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פִּשְׁתָּה

𐤐𐤔𐤕𐤄

pishtâh

H6594 noun

SILEX Entry

Root פשת to peel, strip off, extract fibers

Definition

A fibrous plant material produced from the stem of the flax plant (Linum usitatissimum), primarily used for spinning into linen thread or fabric. By extension, the word can refer to the individual flax fibers, the processed product (such as spun or woven linen), or, in specific contexts, to objects made from flax, especially a lamp wick composed of twisted flax fibers.

Semantic Range

flax plant, flax fibers, spun flax, linen thread, linen cloth, lamp wick, tow (coarse fibers)

Root / Etymology

From the root פשת (peshet), meaning to strip off or to peel, referring to the way flax fibers are separated from the stalk. The feminine form פִּשְׁתָּה (pishtâh) is derived from this root and designates the plant's notable product—its fibers.

Historical & Contextual Notes

פִּשְׁתָּה is used in the Hebrew Bible to denote both the flax plant and various products made from its fibers. In the agricultural context, it refers to the cultivated crop and to fibers in their different stages—whether still in the plant, after retting, or as spun thread. In Exodus 9:31, it appears in descriptions of Egyptian agriculture, highlighting flax as an important crop; in Isaiah 42:3, it is figuratively used for a lamp wick, one of several household objects fashioned from flax. The semantic connection between flax and lamp wicks arises because wicks were often twisted from spun flax fibers. Ancient Israelite society valued flax as a material for producing linen textiles, rope, and wicks, although it was less extensively cultivated in Canaan than in Egypt, where it was a staple crop. English translations sometimes narrow the sense to 'wick' in certain poetic/proverbial passages, but the primary meaning remains 'flax' as the plant and its fiber. The related word לִבְנֶה (libneh), though formally distinct, is sometimes used in connection with whitened or bleached linen, further illustrating the importance of processed flax in textile production throughout ancient Near Eastern cultures.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of פִּשְׁתֶּה; flax; by implication, a wick; flax, tow.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פשת (p-š-t) — strip off, peel, extract fibers

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6593 פִּשְׁתֶּה in flax fibers of

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6594-03 וְ/הַ/פִּשְׁתָּ֥ה vehapishetah HC/Td/Ncfsa and the flax and the flax-fiber 2
H6594-02 וּ/פִשְׁתָּ֥ה ufishetah HC/Ncfsa and-flax and flax fiber 1
H6594-01 כַּ/פִּשְׁתָּ֥ה kapishetah HRd/Ncfsa like-a-wick like flax-fiber 1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6594-03 Exodus 9:31 וְ/הַ/פִּשְׁתָּ֥ה vehapishetah HC/Td/Ncfsa Now the flax and the flax-fiber
H6594-03 Exodus 9:31 וְ/הַ/פִּשְׁתָּ֖ה vehapishetah-2 HC/Td/Ncfsa and the flax and the flax-fiber
H6594-02 Isaiah 42:3 וּ/פִשְׁתָּ֥ה ufishetah HC/Ncfsa and-flax and flax fiber
H6594-01 Isaiah 43:17 כַּ/פִּשְׁתָּ֥ה kapishetah HRd/Ncfsa like-a-wick like flax-fiber
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