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פָּרָה

𐤐𐤓𐤄

pârâh

H6509 verb

SILEX Entry

Root פרא to bear fruit, be fruitful, bring forth, produce

Definition

To bear fruit, to produce offspring or yield produce, both in the literal sense of plants and trees yielding fruit, and metaphorically in reference to increase, fertility, and prosperity. The verb can also denote becoming fruitful or causing to be fruitful, applying to physical fertility (of land, trees, animals, or humans) as well as to broader themes of prosperity and multiplication in a community or nation.

Semantic Range

to bear (fruit), to be fruitful (land, trees, humans, animals), to cause to be fruitful, to increase, to yield produce, to prosper, to multiply (in a fruitful manner), to flourish

Root / Etymology

Root: פּרה (P-R-H). The core verbal root means 'to bear fruit' or 'to be/become fruitful,' underlying ideas of natural fertility and productive increase. The verb פָּרָה (pārâh) is the basic verb form from this root, used primarily in Qal and Hiphil stems to convey 'be fruitful' or 'make fruitful.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

פָּרָה appears throughout the Hebrew Bible with applications to both botanical and human fertility: for example, the command to 'be fruitful and multiply' (Genesis 1:22, 1:28), where it refers to humans, animals, and fish. In agricultural and poetic texts, it is used for trees and land yielding their produce (Genesis 17:6; Psalm 128:3). In covenantal contexts, the word extends to figurative meanings of prosperity, lineage growth, and agricultural abundance for the Israelite community. The term does not have the nuance of mere numerical increase, but specifically fruitful or productive increase—whether biological offspring or the bounty of fields and flocks. Later biblical books occasionally apply the verb metaphorically to describe the increase or flourishing of cities or peoples. In contrast to words like רָבָה (rāvâ), which can mean simply 'to be many' or 'multiply,' פָּרָה emphasizes productive potential and realized fertility. English translations typically render it 'to bear fruit' or 'to be/make fruitful,' but can miss this specific focus on productive fertility.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to bear fruit (literally or figuratively); bear, bring forth (fruit), (be, cause to be, make) fruitful, grow, increase.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פרה (p-r-h) — to bear fruit, be fruitful, bring forth, produce

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6510 פָּרָה cow
H6511 פָּרָה and the Parah
H6529 פְּרִי in his fruit
H669 אֶפְרַיִם Double Fruitfulness
H672 אֶפְרָת in Fruitful-Place

Word Forms

19 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6509-08 פֹּֽרִיָּ֔ה poriyah HVqrfsa fruitful fruit-bearing one 4
H6509-05 פְּר֣וּ peru HVqv2mp be fruitful Bear fruit! 4
H6509-11 וּ/פָר֥וּ ufaru HC/Vqq3cp and be fruitful and they bore fruit 3
H6509-06 פֹּרָת֙ porat HVqrfsc fruitful fruit-bearing 2
H6509-16 וְ/הִפְרֵיתִ֥י vehifereyti HC/Vhq1cs and-make-fruitful and I will cause to bear fruit 2
H6509-07 פֹּרֶ֥ה poreh HVqrmsa bearing fruit-bearing one 1
H6509-18 וְ/יִפְרוּ veyiferu HC/Vqi3mp and let bear fruit and they will bear fruit 1
H6509-01 הִפְרַ֥/נִי hiferani HVhp3ms/Sp1cs has made me fruitful he made me fruitful 1
H6509-15 וְ/הִפְרֵתִ֤י vehifereti HC/Vhq1cs and I will make fruitful and I will cause to be fruitful 1
H6509-02 מַפְרְ/ךָ֙ maferekha HVhrmsc/Sp2ms will make you fruitful your fruitfulness-causer 1

Occurrences in Scripture

29 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6509-05 Genesis 1:22 פְּר֣וּ peru HVqv2mp be fruitful Bear fruit!
H6509-05 Genesis 1:28 פְּר֥וּ peru HVqv2mp be fruitful Bear fruit!
H6509-11 Genesis 8:17 וּ/פָר֥וּ ufaru HC/Vqq3cp and be fruitful and they bore fruit
H6509-05 Genesis 9:1 פְּר֥וּ peru HVqv2mp Be fruitful Bear fruit!
H6509-05 Genesis 9:7 פְּר֣וּ peru HVqv2mp be fruitful Bear fruit!
H6509-15 Genesis 17:6 וְ/הִפְרֵתִ֤י vehifereti HC/Vhq1cs and I will make fruitful and I will cause to be fruitful
H6509-16 Genesis 17:20 וְ/הִפְרֵיתִ֥י vehifereyti HC/Vhq1cs and will make fruitful and I will cause to bear fruit
H6509-10 Genesis 26:22 וּ/פָרִ֥ינוּ ufarinu HC/Vqp1cp and we shall be fruitful and we have borne fruit
H6509-17 Genesis 28:3 וְ/יַפְרְ/ךָ֖ veyaferekha HC/Vhj3ms/Sp2ms and make you fruitful may he make you fruitful
H6509-04 Genesis 35:11 פְּרֵ֣ה pereh HVqv2ms be fruitful Be fruitful
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