Meaning & History
Shelomith is a feminine Old Testament name that also appears as a masculine name in the Hebrew Bible. It is derived from the Hebrew word shalom (שָׁלוֹם), meaning "peace."
Etymology
The name originates from the Hebrew root שלום, which carries the meaning of wholeness, completeness, and peace. The suffix -it or -ith is a feminine ending in Hebrew, giving the name its gendered form. Related masculine forms include Shlomo (Solomon), meaning "his peace."
Biblical Instances
Shelomith appears several times in the Bible. In Leviticus 24:11, Shelomith bat Dibri is the mother of a blasphemer whose story underscores the seriousness of irreverence. Other references include 1 Chronicles 7:19 (a male descendant of Issachar) and Ezra 10:30 (a man among those who had married foreign wives). The feminine associations, however, remain the most recognized.
Historical and Cultural Significance
The name shares its root with the well-known New Testament figure Salome (from the Greek form of Shlomit), who is mentioned in the Gospels as a follower of Jesus and as the daughter of Herodias who requested the head of John the Baptist. In Jewish tradition, Shelomith also appears in several other minor contexts, highlighting its ongoing cultural resonance. The variant Shlomit is commonly used in modern Israel, borne by artists such as Shlomit Aharon (Israeli singer) and Shlomit Malka (fashion model). Other notable people with the name across history include Lithuanian Zionist activist Schlomith Flaum and Israeli artist Shlomith Haber-Schaim.
Variant Forms
The name has parallels across languages and cultures. In several Semitic languages such as Arabic (Sulayman, Salimah) and Amharic (Selamawit), the common theme of peace remains strong. The related masculine names Sulejman (Bosnian), Sulaiman (Malay), and Turkish Süleyman all derive from the root "/Slm" meaning peace. However, Shelomith and its variants Shlomit and Shulamit remain distinctly linked to the biblical feminine.
Related Names
Sources: Wikipedia — Shlomit (given name)