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פָּרָה

𐤐𐤓𐤄

pârâh

H6510 noun

SILEX Entry

Root פָּרָה to be fruitful, to bear young, to produce offspring

Definition

A mature female bovine, cow or heifer, typically one that has borne at least one calf; in biblical usage, commonly serves as a general term for a female cattle animal and often distinguished from the male (bull/par). May refer specifically to a young cow not yet calved (heifer) in certain contexts, but more generally denotes any female of the species. Used in legal, sacrificial, and narrative passages.

Semantic Range

female cattle, mature cow, heifer, sacrificial animal (female), figurative use for abundance or productivity

Root / Etymology

Formed from the root פָּרָה, feminine of פַּר (bull), with the feminine ending -ה. The root פָּר- conveys the idea of a bovine, specifically the species Bos taurus, and, by extension, animal strength or virility in the masculine. In the feminine, פָּרָה pertains to female cattle.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Throughout the Hebrew Bible, פָּרָה appears in narrative (e.g., Genesis 41: cows in Pharaoh’s dream), legal (e.g., Numbers 19: Red Cow/Heifer ritual), and descriptive passages. In Genesis 41 and related texts, פָּרָה is used generically for cows, irrespective of age or breeding status. The term appears in both singular and plural forms and can be qualified for greater specificity (e.g., red cow for purification). In ritual law (esp. Numbers 19), the פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה (red cow) is central to a purification process unique in Israelite religion; this is sometimes rendered “red heifer” in English, though the Hebrew does not itself always imply a virgin or unbred animal. The same word is distinct from עֵגְלָה (‘eglah, young cow/calf) and עָגָל (calf), which denote younger animals. In later postbiblical tradition, precise technical distinctions became more pronounced due to ritual requirements; in the biblical text, however, פָּרָה remains a general term for female cattle. Standard English translations ('cow,' 'heifer') sometimes obscure the full generic meaning of the word as used in ancient contexts, where size or reproductive status was less emphasized than in later agricultural terminology.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of פַּר; a heifer; cow, heifer, kine.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פרה (p-r-h) — to be fruitful, to bear young, to produce offspring

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6509 פָּרָה he made me fruitful
H6511 פָּרָה and the Parah
H6529 פְּרִי in his fruit
H669 אֶפְרַיִם Double Fruitfulness
H672 אֶפְרָת in Fruitful-Place

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6510-04 הַ/פָּר֖וֹת haparot HTd/Ncfpa the cows the cows 9
H6510-07 פָּר֤וֹת parot HNcfpa cows female cattle 7
H6510-03 הַ/פָּרָ֖ה haparah HTd/Ncfsa the heifer the cow 4
H6510-02 פָרוֹת֙ farot HNcfpa cows female cattle 2
H6510-06 פָּ֝רָת֗/וֹ parato HNcfsc/Sp3ms his cow his cow 1
H6510-08 וּ/פָרָ֤ה ufarah HC/Ncfsa and the cow and a cow 1
H6510-01 פָרָ֨ה farah HNcfsa heifer cow 1
H6510-05 כְּ/פָרָ֣ה kefarah HR/Ncfsa like-a-heifer like a cow 1

Occurrences in Scripture

26 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6510-07 Genesis 32:16 פָּר֤וֹת parot HNcfpa cows female cattle
H6510-07 Genesis 41:2 פָּר֔וֹת parot HNcfpa cows female cattle
H6510-07 Genesis 41:3 פָּר֣וֹת parot HNcfpa cows female cattle
H6510-04 Genesis 41:3 הַ/פָּר֖וֹת haparot HTd/Ncfpa the cows the cows
H6510-04 Genesis 41:4 הַ/פָּר֗וֹת haparot HTd/Ncfpa the cows the cows
H6510-04 Genesis 41:4 הַ/פָּר֔וֹת haparot-2 HTd/Ncfpa cows the cows
H6510-07 Genesis 41:18 פָּר֔וֹת parot HNcfpa cows female cattle
H6510-07 Genesis 41:19 פָּר֤וֹת parot HNcfpa cows female cattle
H6510-04 Genesis 41:20 הַ/פָּר֔וֹת haparot HTd/Ncfpa the cows the cows
H6510-04 Genesis 41:20 הַ/פָּר֛וֹת haparot-2 HTd/Ncfpa the cows the cows
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