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פָּעַל

𐤐𐤏𐤋

pâʻal

H6466 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To do, perform, or accomplish, with an emphasis on intentional, effective action. The verb often connotes achievement or the successful bringing about of an activity, sometimes with a sense of established practice, effect, or habitual action. It can refer to a wide variety of deeds, both positive and negative, depending on context. Distinct from more general terms for 'doing,' פָּעַל frequently carries the nuance of purposeful accomplishment or skilled activity.

Semantic Range

to perform, accomplish, carry out, practice (as a habitual activity), commit (especially evil), produce, work as artisan or craftsman, act with effect, create, instigate, ordain, worker (participle), doer

Root / Etymology

The root פָּעַל (פע״ל) conveys the general notion of 'to do' or 'to act.' פָּעַל as a verb draws from this root, with a focus on intentional or effective action. The derived noun פֹּעַל ('work, deed') retains this sense. The root often implies result or outcome of action, distinguishing it from other roots of similar meaning.

Historical & Contextual Notes

פָּעַל is attested throughout the Hebrew Bible, including legal, poetic, and prophetic literature. It usually appears in contexts emphasizing the result or skill of the action, such as 'deeds' of a person or the creative 'work' of the deity. While sometimes translated similarly to עָשָׂה (to make/do) or עָבַד (to serve/labor), פָּעַל can carry a more specialized sense of accomplished or effective work. In post-biblical Hebrew, פָּעַל develops semantically to become the label for the most common verb conjugation form (Qal/Pa'al), but this is a grammatical usage unrelated to its biblical lexical meaning. English translations sometimes obscure its nuance, rendering it simply as 'do' or 'work,' but the word can convey a sense of established practice or purposeful achievement, particularly in poetic or wisdom literature. It is used for both positive and negative actions (e.g., 'workers of iniquity'), depending on context. In later Jewish exegetical tradition, distinctions were sometimes made between פָּעַל, עָשָׂה, and עָבַד, but in the Hebrew Bible, the overlap is substantial and often determined by literary style.

Translation Consistency

primary "accomplish" 21 occurrences

פָּעַל typically emphasizes purposeful, effective bringing about of an action or achievement. “Accomplish” captures that sense of carrying out, performing with result, and can naturally render habitual or agentive senses (accomplished, accomplishing, accomplishers) while remaining natural English and consistent across all forms.

Alternatives (29 occurrences):
"accomplishers of" (21x) "done" (3x) "do" (3x) "workers of" (1x) "accomplishing-one" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to do or make (systematically and habitually), especially to practise; commit, (evil-) do(-er), make(-r), ordain, work(-er).

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

פעל (Elepaal) — to do, to make, to work, to perform

Root פעל to do, to act, to accomplish, to effect
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4659 מִפְעָל his deeds
H508 אֶלְפַּעַל God-acts
H6467 פֹּעַל in their deed
H6468 פְּעֻלָּה wage of
H6469 פְּעֻלְּתַי Work-of-Yah

Word Forms

20 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H6466-11 פֹּ֣עֲלֵי poaley HVqrmpc workers of accomplishers of accomplishers of 19
H6466-08 פָּעַ֖לְתָּ paaleta HVqp2ms You have done you accomplished you accomplished 6
H6466-20 יִפְעַל yifeal HVqi3ms he-makes he will accomplish he will accomplish 5
H6466-07 פָּעַ֥ל paal HVqp3ms can he do he accomplished he accomplished 4
H6466-05 לְ/פֹ֣עֲלֵי lefoaley HR/Vqrmpc to workers to doers of to accomplishers of 3
H6466-01 אֶפְעַ֖ל efeal HVqi1cs I act I accomplish shall I do 2
H6466-04 פָעֲל֖וּ faalu HVqp3cp do they accomplished they have done 2
H6466-12 פֹּעֵ֣ל poel HVqrmsa is working the accomplishing-one is being accomplished 2
H6466-13 תִּפְעָ֑ל tifeal HVqi2ms can you do you will accomplish do you do 2
H6466-02 פָעַ֣ל faal HVqp3ms has performed he accomplished accomplished 1

