פַּרְשֶׁגֶן
𐤐𐤓𐤔𐤂𐤍
parshegen
H6573 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
An official copy, transcript, or written version of an edict, decree, or legal document. The term designates a written reproduction that preserves the wording and authority of the original, particularly in Persian administrative contexts. Used most notably to refer to copies of royal decrees disseminated for public knowledge or bureaucratic implementation.
Semantic Range
official copy, transcript, written version of a decree, authoritative written reproduction, text of a legal document, copy for promulgation
Root / Etymology
Likely borrowed from Old Persian or related Iranian administrative terminology, reflecting the influence of Persian governance and bureaucracy during the Achaemenid period. The word is not derived from a native Hebrew root and appears as a loanword in Imperial Aramaic as well as late biblical Hebrew texts, especially those set in Persian period contexts (e.g., Ezra, Esther).
Historical & Contextual Notes
פַּרְשֶׁגֶן occurs exclusively in post-exilic books such as Ezra and Esther, both of which are set in the Achaemenid Persian period and reflect the administrative language and practices of their era. The word appears whenever written decrees or laws are circulated as official copies for broader distribution. In every instance, it refers to the formal copy of an edict, not merely any written document or general writing. This term highlights the role of written documentation in Persian imperial administration, underscoring the bureaucratic requirement for multiple authentic written versions of orders or laws. English translations often use 'copy' or 'transcript,' but the word chiefly connotes the legal and authoritative replication of original documents, not simply any duplicate writing. Some translations render this as 'text' or 'copy of the text'—these capture the broad sense but may lose the specific bureaucratic and administrative nuance of the word. Parshegen does not appear outside of these later, Persian-period biblical texts, and does not have a pre-exilic Israelite equivalent given earlier differences in administrative practice. Compare Hebrew כָּתוּב (katub, 'writing' or 'written document') and דָּת (dat, 'law' or 'edict'), which have related but distinct semantic scopes.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
(Aramaic) corresponding to פַּרְשֶׁגֶן; {a transcript}; copy.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
פרשגן (p-r-š-g-n) — to transcribe, to make a copy, to write out
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6572 | פַּרְשֶׁגֶן | official transcript of |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6573-01 |
פַּרְשֶׁ֣גֶן | pareshegen | ANcmsc |
copy | official copy of | 3 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences