Lexical Summary peah: Corner, edge, side, region Original Word: פֵאָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance corner, end, quarter, side Feminine of poh; properly, mouth in a figurative sense, i.e. Direction, region, extremity -- corner, end, quarter, side. see HEBREW poh NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom paah Definition corner, side NASB Translation boundary (1), corner (1), corners (6), edges (2), forehead (2), sector (1), side (69), side-growth (1), sides (1), temples (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מֵּאָה86 noun feminine corner, side (part cut off, 'Abschnitt,' according to Schröter in MeiArchiv. i. 461 BaZMG xii (1887), 615 BuhlLex, but perhaps biliteral, NöM. 485 Sta§ 185, and not from √ פאה; compare Arabic  company, etc. (Nöl. e.); Assyrian pâtu, side, edge, border, see especially MeissnSuppl. 74; Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic מָּאתָא,  ); — absolute ׳פ Jeremiah 9:25 4t.; construct מְּאַת Amos 3:12 77t.; plural absolute מֵּאֹת Exodus 25:26; Exodus 37:23; dual construct מַּאֲַתֵי Numbers 24:17 (but read probably מְּאַת as "" Jeremiah 48:45); — 1 corner of divan Amos 3:12; table Exodus 25:26; Exodus 37:23; field Leviticus 19:9; Leviticus 23:22 (H); land (probably) וַתַּחְלְקֵם לְפֵאָה Nehemiah 9:22, i.e. into every corner; ראֹשְׁכֶם ׳פ Leviticus 19:27 (i.e. your temples), זְקָנֶ֑ךָ ׳פ Leviticus 19:27; compare Leviticus 21:5 (all H); פֵאָה קְצוּצֵי those clipped on the temples Jeremiah 9:25; Jeremiah 25:23; Jeremiah 49:32 (epithet of Arabian tribes, Herod.iii, 8 WMMAs.u.Eur.140 f. WeSkizzen iii. 119; Heid. 2, 198); temples of Moab (under figure of man) Numbers 24:17 (JE) Jeremiah 48:45. 2 side: a. usually of Ezekiel's temple, the tabernacle, the holy city and the land, or its subdivisions (only Ezekiel 41-48 [47 t.] and P [26 t.]): in plur. מְּאַת קָדִ֫ימ(הׅ East side Ezekiel 47:18 17t. Ezekiel, = ׳קֵדְמָה פ Exodus 27:13 3t. P and Ezekiel 45:7 (see Co Toy); ׳צָפ֫וֺנ(ה) פ North side Ezekiel 47:15; Exodus 26:20 9t.; נֶגֶב ׳ֶ נ֫גְבָּה) פ South side Ezekiel 47:19 (twice in verse); Exodus 27:9 8t.; יָם ׳(יָ֫מָּה) פ West side Ezekiel 45:7; Exodus 27:12 21t. + דֶּרֶךְֿ ׳הַיָּם פ Ezekiel 41:12 (also קָדִים הַיָּם ׳פ Ezekiel 48:1); absolute only לַמֵּאָה הָאֶחָת Exodus 27:9. b. מְּאַת מָּנָיו Leviticus 13:41 side (border) of his face (forehead and temples; P). פאם see פימה Topical Lexicon Definition and Semantic Range Peʾah denotes the “corner,” “edge,” or “extremity” of something spatial or metaphorical. Scripture employs it for the borders of a field, the ends of a beard, the outermost reaches of nations, and the junctions of architectural structures. Though the contexts vary, the underlying idea is the part that lies beyond the main body—what may easily be neglected yet remains covenantally significant. Agricultural Charity and Justice Leviticus 19:9 and 23:22 command Israel not to reap the peʾah of the field but to leave it “for the poor and for the foreigner.” These statutes institutionalize compassion within ordinary labor, ensuring that the vulnerable share in the covenant blessings of the land. Ruth 2 provides a narrative illustration: Boaz honors gleaning laws, safeguarding Ruth’s dignity and inserting her into the messianic lineage. The legislation therefore models a theology of abundance that invites God’s people to steward resources open-handedly. Ritual Holiness in Personal Appearance Leviticus 21:5 forbids priests from shaving the peʾah of their beards. The regulation underscores that even personal grooming reflects consecration to the LORD. By preserving the “corners,” priests embodied wholeness, avoiding the pagan rites of disfigurement (cf. Jeremiah 9:26). Holiness penetrates