Valley of Death (The Shadow of Death)
Saul. Place of death. By extension: a place that inspires fear of death.
("Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" - Psalms 23:4. Similarly: "And the Creator of the world, in the attribute of mercy, will remember us and you to gather the exiles... and will bring us out from the valley of the shadow of death in which He placed us" - Rambam, Epistle to Yemen. And likewise: "And the youth calmly gazed into the abyss, and asked in his heart: Has anyone descended into this valley of the shadow of death and escaped?" - H.N. Bialik, Scroll of Fire, 7)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
גֵּיא צַלְמָוֶת
Definition (Hebrew)
שָׁאוּל. מְקוֹם מָוֶת. בְּהַשְׁאָלָה: מָקוֹם מֵהַמְּעוֹרֵר פַּחַד מָוֶת.
("גַּם כִּי אֵלֵךְ בְּגֵיא צַלְמָוֶת לֹא אִירָא רָע כִּי אַתָּה עִמָּדִי שִׁבְטְךָ וּמִשְׁעַנְתֶּךָ הֵמָּה יְנַחֲמֻנִי"- תְּהִלִּים כג ד, כֵּן:"וּבוֹרֵא עוֹלָם בְּמִדַּת הָרַחֲמִים יִזְכֹּר אוֹתָנוּ וְאֶתְכֶם לְקַבֵּץ גָּלוּיוֹת...וְיֻצֵּאנוּ מִגֵּיא צַלְמָוֶת אֲשֶׁר הוֹשִׁיבָנוּ בּוֹ"- הָרַמְבָּ"ם/ אִגֶּרֶת תֵּימָן, וְכֵן:"וַיַּבֵּט הָעֶלֶם בְּשַׁלְוָה אֶל פִּי הַתְּהוֹם, וְיִשְׁאַל בִּלְבָבוֹ : הֵרֵד אִישׁ לְגֵיא צַלְמָוֶת זֶה וְנִמְלַט?"- ח.נ. בְּיָאלִיק/ מְגִלַּת הָאֵשׁ, ז)