פָּלַץ
properly, perhaps to rend, i.e. (by implication) to quiver
Definition
The Hebrew word פָּלַץ (pâlats) is a verb meaning to tremble, quake, or be agitated with fear. It describes a physical shaking, often as a response to overwhelming power or terror. In its sole biblical occurrence, it is used to depict the earth shaking under divine intervention. The word conveys a sense of violent, involuntary movement, suggesting something being rent or torn apart by force, which leads to trembling.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in Job 9:6: 'Which shaketh (pâlats) the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.' Here, it describes the earth's convulsive shaking as a direct result of God's mighty power. The context is a poetic description of God's unassailable authority over creation, where the earth's very foundations are made to quake.
Etymology
פָּלַץ is a primitive root verb. Its core meaning relates to rending or tearing, which by implication developed into the sense of quivering or shaking—as something might tremble after being violently split or agitated. Cognates in other Semitic languages support this connection between splitting and trembling.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it vividly portrays God's absolute sovereignty and the creation's response to His power. In Job 9:6, the earth's trembling (pâlats) is not random but a direct reaction to God's command, highlighting that all nature is subject to and shaken by His will. Understanding this Hebrew term enriches the reading of this passage by emphasizing the visceral, uncontrollable fear that God's majesty can instill even in the physical world, underscoring themes of divine omnipotence and human awe.
In the ancient Near Eastern context, earthquakes and ground tremors were often viewed as manifestations of divine activity or displeasure. The use of pâlats to describe the earth shaking would immediately convey to an ancient audience an image of a deity intervening directly in the natural order, a concept familiar in various contemporary cultures where gods were believed to control natural phenomena.
רָעַשׁ (rāʿash, H7493) — a more common verb for shaking or quaking, often used for earthquakes or communal trembling. חָרַד (ḥārad, H2729) — to tremble with fear or awe, often used for people's emotional response. גָּעַשׁ (gāʿash, H1607) — to shake or totter, sometimes used for the earth or mountains.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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