Shiloh

Etymology

Debated. Possibly from 'shalah' (to be tranquil) or 'shel' (belonging to) + 'lo' (him) = 'the one to whom it belongs.' Genesis 49:10 uses it in a messianic prophecy: 'until Shiloh comes' — traditionally read as a title for the Messiah.

Who they were

Shiloh carries dual significance. As a place, it was the city where the tabernacle stood for over three hundred years during the period of the judges — the centre of Israelite worship before Jerusalem. Hannah prayed there. Samuel grew up there. The ark of the covenant was kept there until the Philistines captured it. God later abandoned Shiloh as a judgment (Jeremiah uses its destruction as a warning to Jerusalem). As a prophetic word, Shiloh appears in Jacob's blessing over Judah: 'The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and the obedience of the nations shall be his.' Jewish and Christian tradition has read this as a messianic prophecy — Shiloh as a title for the one to whom the kingdom ultimately belongs. The name thus carries both a place of worship and a promise of the coming king. As a modern given name, it is used for both boys and girls, valued for its gentle sound and its layered meaning: peace, belonging, and the one who is awaited.

Character qualities

• Place of long worship
• Site of both faithfulness and abandonment

Where they appear

Themes

Variants & related forms

Shilo · Shylo

Related names