פִּלְדָּשׁ
Pildash, a relative of Abraham
Definition
Pildash is a proper name mentioned only once in the Hebrew Bible as one of the sons of Nahor, Abraham's brother (Genesis 22:22). He is listed among Nahor's eight sons by his wife Milcah, making him a nephew of Abraham and a first cousin of Isaac. The name appears in a genealogical list that establishes the extended family lineage of Abraham, connecting him to the Aramean peoples. As a personal name, it carries no other semantic meaning or different senses in Scripture.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively in Genesis 22:22 within a genealogical record. It functions solely as a proper noun identifying an individual within the family tree of Nahor. There are no patterns of usage across different books or contexts, as it is a hapax legomenon (a word occurring only once).
Etymology
The etymology of Pildash is uncertain. Scholars have proposed possible foreign origins, suggesting it may be of non-Hebrew, perhaps Hurrian or other ancient Near Eastern derivation, which is common for personal names in patriarchal narratives. No clear Hebrew root has been identified, and its original meaning is lost.
Semantic Range
While the name Pildash itself is not theologically loaded, its inclusion in Genesis 22:22 is significant. It appears in a genealogy that demonstrates God's faithfulness in building Abraham's extended family, as promised. This list, which includes Pildash, later connects to Rebekah (Genesis 24), showing how God providentially worked through specific family lines to fulfill the covenant. Understanding these 'minor' names enriches our view of Scripture's intricate historical reliability.
In the ancient Near East, genealogies were crucial for establishing identity, inheritance rights, and tribal relationships. Listing sons like Pildash served to document a family's legacy and social connections. The uncertainty of the name's meaning reflects the common practice of using names with origins in surrounding cultures, indicating the intercultural context of the patriarchal period.
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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