Lexical Summary
pashat: To strip off, to invade, to spread out
Original Word:פָשַׁט
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:pashat
Pronunciation:pah-SHAHT
Phonetic Spelling:(paw-shat')
KJV: fall upon, flay, invade, make an invasion, pull off, put off, make a road, run upon, rush, set, spoil, spread selves (abroad), strip (off, self)
NASB:strip, stripped, made a raid, dashed, raid, raided, skin
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to spread out (i.e. deploy in hostile array)
2. by analogy, to strip (i.e. unclothe, plunder, flay, etc.)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
fall upon, flay, invade, make an invasion, pull off, put off, make a road, run upon,
A primitive root; to spread out (i.e. Deploy in hostile array); by analogy, to strip (i.e. Unclothe, plunder, flay, etc.) -- fall upon, flay, invade, make an invasion, pull off, put off, make a road, run upon, rush, set, spoil, spread selves (abroad), strip (off, self).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto strip off, make a dash, raid
NASB Translationdashed (2), invaded (1), made a raid (5), made...raid (1), put off (1), raid (2), raided (2), removed (1), rush (1), rushed (1), skin (2), skinned (1), strip (8), strip the off (1), strip off (2), stripped (6), stripped off (2), strips (1), take off (2), taken off (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(compare Assyrian
pašât‰u,
expunge, obliterate; Late Hebrew Aramaic ,
, are
stretch out, extend, make plain, so Arabic
); —
Perfect3masculine singularHosea 7:1 +, 2 masculine singularJudges 9:33, etc.;Imperfect3masculine singular1 Samuel 19:24; 3masculine pluralEzekiel 26:1, etc.;Imperative masculine singularIsaiah 32:11;Participle pluralNehemiah 4:17; —
strip off, put off, one's garment (accusative)1 Samuel 19:24;Ezekiel 26:16;Leviticus 6:4 (opposed to ),Leviticus 16:23 (id.; both P),Nehemiah 4:17;Songs 5:3; accusative omittedIsaiah 32:11; of locustsNahum 3:16stripping off (sheaths of wings, compare Da Dr Amos.85).
put off (one's shelter), i.e.make a dash (from a sheltered place), withJudges 20:37, absoluteJudges 9:44; especially of marauding forayHosea 7:1, cagainstJudges 9:33,44;1 Samuel 23:27;1 Samuel 30:14 (insert compare We Dr al),Job 1:17 c1 Samuel 27:8;1 Samuel 30:1, with1 Chronicles 14:9,13; 2Chronicles 25:13; 28:18; in1 Samuel 27:10 read (for ) We Dr and others
infinitive construct, with accusative of person1 Samuel 31:8to strip the slain =1 Chronicles 10:8; absoluteonly to strip (that is, the slain)2 Samuel 23:10 (insert also ""1 Chronicles 11:13 Dr).
Perfect3masculine singularJob 19:9; 3masculine plural suffixEzekiel 23:26 etc.;Imperfect3masculine singularNumbers 20:28; 1singular suffixHosea 2:5; 2masculine pluralMicah 2:8, etc.;ImperativeNumbers 20:26;Infinitive construct 2Chronicles 29:34;Participle plural 2Chronicles 35:11; —
strip oneof garment (2 accusative)Genesis 37:23 (E),Numbers 20:26,28 (opposed to >),Ezekiel 16:39;Ezekiel 23:26; a. accusative of person alone1 Chronicles 10:9;Hosea 2:5strip her (suffix) naked ().
strip off, accusative1Samuel 31:9, clothingJob 22:6; with accusative +Micah 2:8; with accusative +Micah 3:3, compare (accusative )Job 19:9.
flay, with accusativeLeviticus 1:6; 2Chronicles 29:4; accusative omitted 2 Chronicles 35:11.
Imperfect3masculine singular1 Samuel 18:4he stripped himself of his garment (accusative).
Topical Lexicon
Root Idea and Range of Usageפָּשַׁט describes the deliberate removal of something that covers—garments, hides, metal fittings, or military defenses—or the rapid extension of forces in a raid. The verb’s 43 appearances fall naturally into four spheres: priestly service, personal life, warfare, and prophetic judgment.
Priestly and Sacrificial Service
1. The first occurrence centers on worship. “He is to skin the burnt offering” (Leviticus 1:6). Pashat marks the moment the offering is laid completely open before the Lord.
2. InLeviticus 7:8 the hide becomes the priest’s portion: “The priest who presents anyone’s burnt offering… will keep its hide.” Stripping does not waste; it redistributes according to covenant order.
3. The priestly garments themselves must sometimes be removed (Leviticus 16:23). By pashat the mediator moves from one sphere of holiness to another, underlining that access to God demands both cleansing and covering.
Personal Ornaments and Everyday Life
Israel stripped off golden ornaments after the golden-calf debacle: “So the Israelites left off their ornaments at Mount Horeb” (Exodus 33:6). The act is voluntary, grieving over sin and renouncing pride. The same verb later indicts social injustice: “You strip off the splendid robe from those who pass by trustingly” (Micah 2:8). Pashat may therefore depict either godly self-denial or ungodly exploitation.
Military Conquest and Spoil
When Gideon pursued the Midianite kings, “he tore down (pashat) the elders of the city” (Judges 8:7, 16); Abimelech “rushes upon the city” at dawn (Judges 9:33). David’s men “raided” the Geshurites and Amalekites (1 Samuel 27:8–10). After victory, armor is removed and valuables seized (2 Kings 14:14). Pashat thus frames both the swift advance of troops and the stripping of defeated foes.
For Israel the right to plunder rests on divine commission: “The battle is the LORD’s” (1 Samuel 17:47). Spoil belongs to Him first, whether devoted to destruction (Joshua 6) or consecrated to worship (1 Chronicles 26:26–28).
Civic and Cultic Structures
King Ahaz “removed the panels from the stands and took down the laver” (2 Kings 16:17). Here pashat exposes sacrilege: the king dismantles sacred furnishings to curry Assyrian favor. Conversely, in2 Chronicles 29:16 the Levites “removed (pashat) all the unclean things” from the temple, restoring true worship under Hezekiah. Stripping can desecrate or purify, depending on whether it violates or honors covenant order.
Prophetic Judgment and Shame
The prophets warn that Yahweh will repay measure for measure: “Because you have stripped others, you will be stripped” (cf.Nahum 2:7;Ezekiel 16:39). Exile becomes the great stripping—of land, security, and temple glory. Yet restoration reverses the verb’s force: God will “clothe” His people with salvation (Isaiah 61:10).
Theological and Devotional Reflections
1. Holiness requires the removal of what defiles; worship begins with pashat before it proceeds to covering.
2. Sin often masquerades as legitimate gain, but unjust stripping provokes divine wrath (Micah 2).
3. Christ in His passion fulfills both sides: He is stripped by soldiers (Matthew 27:28) and thereby strips “the rulers and authorities” at the cross (Colossians 2:15).
4. Believers are called to “put off the old self” (Ephesians 4:22;Colossians 3:9). The New Testament exhortation echoes pashat: salvation includes decisive renunciation and continual mortification.
Implications for Ministry Today
• Worship leaders must model transparent repentance—stripping away ornamental self-promotion to reveal genuine devotion.
• Social ministries confront economic exploitation, the modern form of Micah’s grievance, reminding oppressors that the Judge still sees every act of pashat.
• Discipleship involves teaching believers how to “lay aside” bitterness, falsehood, and lust, assuring them that the Spirit simultaneously clothes them with Christ.
• Mission advances often require rapid, strategic “raids” into darkness, yet every victory is held in stewardship, not self-indulgence.
In every sphere פָּשַׁט presses the same question: what must be removed so that God’s ordained order may appear? Answering that question remains central to faithful life and ministry.
Forms and Transliterations
אַפְשִׁיטֶ֣נָּה אפשיטנה הִפְשִׁ֑יט הִפְשִׁ֔יטוּ הפשיט הפשיטו וְהִפְשִׁ֖יט וְהִפְשִׁ֤יטוּ וְהִפְשִׁיט֖וּךְ וְהַפְשֵׁ֤ט וַֽיִּפְשְׁט֖וּ וַֽיִּפְשְׁט֛וּ וַֽיִּפְשְׁט֤וּ וַֽיִּפְשְׁטוּ֙ וַיִּפְשַׁ֨ט וַיִּתְפַּשֵּׁ֣ט וַיַּ֨פְשִׁיטֻ֔הוּ וַיַּפְשִׁ֖יטוּ וַיַּפְשִׁ֤יטוּ וַיַּפְשֵׁט֩ וּפָשַׁט֙ וּפָשַׁטְתָּ֣ והפשט והפשיט והפשיטו והפשיטוך ויפשט ויפשטו ויפשיטהו ויפשיטו ויתפשט ופשט ופשטת יִפְשְׁט֣וּ יִפְשֹׁ֑טוּ יפשטו לְהַפְשִׁ֖יט לְפַשֵּֽׁט׃ לְפַשֵּׁ֖ט להפשיט לפשט לפשט׃ מַפְשִׁיטִֽים׃ מפשיטים׃ פְּשַׁטְתֶּ֖ם פְּשֹׁ֣טָֽה פָּֽשְׁט֛וּ פָּשְׁט֕וּ פָּשְׁט֗וּ פָּשַׁ֖ט פָּשַׁ֙טְתִּי֙ פָּשַׁ֜טְנוּ פָּשַׁ֥ט פָֽשְׁט֗וּ פָשְׁט֥וּ פֹשְׁטִ֖ים פשט פשטה פשטו פשטים פשטנו פשטתי פשטתם תַּפְשִֽׁיט׃ תַּפְשִׁט֑וּן תפשטון תפשיט׃ ’ap̄·šî·ṭen·nāh ’ap̄šîṭennāh afshiTennah fasheTu fosheTim hifShit hifShitu hip̄·šî·ṭū hip̄·šîṭ hip̄šîṭ hip̄šîṭū lə·hap̄·šîṭ lə·p̄aš·šêṭ lefashShet lehafShit ləhap̄šîṭ ləp̄aššêṭ mafshiTim map̄·šî·ṭîm map̄šîṭîm pā·šaṭ pā·šaṭ·nū pā·šaṭ·tî pā·šə·ṭū p̄ā·šə·ṭū pāšaṭ pāšaṭnū pāšaṭtî pāšəṭū p̄āšəṭū paShat paShatnu paShatti pasheTu pə·šaṭ·tem pə·šō·ṭāh pəšaṭtem peshatTem peShotah pəšōṭāh p̄ō·šə·ṭîm p̄ōšəṭîm tafShit tafshiTun tap̄·ši·ṭūn tap̄·šîṭ tap̄šîṭ tap̄šiṭūn ū·p̄ā·šaṭ ū·p̄ā·šaṭ·tā ufaShat ufashatTa ūp̄āšaṭ ūp̄āšaṭtā vaiyafShet vaiyafShitu vaiYafshiTuhu vaiyifShat vaiyifsheTu vaiyitpashShet vehafShet vehifShit vehifShitu vehifshiTuch way·yap̄·šêṭ way·yap̄·šî·ṭū way·yap̄·šî·ṭu·hū way·yip̄·šaṭ way·yip̄·šə·ṭū way·yiṯ·paš·šêṭ wayyap̄šêṭ wayyap̄šîṭū wayyap̄šîṭuhū wayyip̄šaṭ wayyip̄šəṭū wayyiṯpaššêṭ wə·hap̄·šêṭ wə·hip̄·šî·ṭū wə·hip̄·šî·ṭūḵ wə·hip̄·šîṭ wəhap̄šêṭ wəhip̄šîṭ wəhip̄šîṭū wəhip̄šîṭūḵ yifsheTu yifShotu yip̄·šə·ṭū yip̄·šō·ṭū yip̄šəṭū yip̄šōṭū
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
