6362. patar

Lexical Summary

patar: To interpret

Original Word: פָטַר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: patar
Pronunciation: pah-TAR
Phonetic Spelling: (paw-tar')
KJV: dismiss, free, let (shoot) out, slip away
NASB: open, dismiss, free, letting, separate, slipped away
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to cleave or burst through, i.e. (causatively) to emit, whether literal or figurative (gape)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

dismiss, free, let shoot out, slip away

A primitive root; to cleave or burst through, i.e. (causatively) to emit, whether literal or figurative (gape) -- dismiss, free, let (shoot) out, slip away.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to separate, remove, set free
NASB Translation
dismiss (1), free (1), letting (1), open (4), separate (1), slipped away (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

מָּטַר verb separate, remove, set free (Late Hebrew depart, set free, Niph`al also die; Phoenician פטר CIS^{102a, 2} depart (die ?); Assyrian pa‰âru, split, break through, ip‰iru, ransom, Tel Amarna escape, set free (perhaps Canaanite); Arabic cleave, split, also create; Ethiopic create, fabricate; Aramaic מְּטַר, withdraw, depart); —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳פ2Chronicles 23:8; Imperfect3masculine singular וַיִּפְטַר 1 Samuel 19:10; Participle active מּוֺטֵר Proverbs 17:14; passive מִּטוּרִים 1 Chronicles 9:33 Qr (Kt פטירים); construct מְּטוּרֵי 1 Kings 6:18,29,32, מְּטֻרֵי 1 Kings 6:35; —

1 intransitive remove oneself, specifically escape 1 Samuel 19:10 (מִמְּנֵי, compare Dr).

2 transitive set free from duty 2 Chronicles 23:8 (accusative of person), so passive 1 Chronicles 9:33 Qr (Kt פטירים adjective or Aramaic participle, same meaning); יִם ׳פ Proverbs 17:14 set free, let out; passive מְּטוּרֵי צִצִּים technical term of ornament in temple, dubious, usually out-spread (garlands) of flowers 1 Kings 6:18,29,32,35.

Hiph`il **compare in Syriac PS³⁰⁹³. Imperfect3masculine singular יַפְטִירוּ בְשָׂפָה Psalm 22:8 they separate with the lip, i. e. open mouth wide (insultingly).

פטיר 1 Chronicles 9:33 Kt see פטר 2

מִּי see מֶּה.

Topical Lexicon

Overview

The verb פָטַר traces a vivid arc across the Old Testament narrative, portraying moments when something is loosed, dismissed, or slips away. Whether the action involves a person eluding peril, a priest withholding dismissal, lips unrestrained in mockery, or water bursting through a dam of contention, the word invites reflection on release—both welcome and disastrous.

Canonical Occurrences

• 1 Samuel 19:10 – David “slipped away” from Saul’s murderous spear, illustrating divine preservation of the anointed king.
• 2 Chronicles 23:8 – Jehoiada “had not dismissed the divisions,” tightening security around Joash and safeguarding covenantal continuity.
• Psalm 22:7 – The mockers “sneer” (lit. “shoot out the lip”) at the suffering Messiah, their unbridled derision fulfilling prophecy.
• Proverbs 17:14 – “Starting a quarrel is like letting out water,” warning that once released, strife rushes forward with destructive force.

Threads of Meaning

1. Physical escape (1 Samuel 19) – Human agency is portrayed, yet the text leaves no doubt that the Lord is the ultimate refuge.
2. Administrative restraint (2 Chronicles 23) – Holding the watchmen in place forestalls chaos, underscoring responsible leadership in sacred service.
3. Verbal unbridling (Psalm 22) – Lips that should praise instead pour contempt on the Righteous Sufferer, spotlighting the heart–mouth connection.
4. Social rupture (Proverbs 17) – Conflict management is cast as hydraulic engineering: once the sluice gate is lifted, repair becomes costly.

Historical Significance

In each setting פָטַר occurs at a juncture critical to Israel’s story:
• David’s escape preserves the messianic line.
• Jehoiada’s refusal to dismiss the guards protects a six-year-old heir and the Davidic promise.
• The psalmist’s experience, later echoed on Golgotha, anchors prophetic anticipation of the crucifixion.
• Solomon’s proverb arms the community with wisdom to avert societal fracture.

Theological Observations

Release is not morally neutral. Godly release (deliverance, rescue) advances salvation history, while ungodly release (derision, strife) amplifies sin’s curse. The term therefore sharpens discernment: What we choose to loose or restrain has covenant consequences.

Christological Echoes

Psalm 22:7 finds its climax at the cross, where onlookers “sneer” at Jesus Christ. Their unrestrained lips confirm both human depravity and divine foreknowledge. Yet even as mockery is loosed, redemption is secured; the One whom the wicked dismiss becomes the very means of their deliverance.

Ministry Application

• Pastoral care: Help congregants discern when to release and when to restrain—whether emotions, words, or decisions.
• Conflict resolution: Apply Proverbs 17:14 early; closing the breach before water escapes averts relational floods.
• Leadership: Like Jehoiada, maintain vigilance in seasons of transition; premature dismissal of responsibilities endangers future generations.
• Evangelism: David’s escape and Christ’s mockery together testify that God overrules hostile schemes, emboldening witness in the face of opposition.

Devotional Reflection

Pray for lips that are loosed in praise, not scorn; hearts that are quick to release forgiveness, yet slow to unleash contention; and lives that, like David’s, find their escape not in human cunning but in the shadow of the Almighty.

Forms and Transliterations

וַיִּפְטַר֙ ויפטר יַפְטִ֥ירוּ יפטירו פָטַ֛ר פּ֣וֹטֵֽר פוטר פטר faTar p̄ā·ṭar p̄āṭar pō·w·ṭêr Poter pōwṭêr vaiyifTar way·yip̄·ṭar wayyip̄ṭar yafTiru yap̄·ṭî·rū yap̄ṭîrū

Englishman's Concordance

1 Samuel 19:10
HEB: בְּדָוִ֣ד וּבַקִּ֔יר וַיִּפְטַר֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י שָׁא֔וּל
NAS: with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul's
KJV: with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul's
INT: David to the wall slipped presence of Saul's

2 Chronicles 23:8
HEB: כִּ֣י לֹ֥א פָטַ֛ר יְהוֹיָדָ֥ע הַכֹּהֵ֖ן
NAS: the priest did not dismiss [any of] the divisions.
INT: for did not dismiss Jehoiada the priest

Psalm 22:7
HEB: יַלְעִ֣גוּ לִ֑י יַפְטִ֥ירוּ בְ֝שָׂפָ֗ה יָנִ֥יעוּ
NAS: me sneer at me; They separate with the lip,
INT: see sneer separate the lip wag

Proverbs 17:14
HEB: פּ֣וֹטֵֽר מַ֭יִם רֵאשִׁ֣ית
NAS: of strife is [like] letting out water,
KJV: of strife [is as] when one letteth out water:
INT: is letting water the beginning

4 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6362
4 Occurrences

p̄ā·ṭar — 1 Occ.
pō·w·ṭêr — 1 Occ.
way·yip̄·ṭar — 1 Occ.
yap̄·ṭî·rū — 1 Occ.