Original Word: פֶתַח
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: pethach
Pronunciation: PEH-thakh
Phonetic Spelling: (peh'-thakh)
KJV: door, entering (in), entrance (-ry), gate, opening, place
NASB: doorway, entrance, door, doors, doorways, openings, doorway at the entrance
Word Origin: [from H6605 (פָּתַח - To open)]

1. an opening (literally), i.e. door (gate) or entrance way

door, entering in, entrance ry, gate, opening, place

From pathach; an opening (literally), i.e. Door (gate) or entrance way -- door, entering (in), entrance (-ry), gate, opening, place.

see HEBREW pathach

Word Origin
from pathach
Definition
opening, doorway, entrance
NASB Translation
door (16), doors (6), doorway (81), doorway at the entrance (1), doorways (3), entrance (43), entrances (1), entry (1), gate (1), gates (1), gateway (1), gateway* (2), opening (1), openings (3).

מֶּ֫תַח₁₆₄ noun masculine^{Ezekiel 8:8} (feminine 2 Samuel 17:9 but We reads אַחַד for אַחַת, and so Albr^{ZAW xvi (1896), 86}) opening, doorway, entrance; — absolute ׳פ Genesis 4:7 +, מָּ֑תַח Genesis 19:11 +, הַמֶּ֫תְחָה Genesis 19:6; construct מֶּתַח Genesis 18:1 +; suffix מִּתְחוֺ Proverbs 17:19, מִּתְחָהּ Ezekiel 40:38; plural מְּתָחִים 1 Kings 7:5; Proverbs 8:3; construct מִּתְחֵי Psalm 24:7 +; suffix מְּתָחָ֑י, Proverbs 8:34, etc.; — door-way of nomad's tent, הָאֹהֶל ׳פ Genesis 18:1,2,10(J), Exodus 33:8,10 (E), Numbers 11:10; Numbers 16:27(JE), Judges 4:20,compare(without הָאֹהֶל) Genesis 4:7 (in figurative), Job 31:9,34; of sacred tent, הָאֹהָל ׳פ Exodus 33:9,10; Numbers 12:5(E), Numbers 26:36; Numbers 36:37; Num 39:38 (P), Deuteronomy 31:15, usually (P) אֹהֶל מוֺעֵד ׳פ Exodus 29:4 6t. Exodus + Exodus 40:6,29 (׳מִשְׁכַּן אֹהֶל מ ׳פ), Leviticus 1:3 22t. Leviticus; Numbers 3:25 11t. Numbers; Joshua 19:51; 1 Samuel 2:22, compare 1 Chronicles 9:21; ׳פ הַמִּשְׁכָּן Exodus 35:15, compare Exodus 40:5,28 (all P); of court Numbers 3:26 compareNumbers 4:26 and (of temple) Ezekiel 8:7; doorway of (private) house Genesis 19:6,11 (twice in verse) + 22 t., compare Cant 7:14; in Proverbs 17:19 Frankenb Toy read מּיו; for מִּתְחוֺ of temple 1 Kings 6:33; Ezekiel 8:16, so הַבַּית ׳פ Ezekiel 47:1; Chron Ezekiel 4:22; הַדְּבִיר ׳פ 1 Kings 6:31, הַצֵּלָע ׳פ 1 Kings 6:8; Ezekiel 41:11 compare Ezekiel 41:11; Ezekiel 41:11; plural 1 Kings 7:5; various doorways in Ezekiel's temple Ezekiel 40:13 (twice in verse) + 13 t. 40-42 (see also below); doorway of ark Genesis 6:16 (P); of tower Judges 9:52; in wall Ezekiel 8:8; opening (mouth) of cave 1 Kings 19:13; הַשַׁעַר ׳פ opening, i.e. doorway, of gate Ezekiel 40:11; of city שַׁעַר הָעִיר ׳פ, i.e. the outer aperture of the gate Joshua 8:29; Joshua 20:4; Judges 9:35,44; Jeremiah 1:15 (plural), compare Jeremiah 19:2; 1 Kings 22:10 2Chronicles 18:9; 2 Kings 23:8; Proverbs 1:21; so הַשַּׁעַר ׳פ, Judges 9:40; 2 Samuel 10:8; 2 Samuel 11:23; 2 Kings 7:3; 2 Kings 10:8, and (of farm or village) Judges 18:16,17; so הָעִיר ׳פ 1 Kings 17:20; 1 Chronicles 19:6 (= 2 Samuel 10:8 above), compare Genesis 38:14; plural of city gates themselves (poetry) Isaiah 3:26 (personified), נְדִיבִים ׳פ Isaiah 13:2; מִּתְחֵי עוֺלָם Psalm 24:7; Psalm 24:9 ("" שְׁעָרִים); compare figurative שְׁמֹר מִּתְחֵיפִֿיךָ Micah 7:5; also ׳פ ׳שַׁעַר בֵּית י Jeremiah 36:10; Ezekiel 8:14; Ezekiel 10:19; compare Ezekiel 8:3; Ezekiel 11:1; Ezekiel 40:4; Ezekiel 46:3, ׳י ׳שׁ ׳פ Jeremiah 26:10; מְּתָחֶיהָ Micah 5:6 of entrances to a country; figurative תִּקְוָה ׳פ Hosea 2:17 doorway of hope.

