Lexical Summary pesher: Interpretation, Explanation Original Word: פֵשֶׁר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance interpretation Corresponding to pshar -- interpretation. see HEBREW pshar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof 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. 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 PesherLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman'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 |
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