פַּרְדֵּס (par.des)
par.des
park
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun pardes refers to an enclosed garden, park, or preserve. It describes a cultivated space set apart from the wild, often featuring fruit trees and protected by walls. This word appears only three times in the Old Testament, giving it a rare and specific resonance in Scripture.
In Nehemiah 2:8, King Artaxerxes grants permission to enter this royal park to gather wood for rebuilding Jerusalem’s gates, highlighting its status as a secure, valuable asset of the crown. The term also surfaces in Ecclesiastes 2:5, where Solomon lists his horticultural projects, and in Song of Solomon 4:13, where it serves as a metaphor for the beloved’s beauty and fertility.
The word likely entered Hebrew from Persian, reflecting the influence of Near Eastern royal landscapes. Its usage consistently points to a place of order, abundance, and safety, contrasting with the untamed wilderness outside its boundaries.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word pardes describes a space set apart from the wild—a walled garden or royal park where order and abundance thrive. In Nehemiah 2:8, King Artaxerxes grants access to such a park so the walls of Jerusalem can be rebuilt. This image reminds us that God often provides secure places for His people to restore what has been broken.
Solomon lists these gardens in Ecclesiastes 2:5 as part of his earthly pleasures, yet the Song of Solomon uses the imagery more intimately. There, the beloved’s life is compared to an orchard of pomegranates and spikenard (Song of Solomon 4:13). The contrast between the wild outside and the cultivated inside speaks to God’s desire to bring beauty and safety into our lives.
When we feel surrounded by chaos, this word points to a place of peace. It invites us to trust that God can create order from disorder, turning barren places into gardens of fruitfulness. We can find rest in the knowledge that He protects what is precious to Him.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ forest1×
- and/ parks1×
- [are] a garden of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- פַּרְדֵּ֣ס1×
- וּ/פַרְדֵּסִ֑ים1×
- הַ/פַּרְדֵּ֜ס1×
Key Verses
-
Nehemiah 2:8
and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple, for the wall of the city, and for the house that I will occupy.” The king granted my requests, because of the good hand of my God on me.
This verse shows the park as a royal resource granted for restoration, linking physical security with divine favor.
-
Ecclesiastes 2:5
I made myself gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit.
Here the word highlights human effort to create beauty and order, reflecting Solomon's pursuit of earthly satisfaction.
-
Song of Solomon 4:13
Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates, with precious fruits, henna with spikenard plants,
The term serves as a metaphor for fertility and intimacy, comparing the beloved’s life to a rich, enclosed orchard.