פִּיד
𐤐𐤉𐤃
pîyd
H6365 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A sudden and severe disaster, calamity, or complete destruction, often with emphasis on violence, overwhelming force, or fatal consequence. While the term can refer to personal ruin, it is typically used for catastrophic events affecting individuals, families, or whole groups, marking their downfall or obliteration. In poetic and prophetic usage, it may denote a fate of utter destruction or overwhelming misfortune befalling the wicked or the enemies of Israelite society.
Semantic Range
destruction, ruin, disaster, calamity, overwhelming misfortune, fatal downfall, sudden catastrophe
Root / Etymology
The word פִּיד (pîyd) appears to derive from an otherwise unattested root in Hebrew, possibly related to the concept of breaking through, piercing, or sudden violence. There is no clear evidence of a root with these consonants (פיד) in extant Hebrew texts; thus, the etymology is uncertain. The probable semantic field is connected to the ideas of breaking apart or sudden ruin.
Historical & Contextual Notes
פִּיד is a relatively rare word in the Hebrew Bible, occurring almost exclusively in poetic and prophetic literature (e.g., Job 5:21, 30:24; Isaiah 47:11; Obadiah 1:12). Its usage conveys the notion of overwhelming calamity or utter disaster, often as the result of divine retribution or fate. English translations sometimes render it as 'ruin', 'destruction', 'calamity', or 'disaster,' but these terms may not fully capture the sense of sudden, violent, and fatal misfortune implied in the original contexts. The word is distinct from other Hebrew terms for destruction or misfortune, such as שֶׁבֶר (shever, 'breakage, fracture, collapse') or אָסוֹן (ason, 'misfortune, fatal accident'), with פִּיד emphasizing the totality or violence of the disaster. Over time, the term retained its poetic and emphatic force but did not develop into broader everyday usage. It does not carry later theological or ethical nuance pertaining to trials or suffering as mere adversity, but remains focused on catastrophic, often terminal, events.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root probably meaning to pierce; (figuratively) misfortune; destruction, ruin.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
פיד (p-y-d) — break, pierce, shatter; sudden violent ruin
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6365-01 |
בְּ/פִ֣יד | befid | HR/Ncmsc |
at-the-destruction-of | in catastrophic ruin-of | 1 |
H6365-03 |
וּ/פִ֥יד | ufid | HC/Ncmsc |
and-ruin | and catastrophic ruin | 1 |
H6365-02 |
בְּ֝/פִיד֗/וֹ | befido | HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms |
in his disaster | in his catastrophic ruin | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6365-03 |
Proverbs 24:22 | וּ/פִ֥יד | ufid | HC/Ncmsc |
and-ruin | and catastrophic ruin |
H6365-02 |
Job 30:24 | בְּ֝/פִיד֗/וֹ | befido | HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms |
in his disaster | in his catastrophic ruin |
H6365-01 |
Job 31:29 | בְּ/פִ֣יד | befid | HR/Ncmsc |
at-the-destruction-of | in catastrophic ruin-of |