פּוּץ (puts)
puts
to scatter; scatterer; to flow; to shatter
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 44 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb puts describes a forceful breaking apart or scattering. In its basic sense, it means to be dispersed or spread abroad, often applied to armies or peoples who are driven from their homes. The sources note a related meaning involving liquid, where it signifies flowing or overflowing, suggesting a sudden release of pressure that leads to dispersion.
A striking nuance appears in the poetic books, where the word shifts from physical movement to violent destruction. In Job, for instance, God is described as having dashed the speaker to pieces, using a form that implies shattering like rock under a hammer. This imagery connects the idea of scattering with the power to break something completely apart, whether it be a group of people or a physical object.
Translators often render puts as "scatter" or "disperse," but the underlying image is one of irreversible separation. The word carries weight in Jeremiah, where it describes the scattering of Judah, emphasizing the finality of exile. It is not merely a moving apart, but a breaking up that leaves no easy path for reassembly.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word puts describes a forceful breaking apart or scattering. In its basic sense, it means to be dispersed or spread abroad, often applied to armies or peoples who are driven from their homes. The sources note a related meaning involving liquid, where it signifies flowing or overflowing, suggesting a sudden release of pressure that leads to dispersion.
A striking nuance appears in the poetic books, where the word shifts from physical movement to violent destruction. In Job, for instance, God is described as having dashed the speaker to pieces, using a form that implies shattering like rock under a hammer. This imagery connects the idea of scattering with the power to break something completely apart, whether it be a group of people or a physical object.
Translators often render puts as "scatter" or "disperse," but the underlying image is one of irreversible separation. The word carries weight in Jeremiah, where it describes the scattering of Judah, emphasizing the finality of exile. It is not merely a moving apart, but a breaking up that leaves no easy path for reassembly.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 44 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they were scattered3×
- scattered3×
- and/ they were scattered2×
- and/ it scattered2×
- and/ he will scatter2×
- and/ I will scatter/ them2×
- you have scattered1×
- will they overflow?1×
- we should be scattered1×
- to/ scatter/ me1×
- they will overflow1×
- so/ they may be scattered1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- נָפֹ֖צוּ2×
- וַ/יָּ֥פֶץ2×
- וַ/אֲפִיצֵ֖/ם2×
- תָּפִ֣יץ1×
- תְּפוּצֶ֥ינָה1×
- פוּצַ֔/י1×
- פֻּ֣צוּ1×
- נָפֽוֹצָה\׃\ \ס1×
- נָפֹ֖צֶת1×
- נָפֹ֔צוּ1×
- נָפ֖וּץ1×
- נְפוֹצִ֣ים1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 11:8
So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city.
This verse marks the pivotal moment where divine intervention actively scatters humanity, fulfilling the judgment on human pride and establishing the historical reality of diverse nations.
-
Deuteronomy 28:64
Yahweh will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth. There you will serve other gods which you have not known, you nor your fathers, even wood and stone.
Here the word underscores the severity of covenant disobedience, describing a scattering so total it reaches from one end of the earth to the other, leaving no place of safety.
-
Job 16:12
I was at ease, and he broke me apart. Yes, he has taken me by the neck, and dashed me to pieces. He has also set me up for his target.
The imagery shifts from physical dispersion to personal devastation, portraying God as the agent who breaks the speaker apart like rock, illustrating the depth of suffering in the face of divine sovereignty.
-
I Samuel 11:11
On the next day, Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the middle of the camp in the morning watch, and struck the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who remained were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
This occurrence highlights the military consequence of scattering, where Saul’s victory results in the Ammonite army being so dispersed that no two survivors remain together.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Hebrew word puts mean?
How is puts different from other words for scattering?
Where does this word appear in the Bible?
Every Occurrence (44 verses across 18 books)
Genesis 5 verses
the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were spread abroad.
Genesis 11:4They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for…
Genesis 11:8So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city.
Genesis 11:9Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh…
Genesis 49:7Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter…