Original Word: פֶגֶר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: peger
Pronunciation: peh'-ger
Phonetic Spelling: (peh'gher)
KJV: carcase, corpse, dead body
NASB: corpses, dead bodies, remains, carcasses, corpse
Word Origin: [from H6296 (פָּגַר - exhausted)]

1. a carcass (as limp), whether of man or beast
2. (figuratively) an idolatrous image

carcass, corpse, dead body

From pagar; a carcase (as limp), whether of man or beast; figuratively, an idolatrous image -- carcase, corpse, dead body.

see HEBREW pagar

Word Origin
from pagar
Definition
corpse, carcass
NASB Translation
carcasses (1), corpse (1), corpses (12), dead bodies (3), dead* (2), remains (2).

מֶּ֫גֶר noun masculine^{Isaiah 14:19} corpse, carcass; — absolute ׳פ Isaiah 14:19 +, מָּ֑גֶר Nahum 3:3; construct מֶּגֶר 1 Samuel 17:46; plural מְּגָרִים 2 Kings 19:35 +; construct מִּגְרֵי Jeremiah 33:5; suffix מִּגְרֵיכֶם Leviticus 26:30 +, etc.; —

1 of men, singular Isaiah 14:19; usually plural Isaiah 34:3; Isaiah 66:24; Jeremiah 31:40; Jeremiah 33:5; Jeremiah 41:9; Ezekiel 6:5; Ezekiel 43:7,9; Leviticus 26:30; Numbers 14:29,32,33; 2Chronicles 20:34, — 2 Chronicles 20:25 read probably בְּגָדִים, so ᵐ5 (?), ᵑ9 Be Krochm Kau Kit; — מְּגָרִים מֵתִים 2 Kings 19:35 = Isaiah 37:36; singular collective 1 Samuel 17:46, רַבהַֿמֶּגֶר Amos 8:3, ׳כֹּבֶדפֿ Nahum 3:3; figurative of idols מִּגְרֵי גִּלּוּלֵיכֶם Leviticus 26:30.

2 of animals Genesis 15:11.

Overview

The word פֶגֶר (Strong’s 6297) designates a lifeless human or animal body. Throughout the Old Testament its appearance is consistently associated with death’s visible aftermath and functions as a sober reminder of the consequences of sin, the certainty of judgment, and the frailty of human life.

Distribution of Occurrences

The term appears twenty-two times, spanning the Pentateuch, Historical Books, Major Prophets, and Minor Prophets. Its usage clusters in:
• Covenant-curse passages (Leviticus 26; Numbers 14)
• Narratives of military deliverance (1 Samuel 17; 2 Kings 19; 2 Chronicles 20)
• Oracles against nations (Isaiah 34; Nahum 3)
• Restoration and temple visions (Jeremiah 31; Ezekiel 43)

Divine Judgment and Covenant Curses

Leviticus 26:30 warns that persistent idolatry will result in God “heap[ing] your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols”, blending images of covenant breach with the futility of false worship. In Numbers 14 the wilderness generation’s rebellion culminates in a triple repetition—“Your bodies will fall in this wilderness” (Numbers 14:29, 32, 33)—underscoring the irrevocability of that judgment. These passages set a theological pattern: when God’s people reject His voice, lifeless bodies testify to His faithfulness to covenant sanctions.

Divine Deliverance and Military Victory

Conversely, פֶגֶר declares the LORD’s supremacy over hostile forces. David prophesies to Goliath, “Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the air” (1 Samuel 17:46). During Hezekiah’s reign, the angel of the LORD strikes the Assyrian host so that “there were all the bodies—dead” (2 Kings 19:35; Isaiah 37:36). Judah’s army under Jehoshaphat finds Moabite, Ammonite, and Edomite soldiers “lying on the ground; no one had escaped” (2 Chronicles 20:24). In each narrative the sight of corpses confirms the LORD alone fights for His people.

Prophetic Imagery of Defilement

Prophets use פֶגֶר to expose spiritual pollution. Ezekiel twice records that Israel “defile[d] My holy name … by the corpses of their kings” (Ezekiel 43:7, 9), revealing that unburied royalty symbolized national uncleanness. Isaiah 14:19 derides Babylon’s fallen monarch as “like the corpses trampled underfoot”, while Amos 8:3 announces that in Israel’s future siege “Many will be the corpses, flung out in silence!”. The presence of unreverenced bodies visualizes moral decay.

Eschatological Warning and Hope

Isaiah closes with a panoramic scene: “As they go forth, they will see the corpses of the men who have rebelled against Me … their fire will never be quenched” (Isaiah 66:24). Corpses become an everlasting signpost of divine justice. Yet Jeremiah 31:40 forecasts a redemptive reversal: “The whole valley—the dead bodies and ashes … will be holy to the LORD”. Even ground once polluted by death will be consecrated, foreshadowing final restoration.

Human Mortality and Resurrection Theology

While פֶגֶר emphasizes mortality, it also creates longing for the triumph over death promised later in Scripture. Believers reading these texts look beyond the slain bodies to the revelation of the “resurrection of the dead” affirmed in passages such as Daniel 12:2 and ultimately fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15). Thus every occurrence can be preached as a contrast between Adam’s curse and Christ’s victory.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Preaching repentance: Corpses left unburied in judgement scenes offer vivid sermonic material underscoring the wages of sin.
2. Consoling mourners: Numbers 14’s emphasis on divine purpose within mortality allows pastors to speak honestly about death while directing hearts to hope.
3. Encouraging holiness: Ezekiel’s linkage of unremoved corpses with defilement challenges congregations to “cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
4. Mission and eschatology: Isaiah 66:24 motivates evangelism, reminding Christians of the eternal stakes confronting every soul.

Christological Reflection

In the Gospels the sinless Messiah voluntarily enters the realm symbolized by פֶגֶר. His body lay lifeless in Joseph’s tomb, yet unlike the corpses of judgment, it did not see corruption (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:31). By rising, He transforms the symbol: from a testimony of defeat into a pledge of immortality for those who trust in Him.

Summary

פֶגֶר stands as a stark biblical emblem of death’s reality and God’s uncompromising holiness. Whether portraying covenant curses, battlefield triumphs, prophetic warnings, or the anticipation of resurrection, the term consistently drives readers to revere the LORD, to repent of sin, and to cling to the life that He alone provides in Christ.

בְּפִגְרֵי֙ בפגרי הַפְּגָרִ֑ים הַפְּגָרִ֣ים ׀ הַפֶּ֔גֶר הפגר הפגרים וּבְפִגְרֵ֥י וּפְגָרִים֙ וּפִגְרֵ֥י וּפִגְרֵיהֶ֖ם וּפִגְרֵיכֶ֖ם ובפגרי ופגרי ופגריהם ופגריכם ופגרים כְּפֶ֥גֶר כפגר פְּגָרִ֛ים פְּגָרִ֥ים פִּגְרֵ֖י פִּגְרֵ֣י פִּגְרֵי֙ פִּגְרֵיכֶ֔ם פִּגְרֵיכֶ֖ם פִגְרֵיכֶ֜ם פֶּ֣גֶר פָּ֑גֶר פגר פגרי פגריכם פגרים bə·p̄iḡ·rê befigRei bəp̄iḡrê figreiChem hap·pə·ḡā·rîm hap·pe·ḡer happegaRim happəḡārîm hapPeger happeḡer kə·p̄e·ḡer keFeger kəp̄eḡer pā·ḡer Pager pāḡer pə·ḡā·rîm pe·ḡer pegaRim pəḡārîm Peger peḡer piḡ·rê piḡ·rê·ḵem p̄iḡ·rê·ḵem piḡrê pigRei pigreiChem piḡrêḵem p̄iḡrêḵem ū·ḇə·p̄iḡ·rê ū·p̄ə·ḡā·rîm ū·p̄iḡ·rê ū·p̄iḡ·rê·hem ū·p̄iḡ·rê·ḵem ūḇəp̄iḡrê ufegaRim ufigRei ufigreiChem ufigreiHem ūp̄əḡārîm ūp̄iḡrê ūp̄iḡrêhem ūp̄iḡrêḵem uvefigReiInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts