Jaluts

Jaluts is a term used across several languages to refer both to a historical figure and to a broader idea of tyranny. In many Arabic-language and Islamic textual traditions, Jālūt (often rendered Jalut in transliteration) is the name of the Philistine commander who opposed the Israelites; in various translations and exegeses, the figure is associated with tyranny or oppressive rulership. The name is commonly linked to the biblical Goliath in Judeo-Christian sources, but in Islamic contexts Jalut is presented within a distinct narrative frame.

In Southeast Asian languages such as Indonesian and Malay, the term Jalut is popular in religious and literary usage. It can function as a proper noun when referring to the historical or biblical figure in translations and retellings. More broadly, jalut has come to denote tyranny or an oppressive ruler in everyday language and religious discourse. In this sense, Jaluts as a plural form can refer to multiple tyrants or oppressive figures described in literature or discussion.

Usage and reception vary by region. In scholarly or religious study, Jalut is typically treated as a historical-narrative name with accompanying thematic associations to power, oppression, and resistance. In modern prose and media, the term may be employed symbolically to discuss tyranny without implying a specific individual. There is no widely recognized organization, movement, or entity named “Jaluts”; the term primarily functions as a linguistic and literary concept.

See also: Goliath, Tyrant, Jalut (Arabic term).