Hebrew word · H6289

פָּארוּר

farur

pale

Uncertain. (1) From pā'ar, 'to be beautiful, to glorify' (cf. pᵉ'ēr, 'headdress'; tif'eret, 'beauty'): a 'glow, flush, healthy color.' (2) Read as pārûr, 'cooking pot' (Numbers 11:8; Judges 6:19; 1 Samuel 2:14): blackness like soot on a pot. Only here and in Joel 2:6, in an identical phrase.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) glow, heat

1a) meaning uncertain

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Nahum 2:10

Range of meaning

Uncertain. (1) From pā'ar, 'to be beautiful, to glorify' (cf. pᵉ'ēr, 'headdress'; tif'eret, 'beauty'): a 'glow, flush, healthy color.' (2) Read as pārûr, 'cooking pot' (Numbers 11:8; Judges 6:19; 1 Samuel 2:14): blackness like soot on a pot. Only here and in Joel 2:6, in an identical phrase.

Against the English

KJV 'gather blackness' follows the old 'pot' interpretation. YLT 'gathered paleness,' BSB/NIV/WEB/ESV 'grow pale' follow the 'glow' interpretation, understanding 'gather in their glow' as 'withdraw their color.'

Used elsewhere in the period

Septuagint (Nahum 2:11 Greek; Joel 2:6): 'like the scorching of a pot.' Vulgate (Nahum): 'like the blackness of a pot.' Medieval Jewish commentators also discussed the 'pot' sense. Modern lexicons (BDB, HALOT) prefer 'glow.' The phrase with qibbēṣ ('gather') can mean the faces 'withdraw' their glow. Compare Joel 2:10, where the stars 'withdraw' (with a different verb, 'āsap) their brightness.

From the study of Joel 2:6

Range of meaning

Occurs only twice: Joel 2:6 and Nahum 2:10 (Heb 2:11), both times in the phrase "all faces gathered pāʾrûr." Most lexicons (BDB, HALOT) connect it to the root pʾr, "to glow" or "be beautiful" (as in pəʾēr, "headdress," and tipʾeret, "beauty, glory"). On that view it means the glow or ruddy color of the face. An older line of reading ties it to pārûr, "cooking pot" (Num 11:8; Judg 6:19; 1 Sam 2:14), and so to the soot-blackening of a pot.

Against the English

KJV "gather blackness" follows the pot tradition. BSB, WEB, NIV, ESV, NASB, NLT all read "pale." YLT "gathered paleness." The supplied interlinear glosses it "a glow."

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint renders Joel 2:6 "every face like the scorching of a pot" (hōs proskauma chytras). Jerome's Latin Vulgate has "all faces shall be turned into a pot" (redigentur in ollam). The Aramaic Targum and medieval Jewish commentators such as Rashi are usually reported as reading "blackness like a pot." Modern lexicons prefer the "glow" root. Compare Jer 30:6: "every face turned to paleness" (yērāqôn, a sickly yellow-green).

Where it appears

Joel · 1

  1. Joel 2:6 פָארֽוּר׃ a glow

    Nations writhe in horror before them; every face turns pale.

    Here: A rare word, found only here and in Nahum 2:10 (2:11 in Hebrew), in the same phrase. It most likely means the healthy glow or color of a face. Drawing it in means the face goes ashen. Ancient translators linked it to a similar word for "pot" and read "blackness like a pot."

Nahum · 1

  1. Nahum 2:10 פָארֽוּר׃ a glow

    She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and laid waste! Hearts melt, knees knock, bodies tremble, and every face grows pale!

    Here: A rare word found only here and in the identical phrase in Joel 2:6. Most modern scholars link it to a root meaning 'beauty, glow,' so the faces lose their healthy color. Ancient translators read it as 'pot,' meaning faces blackened like a sooty cooking pot. That reading lies behind the KJV's 'blackness.'

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.