Pagiel (Hastings' Dictionary)

Son of Ochran, mentioned by P as chief of the tribe of Asher at the time of the Exodus, Nu 118 27 (Φαγαιήλ), 77 (B Φαγεήλ, A Φαγαιηλ), 7 (B Φαγεήλ, A Φαγαί), 10% (Φαγαιήλ). The Heb. name is probably of late origin and of artifi- cial character (see Gray, HPN 200f., 210). PAHATH-MOAB (ax\onnp ‘ governor of Moab’; A Φααθμωάβ, B Φααθμ., Φααβμ., Paadp., Φαλαβμ., ᾧθαλειμ., Μααθμ. ; Phahath-moab, and in 1 Es 8* ductoris Moab(ilionis) [the -ilionts represents the Greek word after Moad]).

—In the list of those who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel there are included ‘ Béné Pahath-moab of the Béné Jeshua and) Joab 2812,’ Ezr 25, 1 Es 5", ‘2818’ Neh 7; the list of those who returned with Ezra, ‘ Of the Béné Pahath-moab, Eliehoenai ben Zerahiah and 200 males,’ Ezr 8*, 1 Es 8%; in the list of the husbands of foreign wives are named eight of the Béné Pahath-moab, Ezr 10”; in the list of the repairers of the wall of Jerusalem is named Has- shub ben-Pahath-moab (Neh 3"); and amongst those who signed the covenant, ‘the chiefs of the people .

. Pahath-moab,’ Neh 10% Here we must understand the chief of the clan Pahath- moab, this being a Jewish clan, part of which remained in Babylon, while part returned with Zerubbabel and part with Ezra. The language of Ezr 2° etc. shows that at the Return this clan consisted of two branches, Jeshua and Joab.

In Ezr 8° the Béné Joab are enumerated as a separate clan, which furnished Ezra with Obadiah and 218 males, Pahath-moab, as the name of a Jewish clan, is an enigma of which we have no satisfactory solution. It is commonly explained as ‘governor of Moab.’ The peril ety of the compound name would thus be connected with the Assyrian pehah, which occurs so frequently in the Inscriptions.

Pahath-moab may a reminiscence of the Israelite dominion in Moab, and may have some connexion with ‘the dominion in Moab’ of the Judahite Béné Shelah mentioned in 1 Ch 4%. Or ‘Pahath’ may have replaced syllables of similar sound but different meaning, a familiar phenomenon in the history of proper names, e.g. ‘Cat and Wheel’ for ‘ Cathe- i heel.

’ In this case the clan Pahath-moab may have been connected with some Israelite settlement in Moab, or even with a settlement of Moabite refugees in Judah. Or, again, ag : may be the word for ‘pit’; or the whole word Pahath-moab may be a corruption of some name which had no connexion in meaning with either pehah or Moub. A process of corruption antecedent