פָּלִיט (pa.lit)
pa.lit
survivor
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 16 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun paliṭ describes a survivor, fugitive, or escaped one who has narrowly avoided death or capture. It appears sixteen times in the Old Testament, with significant usage in Jeremiah, Judges, and Isaiah to depict those fleeing catastrophe. The word captures the precarious status of someone who has left behind their home or community under threat, often carrying the weight of loss and uncertainty.
Its root relates to the idea of slipping away or escaping, emphasizing deliverance from immediate danger rather than a voluntary migration. In Judges 12:4-6, it describes the Gileadites who fled across the Jordan to escape conflict, highlighting how the term marks those caught in the sweep of war or judgment. Translators typically render it as "survivor" or "refugee," though these English words can feel static; the Hebrew carries a sense of active flight and recent deliverance.
Notably, the word sometimes appears in contexts where God’s people are scattered by enemies, yet a remnant escapes. This usage underscores a theological theme: even in judgment, survival is possible. The term does not imply safety or restoration but rather the fragile state of those who have made it through disaster alive.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word paliṭ describes someone who has slipped away from danger, a survivor caught between loss and new beginnings. It is not a title for the safe or the settled, but for those who have narrowly avoided catastrophe. In a world where stability often feels fragile, this term reminds us that God’s presence does not always prevent disaster, but He can preserve life through it.
When we read of fugitives in Judges or exiles in Isaiah, we see people carrying the weight of uncertainty. They are not yet restored; they are simply alive. This offers a quiet comfort to anyone navigating their own season of upheaval. Survival is not always a victory parade, but it is often the first step toward healing.
Scripture shows that even in judgment, a remnant remains. The paliṭ carries a story of deliverance, however small. This word invites us to trust that God sees those who are scattered and broken, and He holds their future in His hands.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 16 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- an escapee4×
- fugitives2×
- the/ fugitive1×
- survivors1×
- fugitives/ his1×
- and/ escapees of1×
- and/ escapees1×
- and/ an escapee1×
- and/ a fugitive1×
- [the] fugitives of1×
- [are] fugitives of1×
- O fugitives of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- פְּלִיטֵ֤י2×
- פָּלִֽיט\׃1×
- פָּלִ֤יט1×
- פָּלִ֣יט1×
- פְּלֵיטִם֙1×
- פְּלֵטִֽים\׃\ \ס1×
- פְּלֵטִ֣ים1×
- פְּלִיטָ֑י/ו1×
- פְּלִיטֵ֣י1×
- פְּ֠לֵיטִים1×
- פָלִיט֙1×
- וּ/פָלִֽיט\׃1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 14:13
One who had escaped came and told Abram, the Hebrew. At that time, he lived by the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner. They were allies of Abram.
This is the first occurrence of the word, identifying Abram’s relative as a fugitive who brings news of rescue, establishing the theme of deliverance through divine intervention.
-
Isaiah 45:20
“Assemble yourselves and come. Draw near together, you who have escaped from the nations. Those have no knowledge who carry the wood of their engraved image, and pray to a god that can’t save.
Here the term addresses exiles who have escaped idolatrous nations, calling them to assemble and recognize Yahweh as the only true Savior.
-
Jeremiah 51:50
You who have escaped the sword, go! Don’t stand still! Remember Yahweh from afar, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.”
The prophet urges those who escaped Babylon’s sword not to linger in fear but to remember Jerusalem, linking survival with spiritual memory and hope.