פְּתַחְיָה
𐤐𐤕𐤇𐤉𐤄
Petacheyah
H6611 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Personal name meaning 'Yah has opened.' Used as a theophoric proper noun for four distinct individuals in the Hebrew Bible. The primary lexical sense is as a name, signifying the opening—often figuratively as in 'opened [the womb], provided opportunity, made available'—by Yah (shortened form of YHWH).
Semantic Range
personal name, Yah has opened (the way, the womb, circumstances), beneficiary of divine providence, expression of gratitude or testimony to Yah's action
Root / Etymology
פָּתַח (p-t-ḥ) means 'to open' and יָהּ (Yah) is a shortened form of the tetragrammaton YHWH, signifying the Israelite deity. The name פְּתַחְיָה is a compound: 'Yah has opened.' It belongs to a larger class of Hebrew theophoric names conveying divine action or favor. Root: פ-ת-ח + יה.
Historical & Contextual Notes
פְּתַחְיָה appears in genealogical and administrative contexts for different Israelite individuals (e.g., 1 Chronicles 24:16, Nehemiah 11:24, etc.). The name incorporates the divine element 'Yah,' aligning it with the pattern of Israelite theophoric names expressing witness to or hope for divine agency. The opening in question may reference various concepts depending on context: opening the womb (birth), opening opportunities, or opening messages (revelation or prophecy). English tradition sometimes translates or anglicizes this as 'Pethakiah,' but the syntax and referential background are best preserved with the transliterated form 'Pethachyah.' Unlike generic nouns or verbs from the same root, as a proper name פְּתַחְיָה does not refer to opening doors or physical apertures but to figurative or providential opening attributed to Yah. The term's usage did not change across the periods in which it is attested, and it is always a personal name. Later translators, especially in English, often use the form 'Pethahiah,' which may obscure the underlying meaning and divine reference present in the original Hebrew.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from פָּתַח and יָהּ; Jah has opened; Pethachjah, the name of four Israelites; Pethakiah.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
פתח (p-t-ḥ) — to open, to provide access, to release
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3315 | יֶפֶת | to Yepheth |
| H3316 | יִפְתָּח | to He-Will-Open |
| H4668 | מַפְתֵּחַ | the opener |
| H4669 | מִפְתָּח | the opening |
| H5318 | נֶפְתּוֹחַ | Opening-Spring |
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6611-03 |
פְּתַֽחְיָ֥ה | petacheyah | HNp |
Pethahiah | Yah has opened | Petacheyah | 1 |
H6611-01 |
פְתַֽחְיָ֔ה | fetacheyah | HNp |
Pethahiah | Yah Has Opened | Petacheyah | 1 |
H6611-02 |
לִֽ/פְתַחְיָה֙ | lifetacheyah | HR/Np |
to Pethahiah | to Yah-has-opened | to Petacheyah | 1 |
H6611-04 |
וּ/פְתַֽחְיָ֨ה | ufetacheyah | HC/Np |
And Pethahiah | and Yah has opened | and Petacheyah | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6611-03 |
Ezra 10:23 | פְּתַֽחְיָ֥ה | petacheyah | HNp |
Pethahiah | Yah has opened | Petacheyah |
H6611-01 |
Nehemiah 9:5 | פְתַֽחְיָ֔ה | fetacheyah | HNp |
Pethahiah | Yah Has Opened | Petacheyah |
H6611-04 |
Nehemiah 11:24 | וּ/פְתַֽחְיָ֨ה | ufetacheyah | HC/Np |
And Pethahiah | and Yah has opened | and Petacheyah |
H6611-02 |
1 Chronicles 24:16 | לִֽ/פְתַחְיָה֙ | lifetacheyah | HR/Np |
to Pethahiah | to Yah-has-opened | to Petacheyah |