פָּתָה
𐤐𐤕𐤄
pâthâh
H6601 verb
SILEX Entry
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
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
פתח (Yefet) — to open, be spacious, make wide, expand
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3315 | יֶפֶת | to Yepheth |
| H3316 | יִפְתָּח | to He-Will-Open |
| H4668 | מַפְתֵּחַ | the opener |
| H4669 | מִפְתָּח | the opening |
| H5318 | נֶפְתּוֹחַ | Opening-Spring |
Word Forms
20 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6601-17 |
יְפַתֶּה֙ | yefateh | HVpi3ms |
will entice | he will entice | will entice | 4 |
H6601-19 |
יְפֻתֶּה֙ | yefuteh | HVPi3ms |
he-is-deceived | he will be enticed | he is enticed | 3 |
H6601-01 |
אֲפַתֶּ֑/נּוּ | afatenu | HVpi1cs/Sp1cp |
will entice him | I will entice us | I will entice him | 2 |
H6601-06 |
פַּתִּ֣י | pati | HVpv2fs |
entice | Entice! | Entice | 2 |
H6601-09 |
תְּפַתֶּה֙ | tefateh | HVpi2ms |
You will entice | you will entice | you will entice | 2 |
H6601-02 |
פוֹתָ֖ה | fotah | HVqrfsa |
silly | enticing woman | gullible | 1 |
H6601-03 |
לְ/פַתֹּתְ/ךָ֖ | lefatotekha | HR/Vpc/Sp2ms |
to deceive you | to entice you | to entice you | 1 |
H6601-04 |
מְפַתֶּ֔י/הָ | mefateyha | HVprmsc/Sp3fs |
will allure her | her enticer | will entice her | 1 |
H6601-05 |
נִפְתָּ֣ה | nifetah | HVNp3ms |
has been enticed | he was enticed | my heart was enticed | 1 |
H6601-07 |
פִּתֵּ֔יתִי | piteyti | HVpp1cs |
have-deceived | I enticed | I enticed | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
28 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6601-16 |
Genesis 9:27 | יַ֤פְתְּ | yafete | HVhj3ms |
enlarge | may he entice | may enlarge |
H6601-17 |
Exodus 22:15 | יְפַתֶּ֣ה | yefateh | HVpi3ms |
seduces | he will entice | he will entice |
H6601-20 |
Deuteronomy 11:16 | יִפְתֶּ֖ה | yifeteh | HVqi3ms |
deceive | he will entice | your heart will entice |
H6601-06 |
Judges 14:15 | פַּתִּ֣י | pati | HVpv2fs |
entice | Entice! | Entice |
H6601-06 |
Judges 16:5 | פַּתִּ֣י | pati | HVpv2fs |
entice | Entice! | Entice |
H6601-03 |
2 Samuel 3:25 | לְ/פַתֹּתְ/ךָ֖ | lefatotekha | HR/Vpc/Sp2ms |
to deceive you | to entice you | to entice you |
H6601-17 |
1 Kings 22:20 | יְפַתֶּה֙ | yefateh | HVpi3ms |
will entice | he will entice | will entice |
H6601-01 |
1 Kings 22:21 | אֲפַתֶּ֑/נּוּ | afatenu | HVpi1cs/Sp1cp |
will entice him | I will entice us | I will entice him |
H6601-09 |
1 Kings 22:22 | תְּפַתֶּה֙ | tefateh | HVpi2ms |
You will entice | you will entice | you will entice |
H6601-08 |
Jeremiah 20:7 | פִּתִּיתַ֤/נִי | pititani | HVpp2ms/Sp1cs |
you have deceived me | you enticed me | you deceived me |
H6601-12 |
Jeremiah 20:7 | וָֽ/אֶפָּ֔ת | vaepat | HC/VNw1cs |
and I was deceived | I was enticed | and I was deceived |
H6601-19 |
Jeremiah 20:10 | יְפֻתֶּה֙ | yefuteh | HVPi3ms |
he will be enticed | he will be enticed | he will be enticed |
H6601-19 |
Ezekiel 14:9 | יְפֻתֶּה֙ | yefuteh | HVPi3ms |
he-is-deceived | he will be enticed | he is enticed |
H6601-07 |
Ezekiel 14:9 | פִּתֵּ֔יתִי | piteyti | HVpp1cs |
have-deceived | I enticed | I enticed |
H6601-04 |
Hosea 2:16 | מְפַתֶּ֔י/הָ | mefateyha | HVprmsc/Sp3fs |
will allure her | her enticer | will entice her |
H6601-02 |
Hosea 7:11 | פוֹתָ֖ה | fotah | HVqrfsa |
silly | enticing woman | gullible |
H6601-14 |
Psalms 78:36 | וַ/יְפַתּ֥וּ/הוּ | vayefatuhu | HC/Vpw3mp/Sp3ms |
they flattered Him | they enticed him | they flattered him |
H6601-18 |
Proverbs 1:10 | יְפַתּ֥וּ/ךָ | yefatukha | HVpi3mp/Sp2ms |
entice you | they will entice you | they entice you |
H6601-17 |
Proverbs 16:29 | יְפַתֶּ֣ה | yefateh | HVpi3ms |
entices | he will entice | he entices |
H6601-11 |
Proverbs 20:19 | וּ/לְ/פֹתֶ֥ה | ulefoteh | HC/R/Vqrmsa |
with him who entices | and to one who entices | and to one who entices |
H6601-13 |
Proverbs 24:28 | וַ֝/הֲ/פִתִּ֗יתָ | vahafitita | HC/Ti/Vpp2ms |
and would you deceive | you enticed | and would you deceive |
H6601-19 |
Proverbs 25:15 | יְפֻתֶּ֣ה | yefuteh | HVPi3ms |
is persuaded | he will be enticed | he will be persuaded |
H6601-10 |
Job 5:2 | וּ֝/פֹתֶ֗ה | ufoteh | HC/Vqrmsa |
the simple | one who entices | and the simple |
H6601-05 |
Job 31:9 | נִפְתָּ֣ה | nifetah | HVNp3ms |
has been enticed | he was enticed | my heart was enticed |
H6601-15 |
Job 31:27 | וַ/יִּ֣פְתְּ | vayifete | HC/Vqw3ms |
and it seduced | and he enticed | and it enticed |
H6601-17 |
2 Chronicles 18:19 | יְפַתֶּה֙ | yefateh | HVpi3ms |
will entice | he will entice | will entice |
H6601-01 |
2 Chronicles 18:20 | אֲפַתֶּ֑/נּוּ | afatenu | HVpi1cs/Sp3ms |
will entice him | I will entice us | I will entice him |
H6601-09 |
2 Chronicles 18:21 | תְּפַתֶּה֙ | tefateh | HVpi2ms |
You will entice | you will entice | you will entice |