Lexical Summary
petash: To crush, to pound, to pulverize
Original Word:פַטִּישׁ
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:pattiysh
Pronunciation:peh-tash'
Phonetic Spelling:(pat-teesh')
KJV: hose
NASB:coats
Word Origin:[(Aramaic) from a root corresponding to that ofH6360 (פַּטִּישׁ - hammer)]
1. a gown (as if hammered out wide)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
hose
(Aramaic) from a root corresponding to that ofpattiysh; a gown (as if hammered out wide) -- hose.
see HEBREWpattiysh
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin(Aramaic) of uncertain derivation
Definition(a garment) perhaps leggings
NASB Translationcoats (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] , meaning dubious,
tunic (Thes) or
leggings SAC
JPhil. xxvi (1899), 309; (probably later insertion in text Id.
ib. 311 ff.) (Talmud (rare); √
spread out according to K
§ 57b)
a)); — plural suffix Kt (probably K
§§ 54, 3a)
a); 57,
b)
a), Kmp
on the passage M
78* and others ), Qr,
Daniel 3:21; conjectures on meaning see in Behrm Bev Dr M
78*.
Topical Lexicon
Occurrence and Setting inDaniel 3The only biblical appearance of פַטִּישׁ is found inDaniel 3:21, within the Aramaic narrative of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego). Nebuchadnezzar’s servants “bound these men in their cloaks, trousers, turbans, and other garments and cast them into the blazing furnace” (Daniel 3:21). The term belongs to a four-fold list of outer and inner clothing that identified the status and full attire of court officials.
Historical and Cultural Background
Archaeological reliefs and cuneiform inventories from Neo-Babylonia show that high-ranking functionaries wore multilayered garments—including a tight-fitting under-garment similar to trousers—for mobility amid ceremonial duties. Mentioning such a garment in Daniel emphasizes that the Judean exiles were fully integrated into Babylonian bureaucracy and dressed accordingly. Their fidelity to the LORD was therefore not the result of cultural isolation but of deliberate conviction lived out in a pagan milieu.
Literary Purpose in the Daniel Narrative
1. Total preparedness for destruction: The detailed dress list signals that nothing flammable was omitted. Humanly speaking, the three men had no physical refuge.
2. Total preservation by God:Daniel 3:27 notes that “the fire had no power over their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their garments were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.” The very items that should have accelerated their incineration became testimonies to divine deliverance.
3. Verification for witnesses: Court officials and the king could visually inspect fabric, seams, and even odor to confirm the reality of the miracle, leaving no possibility of trickery.
Theological and Ministry Applications
• Proof of God’s supremacy in hostile cultures. The untouched פַּטִּישׁ exemplifies how the LORD can preserve His people’s ordinary, everyday aspects—work attire, tools, reputations—when they obey Him at great cost (Isaiah 43:2;1 Peter 4:14–16).
• Model of public faithfulness. Believers today are likewise “in full view” of society. The integrity with which the three Hebrews wore Babylonian regalia yet refused idolatry encourages Christians to serve faithfully in secular institutions without moral compromise (Matthew 5:16;Philippians 2:15).
• Anticipation of total redemption. Their clothing foreshadows the future state in which “nothing unclean” (Revelation 21:27) harms the saints, and points to the “garments of salvation” promised inIsaiah 61:10.
Christological and Eschatological Resonance
Nebuchadnezzar saw “a fourth man … like a son of the gods” walking among the bound officials (Daniel 3:25). The preserved garments underline the presence of a divine Deliverer who later takes up flesh and walks in the fire of God’s judgment on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). Just as the פַּטִּישׁ emerged unscorched, so believers “clothed with Christ” (Galatians 3:27) will emerge unharmed at the final judgment.
Summary for Teaching and Preaching
פַטִּישׁ, though appearing only once, magnifies the themes of holistic deliverance, public witness, and eschatological hope. The item of clothing reminds the church that God’s protection extends to the smallest thread, encouraging steadfast courage amid cultural pressures and pointing to the perfect preservation found in Jesus Christ.
Forms and Transliterations
פַּטְּשֵׁיהֹ֔ון פטשיהון paṭ·ṭə·šê·hō·wn paṭṭəšêhōwn pattesheiHon
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