פָּתַח
𐤐𐤕𐤇
pâthach
H6605 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To open, make accessible, set free, or begin an action, either literally or figuratively. In its primary sense, the verb denotes causing something to become open or unobstructed (e.g., opening a door, gate, or mouth), but it is also used in contexts of freeing from constraint, initiating events or speech, and, less commonly, describing the act of engraving or carving by creating an opening or groove. The word frequently connotes making something accessible, commencing a process, or removing boundaries that prevent motion, action, utterance, or visibility.
Semantic Range
to open (a door, gate, mouth, eyes, ears), to begin (speaking, action), to release or set free, to loosen, to unfasten/unseal/unstop, to engrave or carve (by making an opening), to appear, to grant access, to expose, to let go, to break forth
Root / Etymology
Root פּ־ת־ח (פתח), with the core meaning 'to open.' The root carries the sense of causing entry, removing restriction, or making something accessible. The verb פָּתַח is the standard G-stem (qal) form, with derived forms and nominal derivatives (such as פֶּתַח 'doorway, entry, opening'). While 'to open' is the base root meaning, lexical usage extends to metaphorical and derived senses such as 'begin,' 'set free,' 'unfasten,' and 'engrave.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
Throughout the Hebrew Bible, פָּתַח is employed in a wide variety of contexts—physical (opening of doors, windows, wombs, mouths), metaphorical (opening one's heart or petition to God), or initiating action (commencing speech, battle, or an event). The usage spans vernacular, ritual, and even legal contexts. In metaphorical use, 'opening' may signify a new beginning or revelation. The term can also refer to releasing from bondage or restriction (e.g., opening prison doors to set captives free), or removing seals and obstructions (as with ears or eyes). In some rare instances, פָּתַח is used for 'engraving' or 'carving,' possibly from the action of making a cavity or incision (an ‘opening’ in the surface). The semantic range in English translations is often broader than the Hebrew’s more rooted sense of ‘opening,’ with extended metaphors frequently mapped to English verbs 'begin,' 'appear,' 'loose,' or 'set free.' The overlap with related verbs בָּקַע (H1234, 'to burst open, split') and פָּרַץ (H6555, 'to break through, breach') marks פָּתַח as less violent or forceful—typically referring to a deliberate, controlled action. In later stages of Hebrew, the meaning becomes more specialized; in Rabbinic Hebrew, the root continues with core meanings but is more restricted to doors/gates and speech openings.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to open wide (literally or figuratively); specifically, to loosen, begin, plough, carve; appear, break forth, draw (out), let go free, (en-) grave(-n), loose (self), (be, be set) open(-ing), put off, ungird, unstop, have vent.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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פתח (p-t-ḥ) — to open, to make accessible, to set free, to begin
| 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
72 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6605-61 |
וַ/יִּפְתַּ֣ח | vayifetach | HC/Vqw3ms |
opened | and he opened | 12 |
H6605-03 |
אֶפְתַּ֤ח | efetach | HVqi1cs |
I will open | I will open | 7 |
H6605-45 |
תִּפְתַּ֛ח | tifetach | HVqi2ms |
let open | you open | 6 |
H6605-68 |
יִפְתַּ֨ח | yifetach | HVqi3ms |
he would open | he will open | 6 |
H6605-26 |
פָּתַֽח | patach | HVqp3ms |
has opened | he opened | 6 |
H6605-71 |
יִפָּתֵ֗חַ | yipatecha | HVNi3ms |
it shall be opened | he will be opened | 5 |
H6605-34 |
פְּתַ֧ח | petach | HVqv2ms |
Open | opening of | 4 |
H6605-58 |
וַ/תִּפְתַּח֙ | vatifetach | HC/Vqw3fs |
and opened | and she opened | 4 |
H6605-08 |
פְתֻח֜וֹת | fetuchot | HVqsfpa |
open | opened ones | 4 |
H6605-41 |
פִּתְח֖וּ | pitechu | HVqv2mp |
open | Open! (you all) | 4 |
Occurrences in Scripture
145 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6605-24 |
Genesis 7:11 | נִפְתָּֽחוּ | nifetachu | HVNp3cp |
were opened | were opened |
H6605-61 |
Genesis 8:6 | וַ/יִּפְתַּ֣ח | vayifetach | HC/Vqw3ms |
that Noah opened | and he opened |
H6605-59 |
Genesis 24:32 | וַ/יְפַתַּ֖ח | vayefatach | HC/Vpw3ms |
and he ungirded/unloaded | and he opened up |
H6605-61 |
Genesis 29:31 | וַ/יִּפְתַּ֖ח | vayifetach | HC/Vqw3ms |
he opened | and he opened |
H6605-61 |
Genesis 30:22 | וַ/יִּפְתַּ֖ח | vayifetach | HC/Vqw3ms |
opened | and he opened |
H6605-61 |
Genesis 41:56 | וַ/יִּפְתַּ֨ח | vayifetach | HC/Vqw3ms |
opened | and he opened |
H6605-61 |
Genesis 42:27 | וַ/יִּפְתַּ֨ח | vayifetach | HC/Vqw3ms |
opened | and he opened |
H6605-57 |
Genesis 43:21 | וַֽ/נִּפְתְּחָ/ה֙ | vanifetechah | HC/Vqw1cp/Sh |
and we opened | we opened |
H6605-63 |
Genesis 44:11 | וַֽ/יִּפְתְּח֖וּ | vayifetechu | HC/Vqw3mp |
and opened | and they opened |
H6605-58 |
Exodus 2:6 | וַ/תִּפְתַּח֙ | vatifetach | HC/Vqw3fs |
And she opened [it] | and she opened |