6624. Pathros

Lexical Summary

Pathros: Pathros

Original Word: פַתְרוֹס
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Pathrowc
Pronunciation: path-ROS
Phonetic Spelling: (path-roce')
KJV: Pathros
NASB: Pathros
Word Origin: [of Egyptian derivation]

1. Pathros, a part of Egypt

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Pathros

Of Egyptian derivation; Pathros, a part of Egypt -- Pathros.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
of foreign origin
Definition
a designation of Upper Eg.
NASB Translation
Pathros (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

מַּתְרוֺס proper name, of a territory = Upper Egypt, Παθουρης, φαθουρης etc. (Egyptian p(§)-t§res, south land) in Assyrian Paturisi, Erman^{ZAW x (1890), 118 f.} Steind^{BAS i.344} WMM^{Hastings DB}; also (on Assyrian) Schr^{KGF 283 f.} Dl^{Pa 310}); — always in connection with מִצְרַיִם, etc.: Isaiah 11:11; Jeremiah 44:15; Ezekiel 30:14, ׳אֶרֶץ פJeremiah 44:1; Ezekiel 29:14; מִמַּתְרֹס properly also Psalm 68:31 (for מִתְרַמֵּס) Ne^{JBL x (1891), 152} (plausibly), compare Che^{ib. xi. (1892), 125} Kau^{Psalms critical note}..

Topical Lexicon

Geographical Setting

Pathros is the biblical name for Upper Egypt, the narrow Nile valley stretching from just south of Memphis to Syene (modern Aswan). It includes Thebes (No Amon), Karnak, and the surrounding Thebaid, a region famed for powerful temples to Amun-Ra and other deities. Scripture regularly contrasts Pathros with the delta cities of Lower Egypt, highlighting Egypt’s north–south divide.

Biblical Occurrences

• Isaiah 11:11 – “On that day the LORD will again extend His hand to recover a remnant of His people… from Egypt, from Pathros, Cush…”
• Jeremiah 44:1 – Word to “all the Jews living in… Memphis, and in the land of Pathros.”
• Jeremiah 44:15 – A “great multitude… living in Pathros” answers the prophet.
• Ezekiel 29:14 – Egypt will be returned “to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin,” yet as a lowly kingdom.
• Ezekiel 30:14 – “I will lay waste Pathros, set Zoan on fire, and execute judgment on Thebes.”

Historical Background

Egyptian records call the district Pa-ta-resy, “the southern land.” Genesis 10:14 and 1 Chronicles 1:12 trace the Pathrusim to Mizraim, affirming a continuous ethnic identity. Between the eighth and sixth centuries B.C., Pathros passed through Kushite, Assyrian, and Saite hands, creating unrest that drew Judean refugees southward after Jerusalem’s fall (Jeremiah 42–44). Fifth-century papyri from Elephantine describe Jewish soldiers self-identified as “men of Pathros,” confirming a vibrant diaspora community in the region.

Theological Themes

1. Sovereign Redemption – Isaiah 11:11 places Pathros in God’s worldwide plan to reclaim His people. Their location in remote Upper Egypt cannot hinder divine rescue.
2. Exile and Apostasy – Jeremiah shows Judeans in Pathros repeating the idolatry that triggered their exile, proving that relocation cannot cure rebellion.
3. Judgment and Humbling – Ezekiel foretells Pathros’s devastation and its diminished future, underscoring God’s authority over the nations.
4. Eschatological Hope – Mention of Pathros links the Table of Nations to the future Messianic kingdom, reinforcing Scripture’s unbroken redemptive narrative.

Prophetic Significance

Isaiah’s promise of regathering anticipates a final ingathering when the Messiah reigns in righteousness and peace. Ezekiel’s oracle that Egypt will be restored yet humbled foreshadows the submission of all kingdoms to God’s ultimate rule. Together the prophecies affirm that no land, however ancient or powerful, can escape the Lord’s purposes of judgment and mercy.

Application for Ministry

• Missions – Pathros exemplifies Christ’s call to reach every culture, however historically entrenched in idolatry.
• Spiritual Vigilance – The failures of the Jewish colony warn believers against substituting security and tradition for wholehearted obedience.
• Confidence in Prophecy – The precise fulfillment of Pathros-oriented prophecies strengthens trust that God’s remaining promises will likewise come to pass.

Related Terms and Concepts

Mizraim (Egypt); Cush (Nubia/Sudan); No Amon (Thebes within Pathros); Pathrusim (descendants of Pathros); Elephantine (Jewish garrison in Upper Egypt).

Pathros, though mentioned only briefly, weaves through Scripture as a testimony to God’s global sovereignty: a place of exile, of judgment, and ultimately of hope as the nations await the day when “the LORD will be king over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:9).

Forms and Transliterations

בְּפַתְר֥וֹס בפתרוס וּמִפַּתְר֣וֹס ומפתרוס פַּתְר֔וֹס פַּתְר֖וֹס פתרוס bə·p̄aṯ·rō·ws befatRos bəp̄aṯrōws paṯ·rō·ws patRos paṯrōws ū·mip·paṯ·rō·ws umippatRos ūmippaṯrōws

Englishman's Concordance

Isaiah 11:11
HEB: מֵאַשּׁ֨וּר וּמִמִּצְרַ֜יִם וּמִפַּתְר֣וֹס וּמִכּ֗וּשׁ וּמֵעֵילָ֤ם
NAS: Egypt, Pathros, Cush,
KJV: and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush,
INT: Assyria Egypt Pathros Cush Elam

Jeremiah 44:1
HEB: וּבְנֹ֔ף וּבְאֶ֥רֶץ פַּתְר֖וֹס לֵאמֹֽר׃ ס
NAS: and the land of Pathros, saying,
KJV: and in the country of Pathros, saying,
INT: Memphis and the land of Pathros saying

Jeremiah 44:15
HEB: בְּאֶֽרֶץ־ מִצְרַ֖יִם בְּפַתְר֥וֹס לֵאמֹֽר׃
NAS: who were living in Pathros in the land
KJV: of Egypt, in Pathros, answered
INT: the land of Egypt Pathros saying

Ezekiel 29:14
HEB: אֹתָם֙ אֶ֣רֶץ פַּתְר֔וֹס עַל־ אֶ֖רֶץ
NAS: to the land of Pathros, to the land
KJV: [into] the land of Pathros, into the land
INT: and make to the land of Pathros unto the land

Ezekiel 30:14
HEB: וַהֲשִׁמֹּתִי֙ אֶת־ פַּתְר֔וֹס וְנָתַ֥תִּי אֵ֖שׁ
NAS: I will make Pathros desolate, Set
KJV: And I will make Pathros desolate,
INT: will make Pathros Set A fire

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6624
5 Occurrences

bə·p̄aṯ·rō·ws — 1 Occ.
paṯ·rō·ws — 3 Occ.
ū·mip·paṯ·rō·ws — 1 Occ.