Lexical Summary Parah: Parah Original Word: פָרָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Parah The same as parah; Parah, a place in Palestine -- Parah. see HEBREW parah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as par Definition a place in Benjamin NASB Translation Parah (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs II. מָּרָה proper name, of a location in Benjamin, ׳הַמּ Joshua 18:23, φαρα, A φρα. Topical Lexicon Location and Historical Setting Parah appears once in the Hebrew Scriptures, within the territorial survey of Benjamin in Joshua 18:23. Listed alongside Avvim and Ophrah, it belonged to the second allotment of land distributed after the conquest. The positioning of Parah in the roster of cities suggests it lay in the eastern hill country, not far from the Jordan Valley, forming part of the natural corridor that connected Jericho to the central highlands. Place within the Tribal Inheritance Benjamin’s inheritance was strategically nestled between Ephraim to the north and Judah to the south, guarding approach routes to Jerusalem. Parah participated in this responsibility. Its inclusion confirms that the promise made to Abraham—that his descendants would possess the land (Genesis 15:18-21)—was being fulfilled with precision. Each named town became a testimony to God’s meticulous covenant faithfulness, and Parah is one small yet concrete witness to that larger narrative. Geographic and Strategic Significance Though minor, Parah likely served as an agricultural settlement. The surrounding terrain is marked by wadis and limestone hills suited to viticulture and grain production. Benjamin’s territory was thin but fertile in pockets, and every cultivable parcel mattered. By anchoring farming communities like Parah in the eastern sector, Benjamin balanced the urban strength of Jerusalem and Gibeon with food-producing villages, ensuring economic stability and readiness for defense. Theological Themes 1. Faithfulness in the Details – Scripture’s careful catalog of towns reminds readers that God values the particular as well as the panoramic. “Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:45). Parah stands as a syllable in that fulfilled promise. Ministerial Applications • Value the seemingly small. Parah was no Jerusalem, yet it merited inscription in God’s Word. Congregations in obscure locations share the same dignity before God. Legacy in the Biblical Narrative After Joshua, Parah fades from the recorded story. Its silence, however, is not absence. Every subsequent event occurring in Benjamin—Saul’s kingship, Jonathan’s faith, the return from exile—unfolds on ground secured in Joshua 18. Parah thus contributes to the stage upon which redemption history progresses, culminating in Jesus of Nazareth, born in nearby Bethlehem of Judah yet ministering through regions first parceled out in Joshua’s day. Summary Parah, though mentioned only once, embodies the precision of God’s promises, the inclusiveness of His covenant people, and the sanctity of common labor. In its brief scriptural cameo, it invites believers to trust that no place or person faithful to God’s calling is ever forgotten. Forms and Transliterations וְהַפָּרָ֖ה והפרה vehappaRah wə·hap·pā·rāh wəhappārāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Joshua 18:23 HEB: וְהָעַוִּ֥ים וְהַפָּרָ֖ה וְעָפְרָֽה׃ NAS: and Avvim and Parah and Ophrah, KJV: And Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah, INT: and Avvim and Parah and Ophrah 1 Occurrence |
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