צִלְּתַי
Tsillethai, the name of two Israelites
Definition
Tsillethai is a proper name given to two different individuals in the Old Testament. The name itself means 'shady' or 'my shadow,' derived from the Hebrew root for shadow. In 1 Chronicles 8:20, Tsillethai is listed as a descendant of Shimei, a Benjamite. In 1 Chronicles 12:20, a different Tsillethai is named as a leader of the tribe of Manasseh who defected to David's side at Ziklag. Both instances are simple personal identifiers with no narrative development beyond their inclusion in genealogical or military lists.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively as a proper noun for two Israelite men, appearing only in the genealogical and historical records of 1 Chronicles. Both occurrences are in lists: one in a Benjaminite genealogy (1 Chronicles 8:20) and the other in a list of warriors who joined David before he became king (1 Chronicles 12:20). There is no narrative usage or variation in meaning between the two references.
Etymology
The name Tsillethai (צִלְּתַי) is derived from the Hebrew root צ־ל־ל (ts-l-l), meaning 'to be dark' or 'to shade.' It is a formation from the feminine noun צֵל (tsel, H6738), meaning 'shadow' or 'shade,' with a possessive or gentilic ending ('-ai'), giving it a sense like 'my shadow' or 'belonging to shadow.' It is related to other words for protection and covering, as shade was a vital concept in the arid Near East.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, names were often meaningful, describing a hoped-for characteristic, circumstance of birth, or an attribute of God. A name meaning 'shady' or 'my shadow' likely carried positive connotations of protection, refreshment, and shelter from hardship, much as physical shade provided relief from the harsh sun. It may have expressed a parental prayer for God's protective covering over the child.
צֵל (tsel, H6738) — The root noun meaning 'shadow' or 'shade,' from which Tsillethai is directly derived. צלמות (tsalmaveth, H6757) — A compound word meaning 'deep shadow' or 'death shadow,' often translated as 'deep darkness,' denoting a more intense and threatening obscurity.
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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