H6383 H6383
wonderful, incomprehensible, beyond understanding
This adjective describes what transcends human comprehension—the wonderful, the mysterious, the incomprehensible. It appears in two striking contexts: the angel's self-designation in Judges 13:18 (ketiv) and the psalmist's amazement at God's knowledge in Psalm 139:6. When Manoah asks the angel's name, he responds that it is 'wonderful'—too extraordinary to be uttered. The psalm declares God's knowledge 'too wonderful for me, too lofty to attain'—acknowledging the vast gap between human and divine understanding. Textual variants (ketiv/qere) exist, but both point to transcendent mystery.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Describes what is wonderful, incomprehensible, or beyond human capacity to grasp. Judges 13:18 has the angel respond to Manoah's question about his name: 'Why do you ask my name? It is wonderful (פִּלְאִי, ketiv)'—too mysterious to reveal. The qere reads פֶּלִי, but both indicate something extraordinary. Psalm 139:6 exclaims about God's omniscience: 'Such knowledge is too wonderful (פִּלְאִיָה, ketiv) for me, too lofty to attain'—beyond human comprehension. The qere reads פְּלִיאָה. Both forms derive from the root for wonders. Translations: 'wonderful,' 'incomprehensible,' 'beyond understanding'; Spanish 'maravilloso,' French 'merveilleux.' 3×
AR["(عَجِيبَةٌ)", "[عَجِيبَةٌ]", "عَجيبٌ"]·ben["(আশ্চর্য)", "[অতিশয়]", "আশ্চর্য"]·DE["(wonderful)", "[ketiv:wonderful]", "wonderful"]·EN["(wonderful)", "[ketiv:wonderful]", "wonderful"]·FR["merveilleux", "wonderful"]·heb["(פליאה)", "[פלאיה]", "פלאי"]·HI["अद्भुत", "अद्भुत-है", "आश्चर्य"]·ID["(Terlalu-ajaib)", "[terlalu-ajaib]", "ajaib"]·IT["[(פליאה)]", "[[פלאיה]]", "meraviglioso"]·jav["nggumunaken", "Élok-sanget", "élok-sanget"]·KO["기이하다", "기이한-것-이로다"]·PT["Tal-conhecimento", "maravilhoso"]·RU["[kethiv]", "дивное", "чудное"]·ES["Maravilloso", "[maravilloso]", "maravilloso"]·SW["(ya-ajabu)", "[ya-ajabu]", "la-ajabu"]·TR["harika", "hayret-verici"]·urd["حیران-کن", "حیرت-انگیز", "عجیب۔"]
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
† [פִּלְאִי] adj. wonderful, incomprehensible;—m. פלאי (i.e. פִּלְאִי Kt, Ju 13:18 (name of מַלְאַךְ י׳; > Qr (א)פֶּ֫לִי); f. פלאיה דַעַת מִמֶּנִּי (i.e. פִּלְאִיָה) ψ 139:6 God’s knowledge; > Qr פְּלִיאָה.