6349. pachaz
Lexical Summary
pachaz: uncontrolled

Original Word: פַחַז
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: pachaz
Pronunciation: pah-khaz'
Phonetic Spelling: (pakh'-az)
KJV: unstable
NASB: uncontrolled
Word Origin: [from H6348 (פָּחַז - reckless)]

1. ebullition, i.e. froth (figuratively, lust)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
unstable

From pachaz; ebullition, i.e. Froth (figuratively, lust) -- unstable.

see HEBREW pachaz

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from pachaz
Definition
wantonness, recklessness
NASB Translation
uncontrolled (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
מַּ֫חַז noun [masculine] wantonness, recklessness, unbridled license; — Genesis 49:4, abstract for concrete (+ כַּמַּיִם like [boiling, or overflowing] water).

Topical Lexicon
Core Idea

פַחַז describes a sudden, ungoverned movement or impulse, pictured by a fluid that rushes or splashes before it can be contained. Scripture applies the term both to human character and to the behavior of water, allowing the physical image to illuminate moral instruction.

Contexts of Use

1. Genesis 49:4—Jacob characterizes Reuben: “Unstable as water, you will not excel”. Here פַחַז depicts an unsteady temperament that forfeits privilege.
2. Ezekiel 47:2—Ezekiel observes water “trickling out from the south side” of the temple. The same root conveys a lively, free flow that will soon swell into a life-giving river.

Literary and Theological Significance

• Fluidity as Metaphor: Both passages exploit the unpredictable motion of water to illustrate moral and eschatological truths. The patriarchal narrative warns that unchecked impulse can dissolve leadership, while the prophetic vision shows divine grace beginning with a mere trickle yet destined to become an unstoppable torrent.
• Contrast of Outcomes: Reuben’s פַחַז brings loss; the temple’s פַחַז inaugurates renewal. The word thus brackets Scripture’s larger testimony: human recklessness destroys, but God’s sovereign “impulse” brings restoration.
• Consistency of Revelation: The same Hebrew term bridges Torah and Prophets, underscoring a unified biblical worldview in which images remain stable even when applications differ.

Historical Reception

Jewish and Christian commentators have long linked Reuben’s instability to moral impurity (Genesis Rabbah; Jerome, Vulgate notes). Reformation expositors (Calvin, Poole) echoed that reading, warning pastors against impulsive conduct. In modern preaching, the Ezekiel passage is often employed to picture revival that begins small yet deepens inexorably.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Leadership Formation: Reuben’s example admonishes elders and parents to cultivate deliberation and self-control, lest momentary passion undo long-term calling.
• Revival Prayer: Ezekiel 47 encourages congregations to value the earliest evidences of spiritual awakening. What appears insignificant today may swell into a river of blessing when sourced in the sanctuary of God.
• Counseling and Discipleship: The paired texts provide a diagnostic tool—reckless decisions mirror Reuben; Spirit-directed impulses resemble the temple stream. Disciples are urged to discern the difference by anchoring desires to God’s presence.

Related Biblical Themes

• Birthright forfeiture (Genesis 25:29-34; Hebrews 12:16-17)
• Streams of living water (John 7:37-39)
• The double-minded man (James 1:6-8)

Christological and Eschatological Echoes

The uncontrolled passion of the firstborn contrasts sharply with the obedient Son who “learned obedience through what He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). Meanwhile, the trickling water anticipates the Lamb’s throne from which “the river of the water of life” flows (Revelation 22:1). Thus פַחַז ultimately directs attention from human failure to messianic fullness.

Forms and Transliterations
מְפַכִּ֔ים מפכים פַּ֤חַז פחז mə·p̄ak·kîm mefakKim məp̄akkîm pa·ḥaz Pachaz paḥaz
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Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 49:4
HEB: פַּ֤חַז כַּמַּ֙יִם֙ אַל־
NAS: Uncontrolled as water,
KJV: Unstable as water,
INT: Uncontrolled water shall not

Ezekiel 47:2
HEB: וְהִנֵּה־ מַ֣יִם מְפַכִּ֔ים מִן־ הַכָּתֵ֖ף
INT: and behold water unstable at side

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6349
2 Occurrences


mə·p̄ak·kîm — 1 Occ.
pa·ḥaz — 1 Occ.

6348
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