[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/biblical-hebrew/%D7%A4%D7%9C%D7%90/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [Biblical Hebrew](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/biblical-hebrew/) / [פ](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/biblical-hebrew/pe/)‎ / פָּלָא‎

# פָּלָא

Biblical Hebrew · Strong's H6381

**be surpassing** — used 73 times in the Hebrew Bible. Below: its meanings with their sources, MACULA's glosses, and 2 verses word for word and in JPS 1917.

## Meaning

### OpenScriptures lexical index

be surpassing [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1508/6381/#m1)

### Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906

פָּלָא: vb. denom. Niph. Pi. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1508/6381/#m2)

**The whole BDB entry:** vb. denom. Niph. etc., be surpassing, extraordinary (cf. Gerber 212);— Pf. 3 fs. נִפְלָאת ψ 118:23 (Ges§ 44 f); נִפְלְאַ֫תָה 2 S 1:26 (Köi. 610 f., 614 Ges§ 7500); 3 pl. נִפְלְאוּ Pr 30:18; Impf. יִפָּלֵא Dt 17:8 + 6 times; Pt. mpl. נִפְלָאִים ψ 139:14; fs. נִפְלֵאת Dt 30:11; pl. נִפְלָאוֹת Jos 3:5 +; sf. נִפְלְאֹתַי Ex 3:20, etc.;— be beyond one’s power, difficult to do, לעשׂות 2 S 13:2; בְּעֵינֵי פ׳ Zc 8:6(×2); c. מן pers. too difficult for Dt 30:11, for י׳ Gn 18:14 (J) Je 32:17, 27. be difficult to understand; c. מן pers. too difficult for ψ 131:1; Pr 30:18; Jb 42:3, to decide Dt 17:8. Especially be extraordinary, wonderful, 2 S 1:26 ψ 119:18; of God’s acts, נ׳ בְּעֵינֵינוּ 118:23, cf. 139:14. Pt. as subst. marvellous things Jb 37:14 (acts of God), Dn 11:36 (presumptuous words); as adv. wondrously Jb 37:5; Dn 8:24. נִפְלָאוֹת = wonderful acts of י׳ in judgment and redemption, Ex 3:20 (J) Ju 6:13; Je 21:2 1 Ch 16:9, 24 ψ 9:2; 26:7 + 15 times ψψ; also עשׂה נ׳ Ex 34:10; Jos 3:5 (J) Jb 5:9 = 9:10, + 9 times Chr ψψ; הראה נ׳ Mi 7:15 ψ 78:11. Inf. cstr. לְפַלֵּא נֶדֶר make a special votive offering, Lv 22:21 Nu 15:3, 8 (P). Pf. 3 ms. הִפְלִיא ψ 31:22; 2 Ch 26:15; הִפְלִא Is 28:29; וְהִפְלָא consec. Dt 28:59 (Ges§ 7500); Impf. יַפְלִא Lv 27:2; Nu 6:2; Inf. abs. הַפְלֵא Is 29:14; 2 Ch 2:8; cstr. הַפְלִיא Is 29:14; Jo 2:26; Pt. מַפְלִא Ju 13:19;— do a hard or difficult thing: הפ׳ (לִנְדֹּר) נֶדֶר make a hard vow Lv 27:2; Nu 6:2 (cf. Pi.). make wonderful, do wondrously: of God, הפ׳ מַכּוֹת make plagues wonderful (exceptional), Dt 28:59; הפ׳ עֵצָה Is 28:29 make counsel wondrous, 29:14 do wonderfully with people, + הַפְלֵא וָפֶלֶא; עשׂה עמכם לה׳ Jo 2:26 dealt with you doing wondrously; הפ׳ חַסְדּוֹ לִי ψ 31:22; הפ׳ לְהֵעָזֵר 2 Ch 26:15 did marvellously in receiving help; of the temple גָּדוֹל וְהַפְלֵא 2 Ch 2:8 (KöSynt. § 318 e). of God, מַפְלִא לעשׂות Ju 13:19 working wonders in doing. Impf. תִּתְפַּלָּא בִי Jb 10:16 thou dost shew thyself marvellous (act inexplicably) against me.

Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 45 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (7 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (5 candidates)

## Glosses

MACULA's English glosses of the word in the text, with how often each is used: wonders (34); (of) wonders (3); fulfill (3).

## In the verses

[Psalms 106:22](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.106.22/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.106.22/#tree)

נִ֭פְלָאוֹת בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חָ֑ם נ֝וֹרָא֗וֹת עַל־יַם־סֽוּף׃

*Word for word:* wonders in the.land of.Ham awesome.\[deeds\] at \[the\].sea of.reed\[s\]

*JPS 1917:* Wondrous works in the land of Ham, terrible things by the Red Sea.

[Job 5:9](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.5.9/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.5.9/#tree)

עֹשֶׂ֣ה גְ֭דֹלוֹת וְאֵ֣ין חֵ֑קֶר נִ֝פְלָא֗וֹת עַד־אֵ֥ין מִסְפָּֽר׃

*Word for word:* \[who\].does great.\[things\] and there.\[is\].not searching wonders until there.\[is\].not number

*JPS 1917:* Who doeth great things and unsearchable, marvellous things without number;

## On Mova

- [This word in the Tanakh dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/6381.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of its meanings](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1508/6381/): every English meaning parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.

Sources. The words, their counts, glosses and the word-for-word renderings: MACULA Hebrew (the Westminster Leningrad Codex; Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0). Meanings: the OpenScriptures lexical index (CC BY 4.0), Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906 and Jastrow 1903 (public domain, via Sefaria); Targum Onkelos from Sefaria (public domain). Translation: JPS 1917 (public domain, from eBible.org).