Bible Word Study
שִׁלְחִי
Shilchîy · Shilchi, an Israelite
שִׁלְחִי
Shilchi, an Israelite
Definition
Shilchi is a proper noun referring to an Israelite man, the father of Azubah, who was the mother of King Jehoshaphat of Judah (2 Chronicles 20:31). The name appears only in this genealogical context, identifying a specific individual within the royal lineage. As a proper name, it does not have multiple senses or meanings in different biblical passages. Its sole function is to denote this ancestor of the king.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exactly once in the Old Testament, in 2 Chronicles 20:31, within a summary of King Jehoshaphat's reign. It appears in a genealogical formula: 'Jehoshaphat the son of Asa... and his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilchi.' Its usage is strictly for personal identification in a historical record.
Etymology
The name Shilchi (שִׁלְחִי) is derived from the Hebrew root שָׁלַח (shalach, H7973), which fundamentally means 'to send' or 'to stretch out.' It is a patronymic form, meaning 'my sending' or possibly 'my missile/weapon,' suggesting a meaning like 'sent one' or 'armed one.' This connects it conceptually to things that are dispatched or extended.
Semantic Range
In ancient Israelite culture, names often carried significant meaning, reflecting circumstances of birth, parental hopes, or character traits. While the specific reason for this individual being named Shilchi is not provided, the name's connection to 'sending' or 'arms' may have held personal or familial significance. As a patronymic in a royal genealogy, it serves to root King Jehoshaphat's lineage within the broader community of Israel.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]