פסח

See also: פּסח

Hebrew

FWOTD – 27 August 2014

Root
פ־ס־ח (p-s-kh)
3 terms

Etymology

Compare Akkadian 𒉺𒊓𒄴 / 𒉺𒊓𒄷 (passahu, “soothe, make soft”) and Arabic فَسَخَ (fasaḵa, “to annul”). Doublet of פַּסְחָא.

Pronunciation

• (פֶּסַח, pésakh):
  • (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈpe.saχ/

  • Audio:

    (file)

• (פָּסַח, pasákh):
  • (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /paˈsaχ/

Verb

פָּסַח • (pasákh) (pa'al construction)

1. To pass over, skip.
   • Tanach, Exodus 12:23, with translation of the King James Version:

     וְרָאָה אֶת הַדָּם עַל הַמַּשְׁקוֹף וְעַל שְׁתֵּי הַמְּזוּזֹת וּפָסַח יהוה עַל הַפֶּתַח וְלֹא יִתֵּן הַמַּשְׁחִית לָבֹא אֶל בָּתֵּיכֶם לִנְגֹּף

     v'ra'á et hadám al hamashkóf v'ál shté ham'zuzót ufasákh YHVH al hapétakh v'ló yitén hamashkhít lavó el batékhem lingóf

     and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you

   • Tanach, 1 Kings 18:21, with translation of the New International Version:

     עַד מָתַי אַתֶּם פֹּסְחִים עַל שְׁתֵּי הַסְּעִפִּים אִם יהוה הָאֱלֹהִים לְכוּ אַחֲרָיו וְאִם הַבַּעַל לְכוּ אַחֲרָיו

     ád matáy atém poskhím al shné has'ipím im YHVH ha'elohím l'khú akharáv v'ím habá'al l'chú akharáv

     How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.

   • Tanach, Isaiah 31:5, with Young's Literal Translation:

     יָגֵן יהוה צְבָאוֹת עַל יְרוּשָׁלָ‍ִם גָּנוֹן וְהִצִּיל פָּסֹחַ וְהִמְלִיט

     yagén YHVH ts'va'ót al y'rushaláyim ganón v'hitsíl pasóakh v'himlít

     doth Jehovah of Hosts Cover over Jerusalem, covering and delivering, Passing over, and causing to escape

Conjugation

Conjugation of פָּסַח (see also Appendix:Hebrew verbs)

non-finite forms		to-infinitive		לפסוח / לִפְסֹחַ
		action noun		פְּסִיחָה
		passive participle		פָּסוּחַ
finite forms		singular		plural
		m	f	m	f
past	first	פָּסַחְתִּי		פָּסַחְנוּ
	second	פָּסַחְתָּ	פָּסַחְתְּ	פְּסַחְתֶּם1	פְּסַחְתֶּן1
	third	פָּסַח	פָּסְחָה	פָּסְחוּ
present		פּוֹסֵחַ	פּוֹסַחַת	פּוֹסְחִים	פּוֹסְחוֹת
future	first	אֶפְסַח		נִפְסַח
	second	תִּפְסַח	תִּפְסְחִי	תִּפְסְחוּ	תִּפְסַחְנָה2
	third	יִפְסַח	תִּפְסַח	יִפְסְחוּ	תִּפְסַחְנָה2
imperative		פְּסַח	פִּסְחִי	פִּסְחוּ	פְּסַחְנָה2

¹ Pronounced פָּסַחְתֶּם and פָּסַחְתֶּן in informal Modern Hebrew.
² Rare in Modern Hebrew.

Noun

פֶּסַח • (pésakh) m (plural indefinite פְּסָחִים, singular construct פֶּסַח־, plural construct פִּסְחֵי־, Biblical Hebrew pausal form פָּסַח) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. The paschal sacrificial offering.
   • Tanach, Exodus 12:21, with translation of the King James Version:

     מִשְׁכוּ וּקְחוּ לָכֶם צֹאן לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיכֶם וְשַׁחֲטוּ הַפָּסַח

     mishkhú uk'khú lakhém tsón l'mishp'khotekhém v'shakhatú hapásakh

     Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover

   • 1880, אריה ליב ברודא,‎ שאלות ותשובות מצפה אריה/Mizpe Arje, Lemberg, number 38, page 38b :

     […] וימנו עלי׳ גם אחרים שלא עשו פסח והחבורה שנחערבו פסחיהם לא יאכלו הימנו רק האחרים יאכלו דהא אכילת פסחים לא מעכבי […]

     […] v'yimanú aléha gam akherím sheló asú fésakh v'hakhaburá shenit'ar'vú piskhehém lo yokh'lú heménu rak ha'akherím yokh'lú d'ha akhilát p'sakhím lo m'ak'vé […]

     […] and others who had not made a paschal offering should be listed on it, and the group that their paschal offerings had gotten mixed up should not eat from it, only the others should eat, for eating paschal offerings does not prevent […]

Proper noun

פֶּסַח • (pésakh) m (plural indefinite פְּסָחִים) [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. (singular only, rarely countable) Passover (Jewish feast / festival / holiday)
   • a. 217 C.E., Mishnah. Pesachim, section 10.1:

     ערבי פסחים […] לא יאכל אדם עד שתחשך

     Passover eves […] a man shall not eat until it darkens

   • 1980, "חמץ", in שלמה יוסף זֶוין/Shlomo Josef Zevin, editor, אנציקלופדיה תלמודית/Talmudic Encyclopedia, volume 16, 1994 sixth edition, page 71:

     איסור אכילת חמץ בפסח נאמר אף בחמץ של גוי.

     The prohibition on eating chametz on Passover was stated even about the chametz of a gentile.

2. (singular only) a male given name, Pesach or Pesah, equivalent to English Pascal
   • 1944, צבי פסח פראנק, דבר לישראל ולעמים, title page :

     מאת ‫רבנו הגאון אדמו״ר מרן צבי פסח פראנק‬ ‫שליט״א

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• (holiday): ע״פ
• קַעֲרַת פֶּסַח (ka'arát pésakh, “Seder plate”)

Descendants

• → Aramaic: פסחא (paskha)
  • → Ancient Greek: πάσχα (páskha) (see there for further descendants)
• → Yiddish: פּסח (peysekh)

ፍሥሓ (Fesseha) in Amharic and Tigrigna and Geez ( ፍሥሓ is a common name in Ethiopia like ፍሥሓ አጥላው (Fesseha Atlaw)

Verb

פִּסֵּחַ • (piséakh) (pi'el construction)

1. defective spelling of פיסח

Adjective

פִסֵּחַ • (piséakh) (feminine פִּסְּחָה, masculine plural פִּסְּחִים, feminine plural פִּסְּחוֹת)

1. defective spelling of פיסח

References

• H6452 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Prosic, Tamara (2004). The Development and Symbolism of Passover. A&C Black, p. 32