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מִפְתָּח

𐤌𐤐𐤕𐤇

miphtâch

H4669 noun

SILEX Entry

Root פתח to open, to unlock, to set open

Definition

A physical opening or entrance, such as a doorway, gate, or passageway. By extension, it can refer to an abstract 'opening,' such as an opportunity or the act of opening. Rarely, the term may denote a spoken expression or utterance, though this is a secondary sense and context-dependent.

Semantic Range

opening, entrance, doorway, aperture, access point; (rare) utterance, opportunity

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root פתח (p-t-ch), which carries the core idea of opening. מִפְתָּח (miphtâch) is a nominal form built with the prefix מִ- (mi-) denoting instrument or place, yielding the sense of 'that which is opened' or 'an opening.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, מִפְתָּח most commonly denotes a literal, tangible opening—such as a doorway to a house or entrance to a space (e.g. Judges 19:27). The word is infrequent and occurs primarily in prose narratives, where physical barriers and their points of access are specifically referenced. In rare cases, a more abstract meaning—such as an opening for speech or an opportunity—can be contextually inferred but is not the standard sense. Distinct from פֶּתַח (petach), which can also mean 'opening' or 'entrance' but is generally more frequent and less specialized. Later translations sometimes render מִפְתָּח as 'utterance,' but this reflects interpretive tradition more than primary lexical usage. Usage remains consistent across narrative and legal texts, with little evidence for substantial development or semantic shift across biblical periods.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from פָּתַח; an aperture, i.e. (figuratively) utterance; opening.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פתח (p-t-ḥ) — to open, to unlock, to set open

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3315 יֶפֶת to Yepheth
H3316 יִפְתָּח to He-Will-Open
H4668 מַפְתֵּחַ the opener
H5318 נֶפְתּוֹחַ Opening-Spring
H6596 פֹּת their intimate opening

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4669-02 וּ/מִפְתַּ֥ח umifetach HC/Ncmsc and the opening opening of 1
H4669-01 הַ/מַּפְתֵּ֖חַ hamafetecha HTd/Ncmsa the opening the opening 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4669-02 Proverbs 8:6 וּ/מִפְתַּ֥ח umifetach HC/Ncmsc and the opening opening of
H4669-01 1 Chronicles 9:27 הַ/מַּפְתֵּ֖חַ hamafetecha HTd/Ncmsa the opening the opening
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