Ephphatha (Hastings' Dictionary)

The word spoken by onr Lord (ace. to St. Mark, 7''*) to a deaf and dumb man brought to Him on His return through Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. It is the Ithpeel (or Ethpa'al) imperat. of an Aram, verb meaning ' to open ' — the n of the prefix being assimilated to the foil. consonant ; but as respects philological details the specialists are not agreed (see Dalman, Gram, des j'iidisch- paldst. Aratmiisch, p. 222 n.) The evangelist in- terprets it in Greek by the 2 pers. sing. 1 aor.

pass, impv. ' Be (thou) opened.' Tlie word was used in the Western rites of baptism (cf. Ambr. de Myst. 3). J. H. Thayer.