Lexical Summary
shelabbim: Lattice, network, or interwoven work
Original Word: שָׁלָב
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: shalab
Pronunciation: she-lab-beem
Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-lawb')
KJV: ledge
NASB: frames
Word Origin: [from H7947 (שָׁלַב - fitted)]
1. a spacer or raised interval, i.e. the stile in a frame or panel
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
ledge
From shalab; a spacer or raised interval, i.e. The stile in a frame or panel -- ledge.
see HEBREW shalab
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
shalabDefinitionjoining pieces (of stands)
NASB Translationframes (3).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
of bases (
juncturae); —
1 Kings 7:28,29,
1 Kings 7:29; AV RV
ledges,
ribs (Kit) or
frames (Benz), joining or binding the parts together.
(√ of following, unless loan-word; Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew, Ecclus 43:17c his snow; Arabic 👁 Image
. Aramaic , 👁 Image
, Assyrian šalgu).
Topical Lexicon
Distribution and Literary Setting Shalav appears exclusively in the detailed description of the ten bronze water carts fabricated for Solomon’s temple court (1 Kings 7:28, 29). The term designates the framed sections that held decorative panels and provided structural integrity to each mobile laver stand. Its cluster of three occurrences within a single paragraph underscores how narrowly the word is tied to this one architectural feature.
Structural and Architectural Role
1 Kings 7:28 describes the design: “He made the stands with side panels between the frames.” The frames (shalav) functioned as the load-bearing skeleton of the carts, locking together the side panels and supporting the basins that held the water. Ancient Near Eastern chariot construction employs a similar system, hinting that the carts combined mobility with ceremonial durability. By specifying the frames, the text affirms the precision with which the temple’s furnishings were engineered—every joint, bracket, and ledge existing by divine instruction, not merely human ingenuity.
Artistic and Symbolic Significance
The frames enclosed panels that were “ornamented with lions, oxen, and cherubim” (1 Kings 7:29). These motifs echo other sanctuary symbols:
• Lions evoke royal authority (compare Genesis 49:9; 1 Kings 10:20).
• Oxen recall sacrificial service (compare Numbers 7:3; 1 Kings 7:25).
• Cherubim are guardians of holiness (compare Genesis 3:24; 1 Kings 6:27–28).
By holding these images in place, the frames visually united kingship, sacrifice, and divine presence—key strands of Old Testament theology.
Relationship to Levitical Worship
Each cart bore a laver of roughly 220 gallons of water (1 Kings 7:38), enabling priests to wash the sacrificial parts before burning them (Leviticus 1:9). Without sturdy frames the carts could not have supported such weight. Thus shalav is indirectly linked to the daily pursuit of ritual purity. Its inclusion in the narrative reminds readers that holiness must be structurally sustained; external beauty without interior strength would have failed under repeated use.
Theological Themes
1. Order and craftsmanship reflect God’s character (Exodus 31:1–5). Shalav testifies that divine worship calls for both utility and beauty.
2. Holiness is comprehensive. Even seemingly minor parts receive detailed attention, foreshadowing New Testament teaching that every member of Christ’s body has purpose (1 Corinthians 12:22).
3. Stability amidst movement. The carts were mobile, yet the frames ensured firmness, paralleling the believer’s call to be “steadfast, immovable” while “always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Ministry Reflections
• Engineers, artists, and laborers all serve God when their craft undergirds corporate worship.
• Congregational life needs spiritual “frames” (sound doctrine, accountability) that secure and display the beauty of holiness.
• Leaders should value hidden support ministries as highly as visible platforms, for without them the structure collapses.
Shalav, though mentioned only three times, exemplifies how Scripture weaves theological significance into the fine joints of sacred architecture, urging every generation to build its worship with the same reverent precision.
Forms and Transliterations
הַשְׁלַבִּ֖ים הַשְׁלַבִּ֗ים הַשְׁלַבִּֽים׃ השלבים השלבים׃ haš·lab·bîm hashlabBim hašlabbîm
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