פָּתַל
𐤐𐤕𐤋
pâthal
H6617 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To twist, intertwine, or wind together; used metaphorically to describe actions or intentions that are devious, crooked, or morally perverse. In some contexts, may describe physical struggling or wresting, such as wrestling or grappling. The semantic range includes literal twisting or entwining, as well as figurative senses of craftiness or moral distortion.
Semantic Range
to twist physically, to entwine, to wind together, to wrestle or grapple, to act in a crafty or devious manner, to be morally perverse, to deviate from what is straightforward
Root / Etymology
Root: פתל. The core meaning of the root pertains to twisting, winding, or entwining together. The verb form פָּתַל (pāṯal) draws its meaning primarily from the tangible sense of twisting or entwining, with secondary, derived figurative senses of cunning or moral deviation (as twisted in character).
Historical & Contextual Notes
פָּתַל occurs only a few times in the Hebrew Bible, notably in Genesis 30:8 ("wrestling"—Jacob and his wife Rachel's contest in bearing children) and Job 5:13 ("the cunning/twisted"—describing devious intent). The verb's core image is physical twisting or plaiting, whether literal or metaphoric. Its figurative use carries a negative ethical nuance: what is twisted is not straightforward, thus it comes to mean devious or morally perverse. In earlier biblical periods (patriarchal, monarchic), it appears as a creative metaphor for both physical conflict and moral character. English translations often render it as "wrestle," "be cunning," or "show oneself froward/unsavoury." These renderings may not capture the lexical nuance of moral or behavioral "twistedness." It is distinct from other words for deception (e.g., רמה, 'to deceive, betray') and for physical combat (e.g., לחם, 'to fight, do battle'), focusing instead on "twistedness" as both a physical and moral quality.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to twine, i.e. (literally) to struggle or (figuratively) be (morally) tortuous; (shew self) froward, shew self unsavoury, wrestle.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
פתל (p-t-l) — to twist, to entwine, to wind
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5319 | נַפְתּוּל | wrestlings of |
| H5321 | נַפְתָּלִי | in My-Wrestling |
| H6616 | פָּתִיל | with a twisted cord of |
| H6618 | פְּתַלְתֹּל | twisted |
Word Forms
5 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6617-04 |
תִּתַּפָּֽל | titapal | HVti2ms |
you show yourself shrewd | you twist yourself | 1 |
H6617-05 |
תִּתְפַּתָּֽל | titepatal | HVti2ms |
you deal crookedly | you twist yourself | 1 |
H6617-03 |
נִפְתָּלִ֣ים | nifetalim | HVNrmpa |
of the cunning | the twisted ones | 1 |
H6617-01 |
נִפְתָּ֥ל | nifetal | HVNrmsa |
crooked | twisted one | 1 |
H6617-02 |
נִפְתַּ֛לְתִּי | nifetaleti | HVNp1cs |
I have wrestled | I twisted myself | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
5 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6617-02 |
Genesis 30:8 | נִפְתַּ֛לְתִּי | nifetaleti | HVNp1cs |
I have wrestled | I twisted myself |
H6617-04 |
2 Samuel 22:27 | תִּתַּפָּֽל | titapal | HVti2ms |
you show yourself shrewd | you twist yourself |
H6617-05 |
Psalms 18:27 | תִּתְפַּתָּֽל | titepatal | HVti2ms |
you deal crookedly | you twist yourself |
H6617-01 |
Proverbs 8:8 | נִפְתָּ֥ל | nifetal | HVNrmsa |
crooked | twisted one |
H6617-03 |
Job 5:13 | נִפְתָּלִ֣ים | nifetalim | HVNrmpa |
of the cunning | the twisted ones |