Hebrew word · H6622

פָּתַר

patar

to interpret

To interpret (a dream). The verb (9 times) and the noun pitrôn 'interpretation' (5 times) occur only in Genesis 40–41.

Appears 9 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

(Qal) to interpret (dreams)

Aramaic equivalent: pe.shar (פְּשַׁר "to interpret" H6590)

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 Genesis 41:8

Range of meaning

To interpret (a dream). The verb (9 times) and the noun pitrôn 'interpretation' (5 times) occur only in Genesis 40–41. The word is related to Akkadian pašāru ('to loosen, release; to report or explain a dream') and Aramaic pšr ('to interpret'), which gives pəšar in Daniel and pesher, the Dead Sea Scrolls term for their interpretive commentaries.

Against the English

'Interpret' in all major versions; YLT 'interpreter'; NLT paraphrases as telling what the dreams meant. The English is accurate. The Semitic background adds the idea of 'untying' a knot, solving a riddle.

Used elsewhere in the period

Mesopotamian dream manuals and Assyrian letters use pašāru for dream interpretation. A. L. Oppenheim's study of ancient Near Eastern dream texts shows that 'releasing' or 'solving' a dream was also thought to neutralise any harm it threatened.

From the study of Genesis 40:8

Range of meaning

To interpret, explain or solve a dream. In the Hebrew Bible the verb is used only in Genesis 40–41 and always of dreams. It is related to Akkadian pašāru ('to loosen, release, solve', also used for explaining dreams) and to Aramaic pĕšar ('interpretation'), which is the word in Daniel and in the Dead Sea Scrolls' 'pesher' commentaries.

Against the English

'Interpreter' today often means someone who translates a language, or someone giving a personal reading. A pōtēr is closer to a decoder or solver: the person who unlocks what a sign means and so what is going to happen.

Used elsewhere in the period

Daniel 2 and 4–5 use Aramaic pĕšar in the same setting of court dreams and riddles that wise men cannot solve. Qumran's pesharim use the noun to unlock hidden meanings of prophecy for the commentator's own day. The idea of 'loosening' a knot is behind the Akkadian and Aramaic words.

Where it appears

Genesis · 9

  1. Genesis 40:8 וּפֹתֵ֖ר and [is one who] interprets

    “We both had dreams,” they replied, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”

    Here: Participle used as a noun: 'one who interprets', in effect a professional dream-reader. The root is used in the Hebrew Bible only in the Joseph story (Gen 40–41).

  2. Genesis 40:16 פָּתָ֑ר he had interpreted

    When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: There were three baskets of white bread on my head.

  3. Genesis 40:22 פָּתַ֛ר he had interpreted

    But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had described to them in his interpretation.

  4. Genesis 41:8 פּוֹתֵ֥ר [was one who] interpreted

    In the morning his spirit was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.

    Here: A participle used as a noun, 'interpreter' or 'one who could interpret'. The verb appears only in the Joseph dream stories (Genesis 40–41) and means to unravel or decode a dream's meaning.

  5. Genesis 41:12 וַיִּפְתָּר־ פָּתָֽר׃ and he interpreted, he interpreted

    Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us individually.

  6. Genesis 41:13 פָּֽתַר־ he interpreted

    And it happened to us just as he had interpreted: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.”

  7. Genesis 41:15 וּפֹתֵ֖ר לִפְתֹּ֥ר and [is one who] interprets, to interpret

    Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”

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