שֵׁגָל
a (legitimate) queen
Definition
The Hebrew noun שֵׁגָל (shêgâl) refers specifically to a legitimate queen or royal consort, distinct from concubines or secondary wives. In the biblical context, it denotes a woman of the highest royal status, often the primary wife of a king. This term appears exclusively in the Book of Daniel, where it describes the queens present at Belshazzar's feast (Daniel 5:2, 5:3, 5:23). The word emphasizes the official, lawful position of these women within the royal court, contrasting with other terms for female companions or consorts.
Biblical Usage
שֵׁגָל is used only three times in the Old Testament, all within Daniel chapter 5. It describes the queens who were summoned by King Belshazzar to his great feast, where they drank from the sacred vessels taken from the Jerusalem temple. The usage consistently highlights their official status as royal consorts present at a state occasion, underscoring the public and formal nature of the event where the king's blasphemous actions occurred.
Etymology
The word שֵׁגָל is an Aramaic loanword used in the Hebrew text of Daniel, corresponding directly to the Hebrew root שׁגל (sh-g-l) found in H7694. Its fundamental meaning relates to a woman who is a lawful wife, particularly in a royal context. The Aramaic origin reflects the setting of the Book of Daniel within the Babylonian and Persian courts, where Aramaic was the lingua franca of diplomacy and administration.
Semantic Range
The term שֵׁגָל carries theological weight in its narrative context. In Daniel 5, the presence of the queens at Belshazzar's feast—where he profaned the holy vessels from God's temple—highlights the king's utter disregard for sacred boundaries. Their inclusion in the scene amplifies the public, deliberate nature of his defiance against the God of Israel. Understanding this specific term for 'queen' enriches the reading by emphasizing the formal royal endorsement of this blasphemous act, which culminates in God's dramatic judgment that very night.
In the ancient Near Eastern context, a שֵׁגָל held the highest female rank in a royal court, often involved in state ceremonies. Her presence at Belshazzar's feast was not merely social but a symbol of royal authority and courtly protocol. This contrasts with modern, more generalized concepts of a 'queen,' as the term specifically denoted a legitimate, primary consort with official standing, unlike concubines or secondary wives who had lower status.
מלכה (malkâ, H4436) — a more general term for 'queen' that can refer to a ruling monarch or king's wife; אשה (ʼishshâ, H802) — a general term for 'woman' or 'wife,' without the specific royal connotation; פילגשׁ (pilegesh, H6370) — refers to a concubine, a secondary wife with lower legal status than a שֵׁגָל.
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.
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