Lexical Summary pur: Lot Original Word: פוּר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance break, bring to nothing, utterly take A primitive root; to crush -- break, bring to nought, X utterly take. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originsee parar. Brown-Driver-Briggs [מָּרַר] verb Hiph`il break, frustrate (Late Hebrew Pi`el crumble; Jewish-Aramaic מְּרַר; Assyrian parâru, destroy; II. shatter; Lihyanian והפרו destroy, DHMEpigr. Denkm., No. 21, 7); — Perfect3masculine singular הֵפֵר Isaiah 33:8 +, הֵפַ֑ר Genesis 17:14; Numbers 15:31; also metaplastic from הֵפִיר Ezekiel 17:19; Psalm 33:10 (Ges§ 67v); 2 masculine singular וְהֵפַרְדָמתּ֫ה 2 Samuel 15:34, etc., Imperfect3masculine singular יָפֵר Numbers 30:13 +, וַיָּפֶר Nehemiah 4:9, etc.; also 1singular אָפִיר Psalm 89:34 (Gesi.c.); Imperative masculine singular הָפֵר2Chronicles 16:3; Psalm 85:5, הָפֵרָה 1 Kings 15:19; Infinitive absolute הָפֵר Proverbs 15:22 +; construct לְהָפֵר 2 Samuel 17:14 +, לְהָפֵיר Zechariah 11:10, suffix לְהַפְרְכֶם Leviticus 26:15 (Ges§ 67dd); Participle מֵפֵר Isaiah 44:25; Job 5:12; — 1 break, violate, especially with accusative בְּרִית: a. of ׳י Judges 2:1; Jeremiah 14:21; Leviticus 26:44; Zechariah 11:10. b. of men violating covenant with ׳י Jeremiah 11:10; Jeremiah 31:32; Deuteronomy 31:16,20; Leviticus 26:15; Ezekiel 44:7; Genesis 17:14; Isaiah 24:5 compare Jeremiah 33:20. c. of men breaking compact, league (with men), Isaiah 33:8; 1 Kings 15:19 2Chronicles 16:3; Ezekiel 17:15,16,18,19. d. of destroying the אַחֲוָה between Judah and Israel Zechariah 11:14. e. of breaking ׳יs מִצְוָה Numbers 15:31; Ezra 9:14, תּוֺרָה Psalm 119:126. 2 frustrate, make ineffectual:: a. counsel (עֵצָה) 2 Samuel 15:34; 2 Samuel 17:14; Ezra 4:5; ׳י subject Nehemiah 4:9; Psalm 33:10; of man frustrating ׳יs counsel Isaiah 14:27, so, with accusative מִשְׁמָּט Job 40:8; with accusative מַחֲשָׁבוֺת in General, of men Proverbs 15:22, ׳י subject Job 15:12 so, with accusative אֹתוֺת Isaiah 44:25. b. make vow (נֶדֶר) ineffectual, annul it Numbers 30:9; Numbers 30:14 (opposed to חֵקִים), Numbers 30:13, also (Imperfect + Infinitive absolute) Numbers 30:13,16. c. of annulling (godly) fear Job 15:4 חַסְדִּי לֹא אָפִיר מֵעִמּוֺ, Psalm 89:34 read probably אָסִיר Ol Che Bae and others; הָפֵר כַּעַסְךָ Psalm 85:4 (read הָסֵר ᵐ5 Bi Che). d. וְתָפֵר הָאֲבֵיּוֺנָה Ecclesiastes 12:5 is dubious: De Wild and others fails (to excite [? וְתֻפַר Hoph`al is made ineffectual]); Ew bursts (Siegf וְתֻפַר); but caper-berry not dehiscent (PostFlora of Syr. 106 ff.); M'Lean-DyerEncy. Bid. 696.): PostLetter, July 28, 1901 breaks up (by shrivelling), figurative of failing sexual power; Aq from פרה bear fruit (compare GFMJBL x (1891), 60); PerlesAnal. 30 וְתִפְרַח. Hoph`al Imperfect 1 be frustratred, 3 feminine singular וְתֻפָ֑ר Isaiah 8:10 (of עֵצָה). 2 be broken, of covenant, 3 feminine singular תֻּפַר Jeremiah 33:21; וִתֻּפַר Zechariah 11:11; so Isaiah 28:18 (read וְתֻפַר for וְכֻמַּר, see ׳כ). Pilpel Imperfect3masculine singular suffix וַיְפַרְמְּרֵנִי Job 16:12 he hath shattered me. II. [מָּרַר] verb split, divide (so Psalm 74:13 seems to require [but √ פור SS is possible], compare Arabic Qal Infinitive absolute + Hithpo`el. Perfect3feminine singular מּוֺר הִתְמּוֺרְרָה אֶרֶץ Isaiah 24:19 split or cracked through is the earth (CheHeb.Hpt. פרוק התפרקה). Po`êl Perfect2masculine singular מּוֺרַרְתָּ Psalm 74:13 thou [׳י] didst divide the sea. III. פרר (√ of following; compare Late Hebrew מַּר מָּרָה = Biblical Hebrew; Arabic Topical Lexicon Root Sense and Semantic Range The verb carries the idea of shattering, frustrating, or annulling. In Scripture it is applied both to human intentions and to covenants, expressing either the divine act of overturning human schemes or the human act of violating a sworn agreement. Old Testament Occurrences Psalm 33:10; Psalm 89:34 (numbered 33 in some English versions); Ezekiel 17:19. Divine Sovereignty Over Human Schemes (Psalm 33:10) “The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples.” Here the verb depicts the LORD overruling collective strategies that oppose His purposes. National councils, military coalitions, and cultural movements all fall under His prerogative to nullify. The verse guards believers against despair when confronted with seemingly unstoppable worldly agendas and reinforces confidence that history bends to God’s decree, not to human collusion. Covenant Integrity: God’s Unbreakable Promise (Psalm 89:33-34) “But I will not withdraw My loving devotion from him or betray My faithfulness. I will not violate My covenant or alter the utterance of My lips.” Against the backdrop of David’s faltering dynasty, the verb appears in the negative: God declares He will never “violate” His covenant. The force of the term highlights just how impossible it is for God to be faithless. Though discipline may come (Psalm 89:30-32), the pledged mercies remain inviolable. This contrast—God will never “break,” though people often do—forms a theological foundation for the certainty of messianic fulfillment (Acts 13:34). Human Covenant Infidelity and Divine Justice (Ezekiel 17:19) “Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, I will bring down on his head My oath that he despised and My covenant that he broke.’” Judah’s king had sworn loyalty to Babylon, thus indirectly to God who orchestrated that arrangement, and then reneged. The verb exposes covenant treachery, emphasizing personal accountability. Because the oath was “despised,” God turns the broken covenant into the grounds of judgment. The same verb that cannot be applied to God’s faithfulness serves here to condemn human duplicity, underscoring a moral order in which covenant-breaking inevitably invites divine wrath. Canonical and Redemptive Trajectory The Old Testament tension—divine covenants kept versus human covenants broken—drives forward to the New Covenant sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ (Luke 22:20). Humanity’s chronic “breaking” necessitates a covenant mediated by a flawless representative. In Him the Father’s promise cannot fail, and the believer is kept “by the power of God” (1 Peter 1:5), safe from the possibility of final apostasy on God’s side or ours, since the Surety bears the curse of brokenness (Galatians 3:13). Practical Ministry Implications 1. Preaching: Use Psalm 33:10 to encourage congregations that God can overturn governmental or cultural agendas hostile to righteousness. Summary Across its three occurrences, the verb paints a vivid contrast: God frustrates hostile plans, never breaks His own word, yet judges humans who break theirs. That triad magnifies His sovereignty, faithfulness, and justice—attributes perfectly harmonized in the New Covenant and indispensable for a robust, hope-filled ministry outlook today. Forms and Transliterations אָפִ֣יר אפיר הֵפִ֑יר הֵפִ֥יר הפיר ’ā·p̄îr ’āp̄îr aFir hê·p̄îr heFir hêp̄îrLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Psalm 33:10 HEB: יְֽהוָ֗ה הֵפִ֥יר עֲצַת־ גּוֹיִ֑ם KJV: of the heathen to nought: he maketh INT: the LORD to nought the counsel of the nations Psalm 89:33 Ezekiel 17:19 3 Occurrences |
    |
split, tear, rend; perhaps = I.; > BuhlLex. shake, quike, citing Arabic 
shake Aramaic אִתְמַּרְמַּר, 
, compare Late Hebrew מִּרְמֵּר); — 
young of ewe, cow, or goat; Syriac 
ewe (compare NöZMG xl (1886), 734), and so Assyrian parru, according to Jen and ZimZA iii. 202).