Lexical Summary
peah: Corner, edge, side, region
Original Word:פֵאָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:pe'ah
Pronunciation:peh-AH
Phonetic Spelling:(pay-aw')
KJV: corner, end, quarter, side
NASB:side, corners, edges, forehead, boundary, corner, sector
Word Origin:[feminine ofH6311 (פּוֹה פּוֹא פּוֹ - here)]
1. (properly) mouth in a figurative sense, i.e. direction, region, extremity
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
corner, end, quarter, side
Feminine ofpoh; properly, mouth in a figurative sense, i.e. Direction, region, extremity -- corner, end, quarter, side.
see HEBREWpoh
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
paahDefinitioncorner, side
NASB Translationboundary (1), corner (1), corners (6), edges (2), forehead (2), sector (1), side (69), side-growth (1), sides (1), temples (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
86 (
part cut off, 'Abschnitt,' according to Schröter in Mei
Archiv. i. 461 Ba
ZMG xii (1887), 615 Buhl
Lex, but perhaps biliteral, Nö
M. 485 Sta
§ 185, and not from √ ; compare Arabic
company, etc. (Nö
l. e.); Assyrian
pâtu, side, edge,
border, see especially Meissn
Suppl. 74; Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic ,
); — absolute
Jeremiah 9:25 4t.; construct
Amos 3:12 77t.; plural absolute
Exodus 25:26;
Exodus 37:23; dual construct
Numbers 24:17 (but read probably as ""
Jeremiah 48:45); —
corner of divanAmos 3:12; tableExodus 25:26;Exodus 37:23; fieldLeviticus 19:9;Leviticus 23:22 (H); land (probably)Nehemiah 9:22, i.e. into every corner;Leviticus 19:27 (i.e.your temples),Leviticus 19:27; compareLeviticus 21:5 (all H);those clipped on the templesJeremiah 9:25;Jeremiah 25:23;Jeremiah 49:32 (epithet of Arabian tribes, Herod.iii, 8 WMMAs.u.Eur.140 f. WeSkizzen iii. 119; Heid. 2, 198);temples of Moab (under figure of man)Numbers 24:17 (JE)Jeremiah 48:45.
side:
(onlyEzekiel 41-48 [47 t.] and P [26 t.]): in plur.East sideEzekiel 47:18 17t. Ezekiel, =Exodus 27:13 3t. P andEzekiel 45:7 (see Co Toy);North sideEzekiel 47:15;Exodus 26:20 9t.;South sideEzekiel 47:19 (twice in verse);Exodus 27:9 8t.;West sideEzekiel 45:7;Exodus 27:12 21t. +Ezekiel 41:12 (alsoEzekiel 48:1); absolute onlyExodus 27:9.
Leviticus 13:41side (border)of his face (forehead and temples; P).
see
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Semantic RangePeʾah denotes the “corner,” “edge,” or “extremity” of something spatial or metaphorical. Scripture employs it for the borders of a field, the ends of a beard, the outermost reaches of nations, and the junctions of architectural structures. Though the contexts vary, the underlying idea is the part that lies beyond the main body—what may easily be neglected yet remains covenantally significant.
Agricultural Charity and Justice
Leviticus 19:9 and 23:22 command Israel not to reap the peʾah of the field but to leave it “for the poor and for the foreigner.” These statutes institutionalize compassion within ordinary labor, ensuring that the vulnerable share in the covenant blessings of the land.Ruth 2 provides a narrative illustration: Boaz honors gleaning laws, safeguarding Ruth’s dignity and inserting her into the messianic lineage. The legislation therefore models a theology of abundance that invites God’s people to steward resources open-handedly.
Ritual Holiness in Personal Appearance
Leviticus 21:5 forbids priests from shaving the peʾah of their beards. The regulation underscores that even personal grooming reflects consecration to the LORD. By preserving the “corners,” priests embodied wholeness, avoiding the pagan rites of disfigurement (cf.Jeremiah 9:26). Holiness penetrates mundane details, teaching that worship encompasses the body as well as the heart.
Architectural and Spatial Usage
Exodus 26:3–5; 36:18 details the tabernacle curtains joined at their peʾot, forming one unified dwelling for God’s presence. Later,1 Kings 7:30 describes cart frames with “supports at the corners.” In Ezekiel’s visionary temple (Ezekiel 46:21–24) four enclosed peʾot are appointed for boiling sacrifices. The term thereby frames sacred space, linking precise craftsmanship with the orderliness of divine worship (1 Corinthians 14:40).
Geographical and National Borders
Prophets often stretch peʾah to denote a nation’s remotest outskirts.Isaiah 24:16 laments from “the ends of the earth,” whileJeremiah 9:26 speaks of “all who are in the remotest corners.” InAmos 3:12, a shepherd rescues “two legs or a piece of an ear” from the peʾah of a lion’s mouth—imagery of Israel’s remnant snatched from judgment. The word therefore conveys the covenant’s reach to the margins of creation.
Prophetic Judgment and Restoration
When Moab is threatened, “the outcasts send forth a lamb… from Selah to the desert’s peʾah” (Isaiah 16:1). Judgment pushes nations to their edges; yet the same term frames hope: “Sing to the LORD, you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the islands and their inhabitants” (Isaiah 42:10). The ends are summoned to worship, anticipatingActs 1:8 andRevelation 7:9 where the gospel extends to every peʾah of the globe.
Messianic Overtones
Ruth’s participation in gleaning laws at the field’s peʾah situates her within David’s ancestry, ultimately leading to Jesus Christ, the Kinsman-Redeemer who leaves nothing outside His redemptive sweep. The charitable corners of Leviticus foreshadow the Messiah’s ministry to the poor (Luke 4:18) and call the Church to like-minded generosity (James 2:15-17).
Practical Ministry Implications
1. Stewardship: Believers should budget “corners” of time and resources for benevolence.
2. Holiness: Personal habits, even grooming and dress, reflect covenant identity.
3. Missional Vision: No demographic or region lies beyond the reach of the Great Commission; ministry must press to every peʾah.
4. Worship Space: Careful, beautiful craftsmanship in church architecture mirrors tabernacle principles, testifying to God’s order and glory.
Selected References
Genesis 47:21;Exodus 26:3–5;Leviticus 19:9; 21:5; 23:22;Numbers 34:3;Deuteronomy 22:12;Isaiah 5:26; 11:12; 24:16; 41:8-9;Jeremiah 9:26; 49:32;Ezekiel 46:21-24;Amos 3:12;Zechariah 9:14.
Forms and Transliterations
בִּפְאַ֥ת בפאת הַפֵּאֹ֔ת הפאת וְלִפְאַ֛ת וְלִפְאַ֤ת וְלִפְאַת־ וּמִפְּאַ֣ת וּמִפְּאַת־ וּפְאַ֣ת וּפְאַ֥ת וּפְאַת֙ וּפְאַת־ ולפאת ולפאת־ ומפאת ומפאת־ ופאת ופאת־ לְפֵאָ֑ה לִפְאַ֖ת לִפְאַ֛ת לִפְאַ֣ת לִפְאַ֣ת ׀ לִפְאַ֤ת לִפְאַ֥ת לִפְאַ֨ת לִפְאַת־ לַפֵּאָ֖ה לפאה לפאת לפאת־ מִפְּאַ֣ת מִפְּאַ֤ת מִפְּאַ֥ת מִפְּאַת־ מפאת מפאת־ פְּאַ֖ת פְּאַ֣ת פְּאַ֤ת פְּאַ֥ת פְּאַת־ פְאַת־ פֵאָ֑ה פֵאָ֔ה פֵאָֽה׃ פַּאֲתֵ֣י פאה פאה׃ פאת פאת־ פאתי bifAt bip̄’aṯ bip̄·’aṯ feAh feat hap·pê·’ōṯ happê’ōṯ happeOt lap·pê·’āh lappê’āh lappeAh lə·p̄ê·’āh lefeAh ləp̄ê’āh lifAt lip̄’aṯ lip̄’aṯ- lip̄·’aṯ lip̄·’aṯ- mip·pə·’aṯ mip·pə·’aṯ- mippə’aṯ mippə’aṯ- mippeAt pa’ăṯê pa·’ă·ṯê paaTei p̄ê’āh pə’aṯ pə’aṯ- p̄ə’aṯ- p̄ê·’āh pə·’aṯ pə·’aṯ- p̄ə·’aṯ- peAt ū·mip·pə·’aṯ ū·mip·pə·’aṯ- ū·p̄ə·’aṯ ū·p̄ə·’aṯ- ufeAt ūmippə’aṯ ūmippə’aṯ- umippeat ūp̄ə’aṯ ūp̄ə’aṯ- velifAt wə·lip̄·’aṯ wə·lip̄·’aṯ- wəlip̄’aṯ wəlip̄’aṯ-
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