פַּס
𐤐𐤎
paç
H6446 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
The flat, broad, or spread part of the hand or foot (palm or sole); by extension, a garment characterized by long, extended, or wide sleeves (especially tunic of many pieces or bands), sometimes later associated with variegated or ornamented cloth; refers both to anatomical features and to garments distinguished by their cut or construction rather than color per se.
Semantic Range
palm (of hand), sole (of foot), flat surface, long/wide/broad panel or part (of a garment), long-sleeved or wide-sleeved tunic, garment (esp. of status or ornament), (by tradition) multicolored garment
Root / Etymology
From root פָּסַס, meaning 'to be spread out, to be flat, to be extended.' The noun פַּס (paṣ) is directly derived, indicating a flat or broad portion, most commonly the palm of the hand or the sole of the foot. Extended metaphorically to describe garments with extended (long or wide) sleeves or panels.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In biblical usage, פַּס first denotes flat anatomical parts such as the palm or sole (e.g., Leviticus 14:9). The specialized garment 'כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים' (kĕtonet passim), as in Genesis 37:3, 23 and 2 Samuel 13:18-19, is often translated as 'coat of many colors,' but the Hebrew phrase likely refers to a tunic with broad, long, or specially ornamented sleeves (from the sense of many panels/bands), not specifically colored. Translation traditions—especially Septuagint and Vulgate—influenced the association with 'divers colors,' but the term in earlier Israelite context connotes garment structure or status distinction rather than coloration. The same Hebrew word is not used for other colored or decorated garments elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible, supporting the idea that, originally, פַּס describes physical extension. In post-biblical Hebrew, and through the filter of translation history, 'coat of many colors' became conventional, but is philologically secondary.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from פָּסַס; properly, the palm (of the hand) or sole (of the foot) (compare פַּס); by implication (plural); a long and sleeved tunic (perhaps simply a wide one; from the original sense of the root, i.e. of many breadths); (divers) colours.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
פסס (p-s-s) — to be spread out, to be flat, to extend
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6447 | פַּס | palm-surface of |
| H6450 | פַּס דַּמִּים | in the Boundary-of-Blood |
| H6451 | פִּסָּה | handful of |
| H6461 | פָּסַס | they have vanished |
| H6462 | פִּסְפָּה | and Pisepah |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6446-01 |
הַ/פַּסִּ֖ים | hapasim | HTd/Ncmpa |
of many colors | the broad panels | 3 |
H6446-02 |
פַּסִּֽים | pasim | HNcmpa |
of many colors | broad panels | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6446-02 |
Genesis 37:3 | פַּסִּֽים | pasim | HNcmpa |
of many colors | broad panels |
H6446-01 |
Genesis 37:23 | הַ/פַּסִּ֖ים | hapasim | HTd/Ncmpa |
special | the broad panels |
H6446-01 |
Genesis 37:32 | הַ/פַּסִּ֗ים | hapasim | HTd/Ncmpa |
of many colors | the broad panels |
H6446-02 |
2 Samuel 13:18 | פַּסִּ֔ים | pasim | HNcmpa |
of-many-colors | broad panels |
H6446-01 |
2 Samuel 13:19 | הַ/פַּסִּ֛ים | hapasim | HTd/Ncmpa |
the long-sleeved | the broad panels |