Lexical Summary
paliyt: Refugee, fugitive, escapee
Original Word:פָלִיט
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:paliyt
Pronunciation:pah-LEET
Phonetic Spelling:(paw-leet')
KJV: (that have) escape(-d, -th), fugitive
Word Origin:[fromH6403 (פָּלַט - deliver)]
1. a refugee
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
that have escaped fugitive
Or paleyt {paw-late'}; or palet {paw-late'}; frompalat; a refugee -- (that have) escape(-d, -th), fugitive.
see HEBREWpalat
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Amos 9:1 ; — absolute
2 Kings 9:15 +; plural construct
Judges 12:4 +; suffix Obadiah 14, etc.; —
Amos 9:1;
2 Kings 9:15;
Genesis 14:13;
Ezekiel 24:26,27;
Ezekiel 33:21 ( + local),
Ezekiel 33:22;
Joshua 8:22;
Jeremiah 42:17;
Jeremiah 44:14;
Lamentations 2:22; with Genitive subject
Judges 12:5fugitives of Ephraim (strike out in
Judges 12:4, see GFM), so with suffix
Ezekiel 6:9;
Ezekiel 7:16; Obadiah 14; with Genitive object,
escaped of, i.e.
fromIsaiah 45:20, so
Jeremiah 44:28;
Ezekiel 6:8.
[] id.; — pluralNumbers 21:29 (as appositive, or adjective),Isaiah 66:19;Jeremiah 44:14, +fromJeremiah 50:28;Jeremiah 51:50.
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Scopeפָלִיט denotes a person who has escaped danger—whether from warfare, judgment, or calamity—and so has become a “fugitive,” “survivor,” or “one delivered.” The word’s range of usage moves from concrete historical reporting to richly theological portraits of the preserved remnant through whom the purposes of God continue.
Historical Narratives: Firsthand Reports of Escape
1.Genesis 14:13 introduces the term in Scripture: “Then a survivor came and told Abram the Hebrew …”. This unnamed refugee links the patriarch to Lot’s plight and sets in motion Abram’s rescue mission. The fugitive serves as a messenger whose deliverance enables covenant faithfulness to advance.
2.Joshua 8:22 records the annihilation of Ai: “None of them survived or escaped.” Here פָלִיט marks total defeat; no one bears witness afterward. The absence of a fugitive underscores the completeness of divine judgment executed through Israel.
3.Judges 12:4–5 depicts civil conflict among the tribes. Those attempting to flee the fords of the Jordan become a tragic example of fractured unity within God’s people—survivors in name only.
4. In2 Kings 9:15 a “fugitive” brings news that catalyzes Jehu’s coup. Again a palit is a critical eyewitness whose escape shapes national destiny.
Prophetic Literature: Theological Emphasis on the Remnant
Prophets repeatedly employ פָלִיט to threaten or to comfort, weaving the idea of a surviving nucleus that preserves covenant continuity.
•Isaiah 45:20 calls the nations, “Gather together and come; draw near, you fugitives of the nations.” The prophet envisions displaced peoples streaming to the Lord alone for salvation, exposing the emptiness of idols.
•Isaiah 66:19 extends the theme: God will “send survivors to the nations … and they will proclaim My glory among the nations.” The preserved remnant becomes missionary heralds, previewing the spread of the Gospel to every tribe.
• Jeremiah’s triple use inJeremiah 42:17; 44:14 (twice) warns Judeans who fled to Egypt that no “survivor or fugitive” will return except a tiny number (44:28). The word sharpens judgment yet safeguards God’s promise by ensuring a vestige remains.
•Jeremiah 50:28 and 51:50 portray fleeing Israelites escaping Babylon, heralding Zion’s vindication. The fugitives’ very existence guarantees a future for the covenant community beyond exile.
•Ezekiel 6:8-9 predicts that after severe judgment “I will leave a remnant, some who escape the sword among the nations.” Their repentance will vindicate God’s disciplinary love. Subsequent texts (7:16; 24:26-27; 33:21-22) show such survivors bringing firsthand news of Jerusalem’s fall, validating the prophet’s words.
