פְּתָי (pe.tay)
pe.tay
breadth
A:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun peṯay denotes physical width or breadth. It appears only twice in the Old Testament, both within the Aramaic sections of Ezra and Daniel (Ezra 7:19; Daniel 4:30). In these contexts, it describes the measurements of structures, specifically the width of a gate or a building.
While the word is rare, its meaning is straightforward and concrete. It refers to the horizontal dimension from side to side, distinct from length or height. The sources confirm it functions as a standard term for spatial extent in administrative or architectural records.
This limited usage highlights how Aramaic, the language of international diplomacy in those books, employed precise terminology for imperial projects. The word anchors the reader in the tangible reality of the described spaces, emphasizing the scale and order of the buildings without theological abstraction.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word peṯay simply means breadth or width. It appears only twice in the Old Testament, both in the Aramaic sections of Ezra and Daniel. In these rare instances, it describes the physical measurements of important structures, such as the width of a gate or a building. This concrete usage anchors the reader in the tangible reality of the spaces described, emphasizing their scale and order without theological abstraction.
For your faith, this precision reminds us that God cares about the details of our world. The same God who inspired these measurements also knows the dimensions of your life. Whether you are facing a large challenge or a small detail, His attention is complete. You can trust that He sees the full picture, just as the builders saw the full width of the temple.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- width/ its2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- פְּתָיֵ֖/הּ2×
Key Verses
-
Ezra 6:3
In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king made a decree: Concerning God’s house at Jerusalem, let the house be built, the place where they offer sacrifices, and let its foundations be strongly laid, with its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits;
This verse uses peṯay to specify the width of the temple foundations, highlighting the precise planning required for God's house.
-
Daniel 3:1
Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
Here the word describes the width of Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image, contrasting human pride with divine sovereignty through exact measurements.