6468. peullah
Lexical Summary
peullah: Work, deed, recompense, reward

Original Word: פְעֻלָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: p`ullah
Pronunciation: peh-ool-LAH
Phonetic Spelling: (peh-ool-law')
KJV: labour, reward, wages, work
NASB: recompense, work, reward, wages, deeds, labor, works
Word Origin: [feminine passive participle of H6466 (פָּעַל - do)]

1. (abstractly) work

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
labor, reward, wages, work

Feminine passive participle of pa'al; (abstractly) work -- labour, reward, wages, work.

see HEBREW pa'al

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from paal
Definition
a work, recompense
NASB Translation
deeds (1), labor (1), recompense (3), reward (2), wages (2), work (3), works (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[מְּעֻלָּה] noun feminine work, recompence (in poetry and late); — construct מְּעֻלַּת Leviticus 19:13 +, suffix מְּעֻלָּתִי Isaiah 49:4, etc.; plural construct מְּעֻלּוֺת Psalm 17:4, תֹ- Psalm 28:5; —

1 work:

a. plural deeds of ׳י Psalm 28:5.

b. of men, Psalm 17:4 (plural); toil, suffering Jeremiah 31:16; good action 2Chronicles 15:7, wicked Isaiah 65:7, שָׁ֑קֶר ׳פ Proverbs 11:18.

2 wages (as earned by work) Leviticus 19:13; Proverbs 10:16 ("" תְּבוּאָה), Ezekiel 29:20; reward (from ׳י) Isaiah 49:4; Isaiah 61:8; probably figurative of people won back by ׳י in warfare Isaiah 40:10; Isaiah 62:11 ("" שָׂכָר); of punishment, Psalm 109:20.

Topical Lexicon
Summary

The Hebrew noun פְּעֻלָּה appears fourteen times in the Old Testament as a concrete term for “work done” and therefore the “wages,” “reward,” or “recompense” that justly follows. In Scripture it serves as a theological bridge between human ethics (fair payment) and divine justice (God’s perfect repayment), setting the stage for the New Testament’s doctrine of eternal reward.

Semitic Concept of Wages and Recompense

Ancient Near Eastern law codes already addressed prompt payment for hired laborers, but Israel’s Torah grounds the practice in Yahweh’s holiness. In Leviticus 19:13 Israel is forbidden to “oppress your neighbor or rob him” and commanded that “The wages you withhold overnight must not stay with you until morning”. Here פְּעֻלָּה stands for the lawful remuneration of daily workers; withholding it counts as robbery. Scripture therefore treats פְּעֻלָּה not merely as a commercial term but as a moral obligation, transgression of which desecrates covenant community life.

Human Labor and Ethical Obligation

Proverbs uses פְּעֻלָּה to contrast the destiny of the righteous and the wicked:

• “The wages of the righteous lead to life, but the gain of the wicked brings punishment” (Proverbs 10:16).
• “The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward” (Proverbs 11:18).

Both proverbs shift attention from literal payment to the moral outcome of one’s actions. Righteous conduct ultimately yields life, highlighting how ethical labor has intrinsic spiritual dividend.

Righteousness and Divine Reward

Psalms and Isaiah elevate פְּעֻלָּה into the realm of divine recompense:

• “Because they disregard the works of the LORD and the work of His hands, He will tear them down” (Psalm 28:5).
• “See, the Lord GOD comes with power… His reward is with Him, and His recompense goes before Him” (Isaiah 40:10).

Divine “reward” or “wages” emphasize God’s unfailing memory of faithful service. Isaiah 49:4 voices the Servant’s seeming futility—“I have labored in vain… yet surely my just reward is with the LORD”—demonstrating that even when human recognition fails, God’s פְּעֻלָּה stands secure.

Divine Retribution upon the Wicked

Isaiah 65:7 deploys פְּעֻלָּה for punitive recompense: “I will repay them in full for their sins.” Ezekiel 29:20 similarly portrays Babylon receiving Egypt’s wealth as “its wages” for executing divine judgment. Thus the same noun that promises blessing also guarantees punishment, underscoring God’s impartial justice.

Eschatological Hope and Messianic Service

Isaiah 61:8 promises, “I will faithfully reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them.” Isaiah 62:11 then declares to Zion, “See, your salvation comes! Look, His reward is with Him, and His recompense goes before Him.” These prophecies merge the return from exile with Messianic hope, portraying the coming of salvation as the arrival of God’s “wages” for His people’s perseverance.

Comparative Usage Across Books

1. Torah: establishes ethical baseline (Leviticus 19:13).
2. Historical Books: motivates perseverance in reform (2 Chronicles 15:7).
3. Wisdom: contrasts outcomes of righteousness and wickedness (Proverbs 10:16; 11:18).
4. Psalms: integrates divine action and human deeds (Psalm 17:4; 28:5; 109:20).
5. Major Prophets: widens meaning to eschatological recompense, both salvific and punitive (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel).

Practical Ministry Applications

• Fair remuneration: Churches, missions, and Christian employers must honor workers promptly, reflecting God’s character and avoiding the sin of withheld פְּעֻלָּה.
• Encouragement for faithful service: Like Asa in 2 Chronicles 15:7—“your work will be rewarded”—believers serving in obscure places can rest in God’s promise of unfailing recompense.
• Warning against deceptive gain: Pastoral teaching should expose “deceptive wages” (Proverbs 11:18) in modern forms—fraud, exploitation, or ministries built on manipulation.
• Hope in suffering: Isaiah 49:4 assures ministers who feel their labor is “in vain” that the LORD retains their “just reward.”
• Eschatological motivation: Isaiah 62:11 anchors evangelism and social action in the certainty that the coming King brings “His reward with Him.”

Intertestamental and New Testament Resonance

While פְּעֻלָּה is confined to the Old Testament, its theology echoes in Matthew 5:12, “Great is your reward in heaven,” 1 Corinthians 3:8, “Each will receive his own reward according to his own labor,” and Revelation 22:12, “My reward is with Me to repay each one according to what he has done.” The New Testament thus universalizes the principle that the righteous will not labor in vain, and the wicked will not escape rightful recompense.

In every occurrence, פְּעֻלָּה urges God’s people to mirror His justice, trust His remembrance, and await His consummate reward.

Forms and Transliterations
וּפְעֻלָּת֖וֹ וּפְעֻלָּתִ֖י ופעלתו ופעלתי לִפְעֻלַּתְכֶֽם׃ לִפְעֻלָּתֵךְ֙ לִפְעֻלּ֣וֹת לפעלות לפעלתך לפעלתכם׃ פְּעֻלַּ֣ת פְּעֻלַּ֥ת פְּעֻלָּתוֹ֙ פְּעֻלֹּ֣ת פְעֻלַּת־ פְעֻלָּתָ֛ם פְעֻלָּתָם֙ פעלת פעלת־ פעלתו פעלתם feullat feullaTam lifullatChem lifullateCh lifulLot lip̄‘ullāṯêḵ lip̄‘ullaṯḵem lip̄‘ullōwṯ lip̄·‘ul·lā·ṯêḵ lip̄·‘ul·laṯ·ḵem lip̄·‘ul·lō·wṯ pə‘ullaṯ p̄ə‘ullaṯ- p̄ə‘ullāṯām pə‘ullāṯōw pə‘ullōṯ p̄ə·‘ul·lā·ṯām pə·‘ul·lā·ṯōw pə·‘ul·laṯ p̄ə·‘ul·laṯ- pə·‘ul·lōṯ peulLat peullaTo peulLot ū·p̄ə·‘ul·lā·ṯî ū·p̄ə·‘ul·lā·ṯōw ufeullaTi ufeullaTo ūp̄ə‘ullāṯî ūp̄ə‘ullāṯōw
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Englishman's Concordance
Leviticus 19:13
HEB: לֹֽא־ תָלִ֞ין פְּעֻלַּ֥ת שָׂכִ֛יר אִתְּךָ֖
NAS: rob [him]. The wages of a hired man
KJV: neither rob [him]: the wages of him that is hired
INT: nor to remain the wages of a hired for

2 Chronicles 15:7
HEB: יֵ֥שׁ שָׂכָ֖ר לִפְעֻלַּתְכֶֽם׃ ס
NAS: for there is reward for your work.
KJV: be weak: for your work shall be
INT: there is reward your work

Psalm 17:4
HEB: לִפְעֻלּ֣וֹת אָ֭דָם בִּדְבַ֣ר
NAS: As for the deeds of men, by the word
KJV: Concerning the works of men,
INT: the deeds of men the word

Psalm 28:5
HEB: יָבִ֡ינוּ אֶל־ פְּעֻלֹּ֣ת יְ֭הוָה וְאֶל־
NAS: they do not regard the works of the LORD
KJV: Because they regard not the works of the LORD,
INT: regard about the works of the LORD about

Psalm 109:20
HEB: זֹ֤את פְּעֻלַּ֣ת שֹׂ֭טְנַי מֵאֵ֣ת
NAS: Let this be the reward of my accusers
KJV: [Let] this [be] the reward of mine adversaries
INT: likewise be the reward of my accusers the LORD

Proverbs 10:16
HEB: פְּעֻלַּ֣ת צַדִּ֣יק לְחַיִּ֑ים
NAS: The wages of the righteous is life,
KJV: The labour of the righteous
INT: the wages of the righteous life

Proverbs 11:18
HEB: רָשָׁ֗ע עֹשֶׂ֥ה פְעֻלַּת־ שָׁ֑קֶר וְזֹרֵ֥עַ
KJV: a deceitful work: but to him that soweth
INT: the wicked earns work deceptive sows

Isaiah 40:10
HEB: שְׂכָרוֹ֙ אִתּ֔וֹ וּפְעֻלָּת֖וֹ לְפָנָֽיו׃
NAS: His reward is with Him And His recompense before
KJV: for him: behold, his reward [is] with him, and his work before
INT: his reward for and his recompense before

Isaiah 49:4
HEB: אֶת־ יְהוָ֔ה וּפְעֻלָּתִ֖י אֶת־ אֱלֹהָֽי׃
NAS: [due] to Me is with the LORD, And My reward with My God.
KJV: [is] with the LORD, and my work with my God.
INT: is with the LORD and my reward with my God

Isaiah 61:8
HEB: בְּעוֹלָ֑ה וְנָתַתִּ֤י פְעֻלָּתָם֙ בֶּאֱמֶ֔ת וּבְרִ֥ית
NAS: give them their recompense And make
KJV: and I will direct their work in truth,
INT: the burnt give their recompense will faithfully covenant

Isaiah 62:11
HEB: שְׂכָרוֹ֙ אִתּ֔וֹ וּפְעֻלָּת֖וֹ לְפָנָֽיו׃
NAS: His reward is with Him, and His recompense before
KJV: behold, his reward [is] with him, and his work before
INT: his reward for and his recompense before

Isaiah 65:7
HEB: חֵרְפ֑וּנִי וּמַדֹּתִ֧י פְעֻלָּתָ֛ם רִֽאשֹׁנָ֖ה [עַל־
NAS: their former work into their bosom.
KJV: their former work into their bosom.
INT: and scorned will measure work their former and

Jeremiah 31:16
HEB: יֵ֨שׁ שָׂכָ֤ר לִפְעֻלָּתֵךְ֙ נְאֻם־ יְהוָ֔ה
NAS: from tears; For your work will be rewarded,
KJV: from tears: for thy work shall be
INT: shall be will be rewarded your work declares the LORD

Ezekiel 29:20
HEB: פְּעֻלָּתוֹ֙ אֲשֶׁר־ עָ֣בַד
NAS: of Egypt [for] his labor which
KJV: of Egypt [for] his labour wherewith he served
INT: his labor which performed

14 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6468
14 Occurrences


p̄ə·‘ul·laṯ- — 1 Occ.
p̄ə·‘ul·lā·ṯām — 2 Occ.
lip̄·‘ul·laṯ·ḵem — 1 Occ.
lip̄·‘ul·lā·ṯêḵ — 1 Occ.
lip̄·‘ul·lō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
pə·‘ul·laṯ — 3 Occ.
pə·‘ul·lā·ṯōw — 1 Occ.
pə·‘ul·lōṯ — 1 Occ.
ū·p̄ə·‘ul·lā·ṯî — 1 Occ.
ū·p̄ə·‘ul·lā·ṯōw — 2 Occ.

6467
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