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פָּתָה

𐤐𐤕𐤄

pâthâh

H6601 verb

SILEX Entry

Root פתח to open, to make spacious, to make receptive

Definition

To persuade or entice, often by appealing to the emotions or naiveté; to deceive, seduce, or mislead. The verb commonly refers to causing someone to act in a particular way through persuasion, seduction, or guile, sometimes leading to moral error or danger. The semantic range includes literal persuasion, coaxing, seduction (especially in sexual or idolatrous contexts), and leading someone into error or gullibility.

Semantic Range

to entice, to persuade, to seduce, to deceive, to allure, to lead astray, to mislead, to render someone gullible, to make someone receptive or open to influence, to coax

Root / Etymology

From the root פתה, whose core meaning is 'to open, to make spacious or wide.' The verb פָּתָה develops from this sense of 'opening' to refer to opening the mind or emotions—being receptive or susceptible to influence, whether positive (persuasion) or negative (deception, seduction, gullibility).

Historical & Contextual Notes

פָּתָה is most commonly used to describe acts of persuasion or enticement, especially when one person exerts influence over another's decision-making, sometimes crossing into manipulation or deception. In several contexts, notably in the wisdom literature (e.g., Proverbs), it describes the process by which the 'simple' (פֶּתִי, pethī) are led astray by temptation or lack of discernment. In narrative settings, it can refer to seduction (e.g., sexual in Exodus 22:15 [22:16 Eng], idolatrous in Hosea 2:16), and in some legal contexts, it refers to persuasion leading to action. The concept is distinct from related words such as שָׁפַט (to judge or decide), since פָּתָה emphasizes opening oneself up to influence, rather than making a decision per se. English translations sometimes render this as 'entice,' 'seduce,' or 'deceive,' but the original Hebrew covers a range from innocent persuasion to morally questionable cunning. The word is used across the breadth of the Hebrew Bible, and in later periods, its sense of naiveté or unwise openness is emphasized. Care must be taken to distinguish the simple or naive (פֶּתִי, pethī) from the active deceiver or seducer (the subject of פָּתָה).

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to open, i.e. be (causatively, make) roomy; usually figuratively (in a mental or moral sense) to be (causatively, make) simple or (in a sinister way) delude; allure, deceive, enlarge, entice, flatter, persuade, silly (one).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פתה (p-t-h) — to open, to make spacious, to make receptive

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6612 פְּתִי naive ones
H6613 פְּתַי its broadness
H6615 פְּתַיּוּת naïve susceptibility

Word Forms

20 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6601-17 יְפַתֶּ֣ה yefateh HVpi3ms will entice he will entice 4
H6601-19 יְפֻתֶּה֙ yefuteh HVPi3ms he-is-deceived he will be enticed 3
H6601-09 תְּפַתֶּה֙ tefateh HVpi2ms You will entice you will entice 2
H6601-01 אֲפַתֶּ֑/נּוּ afatenu HVpi1cs/Sp1cp will entice him I will entice us 2
H6601-06 פַּתִּ֣י pati HVpv2fs entice Entice! 2
H6601-05 נִפְתָּ֣ה nifetah HVNp3ms has been enticed he was enticed 1
H6601-14 וַ/יְפַתּ֥וּ/הוּ vayefatuhu HC/Vpw3mp/Sp3ms they flattered Him they enticed him 1
H6601-02 פוֹתָ֖ה fotah HVqrfsa silly enticing woman 1
H6601-20 יִפְתֶּ֖ה yifeteh HVqi3ms deceive he will entice 1
H6601-16 יַ֤פְתְּ yafete HVhj3ms enlarge may he entice 1

Occurrences in Scripture

28 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6601-16 Genesis 9:27 יַ֤פְתְּ yafete HVhj3ms enlarge may he entice
H6601-17 Exodus 22:15 יְפַתֶּ֣ה yefateh HVpi3ms seduces he will entice
H6601-20 Deuteronomy 11:16 יִפְתֶּ֖ה yifeteh HVqi3ms deceive he will entice
H6601-06 Judges 14:15 פַּתִּ֣י pati HVpv2fs entice Entice!
H6601-06 Judges 16:5 פַּתִּ֣י pati HVpv2fs entice Entice!
H6601-03 2 Samuel 3:25 לְ/פַתֹּתְ/ךָ֖ lefatotekha HR/Vpc/Sp2ms to deceive you to entice you
H6601-17 1 Kings 22:20 יְפַתֶּה֙ yefateh HVpi3ms will entice he will entice
H6601-01 1 Kings 22:21 אֲפַתֶּ֑/נּוּ afatenu HVpi1cs/Sp1cp will entice him I will entice us
H6601-09 1 Kings 22:22 תְּפַתֶּה֙ tefateh HVpi2ms You will entice you will entice
H6601-08 Jeremiah 20:7 פִּתִּיתַ֤/נִי pititani HVpp2ms/Sp1cs you have deceived me you enticed me
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