Word Study for H6403 (פָּלַט)

pâlaṭ /paw-lat'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto slip out, i.e. escape; causatively, to deliver

KJV usagecalve, carry away safe, deliver, (cause to) escape.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of pâlaṭ — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word pâlaṭ, represented by H6403, is a primitive root that primarily means to slip out or escape. It appears 25 times across 23 unique verses in the Bible. Causatively, its meaning extends to the act of deliverance, encompassing ideas like carrying someone away to safety, causing them to escape, or even the physical act of calving.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical usage, H6403 is most frequently a declaration of God's power to rescue. The Psalms are rich with this term, where God is personally acclaimed as "my deliverer" (Psalms 18:2; Psalms 40:17; Psalms 70:5). This deliverance is often sought from specific threats, such as "the strivings of the people" Psalms 18:43, "the deceitful and unjust man" Psalms 43:1, or the hand of the wicked Psalms 71:4. Beyond divine rescue, the word can describe a physical action, like a cow that successfully "calveth" Job 21:10 or a lion that will "carry it away safe" Isaiah 5:29, illustrating the core concept of a successful escape or extraction.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide a fuller picture of deliverance and safety:

H5337 nâtsal (to snatch away): This term often appears alongside H6403 and emphasizes a forceful rescue. God is the one who can "deliver" His people out of the hand of their enemies when they turn to Him 1 Samuel 7:3.
H3467 yâshaʻ (to free or succor): This word highlights the outcome of deliverance: being made safe and free. It is often paired with H6403, as seen when the LORD is called upon to "save" those He delivers (Psalms 37:40; Psalms 71:2).
H4686 mâtsûwd (a net, or... a fastness): Often translated as "fortress," this word describes the place of safety to which one is delivered. It is used in tandem with H6403 to describe the LORD as both "my fortress, and my deliverer" (Psalms 18:2; Psalms 144:2).
H6412 pâlîyṭ (a refugee; fugitive): This noun is derived directly from H6403 and refers to one who has escaped. In Ezekiel 7:16, both words are used together to describe those who escape judgment.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H6403 is centered on God's role as a personal rescuer.

Divine Deliverer: The repeated title "my deliverer" establishes God not as a distant force, but as an active agent who intervenes on behalf of the needy and the poor (Psalms 40:17; Psalms 70:5). This deliverance is an act of God's righteousness Psalms 31:1.
Rescue from Wickedness: The deliverance promised through H6403 is specifically from human evil and opposition. God is the one who delivers the psalmist's soul from the wicked Psalms 17:13 and from the strivings of the people 2 Samuel 22:44.
Deliverance as a Condition of Trust: The action of H6403 is directly linked to the faith of the individual. God delivers those who trust in Him Psalms 22:4 and who have set their love upon Him Psalms 91:14.

Summary

In summary, H6403 is a vital term that moves from the literal idea of "slipping away" to the profound theological truth of divine deliverance. It characterizes God as an intimate and powerful rescuer who answers the cries of the faithful. The word illustrates that true escape from life's greatest dangers—be they enemies, injustice, or strife—is found in the direct intervention of God, who is a fortress for His people and their personal deliverer.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 27 occurrences, inflected in 15 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Piel Participle Singular Masculine Construct 6×
Piel Imperative 2nd Singular Masculine 3×
Piel Imperfect 2nd Singular Masculine 3×
Piel Consecutive Imperfect 2nd Singular Masculine 2×
Piel Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine 2×
Piel Infinitive Construct 2×
Hiphil Conjunction+Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine 1×
Hiphil Imperfect 2nd Singular Masculine 1×
Piel Conjunction+Imperfect 1st Singular common gender 1×
Piel Conjunction+Imperfect 2nd Singular Masculine 1×
Piel Consecutive Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine 1×
Piel Imperative 2nd Plural Masculine 1×

+ 3 rarer forms

Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
common gender: Either gender — the form does not distinguish.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
2nd: Second person — the one addressed ("you").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Imperative: A command or entreaty.
Infinitive: The verb as a noun — "to do".
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
Piel: The intensive stem — strengthened or emphatic action.
Hiphil: The causative stem — the subject causes the action.
Consecutive Imperfect: Imperfect with vav — carries narrative forward ("and he…").
Conjunction+Imperfect: Imperfect joined by a simple "and".
Construct: Bound to a following noun — "the X of…".

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 23 verses across 6 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Psalms (16 verses); never once in the other 33.

2 Samuel

Job

Psalms

Isaiah

Ezekiel

Micah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.