Shilhim

Shilhim (meaning: aqueducts or armed men) was a town in the Negev district of the tribal territory of Judah, listed in the settlement list of Joshua 15:32 alongside Ain, Rimmon, and other towns of the southernmost portion of Judah. The same town appears to be called Sharuhen in Joshua 19:6 and Shaaraim in 1 Chronicles 4:31 in parallel lists of Simeonite cities, suggesting either textual variation or a double name.

Shilhim is mentioned only in these settlement lists and plays no role in any subsequent biblical narrative. Its location in the Negev, the semi-arid region south of Beersheba, places it on the frontier of Judahite settlement, in an area where water management — possibly reflected in the name aqueducts — would have been crucial for habitation. The overlap between Judahite and Simeonite town lists in this region reflects the gradual absorption of the tribe of Simeon into Judah during the later monarchy period.