6391. peluggah
Lexical Summary
peluggah: sections

Original Word: פְלֻגָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: pluggah
Pronunciation: peh-loo-gah
Phonetic Spelling: (pel-oog-gaw')
KJV: division
NASB: sections
Word Origin: [from H6385 (פָּלַג - divided)]

1. a section

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
division

From palag; a section -- division.

see HEBREW palag

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from palag
Definition
a division
NASB Translation
sections (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[מְּלֻגָּה] noun feminine division (= מַחֲלֹקֵת q. v. ), of priests, for service; — plural construct מְּלֻגּוֺת2Chronicles 35:5.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

פְלֻגָּה (peluggâ) designates a discrete contingent—military, civil, or priestly—within a larger body. The term occurs three times, all in contexts where corporate purpose is either advanced or hindered by the actions of its sub-groups. Scripture thus employs the word not merely to describe numbers on a roster but to highlight the spiritual consequences of collective faithfulness or hesitation.

Occurrences and Literary Setting

1. Judges 5:15
2. Judges 5:16
3. 2 Chronicles 35:5

The first two references appear in Deborah’s victory song; the third belongs to the reforms of King Josiah. Together they span the era of the judges to the final decades of the Judean monarchy, illustrating how ordered “divisions” were expected in both military and liturgical spheres.

Military Organization in the Song of Deborah (Judges 5:15–16)

Deborah recounts Israel’s tribes responding—or failing to respond—to the Lord’s summons against Sisera. She sings:

“In the divisions of Reuben there was great resolve of heart… Why did you sit among the sheepfolds to hear the piping for the flocks? In the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.” (Judges 5:15-16)

Here a “division” is a musterable combat unit. Two truths emerge:

• Accountability of Sub-Units. Although the nation at large gained victory, Reuben’s hesitating contingents are singled out. Their inaction did not stop the Lord but it did mar their own testimony.

• Courage Tested Locally. Resolve or timidity manifests in the small cohort long before it is noticed at the national level. Spiritual warfare today likewise exposes the faith or fear of local assemblies (Revelation 2:4-5).

A Call to Courage and Commitment

The double mention of Reuben’s peluggâ contrasts sharply with Zebulun and Naphtali, tribes who “risked their lives unto death” (Judges 5:18). Scripture thus invites each fellowship, ministry team, or family to weigh its own readiness. The question, “Why did you sit among the sheepfolds?” still probes any reluctance to engage when God’s agenda demands action.

Order in Priestly Service under Josiah (2 Chronicles 35:5)

Josiah’s Passover required meticulous coordination:

“Stand in the holy place by the divisions of the families of your brothers, the lay people, and by the divisions of the families of the Levites.” (2 Chronicles 35:5)

Here peluggâ describes Levitical service-groups. The same word that marked military companies now marks worship teams. Revival flourishes when the house of God is served by disciplined, well-ordered cohorts (compare 1 Chronicles 23:6; though a different term, the concept parallels).

Theological Themes

1. Divine Orderliness. God advances His purposes through structured units, not chaotic crowds (1 Corinthians 14:40).
2. Individual Responsibility within Corporate Identity. Each division’s obedience or neglect affects the larger body (Joshua 7:1; Romans 12:4-8).
3. Readiness for Spiritual Conflict. Military imagery anticipates New Testament exhortations to “put on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11).

Practical Ministry Implications

• Local churches mirror the “divisions” principle when they deploy elders, deacons, small groups, and ministry teams. Organization supports, rather than stifles, spiritual vitality.
• Leadership must cultivate both competence and courage. Josiah’s Levites combined liturgical skill with consecrated hearts; Deborah sought not mere swords but willing spirits.
• Evaluation is biblical. Deborah publicly assessed Reuben; Josiah inspected priestly readiness. Evaluative review protects purity and effectiveness (2 Timothy 2:20-21).

Related Concepts and Further Study

• Tribal musters: Numbers 1–2
• Levitical courses: 1 Chronicles 24:1-19
• Body imagery for the church: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
• Spiritual warfare and preparedness: Nehemiah 4:16-20; 2 Timothy 2:3-4

Peluggâ, though a rare term, offers a concise theology of organized readiness—whether wielding spear or censer—to advance the purposes of the Sovereign Lord.

Forms and Transliterations
בִּפְלַגּ֣וֹת בפלגות לִפְלַגּ֣וֹת לִפְלֻגּוֹת֙ לפלגות biflagGot bip̄·lag·gō·wṯ bip̄laggōwṯ liflagGot lifluggoyT lip̄·lag·gō·wṯ lip̄·lug·gō·wṯ lip̄laggōwṯ lip̄luggōwṯ
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Judges 5:15
HEB: שֻׁלַּ֣ח בְּרַגְלָ֑יו בִּפְלַגּ֣וֹת רְאוּבֵ֔ן גְּדֹלִ֖ים
INT: rushed his heels division of Reuben great

Judges 5:16
HEB: שְׁרִק֣וֹת עֲדָרִ֑ים לִפְלַגּ֣וֹת רְאוּבֵ֔ן גְּדוֹלִ֖ים
INT: the piping drove division of Reuben great

2 Chronicles 35:5
HEB: וְעִמְד֣וּ בַקֹּ֗דֶשׁ לִפְלֻגּוֹת֙ בֵּ֣ית הָֽאָב֔וֹת
NAS: in the holy place according to the sections of the fathers'
KJV: the holy [place] according to the divisions of the families
INT: stand the holy to the sections households of the fathers'

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6391
3 Occurrences


bip̄·lag·gō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
lip̄·lag·gō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
lip̄·lug·gō·wṯ — 1 Occ.

6390
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