The Hebrew noun peah means corner, side, edge, or quarter (direction). Appearing about 86 times in the Old Testament, it has both practical architectural and legal significance, as well as cosmological use in describing the corners of the earth.
Peah is best known through the agricultural law of leaving the corners of the field unharvested: 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field' (Leviticus 19:9). This peah law — the law of the corners — was the primary provision for the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner in ancient Israel. Ruth gleaned in Boaz's field under this very law (Ruth 2:2–3). The law embeds the care of the vulnerable directly into the rhythms of agricultural production, making generosity structural rather than optional. The word also describes the four corners of the earth (Isaiah 11:12), emphasizing God's sovereignty over all geographic space. In temple architecture, peah describes the corners of altars and structures, ensuring the sacred symmetry of worship spaces.