פָּלָא
𐤐𐤋𐤀
pâlâʼ
H6381 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To be extraordinary, surpassing the ordinary, or distinguished; to cause to be wonderful or remarkable. The verb carries connotations of something being beyond human capacity, difficult to comprehend, marvelous, or wondrous in effect or appearance. It is often used to describe acts or phenomena deemed remarkable or miraculous, especially in relation to divine action.
Semantic Range
to be extraordinary, to be wonderful, to be surpassing, to be difficult (especially for humans), to be incomprehensible, to perform marvelous or miraculous acts, to be distinguished, to cause to be wondrous, to do something remarkable
Root / Etymology
Root: פלא (p-l-ʼ). Root meaning involves the sense of being extraordinary, surpassing, or causing to be distinct. The actual lexical meaning moves from the basic sense of distinguished or separable, to meanings emphasizing something wonderful, marvelous, incomprehensible, or miraculous.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, פָּלָא frequently appears in contexts emphasizing acts or qualities considered beyond the ordinary human realm, particularly in describing the actions of YHWH that defy natural explanation. Examples include miraculous deliverance, extraordinary deeds, or events that evoke awe due to their incomprehensibility. While English translations often render it as 'wonderful' or 'marvelous,' the term in biblical usage is more specifically tied to that which exceeds normative experience or understanding, and is frequently attributed to deity or divine agency. Over time, פָּלָא maintained its sense of extraordinariness but occasionally also described rare or exceptional human achievements. Contrasts with terms like נִס (H5251), which focuses more on 'miracle' as a sign or portent, whereas פָּלָא emphasizes the remarkable, awe-invoking nature of an act or occurrence. The causative stem (hiphil) may further shift the focus to causing something to be wonderful or performing something marvelous. Later rabbinic Hebrew tended to blur distinctions among terms for miracle or wonder, but biblical usage remains consistent in associating פָּלָא with what is extraordinary, especially regarding YHWH's interaction with Israel.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; properly, perhaps to separate, i.e. distinguish (literally or figuratively); by implication, to be (causatively, make) great, difficult, wonderful; accomplish, (arise...too, be too) hard, hidden, things too high, (be, do, do a, shew) marvelous(-ly, -els, things, work), miracles, perform, separate, make singular, (be, great, make) wonderful(-ers, -ly, things, works), wondrous (things, works, -ly).
Bantu Hebrew
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פלא (p-l-ʾ) — to be extraordinary, surpass, be distinguished, be wonderful
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4652 | מִפְלָאָה | wonders of |
| H6382 | פֶּלֶא | extraordinary wonder |
| H6383 | פִּלְאִי | extraordinary one |
| H6384 | פַּלֻּאִי | the Pallu-descendant |
| H6411 | פְּלָיָה | Yah has distinguished |
Word Forms
28 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6381-10 |
נִפְלָאֹ֔ת | nifelaot | HVNrfpa |
wondrous things | extraordinary ones | 13 |
H6381-16 |
נִפְלְאוֹתֶֽי/ךָ | nifeleoteykha | HVNrfpc/Sp2ms |
your wondrous works | your extraordinary acts | 8 |
H6381-15 |
נִפְלְאֹתָ֡י/ו | nifeleotayv | HVNrfpc/Sp3ms |
his wonders | his wondrous ones | 8 |
H6381-26 |
וְ֝/נִפְלְאוֹתָ֗י/ו | venifeleotayv | HC/VNrfpc/Sp3ms |
and his wonderful works | and his extraordinary-ones | 7 |
H6381-28 |
יִפָּלֵא֩ | yipale | HVNi3ms |
be wonderful | will be extraordinary | 5 |
H6381-06 |
לְ/פַלֵּא | lefale | HR/Vpc |
to fulfill | to make wondrous | 3 |
H6381-05 |
הִפְלִ֣יא | hifeli | HVhp3ms |
he has made wonderful | he made wondrous | 3 |
H6381-27 |
יַפְלִ֖א | yafeli | HVhi3ms |
makes a special | he will cause wonder | 2 |
H6381-07 |
לְ/הַפְלִ֥יא | lehafeli | HR/Vhc |
to do marvelous things | to make extraordinary | 2 |
H6381-25 |
וְ/נִפְלָא֗וֹת | venifelaot | HC/VNrfpa |
and wonders | and extraordinary ones | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
71 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6381-04 |
Genesis 18:14 | הֲ/יִפָּלֵ֥א | hayipale | HTi/VNi3ms |
Is anything too difficult | Will it be extraordinary? |
H6381-14 |
Exodus 3:20 | נִפְלְאֹתַ֔/י | nifeleotay | HVNrfpc/Sp1cs |
My wonders | my extraordinary things |
H6381-10 |
Exodus 34:10 | נִפְלָאֹ֔ת | nifelaot | HVNrfpa |
marvels | extraordinary ones |
H6381-06 |
Leviticus 22:21 | לְ/פַלֵּא | lefale | HR/Vpc |
for a special | to make wondrous |
H6381-27 |
Leviticus 27:2 | יַפְלִ֖א | yafeli | HVhi3ms |
makes a special | he will cause wonder |
H6381-27 |
Numbers 6:2 | יַפְלִא֙ | yafeli | HVhi3ms |
makes a special | he will cause wonder |
H6381-06 |
Numbers 15:3 | לְ/פַלֵּא | lefale | HR/Vpc |
to fulfill | to make wondrous |
H6381-06 |
Numbers 15:8 | לְ/פַלֵּא | lefale | HR/Vpc |
to fulfill | to make wondrous |
H6381-28 |
Deuteronomy 17:8 | יִפָּלֵא֩ | yipale | HVNi3ms |
is too difficult | will be extraordinary |
H6381-24 |
Deuteronomy 28:59 | וְ/הִפְלָ֤א | vehifela | HC/Vhq3ms |
and will make wonderful | and he caused to be wondrous |