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פְּסִיל

𐤐𐤎𐤉𐤋

pᵉçîyl

H6456 noun

SILEX Entry

Root פסל to carve, hew, chisel

Definition

A carved image, sculpture, or idol—typically an object made of wood, stone, or metal that is fashioned by human hands for religious or cultic purposes. In biblical usage, פְּסִיל refers specifically to an image produced by chiseling or carving, especially in the context of idols representing deities worshipped by individuals or nations in opposition to Yahwistic monotheism.

Semantic Range

carved image, statue, idol, graven image, cultic image, (rarely) quarried object

Root / Etymology

From the root פָּסַל (psl), meaning 'to carve' or 'to hew'. פְּסִיל is the noun form, indicating 'that which is carved' or 'a carved object'. The nominal form directly derives from the literal sense of the root, shifting to refer especially to objects made for religious or cultic use.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical Hebrew, פְּסִיל appears predominantly as a term denoting images or idols in contexts condemning or forbidding the making or worship of such figures (Exodus 34:17; Deuteronomy 27:15). While its core sense is a 'carved image', later translations such as the Septuagint and English versions render it as 'idol' or 'graven image', a term influenced by the biblical prohibition of image worship, not by the physical properties alone. In legal and prophetic texts of the monarchic and exilic periods, פְּסִיל frequently marks the physical manifestation of foreign or prohibited worship. The meaning narrowed in biblical tradition almost exclusively to religiously significant images, in contrast to other terms like תְּמוּנָה (temūnāh, 'figure, likeness'), which can denote visual representation more broadly or abstractly. In post-exilic and later periods, with the intensification of opposition to cult images, the pejorative sense of 'idol' became dominant. English 'quarry' reflects the sense of 'something hewn from stone,' but this is secondary and less common in biblical contexts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from פָּסַל; an idol; carved (graven) image, quarry.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פסל (p-s-l) — to carve, hew, chisel

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6458 פָּסַל he carved him
H6459 פֶּסֶל in the carved-image

Word Forms

14 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6456-06 פְּסִילֵ֥י pesiley HNcmpc graven images carved images of 4
H6456-13 וְ/הַ/פְּסִלִ֔ים vehapesilim HC/Td/Ncmpa and-the-carved-images and the carved images 4
H6456-04 הַ/פְּסִילִים֙ hapesilim HTd/Ncmpa the carved images the carved idols 3
H6456-11 וּ/פְסִילֵי/הֶ֖ם ufesileyhem HC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp and their carved images and their carved images 2
H6456-07 פְּסִילֶ֑י/הָ pesileyha HNcmpc/Sp3fs her carved images her carved idols 2
H6456-08 פְּסִֽילֵי/הֶ֖ם pesileyhem HNcmpc/Sp3mp their graven images their carved images 1
H6456-02 פְסִילֶ֛י/ךָ fesileykha HNcmpc/Sp2ms idols-your your carved idols 1
H6456-01 בִּ/פְסִלֵי/הֶ֖ם bifesileyhem HR/Ncmpc/Sp3mp with their graven images with their carved-idols 1
H6456-05 לַ/פְּסִילִֽים lapesilim HRd/Ncmpa to idols to carved idols 1
H6456-09 פְּסִלִים֙ pesilim HNcmpa graven images carved images 1

Occurrences in Scripture

24 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6456-11 Deuteronomy 7:5 וּ/פְסִילֵי/הֶ֖ם ufesileyhem HC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp and their carved images and their carved images
H6456-06 Deuteronomy 7:25 פְּסִילֵ֥י pesiley HNcmpc graven images carved images of
H6456-10 Deuteronomy 12:3 וּ/פְסִילֵ֥י ufesiley HC/Ncmpc and the engraved images and carved images of
H6456-04 Judges 3:19 הַ/פְּסִילִים֙ hapesilim HTd/Ncmpa the idols/quarries the carved idols
H6456-04 Judges 3:26 הַ/פְּסִילִ֔ים hapesilim HTd/Ncmpa the idols the carved idols
H6456-03 Judges 18:17 הַ/פֶּ֨סֶל֙ hapesel HTd/Ncmsa graven image the carved idol
H6456-08 2 Kings 17:41 פְּסִֽילֵי/הֶ֖ם pesileyhem HNcmpc/Sp3mp their graven images their carved images
H6456-11 Isaiah 10:10 וּ/פְסִ֣ילֵי/הֶ֔ם ufesileyhem HC/Ncmpc/Sp3mp and-their-idols and their carved images
H6456-06 Isaiah 21:9 פְּסִילֵ֥י pesiley HNcmpc images carved images of
H6456-06 Isaiah 30:22 פְּסִילֵ֣י pesiley HNcmpc of idols carved images of
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