Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not. Their defense - צלם tsillam, their shadow, a metaphor highly expressive of protection and support in the sultry eastern countries. The protection of God is so called; see Psalms 91:1; Psalms 121:5; see also Isaiah 51:16; Isaiah 49:2; Isaiah 30:2.
The Arabs and Persians have the same word to express the same thing.
nemayeed zulli doulet mamdood bad.
"May the shadow of thy prosperity be extended!"
nemayced zulli doulet ber mufareki khayr khwahen mamdood bad.
"May the shadow of thy prosperity be spread over the heads of thy well-wishers!"
They have also the following elegant distich: -
Sayahat kem mubad az seri ma
Bast Allah zullikem abeda.
"May thy protection never be removed from my head!
May God extend thy shadow eternally!"
Here the Arabic zull answers exactly to the Hebrew צל tsel, both signifying that which overspreads or overshadows. See the note on Numbers 14:14.