6592. pesher
Lexical Summary
pesher: Interpretation, Explanation

Original Word: פֵשֶׁר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: pesher
Pronunciation: PEH-sher
Phonetic Spelling: (pay'-sher)
NASB: interpretation
Word Origin: [corresponding to H659 (אֵפַע - Ephah)1]

1. interpretation

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
interpretation

Corresponding to pshar -- interpretation.

see HEBREW pshar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of foreign origin
Definition
solution, interpretation
NASB Translation
interpretation (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
מֵּ֫שֶׁר noun [masculine] solution, interpretation (loan-word from Aramaic מִּשְׁרָא);-construct ׳פ Ecclesiastes 8:1.

Topical Lexicon
Biblical Occurrence

The term appears once in the canon, in Ecclesiastes 8:1: “Who is like the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his countenance is changed.”. Here the word speaks of an “interpretation,” an explanatory insight that unlocks the riddle of life under the sun.

Meaning Within Ecclesiastes

In its solitary occurrence, the word stands at the heart of the Teacher’s quest: Can anyone truly “interpret” the perplexities of providence? The verse ties genuine interpretation to God-given wisdom rather than to human speculation. The result is transformational—illumination that turns a hardened face radiant with hope (cf. Psalms 34:5). Thus the term signals more than intellectual decoding; it conveys revelatory discernment that changes one’s disposition toward God and others.

Relationship to Wisdom Literature

Ecclesiastes shares the larger sapiential conviction that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Interpretation, therefore, is not an autonomous human achievement but a gift dispensed by the One who “gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning” (Daniel 2:21). The Teacher’s rhetorical questions press readers to seek this wisdom from God alone.

Inter-Testamental Development

In the centuries that followed, Jewish communities, notably at Qumran, employed the same Hebrew noun for their running commentaries (“pesharim”) on prophetic texts. While these writings are not Scripture, they illustrate how the concept of interpretation evolved: a verse-by-verse application of ancient prophecy to contemporary experience. Yet the canonical usage in Ecclesiastes keeps the focus fixed on divine, not sectarian, revelation.

Christological Alignment

Jesus Christ embodies the supreme “interpretation” of God’s mysteries. He declares, “One greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42) and “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written about Himself in all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:27). What Ecclesiastes longs for—an authoritative explanation of life’s enigmas—is fulfilled in the incarnate Word who unveils the Father (John 1:18).

Pastoral and Practical Insights

1. Seek God-granted wisdom before forming conclusions about life’s paradoxes; prayer precedes interpretation.
2. Expect genuine insight to bear visible fruit—softened features, gentler responses, and renewed joy.
3. Anchor ministry in Scripture rightly interpreted through Christ, guarding against both despairing skepticism and self-assured dogmatism.
4. Equip believers to move from mere information to Spirit-illuminated understanding that transforms attitudes and relationships.

Summary

The word directs us to the necessity of divinely sourced explanation. Whether pondering the sorrow and delight of human existence or proclaiming the gospel, the church finds its “interpretation of a matter” in the wisdom that God generously supplies and climactically reveals in His Son.

Forms and Transliterations
פֵּ֣שֶׁר פשר pê·šer pêšer Pesher
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Ecclesiastes 8:1
HEB: וּמִ֥י יוֹדֵ֖עַ פֵּ֣שֶׁר דָּבָ֑ר חָכְמַ֤ת
NAS: knows the interpretation of a matter?
KJV: [man]? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing?
INT: and who knows the interpretation act wisdom

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 6592
1 Occurrence


pê·šer — 1 Occ.

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