{
  "id": "dict_006126",
  "term": "Zalmonah",
  "slug": "zalmonah",
  "letter": "Z",
  "entry_type": "biblical_place_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "A wilderness campsite named in Israel’s itinerary during the exodus journey; a biblical place name rather than a theological doctrine.",
  "simple_one_line": "Zalmonah was one of the stopping places in Israel’s wilderness journey.",
  "tooltip_text": "A named campsite in the Numbers wilderness itinerary.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Wilderness wanderings",
    "Numbers 33",
    "Bronze serpent",
    "Mount Hor",
    "Israel in the wilderness"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Wilderness itinerary",
    "Exodus",
    "Numbers",
    "Fiery serpents"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Zalmonah is a place name in the wilderness itinerary of Israel after the exodus from Egypt. Scripture mentions it as one of the stations on the journey, but does not develop it as a theological concept.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A named station in Israel’s wilderness travels, listed in Numbers 33.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Appears in the wilderness itinerary in Numbers 33.",
    "Functions as a geographic marker in Israel’s journey.",
    "Its exact location is not identified with certainty.",
    "Significance is historical and biblical, not doctrinal."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Zalmonah is one of the stations listed in Israel’s wilderness travels after the exodus from Egypt. It appears in the itinerary of Numbers 33 and is best understood as a geographic place name within the historical record of Israel’s wanderings.",
  "description_academic_full": "Zalmonah is named among the stopping places of the Israelites in the wilderness itinerary recorded in Numbers 33. The text places it in the sequence of Israel’s journey in the period after the events associated with the bronze serpent narrative, though the exact correlation of individual stations should be handled carefully. Scripture does not expand Zalmonah into a theological theme; its main value is as part of the inspired historical record of Israel’s wilderness wandering, showing the reality of God’s guidance, judgment, and preservation in the exodus period.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Numbers 33 preserves a list of Israel’s stages in the wilderness. Zalmonah appears as one of those stations, helping situate the journey historically and geographically. It belongs to the broader biblical memory of Israel’s testing, provision, and movement toward the promised land.",
  "background_historical_context": "The exact site of Zalmonah has not been identified with certainty. Like many wilderness stations in Numbers, it serves more as a record of travel history than as an archaeologically fixed location. The list in Numbers likely reflects actual journey markers preserved for covenant memory and historical testimony.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In Jewish reading, the wilderness itinerary is part of the remembered history of Israel’s deliverance and discipline. Zalmonah itself is not a major interpretive focus, but it stands within the larger pattern of the wilderness generation’s journey under the Lord’s care.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Numbers 33:41-42"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Numbers 21:4-9",
    "Numbers 33:1-49"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew צַלְמֹנָה (transliterated Zalmonah). The name is preserved as a place name in the wilderness itinerary.",
  "theological_significance": "Zalmonah has no standalone doctrine attached to it, but it contributes to the biblical testimony that God faithfully guided Israel through real historical stages of testing and provision. Its significance is therefore indirect and historical rather than doctrinal.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a proper place name, Zalmonah reminds readers that biblical revelation is anchored in real history and geography. The Bible’s theology is expressed through actual events, locations, and journeys, not through abstract ideas detached from history.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "The exact location of Zalmonah is uncertain, and its placement within the wilderness itinerary should not be pressed beyond what the text states. It should not be treated as a symbolic or mystical term.",
  "major_views_note": "Most interpreters treat Zalmonah simply as one station in the wilderness itinerary. Differences mainly concern identification of the site and how precisely the itinerary maps onto the historical journey.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Zalmonah should not be turned into a doctrine, typology, or speculative symbol. Its meaning remains within the biblical record of Israel’s wilderness travels.",
  "practical_significance": "Zalmonah encourages confidence that Scripture records real historical movements of God’s people. It also reminds readers that ordinary, unnamed places can still be part of God’s providential dealings with His people.",
  "meta_description": "Zalmonah is a wilderness campsite named in Numbers 33 as part of Israel’s journey after the exodus.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/zalmonah/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/zalmonah.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}