Lexical Summary
par: Bull, young bull, steer
Original Word:פַר
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:par
Pronunciation:pahr
Phonetic Spelling:(par)
KJV: (+ young) bull(-ock), calf, ox
NASB:bull, bulls, heifer, ox, young bulls, young bull, fruit
Word Origin:[fromH6565 (פָּרַר - To break)]
1. a bullock (apparently as breaking forth in wild strength, or perhaps as dividing the hoof)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
young bullock, calf, ox
Or par {pawr}; fromparar; a bullock (apparently as breaking forth in wild strength, or perhaps as dividing the hoof) -- (+ young) bull(-ock), calf, ox.
see HEBREWparar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitionyoung bull, steer
NASB Translationbull (67), bull* (18), bulls (29), bulls* (5), fruit (1), heifer (6), ox (5), oxen (1), young bull (2), young bulls (4).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
132Gen 32:16 ; — absolute
Numbers 7:15 +,
Psalm 50:9, always
1 Samuel 1:25 +; construct
Exodus 29:36 +; plural
Genesis 32:16 +; suffix
Jeremiah 50:27; —
steer [see especially
Leviticus 4:3 6t.;
Exodus 29:1 12t.
Numbers 7, compare
Numbers 8:8;
Numbers 15:24 3t., compare
Ezekiel 43:23;
Ezekiel 45:18;
Ezekiel 46:6; plural
Numbers 28:11 4t.; see ]:
Genesis 32:16 (E); figurative of fierce enemiesPsalm 22:13.
Exodus 24:5 (E; Covenant Code),1 Samuel 1:24 (read for Th We Dr and others),1 Samuel 1:25;Numbers 7:88 (P), 2 Chronicles 30:24 (twice in verse)
Judges 6:25 (twice in verse) (on text compare GFM), v 26, 281 Kings 18:23 (3 t. in verse);1 Kings 18:25,26,33;Ezekiel 43:23 5t. Ezekiel;Numbers 7:15,21 46t. Numbers (P);1 Chronicles 15:26;1 Chronicles 29:21;Ezra 8:35;Job 42:8;Psalm 50:9;Psalm 51:20;Leviticus 23:18 (gloss, Dr-Wh).
Ezekiel 43:19 5t. Ezekiel;Exodus 29:1,3,10 (twice in verse);Exodus 29:11,12,14,36 compare 2 Chronicles 13:9; 29:21;Leviticus 4:3,4 (3 t. in verse) + 25 t. Leviticus (P),Numbers 8:8; — both
and
Numbers 8:12
more GenerallyIsaiah 1:11;Psalm 69:32.
figHosea 14:3 we will pay (as with)bullocks, our lips, but read We Now, compare Che.
, under figure of sacrificeIsaiah 34:7;Jeremiah 50:27;Ezekiel 39:18.
Topical Lexicon
Summary of Biblical Usageפַר (par) refers to a mature male bovine—“bull” or “young bull”—appearing about 133 times across the Old Testament. From the patriarchal narratives through the post-exilic prophets, the bull stands at the intersection of agricultural prosperity, covenant worship, and vivid metaphor.
The Bull in Israel’s Sacrificial System
1. Sin Offering.
Leviticus assigns the bull the highest sacrificial rank. When the anointed priest or the whole congregation sinned unintentionally, only a flawless young bull could secure atonement (Leviticus 4:3-21; 16:3, 6, 11). “He must present to the LORD a young bull without blemish as a sin offering” (Leviticus 4:3).
2. Ordination and Consecration.
Priests (Exodus 29:1) and Levites (Numbers 8:8) entered service through the blood of a bull. At Solomon’s Temple dedication, twenty-two thousand bulls were offered (1 Kings 8:63), underscoring royal gratitude and national consecration.
3. National Festivals.
The calendar ofLeviticus 23 andNumbers 28–29 prescribes increasing numbers of bulls for high holy days, climaxing with seventy bulls over the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles (Numbers 29:12-34). The scale signifies both Israel’s need and Yahweh’s abundant provision.
4. Corporate Repentance.
In revivals under Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29:21-32) and Josiah (2 Chronicles 35:7), bulls again headline the offerings, demonstrating that genuine reform reconnects priest, people, and atoning blood.
Covenantal and Atonement Significance
The bull’s size and economic value made its sacrifice a costly acknowledgment of sin and dependency. By requiring the most prized animal for priestly and congregational guilt, the LORD impressed on Israel the gravity of sin and foreshadowed the greater cost of ultimate redemption (Hebrews 9:13-14). Bulls, therefore, prefigure Christ, “the Lamb of God,” whose once-for-all sacrifice renders the continual shedding of bovine blood obsolete (Hebrews 10:4-10).
Symbol of Strength, Fertility, and Prosperity
Patriarchs count bulls among their wealth (Genesis 32:15; 33:13-14).Psalm 50:10 records God’s ownership: “Every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.” The bull’s virility made it a symbol of agrarian blessing (Deuteronomy 33:17). When the land flourished, barns filled with “oxen well-laden” (Psalm 144:14).
Negative Imagery and Divine Judgment
1. Pride and Brutality.
“Strong bulls of Bashan surround me” (Psalm 22:12). Here the bull depicts oppressive power, prefiguring the mockers at the crucifixion.
2. Idolatry’s Spoils.
Nations drunk on conquest are likened to frolicking calves and fattened bulls destined for slaughter (Jeremiah 50:11, 27).
3. Coming Wrath.
Isaiah 34:6 portrays Edom’s downfall: “The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood… the land soaked with fat from the blood of bulls.” The very animal once offered for sin becomes the emblem of inescapable judgment when grace is spurned.
Prophetic and Messianic Echoes
Psalm 69:31 looks past the ritual itself: “I will praise God’s name in song… and this will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with horns and hoofs.” Prophets emphasize obedience over sacrifice (Hosea 6:6), setting the stage for Messiah, whose perfect obedience—rather than animal blood—secures salvation.Hebrews 10:5 quotesPsalm 40 to affirm that God ultimately “prepared a body” for Christ, replacing bulls with the incarnate Son.
Historical Context and Ancient Near Eastern Background
Bulls figured prominently in surrounding cultures (e.g., Apis in Egypt, aurochs imagery in Canaanite iconography). Israel’s legislation redirected this common symbol away from fertility cults to covenant fidelity. By consecrating bulls exclusively to Yahweh, the Torah cut off syncretism and maintained theological purity.
Key Passages by Biblical Section
• Torah:Exodus 29:1;Leviticus 4:3-21;Numbers 7:87;Numbers 29:12-34
• Historical Books:1 Samuel 28:24;1 Kings 8:63;2 Chronicles 29:21-32
• Wisdom and Poetry:Job 42:8; Psalms 22:12; Psalms 50:10; Psalms 69:31;Proverbs 14:4
• Prophets:Isaiah 34:6;Jeremiah 46:15;Ezekiel 45:18-25;Hosea 14:2
Theological Reflections for Ministry Today
1. Costly Worship. The bull reminds believers that true worship involves sacrifice—of self, time, and resources—rendered willingly in response to grace (Romans 12:1).
2. Substitutionary Atonement. Repeated bull offerings point to humanity’s need for a sinless substitute, fulfilled once for all in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).
3. Holiness and Leadership. Because priests required a bull for their own sins, pastors and elders today must lead with humility, confessing and forsaking personal sin before ministering to others (James 3:1).
4. Evangelistic Vision. The seventy bulls at Tabernacles were understood by some Jewish commentators to represent the nations. Christ’s atoning work now commissions the church to proclaim forgiveness “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Conclusion
From altar to prophecy, פַר threads through Scripture as a tangible witness to human sin, divine holiness, and the costly grace that culminates at Calvary. The bull’s repeated appearance urges every generation to embrace the greater sacrifice it foreshadowed and to offer lives of grateful obedience to the One whose blood truly atones.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּפַ֤ר בְּפַ֧ר בְּפָרִ֤ים בַּפָּֽר׃ בפר בפר׃ בפרים הַ֠פָּר הַפָּ֑ר הַפָּ֔ר הַפָּ֖ר הַפָּ֗ר הַפָּ֣ר הַפָּ֤ר הַפָּ֨ר הַפָּֽר׃ הַפָּר֙ הַפָּרִ֑ים הפר הפר׃ הפרים וּפַ֥ר וּפַ֧ר וּפַ֨ר וּפַר־ וּפָרִ֖ים וּפָרִ֣ים ופר ופר־ ופרים לְפַ֣ר לַ֠פָּרִים לַפָּ֔ר לַפָּ֖ר לַפָּ֗ר לַפָּ֛ר לַפָּ֜ר לַפָּ֣ר לַפָּ֨ר לַפָּר֙ לפר לפרים פַּ֖ר פַּ֣ר פַּ֤ר פַּ֥ר פַּ֧ר פַּ֨ר פַּר־ פָ֑ר פָּ֗ר פָּ֠רִים פָּ֥ר פָּרִ֔ים פָּרִ֗ים פָּרִ֣ים פָּרִ֥ים פָּרִ֧ים פָּרִ֨ים פָּרִֽים׃ פָּרִים֒ פָּרִים֮ פָּרֶ֔יהָ פָרִ֖ים פָרִֽים׃ פָרִים֩ פָרִים־ פר פר־ פריה פרים פרים־ פרים׃ bap·pār bapPar bappār bə·p̄ā·rîm bə·p̄ar beFar befaRim bəp̄ar bəp̄ārîm Far faRim hap·pā·rîm hap·pār hapPar happār happaRim happārîm Happor lap·pā·rîm lap·pār lapPar lappār Lapparim lappārîm lə·p̄ar leFar ləp̄ar pā·re·hā pā·rîm p̄ā·rîm p̄ā·rîm- par pār p̄ār par- pārehā paReiha paRim pārîm p̄ārîm p̄ārîm- ū·p̄ā·rîm ū·p̄ar ū·p̄ar- uFar ufaRim ūp̄ar ūp̄ar- ūp̄ārîm
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