Lexical Summary pardes: Orchard, Park, Paradise Original Word: פַרְדֵּס Strong's Exhaustive Concordance forest, orchard Of foreign origin; a park -- forest, orchard. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof foreign origin Definition a preserve, park NASB Translation forest (1), orchard (1), parks (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מַּרְדֵּס noun [masculine] preserve, park (loan-word from Zend pairi-daêza, enclosure, Spieg Haug in EwJahrb. see 162 f., compare SpiegAvesta i. 293; Persian  pâlêz LagGes. Abh. 75, 211, Kurdish parês NöZMG xxxvi (1882), 182; hence Armenian partêz LagArm. Stud. § 1878, late Assyrian pardisu MeissnZA vi. 290, Arabic  ; Greek παράδεισος; compare also DlPa 95 ff. DiGenesis 2:8); — ׳הַמּ Nehemiah 2:8 (containing trees); construct מַּרְדֵּס רִמּוֺנִים Songs 4:13 (fruit-trees and costly plants); plural מַּרְדֵּסִים Ecclesiastes 2:5 (+ גַּנּוֺת). Topical Lexicon Overview פַרְדֵּס (pardes) denotes a walled park, orchard, or royal garden. All three Hebrew occurrences lie in post-exilic or Solomonic literature and consistently evoke a place of cultivated beauty, refreshment, and regal provision. Historical Background The word is borrowed from Old Persian, reflecting the Achaemenid influence in the fifth–fourth centuries BC. Persian monarchs were famed for extensive game-parks and pleasure gardens that displayed their wealth and authority. When the biblical writers adopt the term, they press that royal imagery into service for Israel’s covenant story, portraying a space where order, fruitfulness, and fellowship flourish under a king’s benevolent rule. Occurrences in Scripture • Nehemiah 2:8 – Artaxerxes grants timber “to make beams for the gates of the citadel adjacent to the Temple, for the city wall, and for the house where I will live,” with the request addressed to “Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest (pardes).” The scene underscores that even Israel’s restoration was supplied from a Gentile sovereign’s private reserve, illustrating Proverbs 21:1: “The king’s heart is a watercourse in the hand of the Lord; He directs it wherever He pleases.” • Ecclesiastes 2:5 – Solomon confesses, “I made gardens and parks, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them”. His parklands symbolize human ability to fashion beauty yet also expose the futility of seeking lasting satisfaction in created delights apart from the fear of God (Ecclesiastes 12:13). • Song of Songs 4:13 – The bride is praised: “Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates with the choicest of fruits.” The orchard motif depicts the lover as a secluded, fertile refuge, inviting covenant intimacy. The same term that marked imperial grandeur now extols the dignity of marital love. Symbolic and Theological Themes Royal Provision and Protection A pardes is enclosed, cultivated, and guarded. Scripture appropriates that enclosure to picture God’s sheltering care. In Nehemiah, Judah is sheltered by imperial favor; in the Song, the bride is safely kept; Solomon’s royal accomplishments show the monarch’s capacity to secure abundance for his people. Echoes of Eden and Anticipation of Paradise The Septuagint translates pardes with παράδεισος (paradeisos), the term used in Genesis 2–3 for the garden of Eden and carried into the New Testament—“Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43), “caught up to Paradise” (2 Corinthians 12:4), and “the Paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7). Thus pardes functions as a linguistic bridge from post-exilic Israel to the eschatological hope of restored fellowship with God. The earthly gardens of Nehemiah, Solomon, and the bride become signposts pointing toward the ultimate garden-city of Revelation 22, where the tree of life stands again and every curse is removed. Fruitfulness and Mission Each occurrence places emphasis on fruit-bearing: timber for rebuilding worship, trees for delight, pomegranates for nourishment. Scripture consistently links true fruitfulness to covenant obedience (Psalm 1:3; John 15:5). The picture of a flourishing park challenges God’s people to cultivate lives that reflect His order and generosity, whether rebuilding ruined places, governing wisely, or nurturing family relationships. Ministry Application 1. Stewardship: Like Nehemiah, leaders today may lawfully draw on the resources of secular authorities—or any providential supply—to advance Kingdom purposes, recognizing that all provision ultimately comes from God. Conclusion פַרְדֵּס threads through Scripture as more than a horticultural term. It is a window into royal generosity, covenant intimacy, and eschatological promise. From Nehemiah’s lumber to the lover’s pomegranates, every orchard in Scripture whispers of the coming day when the redeemed will walk with their King in the unspoiled Paradise of God. Forms and Transliterations הַפַּרְדֵּ֜ס הפרדס וּפַרְדֵּסִ֑ים ופרדסים פַּרְדֵּ֣ס פרדס hap·par·dês happarDes happardês par·dês parDes pardês ū·p̄ar·dê·sîm ufardeSim ūp̄ardêsîmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Nehemiah 2:8 HEB: אָסָף֩ שֹׁמֵ֨ר הַפַּרְדֵּ֜ס אֲשֶׁ֣ר לַמֶּ֗לֶךְ NAS: of the king's forest, that he may give KJV: of the king's forest, that he may give INT: Asaph the keeper forest which of the king's Ecclesiastes 2:5 Songs 4:13 3 Occurrences |
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