Lexical Summary parah: cows, cow Original Word: פָרָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cow, heifer, kine Feminine of par; a heifer -- cow, heifer, kine. see HEBREW par NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as par Definition a heifer, cow NASB Translation cow (2), cows (18). Brown-Driver-Briggs I. מָּרָה26 noun feminine heifer, cow; — absolute ׳פ Isaiah 11:7 +; suffix מָּרָתוֺ Job 21:10; plural מָּרוֺת Genesis 32:16 +, מָּרֹת Genesis 41:26; construct מָּרוֺת Amos 4:1; — as gift Genesis 32:16; in Pharaoh's dream Genesis 41:2; Genesis 14:3 (twice in verse) + 8 t. 41; drawing cart 1 Samuel 6:7,12,14 + עָלוֺת ׳פ v7.10 cows giving suck,,milch cows; ׳פ calving Job 21:10, grazing Isaiah 11:7; אֲדֻמָּה ׳פ red heifer Numbers 19:2 compare Numbers 19:5.6.9.10; simile of stubbornness Hosea 4:16; מָּרוֺת הַבָּשָׁן Amos 4:1, figurative of luxurious woman. Topical Lexicon Overview of Occurrences The term פָּרָה appears roughly twenty-six times across the Old Testament and consistently denotes a young female bovine—usually one that has not yet known the yoke. Its settings range from patriarchal narratives (Genesis 32:15), legal statutes (Numbers 19; Deuteronomy 21), historical accounts (1 Samuel 6; 1 Samuel 16:2), wisdom literature (Job 21:10), to prophetic and poetic imagery (Jeremiah 46:20; Hosea 4:16). The word thus moves easily between literal livestock management and richly layered theological symbolism. Agricultural and Economic Context In the ancient Near East, a heifer represented both present wealth and future productivity. Jacob’s gift to Esau—“thirty cows and ten bulls” (Genesis 32:15)—highlights the animal’s value in reconciliation diplomacy. Job likewise measures prosperity by noting that “their cow calves and does not miscarry” (Job 21:10), a snapshot of agricultural blessing that his accusers assume indicates divine favor. These passages remind readers that the covenant community’s daily life depended on healthy herds and therefore on the LORD who “makes grass grow for the livestock” (Psalm 104:14). Covenantal and Sacrificial Functions 1. Genesis 15:9 records the first sacrificial mention: “Bring Me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old….” The divided carcasses signal a covenant ratified by God alone, foreshadowing unilateral grace. The Heifer in the Purification Ritual (Numbers 19) The ordinance of the red heifer stands unique in the Torah. A flawless animal, “without blemish or defect and that has never been under a yoke” (Numbers 19:2), is slaughtered outside the camp; its ashes mixed with water become a cleansing agent for those defiled by death (Numbers 19:9). The paradox—an offering that renders the pure impure and the impure pure—anticipates the substitutionary work of Christ, “who suffered outside the gate to sanctify the people by His own blood” (Hebrews 13:12). Early church writers saw in the red heifer’s ashes a type of the efficacious, once-for-all sacrifice of the Savior. The Heifer in the Unsolved Murder Rite (Deuteronomy 21) When a corpse is found in open country and the killer remains unknown, the nearest city’s elders must take “a heifer that has never been yoked” (21:3), break its neck in an uncultivated valley, and publicly wash their hands, declaring, “Our hands did not shed this blood” (21:6-7). The ritual underscores communal responsibility for innocent blood and prefigures the gospel truth that sin’s pollution demands vicarious atonement. The land is thereby protected from guilt (21:8-9), echoing the later cry, “Cleanse me… and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). Prophetic and Poetic Imagery • Hosea depicts Israel as “a stubborn heifer” (Hosea 4:16) and “a trained heifer that loves to thresh” (Hosea 10:11), exposing the nation’s preference for easy reward over covenant obedience. Theological Implications 1. Innocence and Immediacy: An unyoked heifer symbolizes untouched potential—befitting offerings that must be wholly given to God without prior human claim (Numbers 19; Deuteronomy 21). Practical Ministry Application • Preaching and Teaching: The red heifer offers a vivid Old Testament lens for explaining Hebrews 9:13-14, where Christ’s blood “will cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God.” Conclusion From covenant inauguration to prophetic admonition, the heifer motif threads through Scripture as a multifaceted witness: creation’s good gift, sacrificial substitute, moral mirror, and messianic shadow. Each occurrence calls God’s people to remember that the same Lord who owns “the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10) also provides the perfect sacrifice that cleanses every conscience and reconciles a guilty world to Himself. Forms and Transliterations הַ֠פָּרוֹת הַ֨פָּר֔וֹת הַפָּר֔וֹת הַפָּר֖וֹת הַפָּר֗וֹת הַפָּר֛וֹת הַפָּר֜וֹת הַפָּרָ֔ה הַפָּרָ֖ה הַפָּרָֽה׃ הַפָּרָה֙ הַפָּרוֹת֙ הפרה הפרה׃ הפרות וּפָרָ֤ה ופרה כְּפָרָ֣ה כפרה פָּ֝רָת֗וֹ פָּר֔וֹת פָּר֣וֹת פָּר֤וֹת פָּרֹ֣ת פָרָ֨ה פָרוֹת֙ פרה פרות פרת פרתו faRah farOt hap·pā·rāh hap·pā·rō·wṯ happaRah happārāh happaRot happārōwṯ kə·p̄ā·rāh kefaRah kəp̄ārāh pā·rā·ṯōw p̄ā·rāh pā·rō·wṯ p̄ā·rō·wṯ pā·rōṯ p̄ārāh paraTo pārāṯōw paRot pārōṯ pārōwṯ p̄ārōwṯ ū·p̄ā·rāh ufaRah ūp̄ārāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 32:15 HEB: וּבְנֵיהֶ֖ם שְׁלֹשִׁ֑ים פָּר֤וֹת אַרְבָּעִים֙ וּפָרִ֣ים NAS: forty cows and ten KJV: forty kine, and ten INT: and their colts thirty cows forty bulls Genesis 41:2 Genesis 41:3 Genesis 41:3 Genesis 41:4 Genesis 41:4 Genesis 41:18 Genesis 41:19 Genesis 41:20 Genesis 41:20 Genesis 41:26 Genesis 41:27 Numbers 19:2 Numbers 19:5 Numbers 19:6 Numbers 19:9 Numbers 19:10 1 Samuel 6:7 1 Samuel 6:7 1 Samuel 6:10 1 Samuel 6:12 1 Samuel 6:14 Job 21:10 Isaiah 11:7 Hosea 4:16 26 Occurrences |
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