פּוּל
𐤐𐤅𐤋
Pul
H6322 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Pûwl refers to (1) an Assyrian king, listed as an adversary of Israel, and (2) possibly, although with much less certainty, an African people or land associated with Ethiopia (Cush) in some biblical lists of nations. The primary meaning of the term in the Hebrew Bible pertains to the Assyrian monarch, while its reference to a location or tribe in Africa appears only in specific, often poetic, passages.
Semantic Range
name of an Assyrian king (likely Tiglath-pileser III); possible designation of an African region or tribe (in parallel with Cush); not a common noun, but a proper name in all cases
Root / Etymology
The term פּוּל is of foreign origin, not a native Hebrew word. For the Assyrian king, it corresponds to the Akkadian "Pulu," a throne-name adopted by Tiglath-pileser III (r. 745–727 BCE) in Babylonian records. For the African context, etymology is uncertain and may reflect a foreign (non-Semitic) ethnonym or toponym, transferred into Hebrew.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In its primary occurrence (2 Kings 15:19; 1 Chronicles 5:26), פּוּל denotes an Assyrian monarch who exacted tribute from the northern Kingdom of Israel; this figure is associated elsewhere with the historical Tiglath-pileser III, although in Kings he is called by the archaic name Pul. The alternative usage appears in poetic oracles (Isaiah 66:19) where 'Pul' may designate a people or region in Africa, in parallel with Cush (Nubia/Ethiopia) and Lud, but exact identification is debated and unconfirmed by extrabiblical sources. English translations often simply transliterate the name as 'Pul' without further clarification. The use of 'Pul' as the name of an Assyrian king reflects exonymic adoption, while the possible African reference represents an enigmatic toponymic or ethnic designation, possibly lost to history. Later Jewish and Christian traditions sometimes retroactively merged meanings or transliterated inconsistently.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
of foreign origin; Pul, the name of an Assyrian king and of an Ethiopian tribe; Pul.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
uncertain (Baleadan) — uncertain
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1002 | בִּירָה | the citadel |
| H105 | אֲגַרְטָל | bowls of |
| H1081 | בַּלְאֲדָן | Baladan |
| H1085 | בִּלְדַּד | Bildad |
| H1095 | בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר | Belteshatsar |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6322-03 |
פּ֣וּל | pul | HNp |
of Pul | Pul | Pul | 2 |
H6322-01 |
פ֤וּל | ful | HNp |
Pul | Pul | Pul | 1 |
H6322-02 |
לְ/פ֔וּל | leful | HR/Np |
to Pul | to Pul | to Pul | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6322-01 |
2 Kings 15:19 | פ֤וּל | ful | HNp |
Pul | Pul | Pul |
H6322-02 |
2 Kings 15:19 | לְ/פ֔וּל | leful | HR/Np |
to Pul | to Pul | to Pul |
H6322-03 |
Isaiah 66:19 | פּ֥וּל | pul | HNp |
Pul | Pul | Pul |
H6322-03 |
1 Chronicles 5:26 | פּ֣וּל | pul | HNp |
of Pul | Pul | Pul |