פֶּחָה28 H6346
Governor, provincial prefect; an appointed administrator over a district, from Assyrian through Persian periods.
Borrowed from Akkadian bel pahati ('lord of a province'), this loanword designates an appointed provincial governor throughout the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian periods of biblical history. It describes Assyrian military commanders (2 Kgs 18:24), Babylonian provincial officials (Jer 51:23, 28, 57; Ezek 23:6, 12, 23), and Persian-era governors such as Zerubbabel (Hag 1:1; 2:21), Nehemiah (Neh 5:14), and Tattenai (Ezra 5:3). Malachi 1:8 uses it to rebuke Israel for offering God gifts they would not dare present to their own governor -- a vivid measure of the office's authority.
Senses
1. governor, provincial prefect — A governor or provincial prefect appointed over a district, used across the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian periods. The Akkadian loanword (from bel pahati, 'lord of a province') enters Hebrew to describe foreign military officials (2 Kgs 18:24; Ezek 23:6, 12), Babylonian administrators (Jer 51:23, 28, 57), and Persian governors including Zerubbabel (Hag 1:1), Nehemiah (Neh 5:14), and Tattenai (Ezra 5:3). Malachi 1:8 memorably invokes the pehah to shame Israel: 'Present it to your governor -- will he accept you?' Spanish 'gobernador' and German 'Statthalter' both capture the administrative authority. 28×
AR["الوالي","الْوالي","وَ-الْحُكَّامِ","وَ-الْوُلاةُ","وَالٍِ","وَالِي","وَالِي-","وَ‒الْوُلاَةِ","وُلاةً","وُلاةِ","وُلَاةً","وُلَاةٍ","وُلَاتِهَا"]·ben["-শাসকের","এবং-শাসনকর্তারা","ও-শাসকদের","ও-শাসকরা","তার-শাসনকর্তাদের","শাসকদের","শাসনকর্তা","শাসনকর্তা-","শাসনকর্তাদের","শাসনকর্তার"]·DE["Statthalter","Statthalter-von","[והפחות]","[פחוות]","[פחות]","[פחותיה]","der-Statthalter"]·EN["and-the-governors","governor-of","governor-of-","governors","governors-of","her-governors","the-governor"]·FR["[פחות]","[פחותיה]","et-gouverneur","gouverneur","gouverneur-de","gouverneurs"]·heb["ה-פחה","ו-ה-פחה","פחה","פחות","פחותיה","פחת","פחת-"]·HI["अधिपति","उसके-अधिपतियों","और-राज्यपाल","पर-राज्यपाल","राज्यपाल","राज्यपाल-","राज्यपाल-का","राज्यपाल-के","राज्यपालों","हाकिमों"]·ID["bupati","bupati-","bupati-bupati","dan-bupati-bupati","dan-gubernur-gubernur","gubernur-gubernur","gubernur-gubernurnya","gubernur-itu"]·IT["e-governatore","governatore","governatore-di","governatori"]·jav["Lan-para-bupati","bupati","bupati-","gubernur-gubernur","lan-para-bupati","para-bupati","para-gubernur","para-gubernur-nipun","para-guphèrnur","sang-bupati"]·KO["그-총독과","그-총독의","그리고-그-총독들은","그리고-지방관들과","그리고-총독들과","방백","방백들","총독","총독-","총독들과","총독들을","총독들을-그녀의"]·PT["E-os-governadores","e-os-governadores","governador-de","governadores","governadores-de","o-governador","seus-governadores"]·RU["и-правителей","и-правители","и-правителям","наместника","наместников","наместников-его","наместнику","наместнику-","правителя","правителям"]·ES["Y-los-gobernadores","el-gobernador","gobernador-de","gobernadores","gobernadores-de","sus-gobernadores","y-los-gobernadores"]·SW["gavana","gavana-wa","liwali","liwali-wa","magavana","magavana-wa","magavana-wake","na-magavana","na-wakuu","wa-gavana"]·TR["valiler","valilere","valileri","valilerini","valinin","valisi","valisine-","valisinin","ve-valiler","ve-valilere-","ve-valileri"]·urd["اور-گورنر","اور-گورنروں","اور-گورنروں-نے","اُس-کے-حاکموں","حاکم","حاکموں","نائب","گورنر-کی","گورنر-کے","گورنروں","گورنروں-کے","گورنرِ"]
1 Kgs 10:15, 1 Kgs 20:24, 2 Kgs 18:24, 2 Chr 9:14, Ezra 8:36, Neh 2:7, Neh 2:9, Neh 3:7, Neh 5:14, Neh 5:14, Neh 5:15, Neh 5:18 (+16 more)
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
פֶּחָה28 n.m. 2 K 18:24 governor (loan-word from Assyrian paḫâti [abbrev. from bêl paḫâti], lord of a district; cf. perhaps Old Aramaic פחי governor);—abs. הַפּ׳ Ne 5:14, cstr. פַּחַ֫ת Hg 1:1 +, פַּחַת־ 2:21; sf. פֶּחָתֶ֑ךָ Mal 1:8, פֶּחֶם Ne 5:14 (but read prob. פֶּחָה); pl. abs. פַּחוֹת 1 K 20:24 +; cstr. פַּחוֹת 10:15 = 2 Ch 9:14, פַּחֲווֹת Ezr 8:36 +; sf. פַּחוֹתֶיהָ Je 51:28, 57;—as Assyrian…