What does פֶּתַח (petaḥ) mean in the Bible?
פֶּתַח (petaḥ): Physical threshold marking transition between spaces; metaphorically frames covenant access and divine encounter points.
Hebrew · H6607
פֶּתַח
An opening (literally), i.e. door (gate) or entrance way
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פֶּתַח H6607
Pronunciation petaḥ
What does פֶּתַח (petaḥ) mean in the Bible?
פֶּתַח (petaḥ): Physical threshold marking transition between spaces; metaphorically frames covenant access and divine encounter points.
Full entry for פֶּתַח (H6607) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H6607?
The BSB source-word alignment has 164 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include at the entrance (50), the entrance (34), For the entrance (9), . . . (5), entrance (5).
Where does פֶּתַח (petaḥ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 4:7. Its strongest book concentrations include Ezekiel (30), Leviticus (24), Exodus (22), Numbers (17).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It at the entrance 50× Genesis 18:1, Genesis 18:10, Genesis 19:11, Genesis 38:14
the entrance 34× Genesis 18:2, Exodus 29:4, Exodus 40:12, Leviticus 1:3
For the entrance 9× Exodus 26:36, Exodus 36:37, Exodus 38:30, Exodus 39:38
. . . 5× Job 31:34, Proverbs 8:3, Ezekiel 41:11, Ezekiel 42:11
entrance 5× Judges 9:52, 1 Kings 6:33, Esther 5:1, Ezekiel 40:11
the door 5× Genesis 19:11, Exodus 12:22, Deuteronomy 22:21, 1 Kings 14:6
at the door 3× 2 Samuel 11:9, 2 Kings 5:9, Proverbs 9:14
at the entrances 3× Exodus 33:8, Numbers 11:10, Numbers 16:27
doors 3× 2 Chronicles 4:22, Psalms 24:7, Psalms 24:9
of the entrance 3× Exodus 40:6, Ezekiel 41:2
by the entrance 2× 1 Kings 22:10, 2 Chronicles 18:9
doorway 2× Ezekiel 8:8, Ezekiel 40:13
in the doorway 2× Judges 19:27, 2 Kings 4:15
near the entrance 2× Exodus 40:29, Jeremiah 19:2
the doorway 2× Leviticus 14:38, Nehemiah 3:20
to the entrance 2× Judges 9:40, Ezekiel 40:40
[and the walls on each side] 1× Ezekiel 41:3
[there] [was] a door 1× Ezekiel 42:12
a door 1× Genesis 6:16
And corresponding to the doors 1× Ezekiel 42:12
and in the doorways 1× Ezekiel 33:30
And the gates [of Zion] 1× Isaiah 3:26
at the doorway 1× Judges 19:26
at the mouth 1× 1 Kings 19:13
at the opening 1× Jeremiah 36:10
at your door 1× Genesis 4:7
for the doorway 1× Exodus 35:15
from doorway 1× Ezekiel 40:13
from the doorway 1× Nehemiah 3:21
gate 1× 1 Kings 17:10
he who builds his gate 1× Proverbs 17:19
his door 1× Job 31:9
into a gateway 1× Hosea 2:15
it at the entrance 1× Leviticus 3:2
of my doorway 1× Proverbs 8:34
our door 1× Song Of Solomon 7:13
outside 1× Genesis 19:6
that doorway 1× Exodus 12:23
the doors 1× Micah 7:5
the doorways 1× 1 Kings 7:5
the gates 1× Isaiah 13:2
the outside of the entrance 1× Ezekiel 41:17
Their doors 1× Ezekiel 42:4
Then at the entrance 1× Numbers 6:18
vvv 1× Proverbs 1:21
with a doorway 1× Ezekiel 40:38
with the blade drawn 1× Micah 5:6
with the door 1× Ezekiel 42:2
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 4:7 לַפֶּ֖תַח to at your door Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 6:16 וּפֶ֥תַח to a door Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 18:1 פֶּֽתַח־ to at the entrance Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 18:2 מִפֶּ֣תַח to the entrance Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 18:10 פֶּ֥תַח to at the entrance Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 19:6 הַפֶּ֑תְחָה to outside Article | Noun - masculine singular | third person feminine singular Genesis 19:11 פֶּ֣תַח to at the entrance Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 19:11 הַפָּֽתַח׃ to the door Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 38:14 בְּפֶ֣תַח to at the entrance Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 43:19 פֶּ֥תַח to at the entrance Noun - masculine singular construct
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 4:7
Aligned rows 164
Books represented 24
Genesis 10 Exodus 22 Leviticus 24 Numbers 17 Deuteronomy 2 Joshua 3 Judges 9 1 Samuel 1 2 Samuel 3 1 Kings 9 2 Kings 5 1 Chronicles 2 2 Chronicles 3 Nehemiah 2 Esther 1 Job 2 Psalms 2 Proverbs 6 Song Of Solomon 1 Isaiah 2 Jeremiah 5 Ezekiel 30 Hosea 1 Micah 2
Source forms
פֶּ֖תַח 40x pe·ṯaḥ Exodus 29:4, Exodus 29:11, Exodus 29:32, Exodus 38:8
פֶּ֣תַח 23x pe·ṯaḥ Genesis 19:11, Exodus 33:8, Exodus 33:9, Exodus 33:10
פֶּ֥תַח 16x pe·ṯaḥ Genesis 18:10, Genesis 43:19, Exodus 29:42, Exodus 33:10
הַפֶּ֖תַח 5x hap·pe·ṯaḥ Exodus 35:15, Exodus 40:5, Exodus 40:28, Ezekiel 41:3
לְפֶ֣תַח 5x lə·p̄e·ṯaḥ Exodus 26:36, Exodus 36:37, Numbers 11:10, Proverbs 9:14
פֶּ֚תַח 5x pe·ṯaḥ Exodus 38:30, Numbers 16:27, Joshua 20:4, 2 Samuel 11:9
פֶּ֙תַח֙ 5x pe·ṯaḥ Leviticus 15:14, Numbers 20:6, Joshua 8:29, Nehemiah 3:20
פֶּ֛תַח 4x pe·ṯaḥ Leviticus 4:4, Leviticus 17:5, Numbers 6:18, Numbers 16:18
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine singular construct 102x Genesis 18:1, Genesis 18:10, Genesis 19:11, Genesis 43:19
Article | Noun - masculine singular 11x Genesis 19:11, Exodus 12:23, Exodus 35:15, Exodus 40:5
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct 8x Exodus 26:36, Exodus 35:15, Exodus 36:37, Numbers 11:10
Noun - masculine singular 7x 1 Chronicles 9:21, Job 31:34, Ezekiel 8:8, Ezekiel 40:13
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct 4x Genesis 6:16, Leviticus 8:35, 2 Chronicles 4:22, Ezekiel 41:11
Noun - masculine plural construct 4x Psalms 24:7, Psalms 24:9, Isaiah 13:2, Micah 7:5
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct 4x Genesis 38:14, Jeremiah 26:10, Jeremiah 43:9, Ezekiel 11:1
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct 3x Genesis 18:2, Exodus 12:22, Nehemiah 3:21
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Physical threshold marking transition between spaces; metaphorically frames covenant access and divine encounter points.
Source Gloss
an opening (literally), i.e. door (gate) or entrance way
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Physical threshold marking transition between spaces; metaphorically frames covenant access and divine encounter points.
an opening (literally), i.e. door (gate) or entrance way BDB: opening Usage: door, entering (in), entrance (-ry), gate, opening, place.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
entrance to the tent of meeting where offerings are presented
Showing 1 selected witness from 164 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
פֶּתַח is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain