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פָּסַח

𐤐𐤎𐤇

pâçach

H6452 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To limp, halt, or walk unevenly (literal sense); to pass over, spare, show passivity or reluctance, or skip (figurative and narrative sense). In narratives relating to the so-called 'Passover,' to 'pass over' with the sense of sparing or protecting during judgment. May also denote expressions of physical unsteadiness or indecision, including hesitancy or wavering between choices.

Semantic Range

to limp, to be lame, to halt, to skip, to pass over (in the sense of sparing), to hesitate, to waver between choices, to perform ritual or commemorative passing over

Root / Etymology

Root פּ-ס-ח (פסח), conveying the idea of limping or moving unevenly. The verb form develops concrete meanings like 'to limp' or 'be lame,' and figurative meanings such as 'to hesitate,' or 'to pass over' in the sense of sparing or skipping. The ritual noun פֶּסַח (pesach, 'passover offering') is derived from the same root but its exact connection (i.e., whether literally 'passing over' or 'protecting') is debated.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In early Hebrew usage (e.g. Exodus 12), פָּסַח primarily denotes the action associated with a deity 'passing over' or sparing certain households during a time of judgment. The same root is used elsewhere for physical limping or lameness (e.g. 2 Samuel 4:4; 1 Kings 18:21, 26). The figurative sense developed into 'wavering' or 'hesitating,' especially in prophetic criticism of the Israelites' indecision regarding allegiance to the deity (e.g. 1 Kings 18:21: 'How long will you limp (halt) between two opinions?'). Later, in ritual and communal memory, it became associated with the spring festival and its offering (Pesach). English 'Passover' reflects a rendering tradition but obscures the physical and figurative senses still present in the Hebrew text. LXX and subsequent Greek usage ('to pass by/over') influenced English vocabulary but may not capture all early nuances. No technical theological meaning should be presumed in the word itself in the earliest contexts.

Translation Consistency

primary "pass" 4 occurrences

The most typical and natural English rendering for פָּסַח in the Bible is the 'pass over' sense (to pass, to spare or skip), which appears most often in key narratives (e.g. the Passover/’passed over’ usages). 'Pass' also comfortably covers figurative senses like 'skip' or 'spare.' The literal sense 'limp' is rarer in the corpus and can be handled as a contextual variant while keeping a single, consistent base verb.

Alternatives (4 occurrences):
"became lame" (1x) "lame" (1x) "limping" (1x) "limped about" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to hop, i.e. (figuratively) skip over (or spare); by implication, to hesitate; also (literally) to limp, to dance; halt, become lame, leap, pass over.

Bantu Hebrew

Language Bantu Word Transliteration Meaning
Ga kubika to limp
Gogo kubika to limp
Ha guhubika to limp, to go lame
Ha kubika to limp
Kinyarwanda guhibik' to limp, hobble

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Root Family

פּסח (pâçach) — to limp, to move unevenly, to waver, to pass over, to spare

Root פּסח to limp, to move unevenly, to waver, to pass over, to spare

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H6452-01 פָּ֠סַח pasach HVqp3ms passed over he limped passed over 1
H6452-02 פָּסֹ֥חַ pasocha HVqa pass-over to pass over to pass over 1
H6452-03 פֹּסְחִים֮ posechim HVqrmpa limp/hesitate limping ones limping 1
H6452-04 וּ/פָסַ֤ח ufasach HC/Vqq3ms and YHWH will pass over and he passed over and it will pass over 1
H6452-05 וּ/פָסַחְתִּ֖י ufasacheti HC/Vqq1cs and I will pass over and I pass over and I will pass over 1
H6452-06 וַֽ/יְפַסְּח֔וּ vayefasechu HC/Vpw3mp and they limped and they limped about and they limped about 1
H6452-07 וַ/יִּפָּסֵ֖חַ vayipasecha HC/VNw3ms and became lame and he was limping and became lame 1
H6452-08 וְ/הַ/פִּסְחִים֙ vehapisechim HC/Td/Aampa and the lame and the limping ones and the lame 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H6452-05 Exodus 12:13 וּ/פָסַחְתִּ֖י ufasacheti HC/Vqq1cs and I will pass over and I pass over and I will pass over
H6452-04 Exodus 12:23 וּ/פָסַ֤ח ufasach HC/Vqq3ms and YHWH will pass over and he passed over and it will pass over
H6452-01 Exodus 12:27 פָּ֠סַח pasach HVqp3ms passed over he limped passed over
H6452-07 2 Samuel 4:4 וַ/יִּפָּסֵ֖חַ vayipasecha HC/VNw3ms and became lame and he was limping and became lame
H6452-08 2 Samuel 5:6 וְ/הַ/פִּסְחִים֙ vehapisechim HC/Td/Aampa and the lame and the limping ones and the lame
H6452-03 1 Kings 18:21 פֹּסְחִים֮ posechim HVqrmpa limp/hesitate limping ones limping
H6452-06 1 Kings 18:26 וַֽ/יְפַסְּח֔וּ vayefasechu HC/Vpw3mp and they limped and they limped about and they limped about
H6452-02 Isaiah 31:5 פָּסֹ֥חַ pasocha HVqa pass-over to pass over to pass over
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