Hebrew word · H6567

פָּרַשׁ

forash

to declare

To separate, make distinct, and from that, to make clear, specify, declare precisely. Related forms are used of reading or explaining distinctly. Nehemiah 8:8 has meforash, read 'clearly' or 'with interpretation'. Esther 4:7 and 10:2 use a related noun for an exact account.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to make distinct, declare, distinguish, separate

1a) (Qal) to declare, clarify

1b) (Pual) to be distinctly declared

Aramaic equivalent: pe.rash (פְּרַשׁ "to make clear" H6568)

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 Numbers 15:34

Range of meaning

To separate, make distinct, and from that, to make clear, specify, declare precisely. Related forms are used of reading or explaining distinctly. Nehemiah 8:8 has meforash, read 'clearly' or 'with interpretation'. Esther 4:7 and 10:2 use a related noun for an exact account. In Leviticus 24:12 the active form means 'to declare (a ruling) to them'.

Against the English

'Declared' (KJV, BSB, WEB) is accurate but a little flat. The word is about precision: something spelled out distinctly. YLT's 'explained' and renderings like 'made clear' or 'specified' catch the idea that the law existed in general terms but lacked a clear ruling for this case.

Used elsewhere in the period

Leviticus 24:12 is the close parallel, about the blasphemer held 'in custody, until the will of the LORD should be declared (lifrosh) to them'. Later Aramaic and rabbinic Hebrew use the root for explicit, specified statements. A meforash is something stated outright, as opposed to inferred.

Where it appears

Leviticus · 1

  1. Leviticus 24:12 לִפְרֹ֥שׁ to decide

    They placed him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 15:34 פֹרַ֔שׁ it had been decided

    and because it had not been declared what should be done to him, they placed him in custody.

    Here: A passive form: 'it had not been spelled out, made distinct'. The basic idea is separating something out clearly. No specific ruling for this case had yet been given. The passive leaves unsaid who would give it, but v. 35 shows the answer had to come from the LORD.

Nehemiah · 1

  1. Nehemiah 8:8 מְפֹרָ֑שׁ making clear

    So they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining it and giving insight, so that the people could understand what was being read.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 23:32 יַפְרִֽשׁ׃ it will sting

    In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper.

Ezekiel · 1

  1. Ezekiel 34:12 נִפְרָשׁ֔וֹת separated

    As a shepherd looks for his scattered sheep when he is among the flock, so I will look for My flock. I will rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.

    Here: A passive participle (a verb used like an adjective): 'ones that have been separated.' It describes the sheep as split off and spread apart. It sits awkwardly in the sentence, which is why translations differ.

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