Original Word: פָרַשׂ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: paras
Pronunciation: pah-ras
Phonetic Spelling: (paw-ras')
KJV: break, chop in pieces, lay open, scatter, spread (abroad, forth, selves, out), stretch (forth, out)
NASB: spread, spreading, extended, scattered, spreads, stretched, stretching
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to break apart, disperse, etc

break, chop in pieces, lay open, scatter, spread abroad, forth, selves, out,

A primitive root; to break apart, disperse, etc. -- break, chop in pieces, lay open, scatter, spread (abroad, forth, selves, out), stretch (forth, out).

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to spread out, spread
NASB Translation
chop (1), dispersed (1), displays (1), extended (2), extends (1), scattered (2), spread (47), spreading (3), spreads (2), stretch (1), stretched (2), stretches (1), stretching (2).

מָּרַשׂ verb spread out, spread (Late Hebrew id.; Arabic ᵑ7 מְּרַס (rare), Syriac ; compare Assyrian parašu, fly (derived species; properly spread [wings]); see also Nö^{ZA i. 417}); —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳פ Lamentations 1:10 +; 2 masculine singular וּפָרַשְׂתָּ֫ Job 11:13; Ruth 3:9, etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular יִפְרשֹׁ Deuteronomy 32:11 +; 3 feminine singular וַתִּפְרשֹׁ 2 Samuel 17:19, etc.; Participle active מּוֺרֵשׂ Proverbs 29:5 etc.; passive מָּרֻשׂ Joel 2:2; feminine singular מְּרוּשָׂה Hosea 5:1 plural מְּרֻשׂוֺת 1 Kings 8:54; —

1 spread out a garment (שִׂמְלָה) Judges 8:25, + לִפְנֵי person Deuteronomy 22:17; — wings Deuteronomy 32:11; 1 Kings 6:27 (read כַּנְפֵיהֶם ᵐ5 Sta Kmp Kit Benz), + עַל Jeremiah 49:22 (fig), + אֶל Jeremiah 48:40; 1 Kings 8:7 2Chronicles 5:3 (עַל), + ל Job 39:26, לְמַעְלָה Exodus 25:20; Exodus 37:9; wings omitted 1 Chronicles 28:18 and perhaps 2 Chronicles 3:13 (strike out כַּנְפֵי Be); of ׳י, עָלָיו אוֺרוֺ ׳פ Job 36:30; spread out writing, לִפְנֵי Pers. 2 Kings 19:14 = Isaiah 37:14; Ezekiel 2:10; sail Isaiah 33:23; fishingnet, מִכְמֶרֶת Isaiah 19:8 (עַל location); net (רֶשֶׁת) as snare, figurative Hosea 5:1 (עַל location), Psalm 140:6, לְרַגְלַי Lamentations 1:13, with עַל person Hosea 7:12 (of ׳י, Ezekiel 12:13 = Ezekiel 17:20; Ezekiel 19:8; Ezekiel 32:3, עַלעְֲָֿמָיו Proverbs 29:5; כַּמַּיִם ׳פ in prayer, + אַל Exodus 9:29,33 (J), 1 Kings 8:38 2Chronicles 6:29; Ezra 9:5; Job 11:13, +, ל Psalm 44:21, +, הַשָּׁמַיִם 1 Kings 8:22 2Chronicles 6:13 (הַשָּׁמָ֑יְמָה), 1 Kings 8:54, no complem. 2Chronicles 6:12; of almsgiving, כַּמָּהּ מָּֽרְשָׂה לֶעָנִי Proverbs 31:20; יַד ׳פ, with עַל of thing, Lamentations 1:10 of enemy's greed (si vera lectio, see Bu); spread out = display וּכְסִיל יִפְרשֹׁ אִוֶּלֶת Proverbs 13:16.

2 spread covering over 2 Samuel 17:19 (מָסָךְ + עַלמְּֿנֵי of thing), הַמַּכְבֵּר over (עַל) face of another 2 Kings 8:15, כָּנָף skirt, עַל person Ruth 3:9; Ezekiel 16:8 (figurative of ׳י); בֶּגֶּד with עַל of thing Numbers 4:7,8 :Numbers 4:11,13 with מִלְמָ֑עְלָה v6; כְּסוּי with עַל of thing Numbers 4:14; אֶתהָֿאֹהֶל, with עַלהַֿמִּשְׁכָּן Exodus 40:19; שַׁחַר מָּרֻשׂ עַלהֶֿהָרִים Joel 2:2; of ׳י עָנָן ׳פ לְמָסָךְ Psalm 105:39. — Micah 3:3; Lamentations 4:4 see מָּרַס.

Niph`al Imperfect3masculine plural יִכָר֑שׂוּ Ezekiel 17:21 they shall be scattered לְכָלרֿוּחַ; Ezekiel 34:12 read probably Participle צאֹן נִפְרָשׂוֺת for שׁוֺת-, Hä Krae; on emendation of context see especially Toy Krae).

