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פָּרַס

𐤐𐤓𐤎

Paras

H6540 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain Persia (region), Persian people

Definition

Name for the region of Persia and, by extension, its inhabitants. In the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible, 'Paras' specifically refers to the ancient kingdom/empire situated east of Mesopotamia, later forming the core of the Achaemenid Empire. The term can designate the land itself, the dominant people group from that region, or be used collectively for the Persian imperial polity.

Semantic Range

Persia (the country/empire), Persian people or ethnic group, the imperial ruling class of Persia, by extension the broader territory or power associated with the Persian polity

Root / Etymology

Borrowed from Old Persian via Akkadian 'Parsu', referring to the region of Persis (modern Fars in southwestern Iran); not derived from a Hebrew root. Entered Biblical Aramaic as a loanword, designating the territory and ethnos known in Greek as Perses/Persis. The Hebrew form פָּרַס is a direct adoption, with no etymological development from Hebrew roots.

Historical & Contextual Notes

פָּרַס appears solely in the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible, most prominently in Daniel and Ezra, always referencing the Persians as imperial rulers or their territory. Its usage reflects the historical context of the late exilic and post-exilic periods, when the Achaemenid Empire dominated the Near East. The word is neutral and ethnic/geopolitical, without religious connotation in its original context. Later translations rendered it as 'Persians' or 'Persia', closely reflecting its original meaning. Distinct from מָדַי (Madai, Medes), though frequently paired as 'Medes and Persians' (see Daniel 5–6), signifying the ruling groups of the empire. Later rabbinic and post-biblical Hebrew retained the form for broader references to Persia. Standard English translations generally capture its scope, but modern readers may not recognize the shifting historical boundaries of 'Persia' across time.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to פָּרַס; {Paras (i.e. Persia), an Eastern country, including its inhabitants}; Persia, Persians.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פרס (p-r-s) — Persia; Persian polity; Persian realm

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6536 פָּרַס to split
H6537 פְּרַס division
H6538 פֶּרֶס the tearing talon
H6539 פָּרַס Persia
H6541 פַּרְסָה with split hooves of

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6540-02 וּ/פָרָֽס ufaras AC/Ngmsd and Persians and Persia 4
H6540-01 פָּרָֽס paras ANp of Persia Persia 2

Occurrences in Scripture

6 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6540-02 Daniel 5:28 וּ/פָרָֽס ufaras AC/Ngmsd and Persians and Persia
H6540-02 Daniel 6:9 וּ/פָרַ֖ס ufaras AC/Np and Persians and Persia
H6540-02 Daniel 6:13 וּ/פָרַ֖ס ufaras AC/Np and Persians and Persia
H6540-02 Daniel 6:16 וּ/פָרַ֔ס ufaras AC/Np and Persia and Persia
H6540-01 Ezra 4:24 פָּרָֽס paras ANp of Persia Persia
H6540-01 Ezra 6:14 פָּרָֽס paras ANp of Persia Persia
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