suddenly

פֶּן־ יִפְתֶּה לְבַבְכֶם (Devarim 11:16), lest your heart lean aside, and וַיִּפְתְּ בַּסֵּתֶר לִבִּי (Iyov 31:27), and my heart leaned aside in secret: the sense is the heart inclining toward another, not by the way of truth and reason. So too וּלְפֹתֶה שְׂפָתָיו לֹא תִתְעָרָֽב (Mishlei 20:19), do not mix with one who leans toward you with his lips, that is, the man who speaks smooth things to you while his heart is not right with you. וּפֹתֶה תָּמִית קִנְאָֽה (Iyov 5:2): the one who leans toward every thing he sees and desires it, envy will kill him, for he envies every desirable thing he sees another have.

The fool is called פתי because he leans toward every thing, as פֶּתִי יַֽאֲמִין לְכָל־דָּבָר (Mishlei 14:15), a fool believes every word. So כְּיוֹנָה פוֹתָה אֵין לֵב (Hoshea 7:11), like a dove that leans aside, without heart: as the dove leans toward the food and has no heart to understand that the net is spread to take her as she leans to it, so Ephraim leaned where his desire drew him, to Egypt and Ashur to seek help, with no heart to know that the Maker of all will trip them up as they go to seek help from any but Him. So the next pasuk says, כאשר יֵלֵכוּ אֶפְרוֹשׂ עֲלֵיהֶם רִשְׁתִּי (Hoshea 7:12), when they go, I will spread My net over them.

From this same sense and root comes the word פתאום, the alef standing in place of the hei at the end of the root: וּפִתְאֹם יָבוֹא אֶל־הֵֽיכָלוֹ (Malachi 3:1), and suddenly he will come to his Heichal, and עַל־כֵּן פִּתְאֹם יָבוֹא אֵידוֹ (Mishlei 6:15), therefore his ruin will come suddenly. The sense is speed and suddenness, a thing a man does not feel until it is upon him, since the פתי does what he does in haste, as וַֽעֲצַת נִפְתָּלִים נִמְהָֽרָה (Iyov 5:13), the counsel of the twisted is hasty.

To press the suddenness further the word is doubled with פתע, an instant: בְּפֶתַע פִּתְאֹם (Bamidbar 6:9), in an instant, all at once, and אֲשֶׁר־ פִּתְאֹם לְפֶתַע (Yeshayahu 30:13), which comes suddenly, in a moment.

In the heavy form it is enticing another: פִּתִּיתַנִי י"י (Yirmiyahu 20:7), You enticed me, Hashem; פִּתֵּיתִי אֵת הַנָּבִיא הַהוּא (Yechezkel 14:9), I enticed that prophet; מִי יְפַתֶּה אֶת־אַחְאָב (Melachim I 22:20), who will entice Achav; and הִנֵּה אָֽנֹכִי מְפַתֶּיהָ (Hoshea 2:16), behold, I will entice her.

Another sense is יַפְתְּ אֱלֹהִים לְיֶפֶת (Bereishis 9:27), Hashem will make wide for Yefes; and the Targum renders כִּֽי־יַרְחִיב (Devarim 12:20), when He widens, as אֲרֵי יַפְתֵּי, using this root. Some explain וּלְפֹתֶה שְׂפָתָיו (Mishlei 20:19) in this sense, that is: do not join with the man who opens his mouth wide to speak empty words and insults and revilings of people. Or it is read with what the pasuk says before it, גּֽוֹלֶה־סּוֹד הוֹלֵךְ רָכִיל, a talebearer reveals secrets, so that the one who opens his lips wide is the man who uncovers a secret: do not mix with him.

His brother Rabbi Moshe takes וַֽהֲפִתִּיתָ בִּשְׂפָתֶֽיךָ (Mishlei 24:28) from here, the hei standing for אם, if, as though it said, and if you have enticed with your lips. On this reading the pasuk runs so: אַל־תְּהִי עֵֽד־חִנָּם בְּרֵעֶךָ, do not be a witness against your fellow without cause, and even though you enticed with your lips the one against him and he bore false witness for you, do not bear false witness for him on that account. That is what it says after it, אל תאמר כאשר עשה לי כן אעשה לו, do not say, as he did to me so I will do to him.

פֶּן־ יִפְתֶּה לְבַבְכֶם (Devarim 11:16), lest your heart lean aside, and וַיִּפְתְּ בַּסֵּתֶר לִבִּי (Iyov 31:27), and my heart leaned aside in secret: the sense is the heart inclining toward another, not by the way of truth and reason. So too וּלְפֹתֶה שְׂפָתָיו לֹא תִתְעָרָֽב (Mishlei 20:19), do not mix with one who leans toward you with his lips, that is, the man who speaks smooth things to you while his heart is not right with you. וּפֹתֶה תָּמִית קִנְאָֽה (Iyov 5:2): the one who leans toward every thing he sees and desires it, envy will kill him, for he envies every desirable thing he sees another have.

The fool is called פתי because he leans toward every thing, as פֶּתִי יַֽאֲמִין לְכָל־דָּבָר (Mishlei 14:15), a fool believes every word. So כְּיוֹנָה פוֹתָה אֵין לֵב (Hoshea 7:11), like a dove that leans aside, without heart: as the dove leans toward the food and has no heart to understand that the net is spread to take her as she leans to it, so Ephraim leaned where his desire drew him, to Egypt and Ashur to seek help, with no heart to know that the Maker of all will trip them up as they go to seek help from any but Him. So the next pasuk says, כאשר יֵלֵכוּ אֶפְרוֹשׂ עֲלֵיהֶם רִשְׁתִּי (Hoshea 7:12), when they go, I will spread My net over them.

From this same sense and root comes the word פתאום, the alef standing in place of the hei at the end of the root: וּפִתְאֹם יָבוֹא אֶל־הֵֽיכָלוֹ (Malachi 3:1), and suddenly he will come to his Heichal, and עַל־כֵּן פִּתְאֹם יָבוֹא אֵידוֹ (Mishlei 6:15), therefore his ruin will come suddenly. The sense is speed and suddenness, a thing a man does not feel until it is upon him, since the פתי does what he does in haste, as וַֽעֲצַת נִפְתָּלִים נִמְהָֽרָה (Iyov 5:13), the counsel of the twisted is hasty.

To press the suddenness further the word is doubled with פתע, an instant: בְּפֶתַע פִּתְאֹם (Bamidbar 6:9), in an instant, all at once, and אֲשֶׁר־ פִּתְאֹם לְפֶתַע (Yeshayahu 30:13), which comes suddenly, in a moment.

In the heavy form it is enticing another: פִּתִּיתַנִי י"י (Yirmiyahu 20:7), You enticed me, Hashem; פִּתֵּיתִי אֵת הַנָּבִיא הַהוּא (Yechezkel 14:9), I enticed that prophet; מִי יְפַתֶּה אֶת־אַחְאָב (Melachim I 22:20), who will entice Achav; and הִנֵּה אָֽנֹכִי מְפַתֶּיהָ (Hoshea 2:16), behold, I will entice her.

Another sense is יַפְתְּ אֱלֹהִים לְיֶפֶת (Bereishis 9:27), Hashem will make wide for Yefes; and the Targum renders כִּֽי־יַרְחִיב (Devarim 12:20), when He widens, as אֲרֵי יַפְתֵּי, using this root. Some explain וּלְפֹתֶה שְׂפָתָיו (Mishlei 20:19) in this sense, that is: do not join with the man who opens his mouth wide to speak empty words and insults and revilings of people. Or it is read with what the pasuk says before it, גּֽוֹלֶה־סּוֹד הוֹלֵךְ רָכִיל, a talebearer reveals secrets, so that the one who opens his lips wide is the man who uncovers a secret: do not mix with him.

His brother Rabbi Moshe takes וַֽהֲפִתִּיתָ בִּשְׂפָתֶֽיךָ (Mishlei 24:28) from here, the hei standing for אם, if, as though it said, and if you have enticed with your lips. On this reading the pasuk runs so: אַל־תְּהִי עֵֽד־חִנָּם בְּרֵעֶךָ, do not be a witness against your fellow without cause, and even though you enticed with your lips the one against him and he bore false witness for you, do not bear false witness for him on that account. That is what it says after it, אל תאמר כאשר עשה לי כן אעשה לו, do not say, as he did to me so I will do to him.

פֶּתַע יִשָּׁבֵר (Mishlei 6:15), suddenly he will be broken, the pei pointed with a segol; בְּפֶתַע פִּתְאֹם (Bamidbar 6:9), in sudden suddenness; וְאִם־בְּפֶתַע בְּלֹא־אֵיבָה (Bamidbar 35:22), and if suddenly, without enmity. His gloss is: suddenly, without intent.