Lexical Summary tsela: side, side chambers, sides Original Word: צֵלָע Strong's Exhaustive Concordance beam, board, chamber, corner, leaf, plank, rib, side chamberOr (feminine) tsaltah {tsal-aw'}; from tsala'; a rib (as curved), literally (of the body) or figuratively (of a door, i.e. Leaf); hence, a side, literally (of a person) or figuratively (of an object or the sky, i.e. Quarter); architecturally, a (especially floor or ceiling) timber or plank (single or collective, i.e. A flooring) -- beam, board, chamber, corner, leaf, plank, rib, side (chamber). see HEBREW tsala' NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition rib, side NASB Translation boards (3), chambers (1), hillside* (1), leaves (1), one...another (1), rib (1), ribs (1), side (15), side chamber (1), side chambers (10), sides (5), walls (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs צֵלָע41 noun feminine (masculine 1 Kings 6:34, and apparently Exodus 26:26) rib, side; — absolute ׳צ Genesis 2:22 +, construct צֶ֫לַע Exodus 26:26 +, also צֵ֫לַע 2 Samuel 16:13; suffix צַלְעוֺ Exodus 25:12 +; plural צְלָעִים 1 Kings 6:34, צְלָעוֺת 1 Kings 6:3 +; construct צַלְעֹת Ezekiel 41:26 +; suffix צַלְעֹתָיו Genesis 2:21 +; — 1 rib of man Genesis 2:21,22 (J). 2 rib of hill, i.e. ridge, or terrace 2 Samuel 16:13. 3 side-chambers or cells (enclosing temple like ribs) 1 Kings 6:5,6 (read ׳הַצּ for היצוע, see [ יָצִיעַ]), 1 Kings 7:3, so of Ezekiel's temple Ezekiel 41:5 10t. 41 (on text see Co Toy Krae). 4 ribs of cedar and fir, i.e. planks, boards (plural), of temple wall 1 Kings 6:15,16 floor 1 Kings 6:15. 5 leaves of door 1 Kings 6:34. 6 (in P) side, of ark (אֶרוֺן) Exodus 25:12 (twice in verse); Exodus 25:14 = Exodus 37:3 (twice in verse); Exodus 37:5; of tabernacle (מִשְׁכָּן) Exodus 26:20 ("" מֵּאָה Exodus 26:18), Exodus 26:26; Exodus 26:27; Exodus 26:27 = Exodus 36:25 ("" ׳פ Exodus 36:23), Exodus 36:31; Exodus 36:32, Exodus 26:35 (twice in verse); of altar Exodus 27:7 = Exodus 38:7, Exodus 30:4 = Exodus 37:27. — Jeremiah 20:10; Job 18:12 see צֶלַע below II. צלע. Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Patterns of Usage צֵלָע (tzelāʿ) appears about forty-one times, always describing a “side,” whether of a person, an article of furniture, or a building. The contexts fall into four main groups: (1) the human body, (2) the Tabernacle and its furnishings, (3) Solomon’s Temple, and (4) Ezekiel’s visionary temple. In every setting the word points to something that comes alongside and supports, protects, or complements what it adjoins. Genesis: The Rib and the Covenant of Marriage The first occurrence shapes the theological center of the word. “So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he slept, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the flesh in that place. Then the LORD God fashioned from the rib He had taken from the man a woman, and He brought her to the man” (Genesis 2:21-22). The woman is neither from Adam’s head to rule over him nor from his foot to be trampled by him, but from his side—signifying fellowship, equality of essence, and complementarity in function. When Adam declares, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23), a covenant pattern is laid down that becomes the basis for marriage throughout Scripture (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-5; Ephesians 5:31). Exodus: Boards, Beams, and Sides of the Tabernacle Seventeen appearances are bound up with the wilderness sanctuary. Two examples illustrate the way צֵלָע underlines order and portability: Every time the word is used for the Tabernacle it describes structural pieces that stabilize and unify the whole. The spiritual parallel is the orderly worship life of a redeemed people traveling toward promise (Hebrews 3:3-6). 1 Kings: Side Chambers of Solomon’s Temple When Israel is settled in the land, צֵלָע shifts from nomadic boards to permanent side rooms: “Against the wall of the temple he built a structure around it, in which there were side rooms all around” (1 Kings 6:5). Verses 6-10 give detailed measurements, using צֵלָע seven times. The three-story annex housed priests, stored utensils, and safeguarded offerings (1 Kings 7:51; 2 Chronicles 31:11). Thus the “ribs” of the Temple sustained a worship ministry that now served not a moving camp but a settled nation. Ezekiel: The Prophetic Temple The final cluster occurs in Ezekiel’s vision of a future house of God (Ezekiel 41:5-11, 26). Again side chambers surround the sanctuary, yet the glory exceeds even Solomon’s day (Ezekiel 43:1-5). By reusing צֵלָע Ezekiel links God’s unchanging pattern—secure sides around a holy center—with an eschatological hope in which “the LORD is there” (Ezekiel 48:35). Literary and Theological Themes 1. Complementarity. The woman from Adam’s side models mutuality. Psalm 128 sets wife “by the sides of your house,” a domestic echo (Psalm 128:3; the underlying Hebrew word differs, yet the image stands on Genesis 2). Christological Echoes In John 19:34 the Roman spear opens the Lord’s πλευρά (side). While Greek vocabulary differs, the conceptual parallel is powerful: from the pierced side of the second Adam flow blood and water—redemption and cleansing—for the birth of the Church (John 19:35-37; Ephesians 5:25-27). The original צֵלָע anticipates this greater act of creation. Implications for Contemporary Ministry • Marriage: Genesis 2 grounds permanence and mutual support; pastoral counseling must uphold this design. Thus צֵלָע, from Eden to the New Jerusalem, consistently signifies the devoted “sides” that protect, support, and complete the dwelling and purpose of God among His people. Forms and Transliterations בְּצֵ֨לַע בְּצַלְע֣וֹת בְּצַלְע֥וֹת בצלע בצלעות הַצְּלָעֹת֙ הַצְּלָעוֹת֙ הַצֵּלָ֛ע הַצֵּלָע֙ הַצֵּלָע֩ הצלע הצלעות הצלעת וְהַצְּלָעוֹת֩ וְצַלְע֥וֹת וּלְצֶ֧לַע והצלעות ולצלע וצלעות לְצַלְעֽוֹ׃ לַצְּלָע֗וֹת לַצְּלָע֛וֹת לַצֵּלָ֛ע לצלע לצלעו׃ לצלעות מִצַּלְעֹתָ֔יו מצלעתיו צְלָע֖וֹת צְלָעִ֜ים צֵלָ֜ע צֵלָ֨ע צֶ֣לַע צֶ֥לַע צֶֽלַע־ צַלְע֖וֹ צַלְעֹ֣ת צַלְעֹ֥ת צַלְעֹתָ֔יו צַלְעוֹ֙ צלע צלע־ צלעו צלעות צלעים צלעת צלעתיו bə·ṣal·‘ō·wṯ bə·ṣê·la‘ bəṣal‘ōwṯ bəṣêla‘ betzalot beTzela haṣ·ṣê·lā‘ haṣ·ṣə·lā·‘ō·wṯ haṣ·ṣə·lā·‘ōṯ haṣṣêlā‘ haṣṣəlā‘ōṯ haṣṣəlā‘ōwṯ hatztzeLa hatztzelaOt laṣ·ṣê·lā‘ laṣ·ṣə·lā·‘ō·wṯ laṣṣêlā‘ laṣṣəlā‘ōwṯ latztzeLa latztzelaot lə·ṣal·‘ōw ləṣal‘ōw letzalO miṣ·ṣal·‘ō·ṯāw miṣṣal‘ōṯāw mitztzaloTav ṣal‘ōṯ ṣal‘ōṯāw ṣal‘ōw ṣal·‘ō·ṯāw ṣal·‘ōṯ ṣal·‘ōw ṣe·la‘ ṣê·lā‘ ṣe·la‘- ṣə·lā·‘îm ṣə·lā·‘ō·wṯ ṣela‘ ṣêlā‘ ṣela‘- ṣəlā‘îm ṣəlā‘ōwṯ tzalO tzalOt tzaloTav tzela tzelaIm tzelaot ū·lə·ṣe·la‘ ūləṣela‘ uleTzela vehatztzelaOt vetzalot wə·haṣ·ṣə·lā·‘ō·wṯ wə·ṣal·‘ō·wṯ wəhaṣṣəlā‘ōwṯ wəṣal‘ōwṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 2:21 HEB: וַיִּקַּ֗ח אַחַת֙ מִצַּלְעֹתָ֔יו וַיִּסְגֹּ֥ר בָּשָׂ֖ר NAS: one of his ribs and closed KJV: one of his ribs, and closed up INT: took one of his ribs and closed the flesh Genesis 2:22 Exodus 25:12 Exodus 25:12 Exodus 25:14 Exodus 26:20 Exodus 26:26 Exodus 26:27 Exodus 26:27 Exodus 26:35 Exodus 26:35 Exodus 27:7 Exodus 30:4 Exodus 36:25 Exodus 36:31 Exodus 36:32 Exodus 37:3 Exodus 37:3 Exodus 37:5 Exodus 37:27 Exodus 38:7 2 Samuel 16:13 1 Kings 6:5 1 Kings 6:8 1 Kings 6:15 41 Occurrences |
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