•Amos 9:1 andObadiah 1:14 strike a sobering note: Edom’s violence against Judah’s refugees will bring its own doom. The fate of fugitives becomes a measure of a nation’s moral standing before God.
Fugitives as Bearers of Revelation
Whether in Genesis, Kings, or Ezekiel, the palit frequently functions as a courier whose testimony confirms God’s word. Their escape is never random; it is providentially arranged so that truth may reach its appointed audience. In this way the motif anticipates the New Testament pattern of persecuted believers scattering with the Gospel (Acts 8:4).
Moral and Theological Themes
1. Divine Judgment and Mercy: פָלִיט conveys both edges of God’s dealings—severity toward sin and mercy toward His people. Judgment is so precise that it spares exactly those whom God intends to preserve.
2. The Doctrine of the Remnant: The term feeds into the larger biblical theme that amid widespread unfaithfulness God keeps a faithful seed (cf.Romans 9–11). The Old Testament fugitives prefigure the Church, a people delivered from wrath and commissioned to bear witness.
3. Human Responsibility: Nations and individuals are evaluated by their treatment of fugitives (Obadiah 1:14), highlighting ethics of compassion, hospitality, and justice.
Eschatological and Christological Reflections
Isaiah’s depiction of survivors proclaiming God’s glory foreshadows the Great Commission. Just as ancient fugitives carried news of earthly events, redeemed believers—once “fugitives” from sin—announce the victory of the risen Christ. In the Day of the Lord, ultimate deliverance will belong to “everyone whose name is found written in the book” (Daniel 12:1), the final company of God’s palit.
Ministry Implications
• Pastoral Comfort: Believers facing oppression can take courage that God still appoints survivors; His purposes cannot be annulled by hostile powers.
• Missional Urgency: Those delivered from judgment become heralds. Churches are called to echo the pattern of the palit—escapees who testify.
• Ethical Mandate: Scripture’s concern for fugitives fuels modern commitments to refugees, displaced persons, and persecuted saints, embodying divine compassion in practical ways.
Summary
פָלִיט threads through Scripture as a signpost of God’s redemptive sovereignty. From Abram’s day to the prophetic horizon, every survivor testifies that judgment does not have the final word; mercy preserves a remnant through whom salvation history moves forward toward its fulfillment in Jesus Christ and the gathering of all who have found refuge in Him.
Forms and Transliterations
הַפָּלִ֔יט הַפָּלִ֖יט הַפָּלִ֧יט הפליט וּפְלִיטֵ֨י וּפְלֵטִ֖ים וּפָלִ֔יט וּפָלִֽיט׃ ופלטים ופליט ופליט׃ ופליטי פְּ֠לֵיטִים פְּלִ֣יטֵיהֶ֔ם פְּלִ֥יטֵי פְּלִיטֵ֣י פְּלִיטֵ֤י פְּלִיטָ֑יו פְּלֵטִ֣ים פְּלֵטִֽים׃ פְּלֵיטִם֙ פְלִֽיטֵיכֶ֜ם פָּלִ֣יט פָּלִ֤יט פָּלִֽיט׃ פָלִיט֙ פלטים פלטים׃ פליט פליט׃ פליטי פליטיהם פליטיו פליטיכם פליטים פליטם faLit feliteiChem hap·pā·lîṭ happaLit happālîṭ pā·lîṭ p̄ā·lîṭ paLit pālîṭ p̄ālîṭ pə·lê·ṭim pə·lê·ṭîm pə·lî·ṭāw pə·lî·ṭê pə·lî·ṭê·hem p̄ə·lî·ṭê·ḵem peleiTim peleTim pəlêṭim pəlêṭîm peliTav pəlîṭāw pəlîṭê pəlîṭêhem peliTei peLiteiHem p̄əlîṭêḵem ū·p̄ā·lîṭ ū·p̄ə·lê·ṭîm ū·p̄ə·lî·ṭê ufaLit ufeleTim ufeliTei ūp̄ālîṭ ūp̄əlêṭîm ūp̄əlîṭê
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