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H6399 · Hebrew · Old Testament
פְּלַח
Pelach
Verb (Aramaic)
To serve, worship, minister to

Definition

The Aramaic verb pelach is the word used in Daniel for worship and religious service. It appears in contexts of serving God or idols — the three young men refusing to serve Nebuchadnezzar's golden image (Daniel 3), and the accusation that Daniel continued worshiping his God (Daniel 6). It is cognate with Hebrew palach (to cut/split open).

Usage & Theological Significance

Pelach in Daniel 3 and 6 is the vocabulary of the ultimate choice: whom will you serve? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to pelach the golden image even at cost of their lives (Daniel 3:12, 14, 17-18). Daniel continued to pelach his God three times daily despite the royal decree (Daniel 6:16, 20). Both stories establish that worship is worth dying for — and that God honors those who honor Him with exclusive devotion. The NT echo: "No one can serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24). The great question of every age is the same: pelach whom?

Key Bible Verses

Daniel 3:12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon — Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego — who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.
Daniel 3:17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it.
Daniel 6:16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den. The king said to Daniel, 'May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!'
Daniel 7:27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.
Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

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