Peulthai is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Peulthai was a Levite who served during the reign of King David. He is mentioned in the genealogies recorded in 1 Chronicles, specifically in the list of the sons of Obed-edom, a family of gatekeepers appointed for the service of the house of the LORD. In the account of the divisions of the gatekeepers, Peulthai is named as the eighth son: “Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peulthai the eighth: for God blessed him” (1 Chronicles 26:5). His inclusion in this list places him among those set apart for the orderly worship and guarding of the tabernacle precincts in David’s day.
The setting of Peulthai’s appearance is the organization of Levitical service near the end of David’s reign, when the king and the leaders of Israel arranged the duties of the priests and Levites for the temple worship that Solomon would later build. The gatekeepers were entrusted with watching over the entrances and storehouses of the sanctuary, a task that required faithfulness and diligence. Though Peulthai himself is given no individual exploit or speech, his name is preserved in the sacred record as one counted among the servants of God’s house.
What Scripture says of him is brief but significant. He is named as the eighth son of Obed-edom, and the text attaches a comment to that family: “for God blessed him.” This blessing likely refers to Obed-edom, whose household was favored with many sons, all of whom were reckoned as capable men for the work. Peulthai thus stands as one of the children of that blessing—a man whose very existence in the genealogy testified to God’s favor upon his father’s house.
The Name
The name Peulthai is a Hebrew name whose exact meaning is not clearly recoverable from the biblical text. It appears only once in the King James Version, in 1 Chronicles 26:5, and Scripture offers no interpretation of it. Some scholars have suggested possible connections to Hebrew roots related to “work” or “wages,” but these proposals are uncertain and not well established. Because the meaning cannot be determined with confidence, it is best to say plainly that the significance of the name Peulthai remains obscure rather than to assign it a meaning that the text does not support.
A Closing Thought
Peulthai’s brief appearance reminds us that not every servant of God is remembered for great deeds. He is named once, as a son in a blessed household, and then the record moves on. Yet his place in the genealogy of gatekeepers was not accidental; he was part of the quiet, ordered service that made worship possible for others. Many believers live similarly—faithful in obscurity, known fully only to God. The blessing pronounced on his father’s house extended to him, and that is enough. God’s favor does not require fame, only faithfulness in the place He assigns.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- 1 Chronicles 26:5 — Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peulthai the eighth: for God blessed him.