palal · pray

What it means

palal (פָּלַל) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “pray”.

Intercede: speak with God, often asking on behalf of another; also judge.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To talk with God, often asking for others.
2. To judge between two.
3. To think, suppose something.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

To pray: to speak with God, often asking on behalf of another, interceding. In the reflexive form, to pray; in another form, to arbitrate or judge. BDB: to judge, officially or mentally; by extension, to intercede, pray. Of the same root is תְּפִלָּה, “prayer” (H8605).

• Praying for another: Abraham, Moses Genesis 20:7Numbers 11:2
• Hannah's prayer 1 Samuel 1:101 Samuel 1:27
• “Who will pray for him?”: arbitrating and praying 1 Samuel 2:25
• Praying toward the temple 1 Kings 8:30
• Kings and prophets pray in distress 2 Kings 20:2Jonah 2:1Daniel 9:4

How we translate it

“Pray” 37 times, “prayed” 30, “praying” 6, “prays” 6. הִתְפַּלֵּל is “pray”, distinct from the verb of supplication; in 1 Samuel 2:25 פִּלֵּל / הִתְפַּלֵּל are “arbitrate / pray” (“Elohim will arbitrate for him… who will pray for him?”), with a note on the play between the two forms.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• pray ×37
• prayed ×30
• praying ×6
• prays ×6
• arbitrated ×1
• expect ×1
• intervened ×1
• may prayer be made ×1
• will arbitrate for him ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×3
• Numbers×3
• Deuteronomy×2
• 1 Samuel×11
• 2 Samuel×1
• 1 Kings×10
• 2 Kings×6
• 1 Chronicles×1
• 2 Chronicles×14
• Ezra×1
• Nehemiah×4
• Job×2
• Psalms×4
• Isaiah×7
• Jeremiah×10
• Ezekiel×1
• Daniel×2
• Jonah×2

• Genesis 20:7

  Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you will surely die, you and all who are yours.”

• Genesis 20:17

  Then Abraham prayed to Elohim, and Elohim healed Abimelech, his wife, and his slave women, so that they bore children.

• Genesis 48:11

  Israel said to Joseph, “I did not expect to see your face, and look, Elohim has let me see your offspring also.”

• Numbers 11:2

  And the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to YHWH, and the fire died down.

• Numbers 21:7

  And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against YHWH and against you. Pray to YHWH, that he may take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

• Deuteronomy 9:20

  And with Aaron YHWH was greatly incensed, to the point of destroying him; and I prayed also for Aaron at that time.

• Deuteronomy 9:26

  I prayed to YHWH and said, “Adonai YHWH, do not destroy your people and your inheritance, whom you ransomed by your greatness, whom you brought out of Egypt with a strong hand.

• 1 Samuel 1:10

  She was bitter of soul, and she prayed to YHWH and wept greatly.

• 1 Samuel 1:12

  And it happened, as she prayed at length before YHWH, that Eli was watching her mouth.

• 1 Samuel 1:26

  And she said, “Pardon me, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here with you to pray to YHWH.

• 1 Samuel 1:27

  For this boy I prayed, and YHWH has given me my petition that I asked of him.

• 1 Samuel 2:1

  And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in YHWH; my horn is lifted high in YHWH. My mouth opens wide over my enemies, for I rejoice in your salvation.

• 1 Samuel 2:25

  If a man sins against a man, Elohim will arbitrate for him; but if a man sins against YHWH, who will pray for him?” But they did not listen to the voice of their father, for YHWH wanted to put them to death.

• 1 Samuel 7:5

  And Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray for you to YHWH.”

• 1 Samuel 8:6

  But the thing was displeasing in the eyes of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to YHWH.

• 1 Samuel 12:19

  All the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to YHWH your Elohim, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for ourselves a king.”

• 1 Samuel 12:23

  As for me, far be it from me to sin against YHWH by ceasing to pray for you; and I will instruct you in the good and right way.

• 2 Samuel 7:27

  For you, YHWH Tsevaot, Elohim of Israel, have made this known to your servant, saying, ‘A house I will build for you’; therefore your servant has found his heart to pray to you this prayer.

• 1 Kings 8:28

  Yet turn to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication, YHWH my Elohim, to listen to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you today;

• 1 Kings 8:29

  that your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which you said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer that your servant prays toward this place.

• 1 Kings 8:30

  And listen to the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel, who pray toward this place; and you, listen in the place where you live, in the heavens; and listen and forgive.

• 1 Kings 8:33

  When your people Israel are struck down before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and they return to you and give thanks to your name and pray and make supplication to you in this house,

• 1 Kings 8:35

  When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and they pray toward this place and give thanks to your name and turn back from their sin because you afflict them,

• 1 Kings 8:42

  — for they will hear of your great name and of your strong hand and of your outstretched arm — when he comes and prays toward this house,

• 1 Kings 8:44

  If your people go out to war against their enemy by the way that you send them, and they pray to YHWH toward the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name,

• 1 Kings 8:48

  and they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who carried them captive, and they pray to you toward their land that you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name,

• 1 Kings 8:54

  And it happened, when Solomon finished praying to YHWH all this prayer and supplication, that he rose from before the altar of YHWH, from kneeling on his knees, with his hands spread out toward the heavens.

• 1 Kings 13:6

  The king answered and said to the man of Elohim, “Entreat, please, the face of YHWH your Elohim, and pray for me, that my hand may return to me.” And the man of Elohim entreated the face of YHWH, and the king’s hand returned to him, and it was as at the first.

• 2 Kings 4:33

  He went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to YHWH.

• 2 Kings 6:17

  Elisha prayed and said, “YHWH, please open his eyes so that he may see.” YHWH opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and there was the mountain, full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

• 2 Kings 6:18

  They came down to him, and Elisha prayed to YHWH and said, “Please strike this nation with blindness.” And he struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha.

• 2 Kings 19:15

  Hezekiah prayed before YHWH and said, “YHWH, Elohim of Israel, who sit on the cherubim, you are the Elohim, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you made the heavens and the earth.

• 2 Kings 19:20

  Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says YHWH, the Elohim of Israel: ‘That which you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.

• 2 Kings 20:2

  He turned his face to the wall and prayed to YHWH, saying,

• 1 Chronicles 17:25

  For you, my Elohim, have made it known to your servant that you will build him a house; therefore your servant has found courage to pray before you.

• 2 Chronicles 6:19

  Turn to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication, YHWH my Elohim, to listen to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you,

• 2 Chronicles 6:20

  that your eyes may be open toward this house day and night, toward the place of which you said that you would put your name there, to listen to the prayer that your servant prays toward this place.

• 2 Chronicles 6:21

  And listen to the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel, who pray toward this place; and you, listen from the place where you live, from the heavens; and listen and forgive.

• 2 Chronicles 6:24

  And if your people Israel is struck down before an enemy because they have sinned against you, and they return and give thanks to your name and pray and make supplication before you in this house,

• 2 Chronicles 6:26

  When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and they pray toward this place and give thanks to your name and turn from their sin because you afflict them,

And 44 more times.