Judah appointed to fight against the CanaanitesJean Bondol & Master of the Bible of Jean de Sy (First Master) · 1372

Shelah

שֵׁלָה/SHEE-lah/

“Petition or peace”

Summary

The youngest son of Judah by his Canaanite wife, who became the ancestor of one of the major clans within the tribe of Judah.

☩Son of Judah

Shelah was the youngest of Judah's three sons by the daughter of Shuah the Canaanite. After his older brothers Er and Onan died, Judah promised Shelah to his widowed daughter-in-law Tamar, but delayed fulfilling this promise. This led to the incident where Tamar disguised herself and conceived twins by Judah himself. Shelah eventually married and his descendants became a significant clan.

Key verses:Genesis 38:5Genesis 38:11Genesis 38:14Genesis 38:26

☩The Shelanites

Shelah's descendants are called the Shelanites and are numbered among the clans of Judah. Some of his descendants are listed in Chronicles as workers in fine linen, potters, and those who had dominion in Moab. The 'Shilonite' mentioned in Nehemiah 11:5 and 1 Chronicles 9:5 should probably be read as 'Shelanite.'

Key verses:Numbers 26:20Genesis 46:121 Chronicles 4:21-23

☩Not to Be Confused

This Shelah should be distinguished from Shelah (also spelled Salah) the son of Arphaxad, who was an ancestor of Abraham and appears in Luke's genealogy of Jesus.

Key verses:1 Chronicles 1:18Luke 3:35

Related Verses10 mentions

Genesis· 5 verses

38:5 38:11 38:14 38:26 46:12

1 Chronicles· 4 verses

1:18 1:24 2:3 4:21

Numbers· 1 verse

26:20

References

1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Shelah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IX (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Shelah," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
3.James Orr (ed.), "Shelah," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).