Pi`el Perfect3masculine singular consecutive וּפֵרַשׂ Isaiah 25:11 etc. Imperfect3masculine singular יְפָרֵשׂ v11, 3feminine singular תְּפָרֵשׂ Jeremiah 4:31; Infinitive cstr מָּרֵשׂ Psalm 68:15, suffixמָּרִשְׂכֶם Isaiah 1:15; —

1 spread out:

a. with accusative כַּפַיִם in prayer Isaiah 1:15; Jeremiah 4:31 so with יָדַיִם Psalm 143:6 (׳אֶליֿ), and of ׳י entreating people Isaiah 65:2 (אֶל); צִיוֹן בְּיָדֶיהָ ׳פ Lamentations 1:17.

b. spread out hands as in swimming Isaiah 25:11, and (יָדַיִם omitted) Isaiah 25:11.

2 = scatter, (?) subject ׳י, with accusative of person Zechariah 2:10 (ᵐ5 We Now קִבַּצְתִּי מִ֖, yet see GASm); Psalm 68:15, in doubtful connection.

Semantic Scope

The verb פָרַשׂ occurs about sixty-seven times and circles around two big ideas:

1. To spread, stretch or lay something open.
2. To separate, distinguish or declare something clearly.

Scripture moves fluidly between these senses, allowing the same root to speak both of physical actions (unfolding wings, cloths, or hands) and spiritual actions (unfolding God’s word or separating His people to Himself).

Spreading Wings and Coverings

• Tabernacle and Temple. The word repeatedly describes the cherubim “spreading” their wings over the ark, a vivid picture of divine protection and atonement (Exodus 25:20; 37:9; 1 Kings 6:27; 8:7; 2 Chronicles 3:11-13; 5:8). “For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles” (1 Kings 8:7).

• Domestic protection. 2 Samuel 17:19 shows a wife hiding messengers: “Then his wife took a covering and spread it over the mouth of the well.” Likewise in 2 Kings 8:15 Hazael “spread” a wet cloth to murder Ben-hadad. The same motion shelters or suffocates, illustrating that outward forms can serve either life or death depending on the heart behind them.

• Redemptive echo. The Messiah later speaks of longing to “gather” Jerusalem’s children as a hen spreads her wings (Matthew 23:37), an image rooted in this Old Testament vocabulary of protective spreading.

Spreading Hands in Intercession

• Moses. Twice during the plague of hail he promises Pharaoh, “As soon as I have left the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD” (Exodus 9:29, 33).

• Solomon. Although 1 Kings 8:22 uses a different verb, the chronic parallel idea reflects the same posture: leadership prays with hands spread toward the heavens.

• Ezra. In a post-exilic crisis: “I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God” (Ezra 9:5).

• Prophetic rebuke. Isaiah exposes empty ritual: “When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you” (Isaiah 1:15). A holy posture without a holy life avails nothing.

Pastoral application: genuine intercession still stretches out empty hands, confessing utter dependence on the covenant LORD.

Clarifying the Word

Nehemiah 8:8 employs a Piel participle derived from פָרַשׂ: “They read from the Book of the Law of God, translating it and giving the sense so that the people understood the reading.” Here the root deals not with physical space but with mental space—unfolding Scripture so that its meaning lies open before the people. Expositors today trace their calling to this moment: to “spread out” the text so God’s voice is unmistakable.

Separating unto Holiness

• Ezra’s reform. “Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from your foreign wives” (Ezra 10:11; cf. 10:16-17). Obedience required painful but necessary division to preserve covenant purity.

• National repentance. “The descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and they stood and confessed their sins” (Nehemiah 9:2). Later, after hearing the Law read clearly, “they separated from all of mixed ancestry” (Nehemiah 13:3).

The same verb that describes opening wings now describes opening a moral gap between the LORD’s people and polluting influences. Separation is never an end in itself; it exists so that Israel might be wholly devoted to God’s mission.

Prophetic Signs and Judgments

In Ezekiel 30:21-22 the LORD vows to “break the arms of Pharaoh,” then “cause his sword to fall from his hand and scatter” (פָרַשׂ) his forces. Here the root takes on the nuance of dispersal—God spreads the enemy troops in chaotic defeat, the mirror image of His wings spread in protective order.

Christological Trajectory

• On the cross the true King “spread out” His hands (imagery drawn from Psalms and Isaiah) to bear sin and to form a new, holy people. Every Old Testament instance of פָרַשׂ that shelters, separates, or clarifies points forward to this climactic act.

• By commissioning the church to make disciples of all nations, the risen Christ reverses the negative scattering of judgment and creates a sanctified scattering of witness (Acts 8:4). What was once a curse becomes a means of global blessing.

Contemporary Ministry Implications

1. Worship. Corporate prayer should embody humble openness—hands spread without hypocrisy, lives spread in honest repentance.

2. Preaching. Faithful exposition continually “spreads out” the text, ensuring God’s people grasp both meaning and application.

3. Holiness. Biblical separation is not retreat but realignment—spreading ourselves away from sin so we may be spread abroad as salt and light.

4. Mission. Under Christ’s outstretched arms, the church now spreads the gospel to every tribe and tongue, echoing the cherubim who spread their wings over the place where atonement was made.

Thus פָרַשׂ, woven through narrative, law, poetry, and prophecy, summons God’s people to a life that is open before Him, distinct for Him, and widely extended in His service.

אֶפְר֤וֹשׂ אֶפְרֹ֥שׂ אפרוש אפרש בְּפָ֘רֵ֤שׂ בפרש וְיִפְרֹ֥שׂ וַֽיִּפְרְשׂ֥וּ וַֽיִּפְרְשׂוּ֙ וַֽיִּפְרְשׂוּ֮ וַיִּפְרְשֵׂ֥הוּ וַיִּפְרֹ֖שׂ וַיִּפְרֹ֤שׂ וַיִּפְרֹ֥שׂ וַנִּפְרֹ֥שׂ וַתִּפְרֹ֤שׂ וָאֶפְרְשָׂ֥ה וָאֶפְרֹ֤שׂ וּבְפָרִשְׂכֶ֣ם וּפֵרַ֤שׂ וּפָֽרְשׂוּ֙ וּפָרְשׂ֣וּ וּפָרְשׂ֧וּ וּפָרְשׂוּ֙ וּפָרַ֥שׂ וּפָרַשְׂתִּ֤י וּפָרַשְׂתָּ֖ וּפָרַשְׂתָּ֤ וּפֹרְשֵׂ֥י ואפרש ואפרשה ובפרשכם ויפרש ויפרשהו ויפרשו ונפרש ופרש ופרשו ופרשי ופרשת ופרשתי ותפרש יְפָרֵ֥שׂ יִפְרְשׂוּ֙ יִפְרְשׂוּ֮ יִפְרֹ֖שׂ יִפְרֹ֤שׂ יִפְרֹ֥שׂ יִפָּרֵ֑שׂוּ יפרש יפרשו לְפֹ֣רְשִׂ֔ים לפרשים פְּרֻשׂ֥וֹת פְּרוּשָׂ֥ה פֵּֽרְשָׂ֨ה פֵּרַ֣שְׂתִּי פֵּרַ֥שְׂתִּי פֵּרַ֧שְׂתִּי פָּ֣רְשׂוּ פָּ֣רַשׂ פָּרְשָׂ֣ה פָּרַ֣שׂ פָּרַ֨שׂ פָּרֻ֣שׂ פֹּֽרְשִׂ֖ים פֹּרְשִׂ֣ים פֹּרְשֵׂ֨י פֹּרֵ֖שׂ פּוֹרֵ֥שׂ פורש פרושה פרש פרשה פרשו פרשות פרשי פרשים פרשתי תְּפָרֵ֣שׂ תפרש ’ep̄·rō·wś ’ep̄·rōś ’ep̄rōś ’ep̄rōwś bə·p̄ā·rêś beFaRes bəp̄ārêś efRos lə·p̄ō·rə·śîm leForeSim ləp̄ōrəśîm pā·raś pā·rə·śāh pā·rə·śū pā·ruś paRas pāraś pareSah pārəśāh Paresu pārəśū paRus pāruś pê·raś·tî pê·rə·śāh pə·rū·śāh pə·ru·śō·wṯ peRasti pêraśtî pereSah pêrəśāh peruSah pərūśāh peruSot pəruśōwṯ pō·rə·śê pō·rə·śîm pō·rêś pō·w·rêś poRes pōrêś pōrəśê poreSei poreSim pōrəśîm pōwrêś tə·p̄ā·rêś tefaRes təp̄ārêś ū·ḇə·p̄ā·riś·ḵem ū·p̄ā·raś ū·p̄ā·raś·tā ū·p̄ā·raś·tî ū·p̄ā·rə·śū ū·p̄ê·raś ū·p̄ō·rə·śê ūḇəp̄āriśḵem ufaRas ufarasTa ufarasTi ufareSu ufeRas uforeSei ūp̄āraś ūp̄āraśtā ūp̄āraśtî ūp̄ārəśū ūp̄êraś ūp̄ōrəśê uvefarisChem vaefreSah vaefRos vaiyifreSehu vaiyifreSu vaiyifRos vannifRos vattifRos veyifRos wā’ep̄rəśāh wā’ep̄rōś wā·’ep̄·rə·śāh wā·’ep̄·rōś wan·nip̄·rōś wannip̄rōś wat·tip̄·rōś wattip̄rōś way·yip̄·rə·śê·hū way·yip̄·rə·śū way·yip̄·rōś wayyip̄rəśêhū wayyip̄rəśū wayyip̄rōś wə·yip̄·rōś wəyip̄rōś yə·p̄ā·rêś yefaRes yəp̄ārêś yifreSu yifRos yip·pā·rê·śū yip̄·rə·śū yip̄·rōś yippaResu yippārêśū yip̄rəśū yip̄rōśInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts