Hebrew word · H6616

פָּתִיל

petil

cord

Pāṯîl is a twisted thread or cord: Judah's cord (Gen 38:18), the blue tassel cord (Num 15:38), a cord for fastening (Exod 28:28). Pēšeṯ means flax or linen, here in the plural for the fibers.

Appears 11 times in 11 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

cord, thread (twisted)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ezekiel 40:3

Range of meaning

Pāṯîl is a twisted thread or cord: Judah's cord (Gen 38:18), the blue tassel cord (Num 15:38), a cord for fastening (Exod 28:28). Pēšeṯ means flax or linen, here in the plural for the fibers.

Against the English

KJV and WEB say "line of flax," YLT "thread of flax," BSB, NIV and ESV "linen cord." All are accurate. "Thread" undersells it, because this is a surveyor's line.

Used elsewhere in the period

Surveyors' lines appear in Zech 2:1 and Jer 31:39; Ezek 47:3 uses qāw, 'line,' when the man measures the river. The Septuagint renders it 'a builders' cord.'

From the study of Numbers 15:38

Range of meaning

A twisted cord or thread, from a root meaning "twist". It can also be a cord worn with a seal (Genesis 38:18, 25, Judah's "cord"), a measuring line (Ezekiel 40:3), or a thread that snaps (Judges 16:9). In Numbers 19:15 it is the "cord" tying down a lid.

Against the English

KJV "ribband" and YLT "ribbon" suggest a flat decorative band. BSB, WEB, NIV, ESV and NASB have "cord", which is accurate: a twisted thread.

How it drifted

"Ribband" was an older spelling of "ribbon". Today "ribbon" means a flat decorative strip, which is a different object.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exodus 28:28, 37; 39:21, 31 use pətîl təkēlet for the priestly fastenings, including the cord holding the "Holy to the LORD" plate. Judah's pətîl with his seal (Genesis 38) shows a cord could be a personal mark of identity.

Where it appears

Genesis · 2

  1. Genesis 38:18 וּפְתִילֶ֔ךָ and cord your

    “What pledge should I give you?” he asked. She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

  2. Genesis 38:25 וְהַפְּתִילִ֛ים and the cord

    As she was being brought out, Tamar sent a message to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Please examine them. Whose seal and cord and staff are these?”

Exodus · 5

  1. Exodus 28:28 בִּפְתִ֣יל with a cord of

    The rings of the breastpiece shall be tied to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece is above the waistband of the ephod and does not swing out from the ephod.

  2. Exodus 28:37 פְּתִ֣יל a cord of

    Fasten to it a blue cord to mount it on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban.

  3. Exodus 39:3 פְּתִילִם֒ threads

    They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut threads from them to interweave with the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen—the work of a skilled craftsman.

  4. Exodus 39:21 בִּפְתִ֣יל with a cord of

    Then they tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so that the breastpiece was above the waistband of the ephod and would not swing out from the ephod, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

    Here: 'With a cord of': a twisted thread or cord (from a root meaning 'to twist'). The same word is used for the cord on the tassels (Num 15:38) and for the cord holding the gold plate on the turban (Exod 28:37).

  5. Exodus 39:31 פְּתִ֣יל a cord of

    Then they fastened to it a blue cord to mount it on the turban, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Numbers · 2

  1. Numbers 15:38 פְּתִ֥יל a cord of

    “Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout the generations to come they are to make for themselves tassels for the corners of their garments, with a blue cord on each tassel.

    Here: A twisted cord or thread. It is a single strand, not a broad ribbon. The same phrase "cord of blue-violet" fastens the gold plate to the high priest's turban (Exodus 28:37).

  2. Numbers 19:15 פָּתִ֖יל a cord

    and any open container without a lid fastened on it is unclean.

Judges · 1

  1. Judges 16:9 פְּתִֽיל־ <the> thread of

    While the men were hidden in her room, she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he snapped the bowstrings like a strand of yarn seared by a flame. So the source of his strength remained unknown.

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 40:3 וּפְתִיל־ and a cord of

    So He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze. He was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand.

    Here: "And a cord of": a twisted string or line. Here it is a surveyor's line, suited to measuring long distances.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.