Occurrences in Scripture

56 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H6466-08 Exodus 15:17 פָּעַ֖לְתָּ paaleta HVqp2ms you have made you accomplished you accomplished
H6466-07 Numbers 23:23 פָּ֖עַל paal HVqp3ms has he done he accomplished he accomplished
H6466-07 Deuteronomy 32:27 פָּעַ֥ל paal HVqp3ms did he accomplished he accomplished
H6466-08 Isaiah 26:12 פָּעַ֥לְתָּ paaleta HVqp2ms you have performed you accomplished you accomplished
H6466-11 Isaiah 31:2 פֹּ֥עֲלֵי poaley HVqrmpc workers accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-02 Isaiah 41:4 פָעַ֣ל faal HVqp3ms has performed he accomplished accomplished
H6466-01 Isaiah 43:13 אֶפְעַ֖ל efeal HVqi1cs I act I accomplish I will accomplish
H6466-15 Isaiah 44:12 וּ/פָעַל֙ ufaal HC/Vqp3ms and-works and he accomplished and he accomplished
H6466-19 Isaiah 44:12 וַ/יִּפְעָלֵ֨/הוּ֙ vayifealehu HC/Vqw3ms/Sp3ms and-works-it and he accomplished it and he accomplished it
H6466-20 Isaiah 44:15 יִפְעַל yifeal HVqi3ms he-makes he will accomplish he will accomplish
H6466-11 Hosea 6:8 פֹּ֣עֲלֵי poaley HVqrmpc workers-of accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-04 Hosea 7:1 פָעֲל֖וּ faalu HVqp3cp they commit they accomplished they accomplished
H6466-16 Micah 2:1 וּ/פֹ֥עֲלֵי ufoaley HC/Vqrmpc and who work and accomplishers of and accomplishers of
H6466-12 Habakkuk 1:5 פֹּעֵ֣ל poel HVqrmsa is working the accomplishing-one is being accomplished
H6466-10 Zephaniah 2:3 פָּעָ֑לוּ paalu HVqp3cp have done they accomplished have done
H6466-11 Psalms 5:6 פֹּ֥עֲלֵי poaley HVqrmpc workers of accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-11 Psalms 6:9 פֹּ֣עֲלֵי poaley HVqrmpc workers accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-20 Psalms 7:14 יִפְעָֽל yifeal HVqi3ms he-makes he will accomplish he will accomplish
H6466-20 Psalms 7:16 יִפְעָֽל yifeal HVqi3ms he made he will accomplish he will accomplish
H6466-07 Psalms 11:3 פָּעָֽל paal HVqp3ms can he do he accomplished can he do
H6466-11 Psalms 14:4 פֹּ֪עֲלֵ֫י poaley HVqrmpc workers of accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-17 Psalms 15:2 וּ/פֹעֵ֥ל ufoel HC/Vqrmsa and works and the accomplishing one and accomplishing
H6466-11 Psalms 28:3 פֹּ֪עֲלֵ֫י poaley HVqrmpc workers of accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-08 Psalms 31:20 פָּ֭עַלְתָּ paaleta HVqp2ms you have worked you accomplished you accomplished
H6466-11 Psalms 36:13 פֹּ֣עֲלֵי poaley HVqrmpc workers of accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-08 Psalms 44:2 פָּעַ֥לְתָּ paaleta HVqp2ms you performed you accomplished you accomplished
H6466-11 Psalms 53:5 פֹּ֤עֲלֵ֫י poaley HVqrmpc workers of accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-14 Psalms 58:3 תִּפְעָ֫ל֥וּ/ן tifealun HVqi2mp/Sn you work you accomplish you accomplish
H6466-06 Psalms 59:3 מִ/פֹּ֣עֲלֵי mipoaley HR/Vqrmpc from workers of from purposeful doers of from workers of
H6466-11 Psalms 64:3 פֹּ֣עֲלֵי poaley HVqrmpc of workers accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-08 Psalms 68:29 פָּעַ֥לְתָּ paaleta HVqp2ms you-have-wrought you accomplished you accomplished
H6466-12 Psalms 74:12 פֹּעֵ֥ל poel HVqrmsa Who works the accomplishing-one the accomplishing-one
H6466-11 Psalms 92:8 פֹּ֣עֲלֵי poaley HVqrmpc workers of accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-11 Psalms 92:10 פֹּ֥עֲלֵי poaley HVqrmpc workers of accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-11 Psalms 94:4 פֹּ֥עֲלֵי poaley HVqrmpc workers of accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-11 Psalms 94:16 פֹּ֥עֲלֵי poaley HVqrmpc workers of accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-11 Psalms 101:8 פֹּ֥עֲלֵי poaley HVqrmpc doers of accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-04 Psalms 119:3 פָעֲל֣וּ faalu HVqp3cp do they accomplished they have done
H6466-11 Psalms 125:5 פֹּעֲלֵ֣י poaley HVqrmpc doers of accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-11 Psalms 141:4 פֹּֽעֲלֵי poaley HVqrmpc who work accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-11 Psalms 141:9 פֹּ֣עֲלֵי poaley HVqrmpc of those who do accomplishers of accomplishers of
H6466-05 Proverbs 10:29 לְ/פֹ֣עֲלֵי lefoaley HR/Vqrmpc to workers to doers of to accomplishers of
H6466-07 Proverbs 16:4 פָּעַ֣ל paal HVqp3ms has made he accomplished he accomplished
H6466-05 Proverbs 21:15 לְ/פֹ֣עֲלֵי lefoaley HR/Vqrmpc to-workers-of to doers of to accomplishers of
H6466-03 Proverbs 30:20 פָעַ֥לְתִּי faaleti HVqp1cs I have done I accomplished I have done
H6466-01 Job 7:20 אֶפְעַ֨ל efeal HVqi1cs shall I do I accomplish shall I do
H6466-13 Job 11:8 תִּפְעָ֑ל tifeal HVqi2ms can you do you will accomplish you will accomplish
H6466-20 Job 22:17 יִּפְעַ֖ל yifeal HVqi3ms can do he will accomplish can do
H6466-05 Job 31:3 לְ/פֹ֣עֲלֵי lefoaley HR/Vqrmpc to workers of to doers of to accomplishers of
H6466-20 Job 33:29 יִפְעַל yifeal HVqi3ms He does he will accomplish he will accomplish
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