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פֶּרֶס

𐤐𐤓𐤎

pereç

H6538 noun

SILEX Entry

Root פרס to break, to separate, to split

Definition

A talon, claw, or bird of prey, specifically referencing the strong grasping appendage of certain large raptors. In context, פֶּרֶס may also signify a particular kind of predatory bird noted for its tearing ability, likely a vulture or large eagle.

Semantic Range

claw, talon, bird of prey (likely vulture or eagle), ossifrage, large raptor

Root / Etymology

פֶּרֶס derives from the root פָּרַס (פרס), meaning 'to break, split, or divide'. The noun form refers specifically to the part of a bird's foot used for grasping and tearing, i.e., the claw or talon, extending secondarily to certain large raptorial birds noted for their tearing ability.

Historical & Contextual Notes

פֶּרֶס appears only sparingly in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Leviticus 11:13; Deuteronomy 14:12) in dietary purity lists, where it evidently refers to a bird of prey considered unfit for consumption. The exact identity of the bird is debated; it has traditionally been rendered 'osprey' or 'ossifrage' (bone-breaker), but these are later terms whose referents may not precisely match the biblical period's zoological categories. Lexical evidence suggests a large vulture or eagle, possibly the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), renowned for its habit of cracking bones. Later rabbinic tradition associates פֶּרֶס with specific raptor species, but the ancient usage likely embraced a broader semantic field, including the sense of the bird's destructive talons (cf. the root's meaning, 'to break, split'). English translations that give 'osprey' or 'ossifrage' use post-biblical terminology and may obscure the generic sense of 'large, tearing bird of prey.' The distinction from similar unclean raptors (e.g., נֶשֶׁר, 'eagle'; רָחָם, 'vulture') is not always clear, and the term should be understood primarily as naming a class or attribute of predatory birds for which taloned feet are characteristic. There is no evidence for the later English term 'Jew' or similar in these passages.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from פָּרַס; a claw; also a kind of eagle; claw, ossifrage.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פרס (p-r-s) — to break, to split, to divide

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6536 פָּרַס to split
H6537 פְּרַס division
H6539 פָּרַס Persia
H6540 פָּרַס Persia
H6541 פַּרְסָה with split hooves of

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6538-02 וְ/הַ/פֶּ֖רֶס vehaperes HC/Td/Ncmsa and the ossifrage and the talon-raptor 1
H6538-01 הַ/פֶּ֔רֶס haperes HTd/Ncmsa the vulture the tearing talon 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6538-01 Leviticus 11:13 הַ/פֶּ֔רֶס haperes HTd/Ncmsa the vulture the tearing talon
H6538-02 Deuteronomy 14:12 וְ/הַ/פֶּ֖רֶס vehaperes HC/Td/Ncmsa and the ossifrage and the talon-raptor
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