Original Word: פֶרַח
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: perach
Pronunciation: peh'-rakh
Phonetic Spelling: (peh'-rakh)
KJV: blossom, bud, flower
NASB: flowers, flower, blossom, blossoms, bud, buds
Word Origin: [from H6524 (פָּרַח - To sprout)]

1. a calyx (natural or artificial)
2. (generally) bloom

blossom, bud, flower

From parach; a calyx (natural or artificial); generally, bloom -- blossom, bud, flower.

see HEBREW parach

Word Origin
from parach
Definition
a bud, sprout
NASB Translation
blossom (3), blossoms (1), bud (1), buds (1), flower (4), flowers (7).

מֶּ֫רַח noun masculine^{Nahum 1:4} bud, sprout; — absolute ׳פ Isaiah 18:5 +, מָּ֑רַךְ Exodus 25:33; Exodus 37:19; construct מֶּרַח Nahum 1:4 +; suffix מִּרְחָהּ Numbers 8:4, מִּרָחָם Isaiah 5:24; plural suffix מְּרֶחֶיהָ Exodus 25:31 +; — bud, Isaiah 5:24, of vine Isaiah 18:5 (both figurative), Numbers 17:23; לְבָנוֺן ׳פ Nahum 1:4 the sprout of Lebanon (i. e. of its cedars); of bud-shaped ornament in temple 1 Kings 7:26 (שׁוֺשָׁ֑ן ׳פ) 1 Kings 7:49 2Chronicles 4:5 (שׁוֺשַׁנָּה ׳פ) 2 Chronicles 4:21; in tabernacle Exodus 25:31,33 (twice in verse); Exodus 25:34; Exodus 37:17,19 (twice in verse); Exodus 37:20; Numbers 8:4.

Overview of Biblical Usage

The noun פֶּרַח appears seventeen times and consistently evokes the image of a blossom that is beautiful, delicate, and full of life. In cultic passages it is carefully fashioned into gold; in historical narrative it testifies to divine election; in prophetic oracles it illustrates both flourishing and withering. Each context enriches the biblical theology of life issued from God and the transience of life apart from Him.

Cultic and Symbolic Significance in Tabernacle and Temple

Exodus 25:31-34; 37:17-20 and Numbers 8:4 describe the menorah whose “cups [were] shaped like almond blossoms” (Exodus 25:33). The repeated detail of three blossoms on each branch—and four on the shaft—creates a sevenfold pattern of living growth fashioned in pure gold. The flowerwork signals that the light of God’s presence is life-giving, ever-renewing, and orderly.

Solomon’s temple continued the motif. The Bronze Sea’s brim was “like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom” (1 Kings 7:26; 2 Chronicles 4:5). Ten lampstands also bore “flowers” (1 Kings 7:49; 2 Chronicles 4:21). By replicating garden imagery in metal, the sanctuary proclaimed that fellowship with the LORD restores Edenic life.

Aaron’s Rod and Divine Authentication

Numbers 17:8 records the single narrative use: “Aaron’s staff…had sprouted, put forth buds, blossomed, and produced almonds.” פֶּרַח here marks the turning point in the rebellion narrative. A dead stick—wood long severed from its root—suddenly bears blossoms, confirming that true priesthood comes by God’s sovereign choice, not human ambition. The miracle foreshadows resurrection power later revealed fully in Christ (Hebrews 7).

Metaphorical Use in Prophetic Literature

Isaiah and Nahum transfer the term from crafted gold and miracle rod to the natural field to warn of judgment.
• Isaiah 5:24: “Their blossoms will blow away like dust,” portraying the swift ruin of those who reject the law of the LORD.
• Isaiah 18:5 speaks of cutting off shoots “before the blossom…becomes a ripening grape,” announcing the LORD’s timely intervention in world affairs.
• Nahum 1:4 laments that “the blossoms of Lebanon wither,” demonstrating that even the most fertile places cannot endure divine wrath.

The prophets thus invert the cultic symbolism: what should bloom instead withers when estranged from God.

Theological Themes

1. Life from Death. Whether a flowering staff or golden almond cups, every occurrence proclaims that God brings life where none could exist naturally.
2. Beauty in Worship. By embedding blossoms in the menorah and temple furnishings, Scripture ties aesthetic excellence to reverent worship.
3. Fragility of Human Glory. Prophetic uses remind the reader that earthly splendor fades swiftly under sin and judgment.
4. Eschatological Hope. The bud that survives (Isaiah 27:6, using a related imagery) points toward the Messianic age when the earth “will bud and blossom” under divine rule.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Sanctuary design and church art can legitimately incorporate symbols of new life, provided they direct attention to the light of Christ rather than mere ornamentation.
• Spiritual leadership, like Aaron’s rod, must rest on divine calling authenticated by evident spiritual vitality.
• Preaching on Isaiah 5 or Nahum 1 may use the blossom metaphor to call hearers from fleeting self-reliance to enduring covenant faithfulness.
• Pastoral care can highlight that apparent dead situations can “bud and blossom” when surrendered to God’s power (cf. Romans 6:4).

Related Concepts and Cross-References

Almond (שָׁקֵד) – Genesis 43:11; Jeremiah 1:11-12

Lily (שׁוּשָׁן) – Song of Songs 2:1-2; Hosea 14:5

Branch (צֶמַח) – Isaiah 4:2; Zechariah 6:12

Wither/Dry Up – Isaiah 40:7-8; Matthew 13:6

Taken together, the occurrences of פֶּרַח weave a unified witness: true flourishing is found only in the presence, purpose, and power of the LORD.

וְהַפֶּ֧רַח וָפֶרַח֒ וָפָ֑רַח וּפְרָחֶ֖יהָ וּפְרָחֶֽיהָ׃ וּפִרְחָ֖ם וּפֶ֥רַח והפרח ופרח ופרחיה ופרחיה׃ ופרחם פִּרְחָ֖הּ פֶ֙רַח֙ פֶּ֔רַח פֶּ֖רַח פֶּ֣רַח פרח פרחה ferach pe·raḥ p̄e·raḥ Perach peraḥ p̄eraḥ pir·ḥāh pirChah pirḥāh ū·p̄ə·rā·ḥe·hā ū·p̄e·raḥ ū·p̄ir·ḥām uFerach uferaCheiha ufirCham ūp̄eraḥ ūp̄ərāḥehā ūp̄irḥām vaFarach vafeRach vehapPerach wā·p̄ā·raḥ wā·p̄e·raḥ wāp̄āraḥ wāp̄eraḥ wə·hap·pe·raḥ wəhapperaḥInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts