involved in the post-exilic restoration of Jerusalem. The context is the detailed list of workers and their assigned sections during the rebuilding of the city walls under Nehemiah's leadership. Shallun is portrayed as a civic leader taking responsibility for a significant part of the fortifications, highlighting the communal effort.
Etymology
The name שַׁלּוּן (Shallûwn) is a variant or dialectical form of the more frequent Hebrew name שַׁלּוּם (Shallûm, H7967). Shallum derives from the root שׁ-ל-ם (sh-l-m), associated with concepts of completeness, peace, and repayment. The name likely means 'retribution' or 'recompense,' though as a personal name, its precise semantic force for the bearer is not specified in the text. The variation in spelling (the final 'n' instead of 'm') is a known linguistic phenomenon in Hebrew proper nouns.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, names often carried meaning or expressed hopes. While the specific meaning of Shallun ('retribution') isn't elaborated in his story, his recorded action is culturally significant. His role in rebuilding the wall was a public, honorable duty that contributed to the community's security and identity. Being the 'son of Col-hozeh' (which means 'all-seeing' or 'seer') and a district ruler (Nehemiah 3:15) places him within the post-exilic leadership class, those responsible for restoring Judean society after the Babylonian exile.
שַׁלּוּם (Shallûm, H7967) — The more common base form of the name, borne by several other individuals in the Old Testament, including a king of Israel (2 Kings 15:10-15).
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
Full methodology & sources →