פְּקִדֻת
𐤐𐤒𐤃𐤕
pᵉqiduth
H6488 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
An act or state of oversight, assignment, muster, or visitation; the term denotes the exercise of oversight, the office or responsibility entrusted to someone (such as an official duty or charge), the census or accounting of people or items, or the visitation either in the sense of beneficent intervention or punitive attention. In liturgical or prophetic contexts, it can also designate the consequences or outcomes of divine oversight (i.e., reward or judgment).
Semantic Range
oversight, office or official charge, assignment, muster or mustering, census or accounting, visitation (beneficent or punitive), consequences of oversight (reward or punishment)
Root / Etymology
Formed from the root פקד (P-Q-D), which means 'to attend to, pay attention, appoint, muster, or visit.' The abstract noun פְּקִדֻת (peqiduth) derives from this root, expressing the state, act, or outcome of such oversight or appointment. The form follows typical noun patterns for action or state related to its verbal root.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In early biblical texts (e.g., Numbers, 2 Kings), פְּקִדֻת is commonly associated with official duties, particularly those related to military or cultic administration — such as oversight of the priests, Levites, or mustering of troops. It can refer to both the position of a supervisor and the act of mustering or numbering. In prophetic literature (e.g., Jeremiah, Ezekiel), the word expands to encompass divine visitation, especially regarding punishment or reward — reflecting the transition of the root פקד ('to attend to') towards an action meaning 'to visit with consequences' (positive or negative). English Bible translations often render פְּקִדֻת as 'office,' 'charge,' 'visitation,' or 'numbering,' but these can obscure the original breadth. The sense of 'supervision' may overlap in part with terms like מִשְׁמֶרֶת (mishmeret, 'guard, charge'), but פְּקִדֻת more often denotes delegated responsibility or an act of reckoning. Over time, the range of usage expands from official-logistical to theological-eschatological (e.g., divine oversight on Israelite destiny).
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from פָּקִיד; supervision; ward.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
פקד (p-q-d) — attend, appoint, muster, number, visit
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4662 | מִפְקָד | at mustering-of |
| H4663 | מִפְקָד | the appointed-muster site |
| H6485 | פָּקַד | I will appoint |
| H6486 | פְּקֻדָּה | their appointed oversight |
| H6487 | פִּקָּדוֹן | in an entrusted deposit |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6488-01 |
פְּקִדֻ֔ת | peqidut | HNcfsa |
of the guard | oversight | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6488-01 |
Jeremiah 37:13 | פְּקִדֻ֔ת | peqidut | HNcfsa |
of the guard | oversight |