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פְּרִזִּי

𐤐𐤓𐤆𐤉

Perizi

H6522 noun

SILEX Entry

Root פְּרָז open country, village, unwalled settlement

Definition

Ethnonym referring to a member of the Perizzite people, an indigenous group encountered in the land of Canaan by the ancestors of the Israelites. The term also carries the connotation of 'rural inhabitant' or 'villager'—one who lives in unwalled settlements, as distinct from those in fortified cities. In biblical texts, פְּרִזִּי refers specifically to the Perizzite population listed among the nations inhabiting the region prior to and during the early Israelite settlement.

Semantic Range

member of the Perizzite people, rural inhabitant, villager, one living in open/unwalled country, non-urban Canaanite population

Root / Etymology

From the root פָּרָז (paraz), meaning 'an open country' or 'village,' which itself comes from the root פרז, 'to be open, separate, or exposed.' The term פְּרִזִּי is the gentilic (people-group adjective) form, denoting an inhabitant of such open country. It is not clearly tied to a known non-Israelite ethnic group outside biblical references; etymological links to extra-biblical peoples are uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the biblical narrative, the Perizzites are frequently listed among the established populations of Canaan, alongside other groups such as Hittites, Amorites, and Jebusites (Genesis 13:7; Exodus 3:8; Joshua 3:10). The etymology suggests a meaning of 'people of the villages' or 'rural dwellers,' contrasting with urbanized or fortified city groups. The term appears predominately in passages that discuss the occupation of the land, conquest, and intermarriage prohibitions (e.g., Deuteronomy 7:1, Judges 3:5). No clear extra-biblical evidence for a distinct Perizzite ethnic group has been discovered, and it is debated whether the term referred to a specific ethnic identity, a socio-economic class, or simply rural inhabitants. Later English translations often render the term as 'Perizzite,' treating it as an ethnic label, but the underlying meaning may be broader, indicating those living outside urban centers during the pre-monarchic and monarchic periods.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

for פְּרָזִי; inhabitant of the open country; a Perizzite, one of the Canaanitish tribes; Perizzite.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פרז (p-r-z) — open country, village, unwalled settlement, openness

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6518 פָּרָז his unwalled village
H6519 פְּרָזָה the unwalled settlements
H6520 פְּרָזוֹן unwalled settlement
H6521 פְּרָזִי the open-country dweller

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H6522-03 וְ/הַ/פְּרִזִּ֔י vehaperizi HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Perizzite and the open-country dweller and the Perizi 14
H6522-01 הַ/פְּרִזִּ֖י haperizi HTd/Ngmsa the Perizzite the open-country dweller the Perizi 8
H6522-02 וּ/בַ/פְּרִזִּ֑י uvaperizi HC/Rd/Ngmsa and the Perizzites open-country man and in Perizi 1

Occurrences in Scripture

23 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H6522-03 Genesis 13:7 וְ/הַ/פְּרִזִּ֔י vehaperizi HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Perizzite and the open-country dweller and the Perizi
H6522-01 Genesis 15:20 הַ/פְּרִזִּ֖י haperizi HTd/Ngmsa Perizzites the open-country dweller the Perizi
H6522-02 Genesis 34:30 וּ/בַ/פְּרִזִּ֑י uvaperizi HC/Rd/Ngmsa and the Perizzites open-country man and in Perizi
H6522-03 Exodus 3:8 וְ/הַ/פְּרִזִּ֔י vehaperizi HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Perizzite and the open-country dweller and the Perizi
H6522-03 Exodus 3:17 וְ/הַ/פְּרִזִּ֔י vehaperizi HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Perizzite and the open-country dweller and the Perizi
H6522-03 Exodus 23:23 וְ/הַ/פְּרִזִּי֙ vehaperizi HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Perizzite and the open-country dweller and the Perizi
H6522-03 Exodus 33:2 וְ/הַ/פְּרִזִּ֔י vehaperizi HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Perizzite and the open-country dweller and the Perizi
H6522-03 Exodus 34:11 וְ/הַ/פְּרִזִּ֔י vehaperizi HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Perizzite and the open-country dweller and the Perizi
H6522-03 Deuteronomy 7:1 וְ/הַ/פְּרִזִּ֗י vehaperizi HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Perizzite and the open-country dweller and the Perizi
H6522-03 Deuteronomy 20:17 וְ/הַ/פְּרִזִּ֔י vehaperizi HC/Td/Ngmsa and the Perizzite and the open-country dweller and the Perizi
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