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…