פֶּ֫רֶךְ (pe.rekh)
pe.rekh
severity
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 5 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun pe.rekh denotes harshness or severity in treatment. It appears five times in the Old Testament, primarily within the legal and narrative sections of Exodus and Leviticus. The word captures a quality of action that is rigid, unyielding, or cruel, often describing how authority figures interact with those under their power.
In Exodus 1:14, the text uses pe.rekh to describe the brutal conditions imposed on the Israelite slaves in Egypt. The sources highlight this as a characteristic usage, where the term conveys not just hard labor but a deliberate cruelty that breaks the spirit of the people. It distinguishes mere difficulty from oppressive intent.
Translators typically render pe.rekh as "hardness," "severity," or "cruelty" depending on the context. The word serves as a stark contrast to compassionate leadership, marking actions that exceed necessary discipline and enter into the realm of abuse. Its presence in these texts underscores the moral gravity of mistreating the vulnerable.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word pe.rekh describes leadership that has lost its compassion, turning duty into cruelty. When authority is exercised without mercy, it becomes a heavy burden rather than a guiding force. This term appears in the Bible to warn against treating others with rigid harshness, reminding us that power is meant to protect, not to break.
In Exodus, we see this severity used by oppressors who made lives bitter through relentless labor. It stands in sharp contrast to the care God expects from His people. True strength does not crush those under its care but upholds them with dignity and respect.
For your own life, this word invites reflection on how you treat others. Are you leading with grace or with force? The call is to fear God by honoring the humanity in everyone you encounter, ensuring that no one feels oppressed by your actions.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 5 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- with/ harshness5×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- בְּ/פָֽרֶךְ\׃2×
- בְּ/פָֽרֶךְ\׃\ \ס1×
- בְּ/פָ֑רֶךְ1×
- בְּ/פֶ֖רֶךְ1×
Key Verses
-
Exodus 1:14
and they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.
This verse uses pe.rekh to describe the deliberate cruelty that made the Israelites' lives bitter, showing how severity destroys the spirit.
-
Leviticus 25:43
You shall not rule over him with harshness, but shall fear your God.
Here the word commands against ruling with harshness, linking compassionate treatment directly to the fear of God.
-
Leviticus 25:46
You may make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession. Of them you may take your slaves forever, but over your brothers the children of Israel you shall not rule, one over another, with harshness.
It distinguishes between permanent possession of foreign slaves and the prohibition of harsh rule over fellow Israelites.