Hebrew word · H6486

פְּקֻדָּה

pekudah

punishment

The noun comes from the verb paqad. Its core idea is to look into something with a view to acting on it. The verb's uses include to inspect, to take stock of, to muster (count troops), to appoint someone to oversee, to care for, and to call to account or punish.

Appears 32 times in 31 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) oversight, care, custody, mustering, visitation, store

1a) visitation, punishment

1b) oversight, charge, office, overseer, class of officers

1c) mustering

1d) store

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 Isaiah 10:3

Range of meaning

The noun comes from the verb paqad. Its core idea is to look into something with a view to acting on it. The verb's uses include to inspect, to take stock of, to muster (count troops), to appoint someone to oversee, to care for, and to call to account or punish. The noun covers the same ground: oversight, an office or charge, a mustering, and above all in the prophets a 'visitation', meaning the time when a superior comes to check and deal out what is deserved.

Against the English

KJV and WEB have 'visitation', BSB and NIV 'reckoning', ESV and NASB 'punishment', YLT 'inspection'. 'Punishment' is accurate about the outcome but loses the picture of a ruler arriving to examine his servants' work. 'Reckoning' keeps the accounting picture and the outcome. 'Visitation' keeps the arrival but now sounds friendly or spiritual to modern ears.

How it drifted

The Latin Vulgate's visitatio passed into English as 'visitation'. Then the English word softened. People now hear a social call, a hospital or prison visit, a custody arrangement, or in some church language a season of God's special presence and blessing. The Hebrew phrase in this context is a day of audit and penalty.

Used elsewhere in the period

The same phrase 'day(s) of visitation' is used for judgment in Hosea 9:7 ('the days of visitation have come, the days of recompense'), Micah 7:4, and Jeremiah 8:12, 10:15, 11:23 and 46:21. The Greek Septuagint renders it episkopē, 'oversight, visitation'. The New Testament later uses that same Greek word in Luke 19:44 and 1 Peter 2:12. The Dead Sea Scrolls use pequddah for God's appointed time of judgment (for example 'the time of visitation' in the Community Rule, 1QS 3–4).

From the study of Isaiah 60:17

Range of meaning

The noun comes from the root paqad, "to attend to, inspect, muster, appoint, visit". Its senses cover everything that goes with oversight: (1) a charge or responsibility (Num 4:16, Eleazar's pequddah over the tabernacle); (2) an office, or the officers who hold it (2 Kgs 11:18, "officers" over the temple; 1 Chr 24:3); (3) a mustering or numbering; (4) "visitation", a superior coming to inspect and settle accounts, which in prophetic speech often means punishment (Isa 10:3, "the day of visitation"; Hos 9:7; Jer 8:12); (5) stored goods (Isa 15:7).

Against the English

KJV "officers", ESV "overseers", NASB "administrators", BSB/WEB "governor", YLT "inspection". All except YLT give the concrete office-holders. YLT keeps the abstract singular form ("your oversight"), which is more literal but hard to follow. The lemma gloss in the supplied data, "punishment", is right for some passages but wrong here.

Used elsewhere in the period

The "visitation = punishment" sense is common in Isaiah and Jeremiah. The administrative sense appears in Chronicles and Kings. The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation) renders the word here with archontas, "rulers". The Vulgate keeps visitationem, "visitation". Related forms appear in Hebrew at Qumran with the sense of officers who inspect the community (e.g. the paqid of the Community Rule).

From the study of Hosea 9:7

Range of meaning

From the verb pāqad, 'to attend to, inspect, muster, take account of, appoint.' The noun can mean oversight or a charge (Num 4:16), a mustering (1 Chr 23:11), or the act of 'visiting,' meaning a superior's coming to examine things and act on what he finds. That action can be care (Job 10:12, 'your care has kept my spirit') or punishment (Isa 10:3, 'the day of visitation'; Jer 8:12; 10:15).

Against the English

KJV 'visitation' keeps the old sense of an official inspection. BSB and many modern versions use 'punishment,' which gets the outcome right but loses the picture of an inspector arriving and auditing. WEB 'visitation' and YLT 'inspection' are closer to the root.

