Original Word: פָרַר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: parar
Pronunciation: pah-RAHR
Phonetic Spelling: (paw-rar')
KJV: X any ways, break (asunder), cast off, cause to cease, X clean, defeat, disannul, disappoint, dissolve, divide, make of none effect, fail, frustrate, bring (come) to nought, X utterly, make void
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to break up (usually figuratively, i.e. to violate, frustrate

break asunder, cast off, cause to cease, clean, defeat, disannul, disappoint,

A primitive root; to break up (usually figuratively, i.e. To violate, frustrate -- X any ways, break (asunder), cast off, cause to cease, X clean, defeat, disannul, disappoint, dissolve, divide, make of none effect, fail, frustrate, bring (come) to nought, X utterly, make void.

Overview

פָרַר (parar) depicts the act of breaking, frustrating, or annulling. In Scripture it moves on two distinct axes: human rebellion that “breaks” divine obligation, and divine sovereignty that “frustrates” human schemes. The verb occurs about fifty times, spanning Torah, Prophets, and Writings, and thus forms a thread running through the entire canon.

Canonical Spread

• Torah: Genesis 17:14; Leviticus 26:15, 44; Numbers 30 (vv. 8 12 13 15).
• Former Prophets & Historical Books: 2 Samuel 15:34; 17:14; 1 Kings 15:19; 2 Chronicles 20:37; Nehemiah 4:15.
• Wisdom & Poetry: Job 5:12; Psalm 33:10; 89:34; 119:126; Proverbs 15:22.
• Major & Minor Prophets: Isaiah 8:10; 24:5; 44:25; Jeremiah 11:10; Ezekiel 16:59; Hosea 6:7; Malachi 2:14.

Nearly every genre therefore testifies to the seriousness of covenant loyalty and the certainty of God’s governance over human plans.

Covenant Integrity and Breach

Parar often describes the violation of covenants.
• Genesis 17:14—failure to receive circumcision “has broken My covenant.”
• Leviticus 26:15 warns that despising statutes will “break My covenant,” while 26:44–45 affirms God will never reciprocate by breaking His.
• Isaiah 24:5 broadens the scope: mankind “broken the everlasting covenant,” explaining cosmic judgment.
• Ezekiel 16:59; Jeremiah 11:10; Malachi 2:14–16 show Israel’s marital and social unfaithfulness as covenant-breaking.

Together these texts underline that covenant is the organizing principle of redemptive history; to “parar” it invites divine discipline and exile, yet God’s own faithfulness remains unbroken (Psalm 89:34).

Nullifying Human Counsel

When God is subject, parar expresses the humbling of worldly strategy:
• Job 5:12 “He thwarts the schemes of the crafty.”
• Psalm 33:10 “The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations.”
• 2 Samuel 17:14 and Nehemiah 4:15 show tactical brilliance overturned to protect the Davidic line and rebuild Jerusalem.
• Isaiah 44:25 “who frustrates the signs of false prophets” guards prophetic purity.

These texts strengthen the believer’s confidence that the Lord actively interrupts plots that oppose His redemptive agenda.

Household Vows and Authority Structures

Numbers 30 uses parar seven times to legislate the annulment of inappropriate vows by daughters or wives. The passage balances personal devotion with the responsibilities of headship, illustrating how God-ordained order protects His people from rash commitments.

God’s Sovereign Reversals in Salvation History

Esther 9:25 (Hebrew paraphrased in the narrative) celebrates how the king “reversed” Haman’s scheme, a living picture of Genesis 50:20. Parar thereby becomes vocabulary for providential deliverance, foreshadowing the cross where human malice is overturned for salvation.

Prophetic Exposure of Apostasy

Prophets employ parar to unmask national sin: Hosea 6:7 likens Israel to Adam who “transgressed the covenant,” and Malachi indicts priests who “deal treacherously.” These judgments anticipate the need for the New Covenant where the law is written on the heart (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

Wisdom and Worship

Wisdom literature applies parar to everyday life. Proverbs 15:22 “Plans fail for lack of counsel” reminds that human counsel collapses without righteousness. Psalm 119:126 appeals to God to act because “they have broken Your law,” turning the verb into a liturgical plea for divine intervention.

Christological and Eschatological Outlook

Isaiah 8:10 “Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted” is echoed in Matthew 2 as Herod’s plot fails, and ultimately in Acts 4:25-28 as the early church sees the crucifixion itself as God’s predestined reversal. Paul harnesses the Septuagint form in 1 Corinthians 1:19—“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise”—showing that the cross is the decisive divine “frustration” of human pride and the securing of a covenant that cannot be broken (Hebrews 13:20).

Practical Ministry and Discipleship Applications

1. Covenant Faithfulness: Marriage, baptism, and church membership vows derive gravity from parar texts; casual breach undermines gospel witness.
2. Intercessory Prayer: Psalm 33:10–11 models pleading for God to frustrate persecutors and false teaching.
3. Strategic Planning: Leaders plan diligently but yield outcomes to the One who can annul or establish (James 4:13-15).
4. Assurance: Believers facing cultural opposition rest in God’s power to overturn hostile counsel, as at the Red Sea, Jerusalem’s wall, and the empty tomb.

Selected Representative Texts

Genesis 17:14; Numbers 30:8; 2 Samuel 17:14; Nehemiah 4:15; Job 5:12; Psalm 33:10; Isaiah 24:5; Jeremiah 11:10; Ezekiel 16:59; Malachi 2:14.

Suggested Homiletical Outline

1. The Unbreakable God (Psalm 89:34).
2. The Fragile Covenant-Keeper (Genesis 17:14; Isaiah 24:5).
3. The Frustrated Counselor (Job 5:12; 2 Samuel 17:14).
4. The Cross: Divine Annulment of Sin’s Claim (1 Corinthians 1:19; Colossians 2:14).
5. Living in the New Covenant: Guard Your Vows, Trust His Plan (Numbers 30; Hebrews 10:23).

Summary

Parar is a reminder that every covenant and every plan stands or falls before the Lord. Human hands can break, yet God’s hands can just as surely break human pride and redeem covenant breakers through the blood of the everlasting covenant.

אָפֵ֧ר אפר הֲפֵרָ֔ם הִֽתְפּוֹרְרָה֙ הֵ֝פֵ֗רוּ הֵפֵ֖ר הֵפֵ֖רוּ הֵפֵ֣רוּ הֵפֵ֤ר הֵפֵ֤רוּ הֵפַ֑ר הֵפַֽר׃ הָפֵ֗רָה הָפֵ֣ר הָפֵ֥ר הָפֵר֩ הפר הפר׃ הפרה הפרו הפרם התפוררה וְהֵפֵ֖ר וְהֵפֵ֗ר וְהֵפֵ֥ר וְהֵפֵר֙ וְהֵפַרְתָּ֣ה וְהָפֵ֖ר וְתָפֵ֖ר וְתֻפָ֑ר וַֽיְפַרְפְּרֵ֗נִי וַיָּ֥פֶר וַיָּפֵ֙רוּ֙ וַתֻּפַ֖ר והפר והפרתה ויפר ויפרו ויפרפרני ותפר יְפֵרֶֽנּוּ׃ יָפֵ֑ר יָפֵ֛ר יָפֵ֨ר יפר יפרנו׃ לְהַפְרְכֶ֖ם לְהָפֵ֞ר לְהָפֵ֣ר לְהָפֵ֥ר לְהָפֵיר֙ לְהָפֵר֙ להפיר להפר להפרכם מֵ֭פֵר מֵפֵר֙ מפר פּ֤וֹר פוֹרַ֣רְתָּ פור פוררת תָּפֵ֙רוּ֙ תָּפֵ֣ר תָּפֵ֥ר תֻפַר֙ תפר תפרו ’ā·p̄êr ’āp̄êr aFer foRarta hā·p̄ê·rāh hă·p̄ê·rām hā·p̄êr haFer haFerah hafeRam hāp̄êr hāp̄êrāh hăp̄êrām hê·p̄ar hê·p̄ê·rū hê·p̄êr heFar heFer heFeru hêp̄ar hêp̄êr hêp̄êrū hiṯ·pō·wr·rāh hitporRah hiṯpōwrrāh lə·hā·p̄êr lə·hap̄·rə·ḵem lehaFeir lehaFer lehafreChem ləhāp̄êr ləhap̄rəḵem mê·p̄êr Mefer mêp̄êr p̄ō·w·rar·tā pō·wr Por pōwr p̄ōwrartā tā·p̄ê·rū tā·p̄êr taFer taFeru tāp̄êr tāp̄êrū ṯu·p̄ar tuFar ṯup̄ar vaiYafer vaiyaFeru vattuFar vayfarpeReni vehaFer vehefarTah veheFer vetaFer vetuFar wat·tu·p̄ar wattup̄ar way·p̄ar·pə·rê·nî way·yā·p̄ê·rū way·yā·p̄er wayp̄arpərênî wayyāp̄er wayyāp̄êrū wə·hā·p̄êr wə·hê·p̄ar·tāh wə·hê·p̄êr wə·ṯā·p̄êr wə·ṯu·p̄ār wəhāp̄êr wəhêp̄artāh wəhêp̄êr wəṯāp̄êr wəṯup̄ār yā·p̄êr yaFer yāp̄êr yə·p̄ê·ren·nū yefeRennu yəp̄êrennūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts