Hebrew word · H6395

פָּלָה

venifleinu

be distinguished

To set apart, to treat as distinct, to make a distinction. In the passive form used here it means 'be distinguished, be marked out.' It is closely related to the root pala', 'to be extraordinary, wonderful.' The spelling of this very form (with a yod) shows how close the two roots are.

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated October 31, 2026

What it means

1) to be distinct, marked out, be separated, be distinguished

1a) (Niphal)

1a1) to be distinct, be separated, be distinguished

1a2) to be wonderful

1b) (Hiphil) to make separate, set apart

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Exodus 33:16

Range of meaning: To set apart, to treat as distinct, to make a distinction. In the passive form used here it means 'be distinguished, be marked out.' It is closely related to the root pala', 'to be extraordinary, wonderful.' The spelling of this very form (with a yod) shows how close the two roots are.
Against the English: BSB, NASB and YLT say 'distinguished'. ESV says 'distinct'. KJV and WEB say 'separated'. NLT says 'sets … apart'. 'Separated' can suggest physical segregation or Israel withdrawing itself. The Hebrew means being marked out as different, and the marking is done by God.
How it drifted: In English, especially in religious use, 'separated' has come to mean a separatist posture that people take up through their own conduct. Here the verb is passive and its cause is God's going with them.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the plague narrative God 'will set apart (hifleti) the land of Goshen' (Exod 8:22 [Heb 8:18]). 'The LORD will make a distinction (hiflah) between the livestock of Israel and of Egypt' (9:4). 'The LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel' (11:7). Ps 4:3 [Heb 4:4]: 'the LORD has set apart the godly for himself.' The LXX here has 'we will be glorified' (endoxasthēsometha), which hears the related idea of 'wonder.'

From the study of Psalm 139:14

Range of meaning: As written, it is the passive stem of palah: to be set apart, distinguished, treated differently. The same verb appears in Exod 8:22, 9:4 and 11:7, where God "makes a distinction" between Israel and Egypt, and the same passive form in Exod 33:16 ("we are distinguished, I and your people"). The root pala' ("to be wondrous") was often spelled as if it were palah in later Hebrew, and Psalm 139 shows several late or Aramaic-flavoured words. Many lexicons (HALOT, BDB) and most translations therefore read "I am wondrously made / made a wonder".
Against the English: BSB, KJV, WEB, NIV, ESV and NASB have "wonderfully made", supplying "made" from context, since the Hebrew has just one passive verb. YLT has "I have been distinguished". Some recent translators prefer "set apart".
How it drifted: English "wonderfully" now usually means "very well, delightfully" ("a wonderfully made chair"), which turns a word about the inexplicable into a word about quality.
Used elsewhere in the period: The Septuagint read a different form, "you were made wondrous" (ethaumastōthēs), which puts the wonder on God. The Exod 33:16 parallel is the strongest support for "set apart". The interchange of lamed-aleph and lamed-he verbs is well documented in late biblical Hebrew.

From the study of Psalm 17:7

Range of meaning: Palah (in the causative form) means to treat something as distinct, to set it apart, to make a difference between. Its near-twin pala' (H6381) means to be extraordinary, beyond the ordinary, 'wonderful' in the sense of astonishing. Hebrew writers sometimes confused or blended these two roots.
Against the English: BSB 'show the wonders of', KJV/WEB 'shew/show thy marvellous', ESV/NASB 'wondrously show': all follow the 'wonder' root. YLT's 'Separate wonderfully' is the only supplied version that keeps both ideas.
Used elsewhere in the period: Palah is the exodus word: God 'sets apart' the land of Goshen (Exod 8:22) and 'makes a distinction' between Israel's livestock and Egypt's (Exod 9:4; 11:7). Psalm 4:3 says 'the LORD has set apart (hiflah) the godly for himself.' The close parallel in Psalm 31:21 uses the other root: 'he has made wonderful (hifli') his loyal love to me.' The Septuagint renders Ps 17:7 thaumastōson, 'make marvellous'.

Similar words

פָּלָא venifle'otav · to wonder

Where it appears

Exodus · 4

Exodus 8:22 וְהִפְלֵיתִי֩ and I will separate

But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where My people live; no swarms of flies will be found there. In this way you will know that I, the LORD, am in the land.

Here: 'And I will set apart / mark off as different.' God speaks in the first person: he himself will draw a line through Egypt and treat one side of it differently. The form points forward: this is something he is about to do.
Exodus 9:4 וְהִפְלָ֣ה and he will separate

But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’”
Exodus 11:7 יַפְלֶ֣ה he separates

But among all the Israelites, not even a dog will snarl at man or beast.’ Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.

Here: The causative form: YHWH actively marks off and treats differently. It is the same verb used when Goshen and Israel's livestock were spared in earlier plagues (8:22; 9:4). It describes an action carried out in events, not an opinion about the two groups.
Exodus 33:16 וְנִפְלֵ֙ינוּ֙ and we will be distinguished

For how then can it be known that Your people and I have found favor in Your sight, unless You go with us? How else will we be distinguished from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

Here: "And we will be marked out as distinct." The verb is passive: God's presence does the distinguishing. It echoes the plague stories, where God "made a distinction" between Israel and Egypt (8:22; 9:4; 11:7).

Psalms · 3

Psalm 4:3 הִפְלָ֣ה he has set apart

Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself; the LORD hears when I call to Him.

Here: God has made this person distinct from the rest and treats him differently. The same verb is used when God separates Israel's land and livestock from Egypt's during the plagues. The perfect form presents it as something already settled. Some readers take it as the near-identical verb 'has done wonders' (see textual notes).
Psalm 17:7 הַפְלֵ֣ה make wonderful

Show the wonders of Your loving devotion, You who save by Your right hand those who seek refuge from their foes.

Here: A command: 'Make it stand out!' The written form comes from the root for setting something apart. It sounds almost the same as the word for 'make wonderful', and both ideas are in play. The psalmist asks God to act in a way no one could mistake.
Psalm 139:14 נִ֫פְלֵ֥יתִי I am wonderful

I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well.

Here: A passive first-person form, "I have been ___". As spelled, it comes from palah, "set apart, distinguished" (the same form is used in Exod 33:16, "we are distinguished, I and your people"). It is very often read as a spelling variant of pala', "I have been made a wonder". Either way it echoes the next word.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.