פָּתַת (pa.tat)
pa.tat
to break
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb pataṯ means to break something into small pieces or to crumble it. It appears only once in the Old Testament, in Leviticus 2:6, where it describes a specific step in preparing grain offerings for the altar.
In this context, the word instructs the worshiper to break apart flat loaves of bread made from fine flour and oil. The action transforms a single baked item into smaller fragments, making the offering manageable and ready for burning. This physical breaking mirrors the careful preparation required in Israelite worship, where even simple foodstuffs had to be handled with precision.
Because pataṯ is so rare, its meaning is tightly bound to this ritual setting. It does not describe violent destruction but a deliberate, controlled separation of parts. Translators typically render it as "break" or "crumble," capturing the sense of reducing a solid form into smaller, distinct pieces without losing the integrity of the material.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
In Leviticus 2:6, the word pataṯ describes breaking flat bread into small pieces for a grain offering. This was not an act of destruction, but one of careful preparation. The worshiper took something whole and made it ready to be used in worship by dividing it into manageable parts.
For your faith, this offers a quiet picture of how God works with our lives. He does not always need us to remain as we are. Sometimes, He breaks us down—not to destroy, but to make us useful for His purposes. Just as the bread had to be broken before it could be offered, we may find that our own strengths and wholeness are reshaped so they can serve Him better.
This gentle breaking invites trust. It reminds us that God’s work in us is precise and purposeful. He handles our lives with care, knowing exactly how to prepare us for the role He has set before us.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- you will crumble1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- פָּת֤וֹת1×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 2:6
You shall cut it in pieces, and pour oil on it. It is a meal offering.
This verse uses pataṯ to describe the specific ritual act of breaking grain offering bread into pieces, showing that the word refers to a controlled, preparatory action rather than violent destruction.