פֹּארָה (pe.o.rah)
pe.o.rah
bough
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun pōrāh refers to a bough, branch, or shoot of a tree. It appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, found in Isaiah 10:33. In this context, the word describes the thick limbs of an Assyrian cedar that are being cut down by God’s hand.
The text presents a vivid image of divine judgment using the metaphor of felling a great tree. The sources note a variant spelling, pūrāh, which appears in the textual tradition but carries the same meaning. This single occurrence anchors the word’s significance to the sudden and decisive removal of human pride, symbolized by the mighty branches of a powerful empire.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word pōrāh appears only once in Scripture, describing a thick branch of a mighty cedar being cut down by God’s hand in Isaiah 10:33. This vivid image reminds us that human pride, no matter how grand or entrenched, stands under divine authority. The Assyrian empire, symbolized by its towering branches, is brought low not by chance but by purposeful judgment.
For your faith, this offers both warning and comfort. It warns against trusting in earthly power or self-sufficiency, yet comforts those who feel overwhelmed by the strength of opposing forces. God’s hand that cuts the bough is also the same hand that sustains the humble. When life feels unstable, remember that sovereignty rests with the Lord, not with the height of our circumstances.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- bough[s]1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- פֻּארָ֖ה1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 10:33
Behold, the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.
The word pōrāh here specifies the thick limbs of an Assyrian cedar being lopped by God, emphasizing the suddenness and terror of divine judgment against human arrogance.