Lexical Summary
pathah: To entice, deceive, persuade, seduce, allure
Original Word:פָתָה
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:pathah
Pronunciation:pah-THAH
Phonetic Spelling:(paw-thaw')
KJV: allure, deceive, enlarge, entice, flatter, persuade, silly (one)
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to open, i.e. be (causatively, make) roomy
2. usually figuratively (in a mental or moral sense) to be (causatively, make) simple or (in a sinister way) delude
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
allure, deceive, enlarge, entice, flatter, persuade, silly one
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).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (Aramaic
be spacious,
be spacious, abundant; compare Arabic
,
be youthful, in prime of life,
young man, one in prime of life (development of various meanings from v not wholly clear, compare Nö
ZMG xi (1886), 735)); —
ParticipleProverbs 20:19 possiblyone open as to lips, but see denominative below
Imperfect3masculine singular jussiveGenesis 9:27may God make wide for Japhet (give him an extensive inheritance). —Perfect possiblyProverbs 24:28 (reading ,make wide with (open wide)thy lips, for , so SS; but compare denominative ).
[] (Late Hebrew Pi`elentice); —
Imperfect3masculine singularDeuteronomy 11:16;Job 31:27;ParticipleJob 5:2;Proverbs 20:19; feminineHosea 7:11; —
be open-minded (?),simpleJob 5:2;Hosea 7:11silly dove;Proverbs 20:19one foolish as to his lips (most,openeth wide his lips).
be enticed, deceivedDeuteronomy 11:16;Job 31:27.
Perfect3masculine singularJob 31:9;Imperfect1singularJeremiah 20:7; —be deceivedJeremiah 20:7 ratherbe persuaded, persuade; withenticed untoJob 31:9.
Perfect2masculine singularProverbs 24:28; suffixJeremiah 20:7; 1singularEzekiel 14:9;Imperfect3masculine singularExodus 22:15 +, etc.;ImperativeJudges 14:15;Judges 16:5;Infinitive construct suffix2 Samuel 3:25;Participle suffix (Ges§ 93 88)Hosea 2:15; —
persuade, womanHosea 2:16 (figurative, subject),seduce, virginExodus 22:16;entice, husbandJudges 14:15;Judges 16:5; a man to sinProverbs 1:10;Proverbs 16:29.
deceive,2 Samuel 3:25;Proverbs 24:28 (yet compare√
above); subject, object prophet,Jeremiah 20:7;Ezekiel 14:9, compare1 Kings 22:20,21,22 2Chron 18:19; 18:20; 18:21; object,Psalm 78:36.
Imperfect3masculine singular :
be persuaded,Proverbs 25:15.
be deceived,Jeremiah 20:10be beguiled; by ,Ezekiel 14:9.
(√ of following; Syriac; Biblical Hebrew (rara)).
Topical Lexicon
Overviewפָתָה (pāthāh) is a verb of moral and relational weight. Across roughly twenty-eight Old Testament occurrences it describes the act of opening another person up—emotionally, intellectually, or spiritually—so as to turn, persuade, allure, or mislead. The context decides whether that “opening” is gracious or sinister, protective or destructive. Scripture therefore employs the word to expose seduction into sexual sin, manipulation by violent people, self-deception, the lure of idolatry, and, strikingly, the gracious wooing of God Himself.
Semantic Nuances and Fields of Meaning
1. Sexual seduction:Exodus 22:16;Judges 14:15;Judges 16:5–15;Job 31:9
2. Persuasion or deception in speech:Proverbs 1:10;Proverbs 24:28; Psalms 78:36
3. Strategic entrapment in warfare or politics:1 Kings 22:20-22;2 Chronicles 18:19-21
4. Self-deception or false security:Jeremiah 37:9;Ezekiel 14:9
5. Divine allure for restoration:Hosea 2:14
6. Prophetic calling that overwhelms resistance:Jeremiah 20:7
Representative Old Testament Contexts
•Exodus 22:16 — “If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bridal price, and she will be his wife.”
•Judges 16:5 — “The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, ‘Entice Samson to discover the secret of his great strength…’”
•1 Kings 22:21-22 — “‘Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, “I will entice him.” … “You will surely entice him and prevail,” said the LORD. “Go and do it.”’”
•Proverbs 1:10 — “My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them.”
• Psalms 78:36 — “But they deceived Him with their mouths, and lied to Him with their tongues.”
•Hosea 2:14 — “Therefore, behold, I will allure her and lead her to the wilderness, and speak to her tenderly.”
•Jeremiah 20:7 — “O LORD, You have deceived me, and I was deceived; You have overpowered me and prevailed.”
•Ezekiel 14:9 — “But if the prophet is enticed to speak a message, it is I, the LORD, who have enticed that prophet…”
God as Subject of פָתָה
While most uses condemn human deceit,Hosea 2:14 andJeremiah 20:7 show the Lord “enticing.” In Hosea the verb reveals covenant love: God woos Israel away from adulterous idols into wilderness intimacy, reversing earlier seductions that led her astray. In Jeremiah the prophet’s protest underscores divine sovereignty; the Lord’s compelling call overcame Jeremiah’s reluctance, yet without moral fault in God. Both passages affirm that the Creator can open the human heart for saving purposes even when His methods surpass human understanding.
Human Sinfulness and פָתָה
1. Sexual immorality: Samson falls because Delilah’s persistence “entices” him (Judges 16). Job vows integrity: “If my heart has been enticed by my neighbor’s wife…” (Job 31:9).
2. Violent or criminal schemes: “A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him down a path that is not good” (Proverbs 16:29).
3. False prophecy: Micaiah’s vision (1 Kings 22;2 Chronicles 18) andEzekiel 14:9 portray lying spirits and prophets whose tongues are instruments of judgment on hardened kings and people.
4. National self-deception: “Do not deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will surely depart from us’” (Jeremiah 37:9).
Redemptive Reversal in Hosea
Hosea 2:14 stands alone as a gracious use of pāthāh. Whereas sin’s seduction leads to slavery, the Lord’s allure leads to covenant renewal. The same verb that describes Delilah’s treachery now pictures divine romance. This reversal anticipates the gospel, where God draws sinners with compelling grace rather than coercive manipulation (John 6:44;Romans 2:4).
Wisdom Literature Warnings
Proverbs consistently sets pāthāh in the mouth or hands of the wicked. The wise refuse such influence, recognizing that yielding begins not with the act but with an “opened” heart. Parental instruction inProverbs 1:10–19 employs the verb to show that community pressures are as dangerous as individual lusts.
Prophetic Warnings against False Confidence
Jeremiah and Ezekiel link pāthāh to false prophecy and self-assurance. Those who will not love truth find themselves “opened” to lies as an act of divine judgment (compare2 Thessalonians 2:11–12). The vocabulary underscores that deception is ultimately spiritual, not merely intellectual.
Ministry Implications
• Preaching and counseling should expose tools of seduction—flattery, half-truths, and unmet desires—and replace them with the truth that sets free.
• Shepherds must guard flocks from smooth-tongued predators (Acts 20:29-30).
• Discipleship involves training believers to discern between the Lord’s wooing and counterfeit allurements.
• Pastors themselves must rely on transparent persuasion (2 Corinthians 4:2), not manipulative rhetoric that mirrors pāthāh’s negative side.
Christological and New Testament Trajectory
Jesus never “deceives,” yet He does “open” hearts (Luke 24:32). Where sinners seduce for harm, the Good Shepherd calls His sheep by name, and they follow Him because they know His voice (John 10:3–4). The cross unmasks every false enticer (Colossians 2:15) and secures a people who “cannot be led astray” finally, for they are kept by the truth (1 Peter 1:5).
Concluding Summary
פָתָה warns that the human heart is impressionable; what opens it shapes destiny. Whether through sexual temptation, violent schemes, political propaganda, or false religion, sinful enticement thrives on empty promises. Yet the same capacity to be wooed becomes the avenue of salvation when the Lord Himself allures His people. Scripture therefore calls believers to resist every deceptive pāthāh while yielding wholeheartedly to the One whose persuasive grace restores and secures forever.
Forms and Transliterations
אֲפַתֶּ֑נּוּ אפתנו וַ֝הֲפִתִּ֗יתָ וַיְפַתּ֥וּהוּ וַיִּ֣פְתְּ וָֽאֶפָּ֔ת וּ֝פֹתֶ֗ה וּלְפֹתֶ֥ה ואפת והפתית ויפת ויפתוהו ולפתה ופתה יְפַתֶּ֣ה יְפַתֶּה֙ יְפַתּ֥וּךָ יְפֻתֶּ֣ה יְפֻתֶּה֙ יִפְתֶּ֖ה יַ֤פְתְּ יפת יפתה יפתוך לְפַתֹּתְךָ֖ לפתתך מְפַתֶּ֔יהָ מפתיה נִפְתָּ֣ה נפתה פִּתִּיתַ֤נִי פִּתֵּ֔יתִי פַּתִּ֣י פוֹתָ֖ה פותה פתי פתיתי פתיתני תְּפַתֶּה֙ תפתה ’ă·p̄at·ten·nū ’ăp̄attennū afatTennu foTah lə·p̄at·tō·ṯə·ḵā lefattoteCha ləp̄attōṯəḵā mə·p̄at·te·hā mefatTeiha məp̄attehā nifTah nip̄·tāh nip̄tāh pat·tî patTi pattî pit·tê·ṯî pit·tî·ṯa·nî pitTeiti pittêṯî pittiTani pittîṯanî p̄ō·w·ṯāh p̄ōwṯāh tə·p̄at·teh tefatTeh təp̄atteh ū·lə·p̄ō·ṯeh ū·p̄ō·ṯeh ufoTeh ulefoTeh ūləp̄ōṯeh ūp̄ōṯeh vaepPat vahafitTita vaiYift vayfatTuhu wā’eppāṯ wā·’ep·pāṯ wa·hă·p̄it·tî·ṯā wahăp̄ittîṯā way·p̄at·tū·hū way·yip̄t wayp̄attūhū wayyip̄t yaft yap̄t yə·p̄at·teh yə·p̄at·tū·ḵā yə·p̄ut·teh yefatTeh yefatTucha yefutTeh yəp̄atteh yəp̄attūḵā yəp̄utteh yifTeh yip̄·teh yip̄teh
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