פַּטִּישׁ (pat.tish)
pat.tish
hammer
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun pat.tish refers specifically to a heavy hammer used in metalworking, particularly for forging iron or bronze. It appears only three times in the Hebrew Bible, all within prophetic literature where it serves as a concrete image of force and creation.
In Jeremiah 10:4 and Isaiah 41:7, the word describes the tool wielded by craftsmen to shape idols out of metal. The text highlights the physical labor involved in making these images, using pat.tish to emphasize the tangible, human effort required to create something that is ultimately lifeless. This usage contrasts sharply with the invisible power of God, who creates without such tools.
The word’s limited occurrence underscores its symbolic weight. By naming the hammer, the prophets draw attention to the absurdity of worshipping an object made by human hands. The pat.tish represents not just a tool, but the entire process of idolatry: shaping matter into something that cannot speak or save.
Its root likely relates to striking or pounding, fitting its function in the forge. Translators consistently render it as "hammer," preserving the image of forceful impact. This precision helps readers grasp the physical reality behind the metaphor, reminding us that idols are products of human industry, not divine presence.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word pat.tish describes a heavy hammer used by metalworkers to shape iron or bronze. In the Bible, it appears only three times, always in prophetic books. The prophets use this tool to show how idols are made by human hands. A craftsman strikes the metal with force, shaping it into an image that cannot speak or save us.
This imagery reminds us of the difference between human effort and God’s power. Idols require sweat and tools, but God creates simply by speaking. When we trust in things we can make or control, we limit ourselves. True strength comes from relying on the Creator who does not need a hammer to bring things into being.
Yet this word also shows God’s own power. In Jeremiah, His word is like a hammer that breaks rock. This means His truth can shatter hardness in our hearts. We do not need to force change through our own strength. Instead, we can rest in the fact that God’s word is active and effective in our lives.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- and/ like/ a hammer1×
- a hammer1×
- [the] hammer of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- פַּטִּ֖ישׁ2×
- וּ/כְ/פַטִּ֖ישׁ1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 41:7
So the carpenter encourages the goldsmith. He who smooths with the hammer encourages him who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, “It is good;” and he fastens it with nails, that it might not totter.
This verse highlights the physical labor of idol makers, using the hammer to emphasize human effort in creating lifeless images.
-
Jeremiah 23:29
“Isn’t my word like fire?” says Yahweh; “and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
Here the hammer symbolizes God’s word breaking through spiritual hardness, showing divine power rather than human craft.
-
Jeremiah 50:23
How the hammer of the whole earth is cut apart and broken! How Babylon has become a desolation among the nations!
The 'hammer of the whole earth' refers to Babylon as an instrument of judgment, illustrating how God uses nations to accomplish His purposes.