6394. Pildash

Lexical Summary

Pildash: Pildash

Original Word: פִלְדָּשׁ
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Pildash
Pronunciation: pil-dash'
Phonetic Spelling: (pil-dawsh')
KJV: Pildash
NASB: Pildash
Word Origin: [of uncertain derivation]

1. Pildash, a relative of Abraham

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Pildash

Of uncertain derivation; Pildash, a relative of Abraham -- Pildash.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
a relative of Abraham
NASB Translation
Pildash (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

מִּלְדָּשׁ proper name, masculine Nahorite Genesis 22:22, Φαλδας.

Topical Lexicon

Biblical Reference

Genesis 22:22 records Pildash as the sixth of eight sons born to Nahor and Milcah, making him a nephew of Abraham and a first cousin of Isaac: “Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel”.

Family Connections

1. Son of Nahor, Abraham’s brother (Genesis 22:20).
2. Brother of Bethuel, who fathered Rebekah (Genesis 22:23), linking Pildash to the matriarch of Israel.
3. Part of the wider Aramean lineage that later includes Laban, Leah, and Rachel (Genesis 24:29; Genesis 29:16).

Narrative Context in Genesis

The genealogy appears immediately after the binding of Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19). For Abraham, still dwelling in Canaan, news of Nahor’s flourishing household—eight sons plus additional grandchildren—contrasts sharply with his own solitary heir. Scripture thereby accentuates the miraculous nature of God’s covenant promise: Israel’s future will arise not through natural proliferation but through divine intervention (Genesis 21:12; Romans 9:7).

Role in Salvation History

Though Pildash himself is not mentioned beyond Genesis 22:22, the list that includes him serves several redemptive-historical functions:
• It roots Israel’s account in a real family network, underscoring the historicity of the patriarchal narratives.
• It provides the ancestral bridge that will bring Rebekah from Mesopotamia to Canaan, securing the covenant line through her marriage to Isaac (Genesis 24:67).
• It hints at the later expansion of nations related to Israel—some friendly, some hostile—fulfilling the divine word that “many nations” would arise from Abraham’s wider household (Genesis 17:4).

Theological Observations

• Divine Providence: Even peripheral figures like Pildash contribute to the tapestry of God’s sovereign purposes.
• Covenant Contrast: Nahor’s immediate fruitfulness highlights the supernatural character of Isaac’s line, preventing Israel from boasting in mere genealogy (Deuteronomy 7:7-8).
• Corporate Identity: The mention of Pildash affirms that God’s redemptive plan unfolds in families and communities, not only in isolated individuals.

Ministry Application

1. Value Every Name: Pastors and teachers can remind congregations that in Scripture no person is incidental; every life is recorded under God’s watchful care (Psalm 139:16).
2. Encourage Waiting Faith: Like Abraham, believers may witness others prosper while they await fulfillment. The genealogy containing Pildash illustrates that God’s timing is perfect and purposeful.
3. Strengthen Historical Confidence: The sober detail of minor names authenticates the biblical record and equips apologists to defend the faith against charges of myth or legend.

Forms and Transliterations

פִּלְדָּ֖שׁ פלדש pil·dāš pildāš pilDash

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 22:22
HEB: חֲז֔וֹ וְאֶת־ פִּלְדָּ֖שׁ וְאֶת־ יִדְלָ֑ף
NAS: and Hazo and Pildash and Jidlaph
KJV: and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph,
INT: and Chesed and Hazo and Pildash and Jidlaph and Bethuel

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 6394
1 Occurrence

pil·dāš — 1 Occ.