Lexical Summary poth: Opening, entrance Original Word: פֹת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance hinge, secret participle Or pothah (Ezek. 13:19) {po-thaw'}; from an unused root meaning to open; a hole, i.e. Hinge or the female pudenda -- hinge, secret participle NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain derivation Definition perhaps a hinge NASB Translation foreheads (1), hinges (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [מֹּת] noun [feminine] plural הַמֹּתוֺת לְדַלְתוֺת הַבַּיִת 1 Kings 7:50 i.e. probably the sockets above and below, in which the door-pivots turned (performing office of modern hinges); singular suffix מֳּתְהֵן Isaiah 3:17 (Ges§ 91f), probably, si vera lectio, their secret parts, cardo femina (so Thes and most); but read perhaps חֶרְמַּתְהֵן BachmSK. 1894, 650 Kit (in Di) Marti; > מִּאַתְהֵן StaZAW vi (1886), 336, compare ᵑ9 Di. מְּתָאיִם see I. מֶּ֫תִי below I. פתה. below מִּתְאֹם see מֶּתַע. Topical Lexicon Overview Strong’s Hebrew 6596 designates a rare noun that appears only twice in the Old Testament. Though rendered differently in each context, the word consistently concerns an “opening” that can be either honored or exposed. The contrast between its two settings—Solomon’s Temple and Isaiah’s judgment oracle—gives a striking picture of how holiness protects, while sin leaves defenseless. Occurrences in Scripture Significance in the Temple (1 Kings 7:50) In Solomon’s Temple the term describes the sockets or hinges of the great doors. Fashioned of gold, these fittings secured the entrances of both the inner sanctuary and the nave. Their inclusion in the inspired inventory underlines at least three truths: Symbolic Lesson in Isaiah’s Oracle (Isaiah 3:17) Centuries later Isaiah employs the same noun to describe how the “daughters of Zion” will be humiliated: “Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will make their foreheads bare”. The once-proud women who flaunted luxury (Isaiah 3:16) will have their most personal part laid bare, stripped of honor and protection. Where the Temple sockets were covered in gold, Zion’s daughters are exposed in shame. The parallel is deliberate: what is consecrated is safeguarded; what is desecrated is uncovered (compare Nahum 3:5). Isaiah’s message warns that privilege without piety invites forfeiture of covering (Psalm 91:1). Thematic Connections Separation and Access Both occurrences revolve around a threshold. In the Temple the opening is secured for reverent approach; in Isaiah the opening becomes a place of reproach. Holiness and Shame God either beautifies or unmasks. Those devoted to Him are adorned (Psalm 29:2); those who reject Him are disgraced (Proverbs 3:34). Covenant Responsibility Israel’s physical structures and social customs alike came under divine scrutiny. Covenant faithfulness was expected in architecture (Exodus 35–40) and attitude (Isaiah 1:16–18). Practical Ministry Insights • Pay attention to “small” details in worship and service; the Lord records what we might overlook (Luke 16:10). Related Concepts Door, Gate, Threshold, Holiness, Shame, Covering, Temple Furnishings, Divine Judgment Forms and Transliterations וְהַפֹּת֡וֹת והפתות פָּתְהֵ֥ן פתהן pā·ṯə·hên pateHen pāṯəhên vehappoTot wə·hap·pō·ṯō·wṯ wəhappōṯōwṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Kings 7:50 HEB: זָהָ֣ב סָג֑וּר וְהַפֹּת֡וֹת לְדַלְתוֹת֩ הַבַּ֨יִת NAS: gold; and the hinges both for the doors KJV: gold; and the hinges [of] gold, INT: gold of pure and the hinges the doors house Isaiah 3:17 2 Occurrences |
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