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פֶּטֶר

𐤐𐤈𐤓

peṭer

H6363 noun

SILEX Entry

Root פטר to open, to release, to set free

Definition

The first offspring (especially of humans or animals) to emerge from the womb; that which 'opens' the womb. In biblical usage, פֶּטֶר (peṭer) particularly denotes the initial birth from a female, with legal and ritual implications—especially in the context of sanctification, consecration, or redemption of the firstborn to deity.

Semantic Range

first to emerge from the womb, firstborn in the sense of 'opener of the womb', first offspring, one that opens (the womb), conceptually related to legal or ritual consecration, always concrete offspring rather than abstract primogeniture

Root / Etymology

From the root פָּטַר (patar), which in its verbal sense means 'to open,' 'to free,' or 'to set loose.' פֶּטֶר is the nominal form, indicating 'the one that opens' or 'opener' (the first to emerge from confinement, i.e., the womb). The lexical sense focuses on the concrete act of opening, shifting in nominal usage to 'firstborn' in a legal-religious sense.

Historical & Contextual Notes

פֶּטֶר is used primarily in legal and ritual texts, most notably in Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, where the concept of sanctifying or redeeming the first to 'open the womb' is mandated, especially regarding male Israelites and clean animals. The specific use of פֶּטֶר differs distinctly from other terms for 'firstborn' such as בְּכוֹר (bekhôr), which can denote primogeniture in inheritance and familial hierarchy. פֶּטֶר emphasizes the act of emergence rather than the birth order within family structure; thus, a פֶּטֶר הָרֶחֶם ('opener of the womb') is always the literal first offspring from a particular womb, but the בְּכוֹר may differ if, for example, a previous firstborn daughter is not relevant in a law about males. In post-biblical periods, Jewish tradition (especially regarding the Pidyon ha-Ben ceremony) built upon the biblical concept of פֶּטֶר, but in biblical periods, it articulated specific ritual duties associated with the firstborn of humans and domestic animals. English translations often use 'firstborn' or 'one who opens the womb,' but this does not always communicate the precision of the Hebrew term, which emphasizes the physiology of birth rather than family rank or inheritance. The use of פֶּטֶר is largely stable across the legal material, though the specifics of redemption or sanctification (e.g., which firstborns qualify) reflect changing religious and social practices from the monarchic through the post-exilic eras.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or פִּטְרָה; from פָּטַר; a fissure, i.e. (concretely) firstling (as opening the matrix); firstling, openeth, such as open.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פטר (p-ṭ-r) — to open, to release, to set free

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6358 פָּטוּר and opened ones of
H6359 פָּטִיר released ones
H6362 פָּטַר he released

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6363-01 פֶּ֤טֶר peter HNcmsc firstborn womb-opener 10
H6363-03 וּ/פֶ֤טֶר ufeter HC/Ncmsc the firstborn womb-opener of 1
H6363-02 פִּטְרַ֨ת piterat HNcfsc opening of womb-opener of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

12 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6363-01 Exodus 13:2 פֶּ֤טֶר peter HNcmsc that opens womb-opener
H6363-01 Exodus 13:12 פֶּֽטֶר peter HNcmsc that opens womb-opener
H6363-01 Exodus 13:12 פֶּ֣טֶר peter-2 HNcmsc firstborn womb-opener
H6363-01 Exodus 13:13 פֶּ֤טֶר peter HNcmsc firstborn womb-opener
H6363-01 Exodus 13:15 פֶּ֤טֶר peter HNcmsc that opens womb-opener
H6363-01 Exodus 34:19 פֶּ֥טֶר peter HNcmsc that opens womb-opener
H6363-01 Exodus 34:19 פֶּ֖טֶר peter-2 HNcmsc firstborn womb-opener
H6363-03 Exodus 34:20 וּ/פֶ֤טֶר ufeter HC/Ncmsc the firstborn womb-opener of
H6363-01 Numbers 3:12 פֶּ֥טֶר peter HNcmsc that opens womb-opener
H6363-02 Numbers 8:16 פִּטְרַ֨ת piterat HNcfsc opening of womb-opener of
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