פִּצְלָה (pe.tsa.lah)
pe.tsa.lah
stripe
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun pitstalah refers to a peeled spot or stripe on an animal’s coat. It appears only once in the entire Bible, in Genesis 30:37. The term describes the visual result of stripping bark from branches, which reveals the lighter wood beneath.
In this narrative, Jacob uses these striped sticks to influence the breeding of Laban’s flock. The text notes that the animals gave birth to streaked and spotted offspring when they came near the peeled rods. This single occurrence links a physical detail about animal husbandry with the broader story of Jacob’s increasing prosperity.
Translators typically render pitstalah as "stripe" or "streak." Because the word is so rare, its meaning relies entirely on this context. It highlights how specific visual markers were understood in ancient Near Eastern practices, serving as a concrete detail in a complex family drama rather than carrying abstract theological weight.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word pitstalah appears only once in Scripture, describing a peeled stripe on a branch in Genesis 30:37. Jacob used these marked rods near the flock, a detail that highlights God’s hand in Jacob’s growing prosperity despite Laban’s deception. This visual marker reminds us that God often works through ordinary, tangible means to fulfill His promises.
While the term itself carries no deep theological abstraction, its presence in the narrative underscores how God observes and uses small details. The peeled wood served as a visible sign of God’s blessing on Jacob’s labor. For believers today, this offers comfort: God notices the specifics of our lives and can use even simple circumstances to bring about good outcomes.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- strips1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- פְּצָל֣וֹת1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 30:37
Jacob took to himself rods of fresh poplar, almond, and plane tree, peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.
This verse provides the only biblical occurrence of the word, describing the peeled white streaks Jacob prepared from poplar, almond, and plane tree rods.