Original Word: פְקֻדָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: pquddah
Pronunciation: peh-kood-dah'
Phonetic Spelling: (pek-ood-daw')
KJV: account, (that have the) charge, custody, that whichlaid up, numbers, office(-r), ordering, oversight, + prison, reckoning, visitation
NASB: punishment, offices, muster, oversight, responsibility, administrators, affairs
Word Origin: [feminine passive participle of H6485 (פָּקַד - numbered)]

1. visitation (in many senses, chiefly official)

account, that have the charge, custody, that which

Feminine passive participle of paqad; visitation (in many senses, chiefly official) -- account, (that have the) charge, custody, that which...laid up, numbers, office(-r), ordering, oversight, + prison, reckoning, visitation.

see HEBREW paqad

Word Origin
from paqad
Definition
oversight, mustering, visitation, store
NASB Translation
administrators (1), affairs (1), appointed (1), care (1), class (1), executioners (1), fate (1), muster (2), office (1), officers (1), offices (3), oversight (2), prison* (1), punishment (11), responsibility (2), stored (1).

מְּקֻדָּה₃₂ noun feminine oversight, mustering, visitation, store; — absolute ׳פ Hosea 9:7; 1 Chronicles 23:11; construct מְּקֻדַּת Numbers 3:32 +; suffix מְּקֻדָּתוֺ Num 109:8, etc.; plural מְּקֻדּ(וֺ)ת Jeremiah 52:11 +; —

1 visitation:

a. = punishment Hosea 9:7; Isaiah 10:3; Micah 7:4; Ezekiel 9:1; Numbers 16:29 (P), especially in עֵת(שְׁנַתׅ מְּקֻדָּתָם Jeremiah 8:12; Jeremiah 10:15 6t. Jeremiah (compare עֵת with מָּקַד Jeremiah 6:15; Jeremiah 49:8; Jeremiah 50:31), ׳בֵּית הַמּ = prison Jeremiah 52:11.

b. gracious visitation, providence Job 10:12.

2. a. oversight, charge Numbers 4:16 (P), also Numbers 3:36 (P; redund.), 1 Chronicles 26:30; = office2Chronicles 23:18.

b. overseer (abstract for concrete), 2 Kings 11:8; Ezekiel 44:11 (with אֶל of thing), Numbers 3:32 (P); collective = magistracy Isaiah 60:17 (Lag^{BN 151}), compare 2 Chronicles 24:11.

c. class of officers 1 Chronicles 23:11; 1 Chronicles 24:3,19.

d. charge = thing entrusted Numbers 4:16 (P).

3 mustering2Chronicles 17:14; 26:11.

4 store, things laid up, Isaiah 15:7; Psalm 109:8 (perhaps; Hup We^{Skizzen vi. 184} and others office).

Overview

פְקֻדָּה (pequddah) appears thirty-one times across the Old Testament. Springing from the verb פָּקַד (paqad, “to visit, appoint, attend to”), the noun gathers several related ideas: divine visitation, human oversight, military or civil administration, and the office or position entrusted to a person. Its range moves along one unifying theme—accountability under the sovereign rule of the LORD.

Divine Visitation: Judgment and Mercy

Most prophetic uses of pequddah describe a decisive “day of visitation” when God personally intervenes. Often the emphasis is punitive:
• Isaiah 10:3—“What will you do on the day of visitation, when destruction comes from afar?”
• Jeremiah 50:27—“Woe to them! For their day has come—the time of their punishment.”
• Hosea 9:7—“The days of punishment have come; the days of retribution have arrived.”

Yet the same word can signal gracious restoration. Jeremiah 27:22 speaks of the temple vessels remaining in Babylon “until the day I attend to them, declares the LORD. Then I will bring them back.” In both senses God is the active Overseer whose visitation exposes sin or delivers His people in faithfulness to covenant promises.

Human Oversight and Stewardship

Pequddah also denotes a charge or responsibility delegated by God through His appointed leaders. Eleazar is repeatedly said to have “oversight” of the sanctuary (Numbers 3:32; 4:16). Exodus 38:21 labels the tabernacle’s records “the inventory (pequddah) of the tabernacle,” underscoring organized stewardship. Later Israel’s reforms under King Josiah required funds to be delivered “into the hand of those doing the work, who have the oversight of the house of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 34:13). Such texts model orderly administration in spiritual service, reminding the Church that ministry requires both devotion and diligent accountability.

Military Muster and Civil Administration

In Numbers 31:14 the returning commanders of the army are called “officers (pequddah) of the army.” The same term is applied to royal “captains” in 2 Kings 11:15 and 2 Chronicles 23:14. Civic leaders in Judah’s reforms (2 Chronicles 34:9) and the temple treasurers who received offerings (2 Kings 12:11; 2 Chronicles 24:11) likewise bear the title. The breadth of usage shows that from battlefield to temple courts, God expects faithful management of people and resources.

Office or Position

Psalm 109:8—a verse later applied to Judas Iscariot in Acts 1:20—reads, “May his days be few; may another take his position (pequddah).” The word therefore marks an identifiable ministry or office that, if forfeited through unfaithfulness, must be given to another. The principle safeguards the continuity of God’s work above the failures of individual servants.

The Day of Visitation in the Prophets

Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea cluster pequddah around eschatological judgment. The term functions as a theological bridge between historical acts (Assyrian, Babylonian, or Persian invasions) and the ultimate reckoning that still awaits the nations. Because God “appoints peace as your overseers” (Isaiah 60:17), the day of visitation is not merely dreadful; it consummates righteousness, vindicating those who trust Him.

Christological Echoes

Luke interprets the Triumphal Entry against the background of pequddah: “You did not recognize the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:44, using the Greek equivalent). Jesus embodies the climactic pequddah—God’s personal appearing for salvation or judgment depending on the response of faith. Psalm 109:8, with its noun form, further connects the concept to apostolic authority and the orderly succession of leadership in the early Church.

Ministry Implications

1. Accountability: Every stewardship—spiritual or civil—will face divine audit.
2. Faithful Administration: Scripture commends structured oversight in worship, finances, and leadership.
3. Hope and Warning: The day of visitation assures ultimate justice and urges present repentance.
4. Succession Planning: Offices belong to God; unfaithful servants can be replaced so the mission continues.
5. Christ-centered Fulfillment: All visitation finds its apex in the appearing of Christ, who will consummate both redemption and judgment.

Pequddah weaves a single golden thread: the LORD appoints, oversees, visits, and calls every person and institution to account. A life and ministry conscious of this reality will labor with sobriety, expectancy, and unwavering hope.

הַפְּקֻדָּ֗ה הפקדה וּ֝פְקֻדָּתְךָ֗ וּפְקֻדַּ֞ת וּפְקֻדַּ֣ת וּפְקֻדַּת֙ וּפְקֻדָּתָ֔ם ופקדת ופקדתך ופקדתם לִפְקֻדָּ֖ה לִפְקֻדָּתָ֖ם לפקדה לפקדתם פְּ֝קֻדָּת֗וֹ פְּקֻדַּ֕ת פְּקֻדַּ֗ת פְּקֻדַּ֣ת פְּקֻדָּ֔ה פְּקֻדָּתְךָ֣ פְּקֻדָּתָ֔ם פְּקֻדָּתָ֖ם פְּקֻדָּתָ֛ם פְּקֻדָּתָֽם׃ פְּקֻדֹּ֜ת פְּקֻדּ֖וֹת פְּקֻדּ֣וֹת פְּקֻדּוֹת֙ פְקֻדָּתֵךְ֙ פְקֻדָּתָ֖ם פְקֻדָּתָ֞ם פקדה פקדות פקדת פקדתו פקדתך פקדתם פקדתם׃ fekuddaTam fekuddateCh hap·pə·qud·dāh happekudDah happəquddāh lifkudDah lifkuddaTam lip̄·qud·dā·ṯām lip̄·qud·dāh lip̄quddāh lip̄quddāṯām pə·qud·dā·ṯām p̄ə·qud·dā·ṯām pə·qud·dā·ṯə·ḵā p̄ə·qud·dā·ṯêḵ pə·qud·dā·ṯōw pə·qud·dāh pə·qud·daṯ pə·qud·dō·wṯ pə·qud·dōṯ pekudDah pekudDat pekuddaTam pekuddateCha pekuddaTo pekudDot pəquddāh pəquddaṯ pəquddāṯām p̄əquddāṯām p̄əquddāṯêḵ pəquddāṯəḵā pəquddāṯōw pəquddōṯ pəquddōwṯ ū·p̄ə·qud·dā·ṯām ū·p̄ə·qud·dā·ṯə·ḵā ū·p̄ə·qud·daṯ ufekudDat ufekuddaTam ufekuddatecha ūp̄əquddaṯ ūp̄əquddāṯām ūp̄əquddāṯəḵāInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts