Pashat
/pəˈʃɑːt/noun
A variant transliteration of peshat, the plain or literal meaning of a biblical passage in Jewish interpretation.
Did you know?In the Jewish PaRDeS system of interpretation, peshat represents the surface meaning, alongside remez (“hint”), derash (“interpretation”), and sod (“secret”).
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*p-š-ṭ
“To spread out, extend, or strip off”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
פשט (pāšaṭ)
“To strip, spread out, or lay bare”
Rabbinic Hebrew
Hebrew
פְּשָׁט (peshat)
“The straightforward or contextual sense of a scriptural passage”
Medieval Jewish Exegesis
Hebrew
פשט
“The literal level of biblical interpretation, distinguished from allegorical or mystical readings”
Modern English
English
pashat
“A variant English transliteration of peshat, meaning the plain or literal sense”