Biblical Hebrew Forum

[David Kolinsky <hadeesh AT sbcglobal.net>]

With the greatest respect to Isaac, I disagree:

סולם is probably a pual form that means "the thing that is drawn upward" like a rope ladder would/could be
Like the many words below it is probably derived from:
סלה to draw up and away
 
סלא (drawn upward) ? hold up for comparison >>>>>> סלע (drawn upward) cliff
סלל (draw upward) to make a heap, a highway; to extol
סלסל lift upward, hold in high esteem
סלח  (draw upward and away, remove) to absolve
סלף  (piel)  (to draw off >) to throw off (track)
סלד  (to be drawn upward emotionally) to thrive on,  to revel


סלה ((to draw up and away)) is derived from
שלה (to hang suspended) to be relaxed (Jr12:1)  lazy, to be negligent (CrII29:11)
from שלה we also get תלה to hang; 
from סלה we also get צלה (to suspend from) to roast (SmI2:15) (Is44:16,19)

as with the other words derived from  סלה; there are words derived from those above by doubling the two letter root or by adding letters to the end of the two letter root. (the final ה is most often just a place marker and most often not a third letter in the root.)

צלם means "image" and it is derived from צל meaning "shadow" which "hangs off the side of the form."
שלום means "at peace" because the stative literally means  "suspended, interrupted" hence "finished, complete;" a suspension of hostilities is "at peace"
תלם means "ridge, farrow" because a "ridge" is drawn upward, in the same way that a תל is not just a hill but one drawn upward because there is something beneath it.

Thanks for the time taken to read this,
David Kolinsky
Monterey CA