How it drifted

In modern English 'visitation' suggests a social call, custody visits, or a ghostly appearance. In church language it can even suggest a gracious divine visit. The old legal and administrative sense, a lord coming to inspect his domain and bring offenders to account, has largely been lost.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint here uses ekdikēsis ('vengeance, exacting justice'). Elsewhere it uses episkopē ('oversight, visitation'), the word behind 'the time of your visitation' in Luke 19:44. Isaiah 10:3 has the same 'day of pĕquddāh' against the northern kingdom in the same century.

Where it appears

Numbers · 5

  1. Numbers 3:32 פְּקֻדַּ֕ת [the] oversight of

    The chief of the leaders of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest; he oversaw those responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.

  2. Numbers 3:36 וּפְקֻדַּ֣ת and [the] office of

    The duties assigned to the sons of Merari were the tabernacle’s frames, crossbars, posts, bases, and all its equipment—all the service for these items,

  3. Numbers 4:16 וּפְקֻדַּ֞ת פְּקֻדַּ֗ת and [the] oversight of, [the] oversight of

    Eleazar son of Aaron the priest shall oversee the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil. He has oversight of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including the holy objects and their utensils.”

  4. Numbers 16:29 וּפְקֻדַּת֙ and [the] visitation of

    If these men die a natural death, or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me.

2 Kings · 1

  1. 2 Kings 11:18 פְּקֻדּ֖וֹת overseers

    So all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. And Jehoiada the priest posted guards for the house of the LORD.

1 Chronicles · 4

  1. 1 Chronicles 23:11 לִפְקֻדָּ֖ה <into> a group

    Jahath was the first and Zizah was the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were counted as one family and received a single assignment.

  2. 1 Chronicles 24:3 לִפְקֻדָּתָ֖ם to group their

    With the help of Eleazar’s descendant Zadok and Ithamar’s descendant Ahimelech, David divided them according to the offices of their service.

  3. 1 Chronicles 24:19 פְקֻדָּתָ֞ם [were] group[s] their

    This was their appointed order for service when they entered the house of the LORD, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their forefather Aaron, as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded him.

  4. 1 Chronicles 26:30 פְּקֻדַּ֣ת [the] oversight of

    From the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 capable men, had charge of the affairs of Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the LORD and for the service of the king.

2 Chronicles · 4

  1. 2 Chronicles 17:14 פְקֻדָּתָ֖ם [were] group[s] their

    These are their numbers according to the houses of their fathers: From Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, and with him 300,000 mighty men of valor;

  2. 2 Chronicles 23:18 פְּקֻדֹּ֜ת [the] oversight<s> of

    Moreover, Jehoiada put the oversight of the house of the LORD into the hands of the Levitical priests, whom David had appointed over the house of the LORD, to offer burnt offerings to the LORD as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and song, as ordained by David.

  3. 2 Chronicles 24:11 פְּקֻדַּ֣ת [the] overseer of

    Whenever the chest was brought by the Levites to the king’s overseers and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal scribe and the officer of the high priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this daily and gathered the money in abundance.

  4. 2 Chronicles 26:11 פְּקֻדָּתָ֔ם muster their

    Uzziah had an army ready for battle that went out to war by assigned divisions, as recorded by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officers.

Job · 1

  1. Job 10:12 וּ֝פְקֻדָּתְךָ֗ and care your

    You have granted me life and loving devotion, and Your care has preserved my spirit.

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 109:8 פְּ֝קֻדָּת֗וֹ office his

    May his days be few; may another take his position.

    Here: "His charge" or "his post of oversight": a duty or position someone has been put in charge of. It comes from the root that means "appoint, muster, oversee" (verb form, see v. 6). The word comes first in its line for emphasis: "his post: let another take it."

Isaiah · 3

  1. Isaiah 10:3 פְּקֻדָּ֔ה punishment

    What will you do on the day of reckoning when devastation comes from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth?

    Here: The day when the overseer comes to inspect and settle accounts. Here the outcome is plainly penalty. The word pictures God as the ruler who comes to audit his officials. KJV's 'visitation' keeps that picture; 'punishment' gives only the result.

  2. Isaiah 15:7 וּפְקֻדָּתָ֔ם and store their

    So they carry their wealth and belongings over the Brook of the Willows.

  3. Isaiah 60:17 פְקֻדָּתֵךְ֙ overseer[s] your

    Instead of bronze I will bring you gold; I will bring silver in place of iron, bronze instead of wood, and iron instead of stones. I will appoint peace as your governor and righteousness as your ruler.

    Here: "Your oversight": the people who supervise and administer you, taken as one body. "Your" is feminine singular, addressed to Zion pictured as a woman. The supplied lemma gloss "punishment" is one sense of the word, but it does not fit here.

Jeremiah · 9

  1. Jeremiah 8:12 פְּקֻדָּתָ֛ם punishment their

    Are they ashamed of the abomination they have committed? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse, says the LORD.

    Here: 'Their reckoning.' The moment Yahweh 'attends to' them, inspecting and settling accounts. Here that ends in punishment.

  2. Jeremiah 10:15 פְּקֻדָּתָ֖ם punishment their

    They are worthless, a work to be mocked. In the time of their punishment they will perish.

    Here: From the verb paqad, 'to attend to, inspect, call to account.' The picture is of an overseer coming to check his accounts and deal with what he finds. Here that inspection ends in their downfall, so 'punishment' or 'reckoning' is the result. 'Their' most naturally means the idols themselves.

  3. Jeremiah 11:23 פְּקֻדָּתָֽם׃ ס punishment their

    There will be no remnant, for I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.”

  4. Jeremiah 23:12 פְּקֻדָּתָ֖ם punishment their

    “Therefore their path will become slick; they will be driven away into the darkness and fall into it. For I will bring disaster upon them in the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.

    Here: The official inspection by a superior who comes to check and then act. Here that means calling them to account and punishing them. KJV 'visitation' keeps the 'coming to inspect' idea. BSB 'punishment' gives the result.

  5. Jeremiah 46:21 פְּקֻדָּתָֽם׃ punishment their

    Even the mercenaries among her are like fattened calves. They too will turn back; together they will flee, they will not stand their ground, for the day of calamity is coming upon them—the time of their punishment.

    Here: 'Their reckoning': the moment when the one in authority comes to inspect and settles accounts. Here that means punishment. This is a stock phrase in Jeremiah for a nation's day of judgment.

  6. Jeremiah 48:44 פְּקֻדָּתָ֖ם punishment their

    “Whoever flees the panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.

  7. Jeremiah 50:27 פְּקֻדָּתָֽם׃ ס punishment their

    Kill all her young bulls; let them go down to the slaughter. Woe to them, for their day has come—the time of their punishment.

    Here: The moment God 'attends to' them, inspects their record and settles the account. Here the outcome is judgment. 'Punishment' gives the result but loses the sense of an official reckoning.

  8. Jeremiah 51:18 פְּקֻדָּתָ֖ם punishment their

    They are worthless, a work to be mocked. In the time of their punishment they will perish.

  9. Jeremiah 52:11 הַפְּקֻדֹּ֖ת <the> punishment<s>

    Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon, where he kept him in custody until his dying day.

Ezekiel · 2

  1. Ezekiel 9:1 פְּקֻדּ֣וֹת [the] punishments of

    Then I heard Him call out in a loud voice, saying, “Draw near, O executioners of the city, each with a weapon of destruction in hand.”

  2. Ezekiel 44:11 פְּקֻדּוֹת֙ overseers

    Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and ministering there. They shall slaughter the burnt offerings and other sacrifices for the people and stand before them to minister to them.

Hosea · 1

  1. Hosea 9:7 הַפְּקֻדָּ֗ה <the> punishment

    The days of punishment have come; the days of retribution have arrived—let Israel know it. The prophet is called a fool, and the inspired man insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and hostility.

    Here: The time when the overlord comes to inspect and settle accounts. Here the outcome is punishment, but the word pictures an inspection that ends in a verdict.

Micah · 1

  1. Micah 7:4 פְּקֻדָּתְךָ֣ punishment your

    The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is sharper than a hedge of thorns. The day for your watchmen has come, the day of your visitation. Now is the time of their confusion.

    Here: 'Your visitation', the moment when God steps in to inspect and settle accounts. In this context it is a reckoning for wrongdoing. It stands alongside 'the day of your watchmen' as a second name for the same day.

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