שֹׁעַלshôʻal

hollow hand, handful

Pronunciation: sho'-al · Hebrew/Aramaic (Old Testament) · H8168

Meanings

1. hollow hand (Isaiah 40:12)

2. handful (1 Kings 20:10; Ezekiel 13:19)

Same root

Where it appears

Appears 3 times in the Bible.

  • 1 Kings 20:10 Then Ben-hadad sent this message to Ahab: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if there remains enough dust from Samaria to provide even a handful for each of my soldiers.”
  • Isaiah 40:12 Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?
  • Ezekiel 13:19 You bring shame on me among my people for a few handfuls of barley or a piece of bread. By lying to my people who love to listen to lies, you kill those who should not die, and you promise life to those who should not live.

Source: Brown, Driver and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain; markup by unfoldingWord, CC BY (github.com/unfoldingWord/Brown-Driver-Briggs-Enhanced).