Hebrew word · H6432

פְּלֵתִי

vehapeleti

Pelethite

"Pelethite(s)", found only in the stock pair "Kerethite and Pelethite". Most scholars take it as a form of pelishti, "Philistine", changed to rhyme with kereti. Others think it was a separate group that cannot now be identified.

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

Someone descended from Pelath(?), first mentioned at 2Sa.8.18

§ Pelethites = "couriers"

1) a collective name for the guardsmen of David

1a) probably descendants of an unknown person, perhaps Philistine mercenaries

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 2 Samuel 8:18

Range of meaning

"Pelethite(s)", found only in the stock pair "Kerethite and Pelethite". Most scholars take it as a form of pelishti, "Philistine", changed to rhyme with kereti. Others think it was a separate group that cannot now be identified.

Against the English

"Pelethites" hides the probable link with "Philistines".

Used elsewhere in the period

Found only alongside kereti (2 Samuel 8:18; 15:18; 20:7, 23; 1 Kings 1:38, 44; 1 Chronicles 18:17). David had lived as a vassal of the Philistine king Achish of Gath (1 Samuel 27–29), and Ittai of Gath later followed him with 600 men (2 Samuel 15:18–22).

Where it appears

2 Samuel · 4

  1. 2 Samuel 8:18 וְהַפְּלֵתִ֑י and the Pelethite[s]

    Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priestly leaders.

    Here: The partner unit, always named together with the Kerethites. It is most likely a form of "Philistine" shaped to rhyme with kereti. The pair works almost like a single title for the royal guard.

  2. 2 Samuel 15:18 הַפְּלֵתִ֑י the Pelethite[s]

    and all his servants marched past him—all the Cherethites and Pelethites, and six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath.

  3. 2 Samuel 20:7 וְהַפְּלֵתִ֖י and the Pelethite[s]

    So Joab’s men, along with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty men, marched out of Jerusalem in pursuit of Sheba son of Bichri.

  4. 2 Samuel 20:23 הַפְּלֵתִֽי׃ the Pelethite[s]

    Now Joab was over the whole army of Israel; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites;

1 Kings · 2

  1. 1 Kings 1:38 וְהַפְּלֵתִ֔י and the Pelethite[s]

    Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, went down and set Solomon on King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon.

  2. 1 Kings 1:44 וְהַפְּלֵתִ֑י and the Pelethite[s]

    And with Solomon, the king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, and they have set him on the king’s mule.

    Here: Always paired with the Kerethites. These were probably soldiers of Philistine origin. Together the two names mean "the royal guard." With them on Solomon's side, the force that actually protects the king is behind him.

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 18:17 וְהַפְּלֵתִ֑י and the Pelethite[s]

    Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief officials at the king’s side.

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