Lexical Summary pereq: Joint, part, division Original Word: פֶרֶק Strong's Exhaustive Concordance crossway, robbery From paraq; rapine; also a fork (in roads) -- crossway, robbery. see HEBREW paraq NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom paraq Definition parting of ways, plunder NASB Translation fork of the road (1), pillage (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מֶּ֫רֶק noun [masculine] 1 parting of ways, Obadiah 14.. 2 plunder (as snatched away), Nahum 3:1. Topical Lexicon Etymology and Semantic Range While the term derives from a verbal root that speaks of tearing loose or separating, its two inspired occurrences nuance that core idea in distinct directions—first as a literal “fork” or “crossroads” where paths part, and second as prey or “plunder” forcibly torn away from its owner. Usage in Scripture 1. Obadiah 1:14 “Do not stand at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives; do not betray their survivors in the day of distress.” Here פֶרֶק marks the strategic junction where Edom lay in wait. The physical fork of the road becomes a moral fault line: Edom could have offered refuge to Judah’s refugees, yet chose violence and betrayal. The location thus symbolizes culpable opportunism—complicity with unrighteous power for personal gain. 2. Nahum 3:1 “Woe to the city of bloodshed, completely full of lies and plunder, never without prey.” Nineveh, capital of Assyria, is “full of פֶרֶק”—booty perpetually torn from weaker peoples. The prophet stacks terms of violence (“bloodshed… lies… prey”) to portray a society whose very lifeblood is the continual extraction of spoil. Historical Setting • Obadiah addresses Edom after Babylon’s 586 B.C. destruction of Jerusalem. Edom’s control of the mountain passes south of the Dead Sea positioned it literally “at the crossroads.” Their refusal to aid—and active assault on—Judah’s fugitives turned geography into treachery. Theological Themes Justice of God: Both prophets declare that the Lord sees every instance where the vulnerable are “torn away.” The God who delivered Israel from Egypt will also deliver the oppressed from Edom and Assyria. Moral Accountability of Nations: Geography (crossroads) and power (plunder) do not absolve; they intensify responsibility. “For the day of the LORD draws near for all nations” (Obadiah 1:15). Reversal Principle: What is seized will be seized from the seizer. Nineveh will experience the same ripping away it inflicted (Nahum 2:9–10), and Edom’s hidden treasures will be sought out (Obadiah 1:6). Ministry Applications • Refuge over exploitation. God’s people are called to stand with fugitives, not against them (cf. Deuteronomy 10:18–19). Churches near modern “crossroads” of migration or crisis should model sanctuary rather than opportunism. • Integrity in power. Any advantage—economic, geographic, or military—must be leveraged for righteousness, lest it become “plunder” that invites divine woe. • Preaching judgment and hope. Prophetic texts using פֶרֶק remind congregations that God’s wrath is not arbitrary but proportionate to oppression; simultaneously they assure victims that the Judge of all the earth will do right. Christological Reflection At the cross, the perfect Son was “torn away” from the land of the living (Isaiah 53:8) so that plunderers might become pardoned. He identifies with refugees (Matthew 2:13–15) and promises ultimate comfort to the plundered (Luke 4:18). Thus the gospel answers both sides of פֶרֶק: forgiving repentant oppressors and restoring the oppressed. Eschatological Outlook Revelation’s fall of Babylon (Revelation 18:11–19) echoes Nahum’s Nineveh: merchants mourn the loss of unending “plunder.” Final judgment will close every illicit marketplace and avenge every ambushed traveler. Until that day, the Church proclaims the kingdom in which “violence shall no longer be heard in your land” (Isaiah 60:18). Summary פֶרֶק exposes hearts at the junction of choice—whether to aid or ambush—and condemns systems enriched by tearing from others. Through Obadiah and Nahum God declares that every crossroads and every treasury lies under His jurisdiction. The term therefore summons believers to mercy, warns oppressors of certain reckoning, and directs all to the Savior who alone reverses the ruin of plunder into the riches of grace. Forms and Transliterations הַפֶּ֔רֶק הפרק פֶּ֙רֶק֙ פרק hap·pe·req hapPerek happereq pe·req perek pereqLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Obadiah 1:14 HEB: תַּעֲמֹד֙ עַל־ הַפֶּ֔רֶק לְהַכְרִ֖ית אֶת־ NAS: Do not stand at the fork of the road To cut down KJV: Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off INT: stand at the fork to cut their fugitives Nahum 3:1 2 Occurrences |
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