Word Study for H6405 (פַּלֵּט)

pallêṭ /pal-late'/ Ask about this word

Meaningescape

KJV usagedeliverance, escape.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of pallêṭ — 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 noun pallêṭ, represented by H6405, signifies deliverance and escape. Though it appears only 5 times across 5 unique verses, it captures a critical concept of being rescued from peril, whether through divine intervention or as a remnant surviving judgment.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H6405 describes both the state of being delivered and the group that has been delivered. In the Psalms, it refers to the "songs of deliverance" with which God surrounds a person He preserves from trouble Psalms 32:7. The prophecies of Jeremiah use the term to identify the remnant who will survive judgment. He speaks of the "voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon" Jeremiah 50:28 and specifies that only "such as shall escape" will return to Judah from Egypt Jeremiah 44:14. The word also appears in a question about divine justice, asking if the wicked "shall escape by iniquity" Psalms 56:7.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help define the context of deliverance and escape:

H6412 pâlîyṭ (a refugee; (that have) escape(-d, -th), fugitive): This closely related word, appearing alongside H6405 in Jeremiah 44:14, specifically denotes the person or people who escape, often as a refugee or fugitive.
H5127 nûwç (to flit, i.e. vanish away... escape... flee): This primitive root describes the action of fleeing. It is used in parallel with H6405 to describe those who "flee and escape out of the land of Babylon" Jeremiah 50:28.
H5341 nâtsar (to guard, in a good sense (to protect, maintain, obey, etc.)): This term highlights the source of deliverance. God's act to "preserve" someone from trouble H6862 results in the "songs of deliverance" Psalms 32:7.
H5643 çêther (a cover... hiding place, privily, protection, secret(-ly, place)): This word describes the safety that enables rescue. It is used in Psalms 32:7, where God as a "hiding place" is the one who provides deliverance.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H6405 is seen in several key themes:

Divine Source of Escape: Deliverance is directly linked to God's protective power. In Psalms 32:7, it is the outcome of God being a hiding place H5643 and preserving H5341 his servant from trouble H6862.
The Escaped Remnant: The word is central to the theme of a surviving remnant in Jeremiah. Those who "have escaped the sword" Jeremiah 51:50 are commanded to go away and remember the Lord, illustrating that their survival has a divine purpose. This is reinforced in Jeremiah 44:14, where escape H6405 is the sole means of returning to Judah.
Moral Accountability: The word is used to explore the theme of justice. Psalms 56:7 poses a rhetorical question, "Shall they escape by iniquity?", implying that while God provides deliverance for His people, there is no ultimate escape from accountability for wrongdoing.

Summary

In summary, H6405 is more than a simple term for getting away. It defines a profound concept of divinely appointed deliverance and escape. Though used sparingly, it powerfully illustrates the dynamic of God's protection for His people, the preservation of a remnant through judgment, and the ultimate inability of the wicked to evade justice. It encapsulates both the hope of salvation and the certainty of accountability.

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 noun and a verb across 5 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

פְּלֵטִים
פַלֵּט

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 5 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Jeremiah (3 verses); never once in the other 37.

Psalms

Jeremiah

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, by grammatical form, 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.