An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/befehlen
befehlen, verb, ‘to order, command, commend,’ Middle High German bevëlhen, bevëlen, ‘to hand over, entrust, deliver, command’; Old High German bifëlhan, bifëlahan, ‘to hand over’ (also ‘to hide, bury, entrust, recommend’). The chief meaning of the Gothic strong verb filhan in compounds with the particles ga-, us-, is also ‘to bury’; anafilhan approximates the Modern High German, ‘to command, enjoin’; it means ‘to give, hand over, commend, recommend.’ Anglo-Saxon befeólan (for befeolhan), ‘to entrust, make over, devote oneself.’ Hence the primary meaning of the primitively Teutonic strong verb bifelhan is ‘to entrust, hand over, hide.’ The Teutonic root felh- is based upon pre-Teutonic pelk; it is a mistake, therefore, to connect the word on account of its earlier meaning, ‘to bury,’ with Latin sepelire.