Original Word: פַח
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: pach
Pronunciation: pakh
Phonetic Spelling: (pakh)
KJV: gin, (thin) plate, snare
Word Origin: [from H6351 (פָּחַח - trapped)]

1. a (metallic) sheet (as pounded thin)
2. also a spring net (as spread out like a lamina)

gin, thin plate, snare

From pachach; a (metallic) sheet (as pounded thin); also a spring net (as spread out like a lamina) -- gin, (thin) plate, snare.

see HEBREW pachach

I. מַּח noun masculine^{Psalm 124:7} bird-trap (compare Wilkinson^{Egyptians (1878) ii, 103, 109 f.} Dr^{Amos 3:5} Hoffm^{ZAW iii (1883), 101}); **compare also Baldensperger^{PEF 1905, 38} (pahµ used now of a trap with a net). — ׳פ absolute Hosea 5:1 +, מָּ֑ךְ Jeremiah 48:44 +; construct מַּךְ Hosea 9:8 +; plural מַּחִים Jeremiah 18:22 +; —

1 literal ׳יַעֲלֶה פ Amos 3:5b (as metaphor; v:a strike out ׳פ), Proverbs 7:23; Ecclesiastes 9:12 (with אָחוּז; both in simile).

2 usually figurative (sometimes "" מוֺקֵשׁ, רֶשֶׁת, צַמִּים):

a. of calamities and plots, יָקוֺשׁ ׳פ Hosea 9:8, compare Psalm 91:3; Psalm 124:7; ׳פ alone Jeremiah 48:43 = Isaiah 24:17; Job 22:10; Psalm 124:7; Proverbs 22:5; לְ ׳טָמַן פ Jeremiah 18:22; Psalm 140:6; Psalm 142:4; לְ ׳נָחַן פ Psalm 119:110, לְ ׳יָקַשׁ פ Psalm 141:9; ׳יאֹחֵז בְּעָקֵב פ Job 18:9; ׳יִלָּכֵד בֵּמּ Jeremiah 48:44 = Isaiah 24:18.

b. = source or agent of calamity Hosea 5:1; Joshua 23:13 (D), Isaiah 8:14; Psalm 69:23. — Psalm 11:6 see מֶּחָם. below

II. [מַּח] noun [masculine] plate of metal; plural רִקֻּעֵי פַחִים Numbers 17:3; construct וַיְרַקְּעוּ אֶתמַּֿחֵי הַזָּהָב Exodus 39:3.

פחם (√ of following; compare probably Arabic be black, Late Hebrew מָּחַם id. (in derived species), מֶּחָם = Biblical Hebrew; Arabic charcoal; Assyrian pêntu (= *pêmtu) glowing coal; Syriac in Lexicons).

Definition and Scope

פַח (pach) denotes a spring‐loaded snare or bird-trap designed to seize suddenly and hold fast. Scripture employs the term both for an actual device used by hunters and for any concealed scheme meant to entangle a victim.

Literal Implements of Hunters and Warriors

Amos 3:5 asks, “Does a bird fall into a snare on the ground where no trap has been set?” The question relies on a familiar village image: a baited, ground-level contraption triggered by a passing bird. Job 18:9 pictures the same mechanism closing on a heel. Metal versions existed as well (1 Kings 7:50), indicating that by Solomon’s era snares could be forged items, not merely cords and sticks.

Metaphor for Human Scheming

Pach soon becomes a stock figure for plots of the wicked. David complains, “The arrogant have hidden a snare for me” (Psalm 140:5), and again, “In my path they have hidden a snare for me” (Psalm 142:3). The unseen character of a snare underscores the stealth of sin and malice: it is set while the victim is unaware, then discovered when escape seems impossible.

Jeremiah 5:26 exposes societal corruption in the same terms: “Among My people are wicked men…they set a trap; they catch men.” Here the trapper is the fraudulent leader who exploits his own kin, confirming that injustice is not merely horizontal but a direct affront to the covenant God.

Instrument of Divine Judgment

Isaiah and Jeremiah apply pach to God’s retributive acts. “Fear and the pit and the snare are upon you, O dweller of the earth” (Isaiah 24:17). In Jeremiah 48:44 the triple image—terror, pit, snare—falls upon Moab, stressing the certainty of judgment: flight, evasion, or struggle only drive the rebel into another facet of the same condemnation. The prophets do not portray God as capricious; the snare answers impenitence and idolatry, vindicating divine holiness.

Wisdom Literature: Moral Caution

Proverbs 22:5 warns, “Thorns and snares lie on the path of the perverse; he who guards his soul stays far from them.” The saying shifts focus from external foes to one’s own pathway choices. Ecclesiastes 9:12 generalizes the lesson: “No man knows his time. Like fish caught in a cruel net, or birds trapped in a snare, so are men ensnared in an evil time.” Life’s unpredictability calls for sober readiness and fear of the Lord.

Psalms of Deliverance

Several psalms link the snare motif to divine rescue. Psalm 91:3 assures the faithful, “He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler.” Psalm 124:7 celebrates corporate escape: “We have escaped like a bird from the snare; the snare is broken, and we have escaped.” The imagery reinforces covenant comfort—Yahweh not only foresees hidden dangers but breaks their mechanism.

Christological and New Testament Echoes

Though pach itself is Hebrew, its idea threads into the New Testament. Pharisaic attempts to “trap” (Greek pagideuō) Jesus (Matthew 22:15) recall the Old Testament snare. Paul warns that “those who want to be rich fall into temptation and a snare” (1 Timothy 6:9, using pagis). Revelation 3:10 speaks of the “hour of trial that is coming on the whole world,” echoing Isaiah’s global snare, yet promising preservation for the faithful church. The cross itself overturns every demonic trap, for the resurrected Christ “disarmed the rulers and authorities” (Colossians 2:15).

Ministry and Discipleship Implications

1. Vigilance: Hidden traps still threaten believers—false teaching, moral compromise, manipulative relationships. Pastoral ministry must expose these (Ephesians 5:11).

2. Prayerful Dependence: The psalmists model continual cries for deliverance. Corporate worship should rehearse God’s past rescues, fostering confidence against future snares.

3. Self-examination: Because pride lays its own snares (Psalm 140:5), leaders must heed Paul’s caution that an overseer not be “conceited and fall into the devil’s trap” (1 Timothy 3:6-7).

4. Evangelism: Just as Jeremiah confronted civic injustice, the church must unmask social systems that “trap men,” offering gospel freedom.

Summary

פַח portrays the concealed, sudden, and gripping nature of evil—whether human or divine in origin. Scripture couples that realism with a greater certainty: the Lord knows every snare, appoints them for judgment when necessary, and breaks them for His redeemed people.

בַּפָּ֑ח בפח הַפַּ֥ח הפח וָפָ֑ח וּפַחִ֖ים ופח ופחים לְפַ֣ח לְפָ֑ח לפח מִפַּ֥ח מִפַּ֪ח מפח פַ֣ח פַ֭ח פַּ֡ח פַּ֣ח פַּ֤ח פַּ֫חִ֥ים פַּ֭חִים פַּח֙ פַּחֵ֣י פַח֙ פַחִ֑ים פַחִים֙ פָּ֑ח פח פחי פחים bap·pāḥ bapPach bappāḥ fach faChim hap·paḥ hapPach happaḥ lə·p̄aḥ lə·p̄āḥ leFach ləp̄aḥ ləp̄āḥ mip·paḥ mipPach mippaḥ pa·ḥê pa·ḥîm p̄a·ḥîm Pach paChei paChim paḥ pāḥ p̄aḥ paḥê paḥîm p̄aḥîm ū·p̄a·ḥîm ufaChim ūp̄aḥîm vaFach wā·p̄āḥ wāp̄āḥInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts