פָּרַס (pa.ras)
pa.ras
Persia
N:N--LQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--L
Word Overview
The Aramaic noun paras refers to Persia, the vast empire that dominated the ancient Near East during the post-exilic period. Its geographical scope was immense, stretching from India in the east to Egypt and Thrace in the west, and encompassing all of western Asia between the Black Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Lexical sources suggest an etymology linked to the Hebrew word for Persia, meaning "pure" or "splendid," which may reflect how the empire viewed itself. In Scripture, this term appears only three times, primarily in the books of Ezra and Daniel, where it identifies the political power under which the Jewish community lived.
Although the occurrences are few, the word anchors the narrative in a specific historical reality. It marks the transition from Babylonian to Persian rule, a context crucial for understanding the restoration of Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the temple.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word paras simply names the Persian Empire, the dominant political force of its era. It appears in Scripture not as a theological concept, but as a historical marker. This reminds us that God’s work unfolds within real nations and rulers, not in a vacuum.
When we read about Persia in Ezra or Daniel, we see a world where God’s people lived under foreign rule yet still rebuilt their temple. The empire provided the political space for restoration to happen. It shows that even large, distant governments can serve God’s purposes without knowing Him directly.
This perspective brings comfort. Your life also exists within specific times and places. God is present in your current context, using whatever structures surround you to bring about His good plans. You are never outside of His sovereign care, regardless of the era or government you face.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Persia2×
- and/ Persians1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- פָּרָֽס\׃\ \פ1×
- פָּרָֽס\׃1×
- וּ/פָרָֽס\׃1×
Key Verses
-
Ezra 4:24
Then work stopped on God’s house which is at Jerusalem. It stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
This verse marks the pause in temple construction under Persian authority, showing how political power could halt God's work until His timing was right.
-
Daniel 5:28
PERES: your kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Here the word appears in the judgment against Babylon, signaling that human empires rise and fall by God's decree while Persia rises to take its place.
-
Ezra 6:14
The elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
The temple is completed under a decree from the Persian king, illustrating how God used imperial authority to facilitate the restoration of worship in Jerusalem.