6519. perazah
Lexical Summary
perazah: Unwalled village, open country

Original Word: פְרָזָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: prazah
Pronunciation: peh-rah-ZAH
Phonetic Spelling: (per-aw-zaw')
KJV: (unwalled) town (without walls), unwalled village
NASB: rural, unwalled villages, without walls
Word Origin: [from the same as H6518 (פָּרָז - throngs)]

1. an open country

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
unwalled town, without walls, unwalled village

From the same as paraz; an open country -- (unwalled) town (without walls), unwalled village.

see HEBREW paraz

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
an open region, hamlet
NASB Translation
rural (1), unwalled villages (1), without walls (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[מְּרָזָה] noun feminine open region, hamlet; — only plural ׃מְּרָזוֺת ׳אֶרֶץ פ Ezekiel 38:11 a land of hamlets (opposed to חוֺמָה etc.); תֵּשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלַם ׳פ Zechariah 2:8 as open regions shall Jerusalem sit (יָשַׁב 4); ׳עָרֵי הַמּ Esther 9:19 (opposed to שׁוּשָׁן Esther 9:18); perhaps Judges 5:7 (׳פ for מְּרָזוֺן, compare ᵑ6 ᵑ7 GFM).

Topical Lexicon
Concept in Ancient Israelite Context

פְרָזָה depicts life in unwalled villages or open country—communities without the protection of fortifications or city gates. Such locales depended on covenant faithfulness and neighborly solidarity rather than stone walls. The term therefore evokes images of agrarian simplicity, voluntary trust in God’s guardianship, and social interdependence.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Esther 9: 19 portrays the rural Jews who “lived in the villages of the open country” celebrating Purim on the fourteenth day of Adar. Their separate observance underscores how God’s deliverance reached even the least defended among His people.
2. Ezekiel 38: 11 anticipates Gog’s boastful assault “against a land of unwalled villages,” a prophetic picture of Israel restored to such security that walls seem unnecessary—yet still targeted by evil.
3. Zechariah 2: 4 envisions Jerusalem inhabited “as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock,” followed by God’s promise: “I will be a wall of fire around it” (Zechariah 2: 5). Physical defenses are exchanged for divine presence.

Historical Significance

In Iron Age Palestine, most fortified cities were royal, administrative, or military centers, while the majority of Israelites actually lived in open hamlets. Scripture’s use of פְרָזָה therefore captures the lived reality of ordinary families whose economic life—herding, viticulture, and grain farming—made high walls impractical. Their vulnerability sharpened awareness of YHWH as true protector (Psalm 121: 4-8).

Prophetic and Eschatological Implications

Both Ezekiel and Zechariah employ פְרָזָה eschatologically. Ezekiel warns that arrogant security apart from God invites invasion, whereas Zechariah assures that genuine peace arrives when God Himself surrounds His people. Together they supply a balanced theology: human vulnerability is either exploited by foes or answered by divine glory.

Ministry Application

1. Pastoral care: Congregations that feel “unwalled” because of cultural pressure or limited resources can take heart that God specializes in guarding unfenced flocks (John 10: 27-29).
2. Mission strategy: Rural and underserved communities, the modern counterparts of פְרָזָה, require intentional outreach so that deliverance accounts like Purim reach every village.
3. Discipleship: Believers are trained to trade human fortifications—self-reliance, wealth, social status—for the fire-wall of God’s indwelling Spirit (Ephesians 6: 10-17).

Theological Reflections on Security and Vulnerability

פְרָזָה confronts the perennial tension between building walls and trusting God. Scripture never romanticizes naivety; instead, it calls God’s people to a vulnerability submitted to divine oversight. Kingdom citizens live openly, ready to receive outsiders (Hebrews 13: 2) while resting in the promise, “The LORD is your keeper” (Psalm 121: 5).

Christological Focus

Jesus embodies Zechariah’s vision: He dwelt among us without earthly defenses, yet could say, “No one takes My life from Me” (John 10: 18). His cross, an apparent breach in the wall, became the gateway to resurrection security. In Him the Church becomes an unwalled yet impregnable community, guarded “by God’s power through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed” (1 Peter 1: 5).

Forms and Transliterations
הַפְּרָזוֹת֒ הפרזות פְּרָז֔וֹת פְּרָזוֹת֙ פרזות hap·pə·rā·zō·wṯ happerazOt happərāzōwṯ pə·rā·zō·wṯ peraZot pərāzōwṯ
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Esther 9:19
HEB: הַיֹּשְׁבִים֮ בְּעָרֵ֣י הַפְּרָזוֹת֒ עֹשִׂ֗ים אֵ֠ת
NAS: who live in the rural towns,
KJV: that dwelt in the unwalled towns,
INT: live towns the rural make day

Ezekiel 38:11
HEB: עַל־ אֶ֣רֶץ פְּרָז֔וֹת אָבוֹא֙ הַשֹּׁ֣קְטִ֔ים
NAS: the land of unwalled villages. I will go
KJV: to the land of unwalled villages; I will go
INT: against the land of unwalled will go rest

Zechariah 2:4
HEB: הַלָּ֖ז לֵאמֹ֑ר פְּרָזוֹת֙ תֵּשֵׁ֣ב יְרוּשָׁלִַ֔ם
NAS: will be inhabited without walls because
KJV: shall be inhabited [as] towns without walls for the multitude
INT: to this saying without will be inhabited Jerusalem

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6519
3 Occurrences


hap·pə·rā·zō·wṯ — 1 Occ.
pə·rā·zō·wṯ — 2 Occ.

6518
Top of Page
Top of Page