Lexical Summary param: To tear, to rend Original Word: פָרַם Strong's Exhaustive Concordance rend A primitive root; to tear -- rend. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to tear or rend (a garment) NASB Translation tear (2), torn (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [מָּרַם] verb tear, rend garment (Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew; Arabic  chop up onions, etc. (LandbergProv.421); Syriac  cut, rend); — always with ׃בְּגָדִים Qal Imperfect3masculine singular יִפְרֹם Leviticus 21:10 (H), 2 masculine plural תִּפְרֹ֑מוּ Leviticus 10:6 (P); Passive participle plural מְּרֻמִים Leviticus 13:45 (P). Topical Lexicon Overview פָרַם (Strong’s 6533) denotes the deliberate loosening or disheveling of the hair. In the Torah it serves as a visible marker either of extreme sorrow and impurity or, conversely, of the priestly obligation to maintain dignity and holiness. Because it occurs only three times, all in Leviticus, its force is tightly connected to Israel’s cultic life and the theological truths embedded in ritual practice. Meaning and Imagery In the ancient Near East, hair symbolized vitality, honor, and even covenantal status. To let it fall unkempt signaled a radical break from normal life—whether due to bereavement, disease, or social disgrace. פָרַם therefore communicates outward disarray that mirrors inward turmoil or uncleanness. Conversely, restraining or covering the hair affirmed order, reverence, and wholeness before God. Cultic Regulations in Leviticus 1. Leviticus 10:6 places the command in the mouth of Moses immediately after the judgment on Nadab and Abihu. Aaron and his remaining sons are told, “Do not let your hair hang loose or tear your garments, or you will die, and the LORD will become angry with the whole congregation”. At the very moment grief might seem appropriate, the priests must suppress the customary gestures of mourning. Their ongoing service outweighs personal sorrow, underscoring that nothing may disrupt the sanctuary’s holiness. Priestly Conduct versus Defilement The contrast between the leper and the priest is deliberate. The leper’s loosened hair dramatizes exile from the camp; the priest’s carefully arranged hair dramatizes nearness to God. Both communicate theological truth: sin disorders life, but God ordains order within His presence. פָרַם thus becomes a ceremonial language distinguishing life from death, purity from impurity, access from exclusion. Symbolism in Mourning and Purity Mourning customs usually included disheveled hair, sackcloth, and ashes (compare Jeremiah 7:29). Yet the priests in Leviticus 10:6 and 21:10 are forbidden these signs, teaching that ministry at the altar transcends personal grief. Their restraint foreshadows the unbroken perfection of the ultimate High Priest, Jesus Christ, who “committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:22), even while bearing the world’s sorrow. Historical Insights Archaeological evidence and contemporary literature confirm that uncovered or disordered hair functioned as a mourning rite across cultures. Israel’s law re-purposed that cultural norm, turning it into a didactic tool to highlight God’s holiness. The distinction was not mere formality; it taught Israel to separate common emotions from sacred duties when necessary, preserving reverence in the tabernacle. Ministry Application Modern readers glean several principles: Summary פָרַם encapsulates the biblical theology of order versus disorder. Whether prohibiting priests from mourning conventions or commanding lepers to broadcast their impurity, the term functions as a visual parable. It reminds believers that God’s presence calls for deliberate, disciplined reverence, while unconfessed sin and brokenness must never be masked but openly acknowledged in the hope of divine restoration. Forms and Transliterations יִפְרֹֽם׃ יפרם׃ פְרֻמִים֙ פרמים תִפְרֹ֙מוּ֙ תפרמו feruMim p̄ə·ru·mîm p̄ərumîm tifRomu ṯip̄·rō·mū ṯip̄rōmū yifRom yip̄·rōm yip̄rōmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 10:6 HEB: וּבִגְדֵיכֶ֤ם לֹֽא־ תִפְרֹ֙מוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א תָמֻ֔תוּ NAS: nor tear your clothes, KJV: not your heads, neither rend your clothes; INT: your clothes nor tear nor die Leviticus 13:45 Leviticus 21:10 3 Occurrences |
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