Bible Word Study
פְּלַלְיָה
Pᵉlalyâh · Pelaljah, an Israelite
פְּלַלְיָה
Pelaljah, an Israelite
Definition
Pelaljah is a proper name of an Israelite mentioned in the Old Testament. The name means 'Yahweh has judged' or 'Jah has judged,' signifying a recognition of God's judicial authority. It appears only once in the Bible, identifying a man who served as a priest in Jerusalem after the return from exile. This single occurrence is found in Nehemiah 11:12, where he is listed among the priests and Levites who resettled the holy city.
Biblical Usage
The word is used exclusively as a personal name in the Old Testament. It occurs only in Nehemiah 11:12 within a genealogical list of priests who lived in Jerusalem during the post-exilic restoration period. The context is administrative and priestly, documenting the repopulation and re-establishment of religious leadership in the rebuilt city. There are no other usages or patterns, as it is a unique name for a single individual.
Etymology
The name Pelaljah (פְּלַלְיָה) is a compound Hebrew name derived from the root פָּלַל (pālal, H6419), meaning 'to judge, intervene, or intercede,' and the divine name יָהּ (Yāh, H3050), a shortened form of Yahweh. Therefore, the name literally translates to 'Yahweh has judged.' It belongs to a common pattern of Hebrew theophoric names that attribute an action or characteristic to God.
Semantic Range
While the name itself is not theologically central, its meaning—'Yahweh has judged'—reflects a core biblical theme of God's righteous judgment and governance. In the context of Nehemiah, where the community is being rebuilt under God's law, a name bearing this meaning among the priests subtly reinforces the ideal of divine justice as the foundation for the restored community. Understanding such names enriches reading by revealing the faith and hopes embedded in Hebrew personal identity. In ancient Israelite culture, names were often descriptive and carried significant meaning, frequently invoking God's name or attributes. Pelaljah is a classic 'theophoric' name, where a divine element (Yah) is combined with a verb. This practice expressed personal or parental piety and acknowledged God's active role in life. As a priestly name, it also connected the individual's identity and role to the character of the God he served. Pelaiah (פְּלָאיָה, H6411) — A similar name meaning 'Yahweh is wonderful,' also borne by a priest in Nehemiah (Nehemiah 8:7; 10:10).
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]