Original Word: פָצַח
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: patsach
Pronunciation: pah-tsakh'
Phonetic Spelling: (paw-tsakh')
KJV: break (forth, forth into joy), make a loud noise
NASB: break forth, break
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to break out (in joyful sound)

break forth, forth into joy, make a loud noise

A primitive root; to break out (in joyful sound) -- break (forth, forth into joy), make a loud noise.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to cause to break or burst forth, break forth with
NASB Translation
break (1), break forth (7).

מָּצַח verb cause to break or burst forth, break forth with (compare Arabic break, crush; Ethiopic shatter; Syriac is be joyous, hilarious); —

Qal Perfect3plural מָּֽצְחוּ רִנָּה Isaiah 14:7 they have broken forth with joyous shout; Imperfect יִפְצְחוּ רִנָּה Isaiah 55:12 (of mountains); Imperative feminine singular מִּצְחִי רִנָּה Isaiah 54:1 (of Zion); masculine plural ׳מִּצְחוּ ר Isaiah 44:23; Isaiah 49:13 Qr (> Kt יפצחו; of mountains); absolute מִּצְחוּ Isaiah 52:9; Psalm 98:4 (both + רַנְּנוּ).

Pi`el break bones in pieces: Perfect3plural מִּצֵּ֑חוּ Micah 3:3.

Overview

The verb פָצַח describes an explosive release—whether of praise, jubilation, or, in one stark case, violence. Across its eight occurrences it signals a decisive moment when what is pent-up can no longer be contained. In Scripture this is most often the irrepressible joy that erupts after the Lord’s saving acts, though Micah shows the same energy perverted by oppressive leaders.

Usage in the Psalms

Psalm 98:4 summons every corner of creation into worship: “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth, and sing for joy, and sing praises!”. Here פָצַח functions as a liturgical cue—an order to shatter the silence with celebratory sound once God’s victory has been declared.

Prophetic Employment in Isaiah

1. Isaiah 14:7 pictures global relief at the fall of Babylon: “All the earth is at rest and at peace; they break forth into singing.” The verb captures history’s decisive turn from tyranny to rest.
2. Isaiah 44:23 and 49:13 command the heavens, earth, mountains, and forests to erupt in song because the LORD has redeemed Jacob and shown compassion to the afflicted. Creation itself is invited to echo Israel’s liberation.
3. Isaiah 52:9 addresses the ruins of Jerusalem: “Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted His people; He has redeemed Jerusalem.” Restoration is so certain that rubble is urged to anticipate it with praise.
4. Isaiah 54:1 employs childbirth imagery: “Shout for joy, O barren woman who has borne no child; break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud.” The impossible suddenly becomes reality as covenant promises blossom.
5. Isaiah 55:12 extends the motif to eschatological harmony: “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” The verb envisions a cosmos synchronized with redeemed humanity.

Social Justice Context in Micah

Micah 3:3 applies פָצַח in shocking contrast: corrupt leaders “break the bones” of God’s people. The same explosive force that should be directed toward praise is here twisted into brutality, highlighting the moral chasm between divine deliverance and human oppression.

Theological Themes

• Deliverance precedes doxology: redemption creates praise that cannot be restrained.
• Cosmic solidarity: heaven, earth, and even inanimate ruins join the redeemed community’s song, underscoring the universal scope of God’s reign.
• Reversal: barren becomes fruitful, exile becomes home, tyranny collapses into rest.
• Moral polarity: the verb’s violent use in Micah warns that power detached from covenant faithfulness turns celebratory energy into cruel exploitation.

Liturgical Implications

Worship leaders can view פָצַח as a biblical warrant for uninhibited praise—shouts, clapping, and musical crescendos that mirror the prophetic vision. Congregations rehearsing redemption anticipate final restoration each time they “break forth” together in song.

Messianic and Eschatological Overtones

Isaiah’s cluster of usages gathers around the Servant prophecies and the New Exodus motif, both fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The mountains bursting into song (Isaiah 55:12) foreshadow creation’s liberation “from its bondage to decay” (Romans 8:21). Luke 19:40 echoes the theme when Jesus declares that if His followers were silent, “the stones will cry out.”

Application for Modern Ministry

1. Preaching: trace the pattern of redemption → eruption of praise → cosmic participation.
2. Pastoral care: Isaiah 54:1 offers hope to the “barren” seasons of life, urging trust in God’s power to reverse impossibilities.
3. Justice advocacy: Micah 3:3 warns leaders against exploiting those they serve; praise divorced from righteousness is an empty sound.

Summary

פָצַח captures the moment when salvation, long expected, finally arrives and bursts the seams of silence. Whether voiced by the Psalmist, the prophets, or all creation, the word invites God’s people to let deliverance resound in unrestrained worship while guarding against any use of power that fractures rather than frees.

וּפִצְח֥וּ ופצחו יִפְצְח֤וּ יפצחו פִּצְח֖וּ פִּצְח֤וּ פִּצְחִ֨י פִּצֵּ֑חוּ פָּצְח֖וּ פצחו פצחי pā·ṣə·ḥū pāṣəḥū patzeChu piṣ·ḥî piṣ·ḥū piṣ·ṣê·ḥū piṣḥî piṣḥū piṣṣêḥū pitzChi pitzChu pitzTzechu ū·p̄iṣ·ḥū ufitzChu ūp̄iṣḥū yiftzeChu yip̄·ṣə·ḥū yip̄ṣəḥūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts