רָתַע (cmp. רָתַת) to tremble, shake.
Nif. - נִרְתַּע to be startled; נ׳ לאחוריו to be startled and move backward, to start back. Par. III, 3. Y. R. Hash. II, beg. 57ᵈ ונִרְתַּעְתִּי לאחוריי I started back (was astonished); (Tosef. ib. I, 15 נבעתתי ונפלתי); Bab. R. Hash. 22ᵇ ונרתעתי ונפלתי (Ms. M. 2 והתרעתי, read: והִרְתַּעְתִּי Hif.); a. fr.
Hif. - הִרְתִּיעַ 1) same. Y. Ber. III, 6ᵈ bot. וה׳ מלפניו כמַרְתִּיעַ וכ׳ and he shrank back from it, as one shrinks from a serpent. Num. R. s. 123 שלשה … וה׳ לאחוריו three things did Moses hear by which he was startled (puzzled); a. e. —2) (cmp. רָתַח) to be excited; (of a serpent) to hiss. Gen. R. s. 10 ראה נחש מַרְתִּיעַ ובא saw a serpent coming on in excitement; Lev. R. s. 22. Y. Ber. V, 9ᵃ bot. אבל היה מרתיע ובא כנגדו but if the serpent comes against him in excitement, opp. כרוך; a. e. —3) to frighten away. Sabb. 55ᵇ (play on פ̇ח̇ז̇, Gen. XLIX, 4) ז̇עזעתה הִירְ֗תַּעְתָּהּ פ̇רח̇ה וכ׳ thou didst scare her, thou didst frighten her away, and sin flew from thee.