פָּלָא
pâlâʼ · H6381 · Hebrew · 73 occurrences
Meanings
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to be extraordinary, to be wonderful, to be difficult
State in which an event is out of the ordinary, inspiring amazement, and usually associated with the supernatural
ExamplesGenesis 18:14 “Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
Exodus 3:20 “So I will reach out with My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go.
Exodus 34:10 Then God said, “Behold, I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of the LORD, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you.
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to show oneself marvellous
Action by which deities perform events that are out of the ordinary and inspire amazement
ExamplesJob 10:16 ‘And should my head be high, You would hunt me like a lion; And You would show Your power against me again.
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Action by which humans or deities perform events in an extraordinary way that inspires amazement (to do (something) in an extraordinary way)
ExamplesLeviticus 27:2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When someone makes an explicit vow, he shall be valued according to your assessment of persons belonging to the LORD.
Numbers 6:2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man or woman makes a special vow, namely, the vow of a Nazirite, to live as a Nazirite for the LORD,
Deuteronomy 28:59 then the LORD will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses.
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to fulfill
Action by which humans complete a vow by fulfilling their promise
ExamplesLeviticus 22:21 ‘When someone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or for a voluntary offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be without defect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it.
Numbers 15:3 and you make an offering by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a special vow, or as a voluntary offering or at your appointed times, to make a soothing aroma to the LORD from the herd or from the flock,
Numbers 15:8 ‘And when you prepare a bull as a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a special vow, or for peace offerings to the LORD,
How it’s used In 12 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Who or what does itSubject
27 occurrences in 10 groups
- Not stated: he, she or it 8
- Not stated (infinitive) 5
- דָּבָרword, thing, matter 4
- Not stated (participle) 3
- Other words · 6 groups that occur once or twice (7) 7
What it acts on, or what is saidObject
9 occurrences in 6 groups
- נֶדֶרvow 4
- חֵסֵדsteadfast love, kindness, loyalty 2
- מַכָּהstroke 2
- עַםpeople 1
- עֵצָהcounsel, advice, plan 1
- שֶׁלֶםpeace offering, fellowship offering 1
With prepositionsPrepositional phrases
17 occurrences in 13 groups
- מִןfrom+ נִיme 4
- בin/on/with+ עַיִןeye, sight 3
- Other words · 11 groups that occur once or twice (14) 14
With adverbsAdverbs
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- לֹאnot 1
- מְאֹדvery 1
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
28 occurrences in 4 groups
- הוּhis 17
- ךָyour 9
- אֵלGod, god 1
- יmy 1
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
9 occurrences in 5 groups
- עָשָׂהto do, to make 5
- בָּרָאto create 1
- גָּדוֹלgreat, large 1
- סָפַרto count, to tell 1
- רָאָהto see 1
What is done to itIt is the object
22 occurrences in 12 groups
- עָשָׂהto do, to make 6
- סָפַרto count, to tell 4
- זָכַרto remember 3
- Other words · 9 groups that occur once or twice (9) 9
Second object ofSecond object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- רָאָהto see 1
What it is said to bePredicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- אַיֵּהwhere? 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
3 occurrences in 3 groups
- בַּיִתhouse, household 1
- הוּאhe, she, it 1
- מַעֲשֶׂהwork, deed 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
11 occurrences in 3 groups
- בin/on/with 11
- לto/for 5
- כlike/as 2
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- דָּבָרword, thing, matter 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
In the other Testament 2 words
- θαυμάσιος thaumásios · G2297 · wonderful, remarkable, marvelous
- Greek θαυμάσιος (thaumásios, G2297) renders Hebrew פָּלָא (pâlâʼ, H6381) in LXX contexts emphasizing the wondrous/marvelous quality of divine acts, typically translating the adjectival or nominal aspects of פָּלָא's semantic range ("marvelous things," "wondrous works") rather than the verbal senses ("to accomplish," "to perform").
- θαυμαστός thaumastós · G2298 · wonderful, remarkable, marvelous
- Greek θαυμαστός renders the wonder-inducing quality of פָּלָא (pâlâʼ, H6381)'s marvelous/miraculous acts, functioning as the adjectival equivalent where Hebrew פָּלָא expresses the verbal action of accomplishing wonders or the substantive marvel itself.
Semantic domains 2 entries
- Extraordinary002001003006
- פָּלָא describes something marvelous, extraordinarily hard, or miraculous, as of the miracles the LORD performs in Egypt in Exodus 3:20 and 34:10, and the question of whether anything is too difficult for the LORD in Genesis 18:14.
- Complete002001003003
- The word also carries the sense of fulfilling or completing a vow, as of the special vow to be fulfilled in Leviticus 22:21.
Word family 4 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H6381. pala [מָּלָא]71 verb denominative Niph`al etc., be surpassing, extraordinary…
[מָּלָא]71 verb denominative Niph`al etc., be surpassing, extraordinary (compare Gerber212); —
Niph`al Perfect3feminine singular נִפְלָאת Psa 118:23 (Ges§ 44f); נִפְלְאַ֫תָה 2Sa 1:26 (Köi. 610 f., 614 Ges§ 75oo); 3 plural נִפְלְאוּ Pro 30:18; Imperfect יִמָּלֵא Deu 17:8 Deu 17:6t.; Participle masculine plural נִפְלָאִים Psa 139:14; feminine singular נִפְלֵאת Deu 30:11; plural נִפְלָאוֺת Jos 3:5 +; suffix נִפְלְאֹתַי Exo 3:20, etc.; —
1 be beyond one's power, difficult to do, לעשׂות 2Sa 13:2; פ ׳בְּעֵינֵי Zec 8:6 (twice in verse); with מן person too difficult for Deu 30:11, for ׳י Gen 18:14 (J) Jer 32:17, Jer 32:27.
2 be difficult to understand; with מן person too difficult for Psa 131:1; Pro 30:18; Job 42:3, to decide Deu 17:8. Especially
3. a. be extraordinary, wonderful, 2Sa 1:26; Psa 119:18; of God's acts, ׳נ בְּעֵנֵינוּ Psa 118:23, compare Psa 139:14.
2 Participle as substantive marvellous things Job 37:14 (acts of God), Dan 11:36 (presumptuous words); as adverb wondrously Job 37:5; Dan 8:24.
4 נִפְלָאוֺת = wonderful acts of ׳י in judgment and redemption, Exo 3:20 (J) Jdg 6:13; Jer 21:2; 1Ch 16:9, 1Ch 16:24; Psa 9:2; Psa 26:7 15t. Psalms; also נ ׳עשׂה Exo 34:10; Jos 3:5 (J) Job 5:9 = Job 9:10, + 9 t. Chronicles, Psalms; נ ׳הראה Mic 7:15; Psa 78:11.
Pi`el Infinitive construct נֶדֶר לְפַלֵּא make a special votive offering, Lev 22:21; Num 15:3, Num 15:8 (P).
Hiph`il Hiph`il Perfect3masculine singular הִפְלִיא Psa 31:22; 2Ch 26:15; הִפְלִא Isa 28:29; וְהִפְלָא consecutive Deu 28:59 (Ges§ 75oo); Imperfect יַפְלִא Lev 27:2; Num 6:2; Infinitive absolute הַפְלֵא Isa 29:14; 2Ch 2:8; construct הַפְלִיא Isa 29:14; Joe 2:26; Participle מַפְלִא Jdg 13:19; —
1 do a hard or difficult thing: ׳הפ נֶדֶר (לִנְדֹּר) make a hard vow Lev 27:2; Num 6:2 (compare Pi`el).
2 make wonderful, do wondrously: of God, ׳הפ מַכּוֺת make plagues wonderful (exceptional), Deu 28:59; ׳הפ עֵצָה Isa 28:29 make counsel wondrous, Isa 29:14 do wonderfully with people, + וָפֶלֶא הַפְלֵא; לה עמכם ׳עשׂה Joe 2:26 dealt with you doing wondrously; ׳הפ לִי חַסְדּוֺ Psa 31:22; ׳הפ לְהֵעָזֵר2Ch 26:15 did marvelously in receiving help; of the temple וְהַפְלֵא גָּדוֺל2Ch 2:8 (KöSynt. § 318 e).
3 of God, לעשׂות מַפְלִא Jdg 13:19 working wonders in doing.
Hithpa`el Imperfect בִי תִּתְמַּלָּא Job 10:16 thou dost shew thyself marvellous (act inexplicably) against me.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 2 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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