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פַּרְדֵּס

𐤐𐤓𐤃𐤎

pardêç

H6508 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain to enclose, surround (from Persian root)

Definition

An enclosed park or orchard, typically a cultivated area set aside for trees (especially fruit-bearing) or gardens, sometimes with an ornamental or royal function. In Biblical usage, denotes a managed, often royal or special, landscaped area rather than a wild forest.

Semantic Range

enclosed park, orchard, cultivated garden, royal garden, managed grove

Root / Etymology

Borrowed from Old Persian *pardēd̲a ('enclosure, walled area, garden'), itself entering Hebrew during the period of Persian influence (post-exilic era). Ultimately related to the Iranian root meaning 'to surround, enclose.' The Hebrew form does not derive from a native Hebrew root.

Historical & Contextual Notes

פַּרְדֵּס (pardês) is attested in post-exilic Hebrew, particularly in the Persian period, and appears in the Hebrew Bible only in later books (Nehemiah 2:8, Ecclesiastes 2:5, Song of Songs 4:13), indicating its foreign origin and likely adoption into Hebrew alongside Persian administrative and cultural terms. It always refers to cultivated and managed spaces rather than natural forests. In later periods and rabbinic literature, pardês becomes a generic word for orchard or fruit garden. The association with 'paradise' in later Jewish, Christian, and Islamic thought derives from the same Persian root but does not reflect the specific ancient Israelite understanding of the term. English translations as "forest" do not capture the sense of cultivation and enclosure intrinsic to the original usage. The term contrasts with יַעַר (ya‘ar), which refers to untended woodland or forest, and גַּן (gan), which is more general for 'garden.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of foreign origin; a park; forest, orchard.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פרדס (p-r-d-s) — enclosure, enclosed park, cultivated orchard

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6508-02 פַּרְדֵּ֣ס paredes HNcmsc an orchard enclosed park of 1
H6508-03 וּ/פַרְדֵּסִ֑ים ufaredesim HC/Ncmpa enclosed parks 1
H6508-01 הַ/פַּרְדֵּ֜ס haparedes HTd/Ncmsa of the king's forest the enclosed park 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6508-02 Song of Songs 4:13 פַּרְדֵּ֣ס paredes HNcmsc an orchard enclosed park of
H6508-03 Ecclesiastes 2:5 וּ/פַרְדֵּסִ֑ים ufaredesim HC/Ncmpa enclosed parks
H6508-01 Nehemiah 2:8 הַ/פַּרְדֵּ֜ס haparedes HTd/Ncmsa of the king's forest the enclosed park
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