Meaning and Scope

פֶתַח denotes an opening or entrance of every kind — doorway, gate, threshold, or mouth of a cave or tomb. The term appears about 164 times, giving it a wide semantic field that stretches from the ordinary threshold of a shepherd’s tent to the majestic portals of Solomon’s Temple.

Common Contexts of Usage

1. Domestic dwellings
• Genesis 18:1 – “The LORD appeared to Abraham … while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent.”
• Genesis 19:6 – Lot steps outside the doorway to shield his guests.
• Deuteronomy 6:9 – Command to inscribe the words of the covenant “on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

2. Sacred structures
• Exodus 29:4; Leviticus 1:3 – Sacrifices are presented “at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.”
• 1 Kings 6:33-35 – Carved doors and turning posts at the entrance of the inner sanctuary.
• Ezekiel 46:3 – “All the people of the land shall bow at the entrance of that gate before the LORD on the Sabbaths and New Moons.”

3. City gates and civic life
• Judges 9:35 – Gaal “stood at the entrance of the city gate.”
• Nehemiah 3 – Multiple entries describe repairs to the “entrance” points of Jerusalem’s gates, underscoring the strategic and communal importance of these openings.

4. Natural formations and tombs
• Genesis 23:9 – “the cave of Machpelah … at the end of his field … the full price for it as an inheritance for a burial site.”
• Joshua 10:18 – “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave.”

Physical and Architectural Significance

פֶתַח anchors daily life in the Ancient Near East. A doorway defines personal space, frames hospitality, and marks the boundary between clean and unclean. In the Tabernacle and Temple, the entrance sets progressive gradations of holiness. Meticulous craftsmanship at these portals (1 Kings 6:35) reveals both functional and theological intent: only what conforms to God’s design may pass through.

Covenantal Symbolism

The Passover night places פֶתַח at the heart of redemption history. “Take a cluster of hyssop, dip it in the blood … and apply some of the blood to the top and both sides of the doorframe” (Exodus 12:22). Blood-stained entrances typify substitutionary atonement and anticipate Christ, the true Door (John 10:9). Deuteronomy’s command to write the Shema upon the doorway entwines entrance with perpetual remembrance of God’s covenant.

Cultic and Liturgical Settings

Priests minister “at the entrance” of the Tent of Meeting where offerings are slaughtered (Leviticus 3:2). The place serves as a liturgical threshold where the worshiper moves from common space into sanctified presence. Ezekiel’s visionary temple amplifies this: worshipers bow at the gate’s opening, experiencing mediated access to the divine glory (Ezekiel 46:3).

Moral and Spiritual Implications

Genesis 4:7 personalizes פֶתַח: “Sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.” The entrance becomes a liminal place of moral decision. Proverbs 8:3 pictures Wisdom crying “at the gates, at the entrance of the portals,” inviting the simple to step into understanding. Conversely, wickedness lurks in ambush at the same thresholds (Psalm 141:3 compares the lips to a doorway that must be guarded).

Messianic Foreshadowing

Isaiah 26:20 anticipates eschatological refuge: “Come, my people, enter your chambers and shut your doors behind you.” The protected entrance symbolizes salvation fulfilled in Christ, who both secures and embodies access to the Father (Hebrews 10:19-20). The cry of Psalm 118:19 – “Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD” – echoes in the triumphal entry narratives where Jesus claims messianic kingship.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Hospitality: Followers of Christ mirror Abraham’s open-tent ministry, welcoming strangers and thereby often entertaining angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2).
• Spiritual vigilance: Like God’s counsel to Cain, believers must guard the “door” of the heart, resisting sin’s crouching advance.
• Evangelism: Every church doorway should recall the Passover blood and the open invitation of the gospel (Revelation 3:20).
• Family discipleship: Mezuzot on modern Jewish homes remind Christian households to frame daily life with Scripture, teaching children “when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:7-9).

Key Theological Reflections

1. Access and exclusion: פֶתַח embodies both welcome and boundary. God graciously opens a way, yet stipulates conditions for entering His presence (Psalm 24:3-4).
2. Revelation in stages: Successive entrances in the Tabernacle mirror progressive revelation, culminating in the torn veil when Christ dies (Matthew 27:51).
3. Eschatological hope: The New Jerusalem’s gates “will never be shut by day” (Revelation 21:25), the final reversal of the guarded Edenic entrance (Genesis 3:24).

Representative References

Domestic/Family: Genesis 4:7; Genesis 18:1; Genesis 19:6; Judges 19:27

Worship: Exodus 29:4; Leviticus 1:3-5; Numbers 6:13; Psalm 65:4

Civic: Judges 9:35; 2 Samuel 18:24; Nehemiah 3:1-6; Job 29:7

Prophetic/Liturgical: Isaiah 26:20; Jeremiah 19:2; Ezekiel 40-46 (multiple); Malachi 2:12

Wisdom: Proverbs 8:3; Proverbs 17:14

Redemptive Typology: Exodus 12:22-23; Psalm 118:19-20; Isaiah 60:11

Eschatology: Isaiah 26:20-21; Ezekiel 46:3; Revelation 21:25 (conceptual parallel)

Through its varied appearances, פֶתַח traces a line from Eden lost to Zion regained, from the blood-marked lintels of Egypt to the ever-open gates of the Lamb’s city.

בְּפִתְחֵ֖י בְּפֶ֣תַח בְּפֶ֥תַח בִּפְתָחֶ֑יהָ בַּפָּֽתַח׃ בַפֶּ֔תַח בפתח בפתח׃ בפתחי בפתחיה הַפְּתָחִ֥ים הַפֶּ֑תְחָה הַפֶּ֔תַח הַפֶּ֖תַח הַפֶּ֡תַח הַפֶּתַח֮ הַפָּֽתַח׃ הפתח הפתח׃ הפתחה הפתחים וְהַפֶּ֙תַח֙ וּבְפִתְחֵ֖י וּכְפִתְחֵ֣י וּכְפִתְחֵיהֶֽן׃ וּמִפֶּתַח֩ וּפִתְחֵיהֶ֖ם וּפִתְחָ֔הּ וּפֶ֣תַח וּפֶ֤תַח וּפֶ֥תַח וּפֶתַח֩ ובפתחי והפתח וכפתחי וכפתחיהן׃ ומפתח ופתח ופתחה ופתחיהם לְפֶ֙תַח֙ לְפֶ֣תַח לְפֶ֥תַח לַפֶּ֖תַח לפתח מִפֶּ֙תַח֙ מִפֶּ֣תַח מִפֶּֽתַח־ מפתח מפתח־ פְּתָחֵ֙ינוּ֙ פְּתָחֶ֑יהָ פְּתָחָֽי׃ פְתָחִ֣ים פִּ֝תְח֗וֹ פִּתְחֵ֣י פִּתְחֵ֥י פִּתְחֵי־ פֶ֜תַח פֶּ֖תַח פֶּ֗תַח פֶּ֙תַח֙ פֶּ֚תַח פֶּ֛תַח פֶּ֜תַח פֶּ֝תַח פֶּ֣תַח פֶּ֣תַח ׀ פֶּ֤תַח פֶּ֥תַח פֶּ֧תַח פֶּֽתַח־ פָּֽתַח׃ פָֽתַח׃ פתח פתח־ פתח׃ פתחו פתחי פתחי־ פתחי׃ פתחיה פתחים פתחינו bap·pā·ṯaḥ ḇap·pe·ṯaḥ bapPatach bappāṯaḥ ḇappeṯaḥ bə·p̄e·ṯaḥ bə·p̄iṯ·ḥê beFetach befitChei bəp̄eṯaḥ bəp̄iṯḥê biftaCheiha bip̄·ṯā·ḥe·hā bip̄ṯāḥehā Fatach Fetach fetaChim hap·pā·ṯaḥ hap·pə·ṯā·ḥîm hap·pe·ṯaḥ hap·peṯ·ḥāh hapPatach happāṯaḥ hapPetach happetaChim happeṯaḥ happəṯāḥîm hapPetchah happeṯḥāh lap·pe·ṯaḥ lapPetach lappeṯaḥ lə·p̄e·ṯaḥ leFetach ləp̄eṯaḥ mip·pe·ṯaḥ mip·pe·ṯaḥ- mipPetach mippeṯaḥ mippeṯaḥ- pā·ṯaḥ p̄ā·ṯaḥ Patach pāṯaḥ p̄āṯaḥ pə·ṯā·ḥāy pə·ṯā·ḥe·hā pə·ṯā·ḥê·nū p̄ə·ṯā·ḥîm pe·ṯaḥ p̄e·ṯaḥ pe·ṯaḥ- petach petaChai petaCheiha petaCheinu peṯaḥ p̄eṯaḥ peṯaḥ- pəṯāḥāy pəṯāḥehā pəṯāḥênū p̄əṯāḥîm piṯ·ḥê piṯ·ḥê- piṯ·ḥōw pitChei pitCho piṯḥê piṯḥê- piṯḥōw ū·ḇə·p̄iṯ·ḥê ū·ḵə·p̄iṯ·ḥê ū·ḵə·p̄iṯ·ḥê·hen ū·mip·pe·ṯaḥ ū·p̄e·ṯaḥ ū·p̄iṯ·ḥāh ū·p̄iṯ·ḥê·hem ūḇəp̄iṯḥê uchefitChei uchefitcheiHen uFetach ufitChah ufitcheiHem ūḵəp̄iṯḥê ūḵəp̄iṯḥêhen umippeTach ūmippeṯaḥ ūp̄eṯaḥ ūp̄iṯḥāh ūp̄iṯḥêhem uvefitChei vapPetach vehapPetach wə·hap·pe·ṯaḥ wəhappeṯaḥInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts