Lexical Summary
perek: Harshness, severity, rigor
Original Word:פֶרֶךְ
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:perek
Pronunciation:peh'-rek
Phonetic Spelling:(peh'-rek)
KJV: cruelty, rigour
NASB:severity, rigorously
Word Origin:[from an unused root meaning to break apart]
1. fracture, i.e. severity
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cruelty, rigor
From an unused root meaning to break apart; fracture, i.e. Severity -- cruelty, rigour.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitionharshness, severity
NASB Translationrigorously (2), severity (4).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
; — in phrase
Leviticus 25:33,
Leviticus 25:43;
Leviticus 25:46; (H P),
Ezekiel 34:4 (all with
rule harshly);
Exodus 1:13 (with ),
Exodus 1:14 (with ; both P).
II. (√ of following; compare Assyrianparâku,bar, shut off;parakku,apartment, shrine; Syriac
shrine (see RSJPhil 13, 283); see also Muss-ArnJBL xi (1892), 77 Köii. 1, 201).
Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe Hebrew noun פֶרֶךְ (péreḵ) portrays labor or rule that crushes, breaks, or tyrannizes. Though it appears only six times, it gathers around it a rich theology of oppression, deliverance, and covenant ethics that reaches from the bricks of Egypt to the Good Shepherd ofJohn 10.
Literary Setting and Observations
1.Exodus 1:13–14 anchors the word in Israel’s slavery: “So the Egyptians worked the Israelites ruthlessly” (Exodus 1:13). The “crushing labor” is elaborated in verse 14.
2.Leviticus 25:43, 46, 53 bars such treatment inside Israel. The Jubilee statutes forbid an Israelite to “rule over him with harshness, but fear your God.”
3.Ezekiel 34:4 indicts faithless shepherds: “You have ruled them with force and brutality.” Here péreḵ shifts from economic exploitation to spiritual abuse.
Across these passages two motifs emerge: (a) foreign oppression that demands divine intervention, and (b) domestic oppression that violates covenant brotherhood.
Covenantal Ethics of Work and Authority
The Exodus account transforms péreḵ from mere description to moral paradigm. God responds to cries raised under péreḵ (Exodus 2:23-25), setting a template for His concern for the crushed. Consequently,Leviticus 25 embeds the opposite ethic into Israel’s social structure. Jubilee laws limit long-term servitude, enforce rest, and forbid Israelite-over-Israelite péreḵ. Work remains, but harsh domination is outlawed.
Theological Significance
1. Revelation of God’s Character. The Lord is shown as the Defender of the oppressed: “I have surely seen the affliction of My people” (Exodus 3:7). By reacting against péreḵ, He reveals His justice and compassion.
2. Typology of Redemption. Egypt’s péreḵ prefigures the bondage of sin. Just as the Lord breaks Pharaoh’s yoke, Christ later proclaims, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
3. Sanctity of Human Dignity. Leviticus places fear of God as the motive for rejecting péreḵ, rooting social ethics in worship rather than economics or sentiment.
Prophetic Reproof and Pastoral Application
Ezekiel 34 lifts péreḵ from the marketplace to the pulpit. Leaders who exploit the flock, whether politically or spiritually, reenact Egypt. The passage anticipates the arrival of the Messianic Shepherd who will “search for My flock and seek them out” (Ezekiel 34:11). Ministry today must therefore reject manipulative control, coercive discipline, and legalistic burdens that crush souls (Matthew 23:4).
Practical Implications for Today
• Labor Practices: Employers and supervisors are called to treat workers as image-bearers, providing just compensation and humane conditions (James 5:4).
• Church Leadership: Elders are commanded to shepherd “not lording it over those entrusted to you” (1 Peter 5:3). Any ministry methodology that thrives on intimidation or guilt echoes péreḵ.
• Social Justice: Advocacy for the trafficked, oppressed, or economically exploited flows naturally from the biblical witness. Love of neighbor demands active resistance to modern forms of crushing labor.
Redemptive Rest in Christ
Where péreḵ grinds down, Jesus offers rest: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Sabbath and Jubilee find their fulfillment in Him. The believer’s freedom from sin’s tyranny and from legalistic religion completes the trajectory begun in Exodus.
Related New Testament Concepts
• δουλεία (slavery) inRomans 8:15 contrasts the Spirit-led life with bondage.
• ἀνελέητος (merciless) inJames 2:13 condemns judgment without mercy, paralleling the harshness of péreḵ.
• ἐπιβαρέω (to burden) in2 Corinthians 11:9 expresses Paul’s refusal to impose financial strain on the churches, modeling freedom from péreḵ-like ministry.
Summary
פֶרֶךְ exposes the ugliness of oppression and magnifies God’s commitment to liberty and justice. It warns leaders, guides labor ethics, and ultimately invites all to the freedom purchased by the true Deliverer, whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּפֶ֖רֶךְ בְּפָ֑רֶךְ בְּפָֽרֶךְ׃ בפרך בפרך׃ וּבְפָֽרֶךְ׃ ובפרך׃ bə·p̄ā·reḵ bə·p̄e·reḵ beFarech beFerech bəp̄āreḵ bəp̄ereḵ ū·ḇə·p̄ā·reḵ ūḇəp̄āreḵ uveFarech
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