6481. patsa
Lexical Summary
patsa: To wound, to bruise

Original Word: פָצַע
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: patsa`
Pronunciation: pah-tsah'
Phonetic Spelling: (paw-tsah')
KJV: wound
NASB: one, wounded
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to split, i.e. wound

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
wound

A primitive root; to split, i.e. Wound -- wound.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to bruise, wound by bruising
NASB Translation
emasculated* (1), one (1), wounded (1), wounding* (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[מָּצַע] verb bruise, wound by bruising (Late Hebrew split, bruise; Arabic squeeze a ripe date, rub; Aramaic מְּצַע split); —

Qal Perfect3plural suffix הִכּוּנִי מְּצָעוּנִי Songs 5:7; Infinitive absolute הַכֵּה וּפָצֹעַ 1 Kings 20:37 a smiting and a bruising (him); Participle Pass. construct מְּצוּעַדַּֿכָּה Deuteronomy 23:2 one wounded by crushing.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

פָצַע (pātsaʿ) is a vivid verb describing the act of wounding by piercing, crushing, or otherwise inflicting bodily injury. Though it appears only three times in the Old Testament, each setting illumines a distinct facet of covenant life—holiness, prophetic warning, and intimate devotion—providing rich material for theology and ministry.

Occurrences and Contexts

1. Deuteronomy 23:1

“No man whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is severed may enter the LORD’s assembly.”
• The “crushed” state renders a man ritually blemished, illustrating Israel’s call to bring wholeness into the corporate worship of Yahweh. Physical integrity symbolizes spiritual integrity; the congregation gathered before God must mirror His perfection (Leviticus 22:21-25).

2. 1 Kings 20:37

“Then he found another man and said, ‘Strike me, please!’ So the man struck him and wounded him.”
• The unnamed prophet stages a living parable to indict King Ahab’s leniency toward Ben-hadad. The inflicted wound authenticates the prophetic sign-act and underscores that disregarding divine command invites real calamity.

3. Song of Songs 5:7

“The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city; they beat me, they wounded me, they took away my cloak, those watchmen of the walls.”
• Here the wound reflects the cost of love’s pursuit. Read literally, it pictures social opposition to the bride’s nocturnal search; read typologically, it foreshadows the Church’s suffering as she seeks deeper communion with her Bridegroom (John 15:18-20).

Theological Themes

• Holiness and Wholeness

– Bodily mutilation in Deuteronomy 23:1 teaches that worshipers approach the LORD with fullness of life, anticipating the future promise of ultimate restoration (Isaiah 35:5-6).

– The restriction also protects the sanctuary from pagan cultic practices involving castration, reinforcing separation from Canaanite religion (Deuteronomy 12:29-31).

• Prophetic Symbolism of Injury

– In 1 Kings 20, the wound validates the seriousness of God’s word. Prophetic dramatizations often employ physical signs (Ezekiel 24:24), reminding hearers that covenant violations bring tangible consequences.

• Love Tested Through Suffering

– Song of Songs 5:7 captures the paradox that intimacy with God can involve pain. The beloved’s perseverance amid wounds mirrors apostolic teaching: “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

Historical Background

• Ancient Near Eastern law codes sometimes excluded the physically mutilated from priestly functions, but Israel extends the principle to the entire assembly, elevating corporate holiness.
• Public sign-acts by prophets were common (e.g., Isaiah walking barefoot, Jeremiah’s yoke). The deliberate wounding in 1 Kings dramatizes judgment within a culture accustomed to enacted messages.
• City watchmen in Song of Songs represent municipal security forces; their harsh treatment highlights social boundaries governing women’s movement after dark in the ancient Near East.

Ministry Significance

1. Pastoral Care

– The textual linkage between physical and spiritual wholeness encourages ministries of healing that address both body and soul (James 5:14-16).
2. Prophetic Integrity

– Faithful proclamation may entail personal cost. Leaders should prepare congregations for opposition when confronting sin or injustice (2 Timothy 3:12).
3. Discipleship in Suffering Love

– Song of Songs invites believers to interpret trials as occasions to deepen desire for Christ, fostering resilience and hope (Philippians 3:10).

Christological Reflections

Though pātsaʿ itself is not used of the Messiah, its motif converges with prophetic portraits of the Suffering Servant: “He was pierced for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5). The exclusion of the wounded in Deuteronomy magnifies the wonder that the One who was wounded opens the way for all, including eunuchs (Isaiah 56:3-5; Acts 8:26-39), to enter the new covenant assembly.

Key Takeaways

• Physical wounds in Scripture often point beyond themselves to spiritual realities—defilement, judgment, or devoted love.
• God guards the purity of His people, yet He also redeems and heals the wounded through the atoning work of Christ.
• Believers are called both to revere God’s standards of wholeness and to minister healing grace to those who bear wounds, whether literal or metaphorical.

Forms and Transliterations
וּפָצֹֽעַ׃ ופצע׃ פְצָע֑וּנִי פְצֽוּעַ־ פצוע־ פצעוני fetzaUni fetzua p̄ə·ṣā·‘ū·nî p̄ə·ṣū·a‘- p̄əṣā‘ūnî p̄əṣūa‘- ū·p̄ā·ṣō·a‘ ufaTzoa ūp̄āṣōa‘
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Deuteronomy 23:1
HEB: לֹֽא־ יָבֹ֧א פְצֽוּעַ־ דַּכָּ֛א וּכְר֥וּת
NAS: No one who is emasculated
KJV: He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member
INT: No shall enter one wounded cut

1 Kings 20:37
HEB: הָאִ֖ישׁ הַכֵּ֥ה וּפָצֹֽעַ׃
NAS: struck him, wounding him.
KJV: him, so that in smiting he wounded [him].
INT: and the man struck wounded

Songs 5:7
HEB: בָּעִ֖יר הִכּ֣וּנִי פְצָע֑וּנִי נָשְׂא֤וּ אֶת־
NAS: me, They struck me [and] wounded me; The guardsmen
KJV: me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers
INT: the city struck me wounded took my shawl

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6481
3 Occurrences


p̄ə·ṣā·‘ū·nî — 1 Occ.
p̄ə·ṣū·a‘- — 1 Occ.
ū·p̄ā·ṣō·a‘ — 1 Occ.

6480
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