mundane details, teaching that worship encompasses the body as well as the heart. Architectural and Spatial Usage Exodus 26:3–5; 36:18 details the tabernacle curtains joined at their peʾot, forming one unified dwelling for God’s presence. Later, 1 Kings 7:30 describes cart frames with “supports at the corners.” In Ezekiel’s visionary temple (Ezekiel 46:21–24) four enclosed peʾot are appointed for boiling sacrifices. The term thereby frames sacred space, linking precise craftsmanship with the orderliness of divine worship (1 Corinthians 14:40). Geographical and National Borders Prophets often stretch peʾah to denote a nation’s remotest outskirts. Isaiah 24:16 laments from “the ends of the earth,” while Jeremiah 9:26 speaks of “all who are in the remotest corners.” In Amos 3:12, a shepherd rescues “two legs or a piece of an ear” from the peʾah of a lion’s mouth—imagery of Israel’s remnant snatched from judgment. The word therefore conveys the covenant’s reach to the margins of creation. Prophetic Judgment and Restoration When Moab is threatened, “the outcasts send forth a lamb… from Selah to the desert’s peʾah” (Isaiah 16:1). Judgment pushes nations to their edges; yet the same term frames hope: “Sing to the LORD, you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the islands and their inhabitants” (Isaiah 42:10). The ends are summoned to worship, anticipating Acts 1:8 and Revelation 7:9 where the gospel extends to every peʾah of the globe. Messianic Overtones Ruth’s participation in gleaning laws at the field’s peʾah situates her within David’s ancestry, ultimately leading to Jesus Christ, the Kinsman-Redeemer who leaves nothing outside His redemptive sweep. The charitable corners of Leviticus foreshadow the Messiah’s ministry to the poor (Luke 4:18) and call the Church to like-minded generosity (James 2:15-17). Practical Ministry Implications 1. Stewardship: Believers should budget “corners” of time and resources for benevolence. Selected References Genesis 47:21; Exodus 26:3–5; Leviticus 19:9; 21:5; 23:22; Numbers 34:3; Deuteronomy 22:12; Isaiah 5:26; 11:12; 24:16; 41:8-9; Jeremiah 9:26; 49:32; Ezekiel 46:21-24; Amos 3:12; Zechariah 9:14. Forms and Transliterations בִּפְאַ֥ת בפאת הַפֵּאֹ֔ת הפאת וְלִפְאַ֛ת וְלִפְאַ֤ת וְלִפְאַת־ וּמִפְּאַ֣ת וּמִפְּאַת־ וּפְאַ֣ת וּפְאַ֥ת וּפְאַת֙ וּפְאַת־ ולפאת ולפאת־ ומפאת ומפאת־ ופאת ופאת־ לְפֵאָ֑ה לִפְאַ֖ת לִפְאַ֛ת לִפְאַ֣ת לִפְאַ֣ת ׀ לִפְאַ֤ת לִפְאַ֥ת לִפְאַ֨ת לִפְאַת־ לַפֵּאָ֖ה לפאה לפאת לפאת־ מִפְּאַ֣ת מִפְּאַ֤ת מִפְּאַ֥ת מִפְּאַת־ מפאת מפאת־ פְּאַ֖ת פְּאַ֣ת פְּאַ֤ת פְּאַ֥ת פְּאַת־ פְאַת־ פֵאָ֑ה פֵאָ֔ה פֵאָֽה׃ פַּאֲתֵ֣י פאה פאה׃ פאת פאת־ פאתי bifAt bip̄’aṯ bip̄·’aṯ feAh feat hap·pê·’ōṯ happê’ōṯ happeOt lap·pê·’āh lappê’āh lappeAh lə·p̄ê·’āh lefeAh ləp̄ê’āh lifAt lip̄’aṯ lip̄’aṯ- lip̄·’aṯ lip̄·’aṯ- mip·pə·’aṯ mip·pə·’aṯ- mippə’aṯ mippə’aṯ- mippeAt pa’ăṯê pa·’ă·ṯê paaTei p̄ê’āh pə’aṯ pə’aṯ- p̄ə’aṯ- p̄ê·’āh pə·’aṯ pə·’aṯ- p̄ə·’aṯ- peAt ū·mip·pə·’aṯ ū·mip·pə·’aṯ- ū·p̄ə·’aṯ ū·p̄ə·’aṯ- ufeAt ūmippə’aṯ ūmippə’aṯ- umippeat ūp̄ə’aṯ ūp̄ə’aṯ- velifAt wə·lip̄·’aṯ wə·lip̄·’aṯ- wəlip̄’aṯ wəlip̄’aṯ-Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 25:26 HEB: עַ֚ל אַרְבַּ֣ע הַפֵּאֹ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֖ר לְאַרְבַּ֥ע NAS: on the four corners which KJV: in the four corners that [are] on the four INT: on the four corners which four Exodus 26:18 Exodus 26:20 Exodus 27:9 Exodus 27:9 Exodus 27:11 Exodus 27:12 Exodus 27:13 Exodus 36:23 Exodus 36:25 Exodus 37:13 Exodus 38:9 Exodus 38:11 Exodus 38:12 Exodus 38:13 Leviticus 13:41 Leviticus 19:9 Leviticus 19:27 Leviticus 19:27 Leviticus 21:5 Leviticus 23:22 Numbers 24:17 Numbers 34:3 Numbers 35:5 Numbers 35:5 86 Occurrences |
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