Lexical Summary
parats: To break out, burst forth, increase, spread
Original Word:פרַץ
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:parats
Pronunciation:pah-rats
Phonetic Spelling:(paw-rats')
KJV: X abroad, (make a) breach, break (away, down, -er, forth, in, up), burst out, come (spread) abroad, compel, disperse, grow, increase, open, press, scatter, urge
NASB:broken down, urged, broken, increased, spread, break, breaks through
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to break out (in many applications, direct and indirect, literal and figurative)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
abroad, make a breach, break away, down burst out, come spread abroad, compel, disperse, grow,
A primitive root; to break out (in many applications, direct and indirect, literal and figurative) -- X abroad, (make a) breach, break (away, down, -er, forth, in, up), burst out, come (spread) abroad, compel, disperse, grow, increase, open, press, scatter, urge.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto break through
NASB Translationbecame...prosperous (1), breaches (1), break (2), break their down (1), break down (1), break forth (1), breaker (1), breaking away (1), breaks through (2), broke (1), broke down (1), broken (3), broken down (5), broken through (2), destroyed (1), distributed (1), employ violence (1), everywhere (1), increase (1), increased (3), infrequent* (1), made (1), made an outburst (1), outburst* (2), overflow (1), sinks (1), spread (3), spread abroad (1), tear down (1), through (1), tore down (2), urged (4).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. (Late Hebrew
id.; Jewish-Aramaic
id.; perhaps Assyrian
parâƒu (see Dl
HWB); Arabic
cut, slit, also
hit); —
Perfect3masculine singular2 Samuel 5:20 +; 2 masculine singular suffixPsalm 60:3, etc.;Imperfect3masculine singularExodus 1:12;Exodus 19:22, v 24,Genesis 30:30 +, etc.;Infinitive absoluteIsaiah 5:5; construct 2Chronicles 31:5,Ecclesiastes 3:3;Participle activeMicah 2:13;Ecclesiastes 10:8;passive feminine singular 2Chronicles 32:5;Proverbs 25:28; masculine pluralNehemiah 4:1 +Nehemiah 2:13 Qr (> Kt ); —break through:
break orburst out, from wombGenesis 38:29 (J; with accusative of congnate meaning with verb); from enclosureMicah 2:13.
break through, down (from without), with accusativeIsaiah 5:5;Psalm 80:13;Psalm 89:41;Ecclesiastes 10:8;Nehemiah 3:35; 2Chronicles 26:6, compare passive participleNehemiah 2:13; 2Chronicles 32:5; with =make a breach in2 Kings 14:13 2Chronicles 25:23;Proverbs 25:28; absolute, opposed toEcclesiastes 3:3;Micah 2:13;Nehemiah 4:1the part broken down.
break into, with accusative 2Chronicles 24:7.
break open, a mining shaftJob 28:4.
break up, break in pieces, with accusative 2Chronicles 20:37 ("" ).
break put (violently)upon, of in sudden judgment, with accusative of person2 Samuel 5:20 =1 Chronicles 14:11;Psalm 60:3; c, personExodus 19:22,24 (J), I ChronExodus 15:13, so of plaguePsalm 106:29; of , with accusative of congnate meaning with verb + person2 Samuel 6:8 =1 Chronicles 13:11; with accusative of congnate meaning with verb + suffixJob 16:14.
use violence absoluteHosea 4:2.
break over [limits],increase,Genesis 30:30 (J),1 Chronicles 4:38; + locativeGenesis 28:14 (J); absoluteGenesis 30:43 (J),Exodus 1:12 (J; + ),Hosea 4:10;Isaiah 54:3,Job 1:10.
burst open, intransitive, of wine-vatsProverbs 3:10 (with accusative of material ).
spread, i.e. become known, of 2Chronicles 31:5. —1 Chronicles 13:2 is probably corrupt, see Kau, who (after SS) conjectures ; in 2 Chronicles 11:23 is apparentlydistributive (with partitive) but dubious. —1 Samuel 28:23;2 Samuel 13:25,27;2 Kings 5:23 see .
Participle1 Samuel 3:1no vision spread abroad (i.e. General, or frequent, compare ; "" , but text dubious.
Participle feminineNehemiah 1:3 (of wall).
Participle plural1 Samuel 25:10 slaveswho break away, each from () his master.
Topical Lexicon
The Motif of Breaking Forth and ExpansionThe verb conveyed by פרַץ repeatedly pictures a sudden, vigorous bursting of boundaries—physical, numerical, military, spiritual. Whether walls, enemies, flocks, or national borders, anything that restrains is shown yielding to a power greater than itself. The term is therefore used both positively (God-given growth and deliverance) and negatively (divine judgment that tears down human defenses).
Covenant Blessings of Fruitful Increase
1. Patriarchal promises. When the LORD told Jacob, “your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east, to the north and south” (Genesis 28:14), פרץ portrays the unstoppable advance of the covenant people.
2. Household prosperity. Jacob later reminds Laban, “your possessions have increased greatly” (Genesis 30:30), and the narrator concludes, “the man became exceedingly prosperous” (Genesis 30:43). Expansion is God’s gift, not human manipulation.
3. National multiplication. Under Egyptian oppression “the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread” (Exodus 1:12). Affliction cannot confine the people whom God intends to enlarge.
4. Territorial expansion. Isaiah promises the post-exilic remnant, “you will spread out to the right and to the left” (Isaiah 54:3), linking פרץ with global mission and Gentile inclusion.
5. Material abundance. “Your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine” (Proverbs 3:10). Hezekiah’s reforms likewise produced “an abundance, a tithe of everything” (2 Chronicles 31:5). Right relationship with the LORD yields overflowing provision.
Outbreak of Divine Deliverance
1. David’s victories. At Baal-perazim David proclaimed, “Like a bursting flood, the LORD has burst out against my enemies before me” (2 Samuel 5:20;1 Chronicles 14:11). God personally breaks through enemy lines, setting the pattern for every triumph that follows.
2. The Breaker leading the flock. “One who breaks open the way will go before them… their king will pass through before them, the LORD at their head” (Micah 2:13). The Shepherd-King clears the path of exile, pointing ultimately to Christ who breaks the power of sin and death (John 10:17–18;Hebrews 2:14-15).
3. Restoration of the Word. In Samuel’s youth “there were no widespread visions” (1 Samuel 3:1). God’s subsequent self-revelation shattered that drought, illustrating that genuine revival is a divine breach into human barrenness.
Breaches of Judgment
1. Perez-Uzzah. When Uzzah touched the ark “the LORD had burst out against Uzzah” (2 Samuel 6:8). Holiness cannot be handled casually; irreverence invites a sudden breach.
2. Collapsing defenses. “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who does not control his temper” (Proverbs 25:28). Sin erodes self-governance, leaving life ungarrisoned.
3. Exilic warnings. The prophets picture people “going out through breaches in the walls” (Amos 4:3) as an image of covenant curses. Unrepentant hearts are themselves ruptured, and previously secure structures crumble.
Prophetic and Messianic Overtones
Micah 2:13 situates the Breaker at the head of His people, a figure later echoed in Christ’s resurrection (“the firstborn from the dead,”Colossians 1:18) and in the promise that “the gates of Hades will not prevail” (Matthew 16:18).Isaiah 54:3 anticipates the church’s mission, fulfilled at Pentecost when the Spirit bursts old ethnic confines (Acts 2:1-11). Thus every gospel advance—whether personal conversion or worldwide awakening—bears the stamp of פרַץ.
Pastoral and Ministry Applications
• Expectation of growth. Where the gospel is faithfully sown, numerical and spiritual increase should be anticipated, even under hostility (Exodus 1:12;Acts 4:4).
• Confidence in battle. Believers face opposition, but victory is secured by the Lord who “bursts out” before His people (2 Samuel 5:20).
• Guarded holiness. Casual attitudes toward God’s presence invite catastrophic breaches (2 Samuel 6:8). Reverence preserves blessing.
• Self-discipline. Personal walls must not be neglected (Proverbs 25:28). Spiritual disciplines reinforce the life that sin would otherwise fracture.
• Mission urgency. Isaiah’s and Micah’s visions compel an outward thrust—planting churches, discipling nations, trusting the Breaker to clear every obstacle.
Representative Occurrences
Genesis 28:14; 30:30, 43
Exodus 1:12
Numbers 14:42 (breach of divine protection)
1 Samuel 3:1
2 Samuel 5:20; 6:8
1 Kings 11:23 (Hadad’s raids breaking Solomon’s peace)
1 Chronicles 14:11; 15:13
2 Chronicles 31:5
Job 1:10 (hedge broken in Satan’s accusation)
Proverbs 3:10; 25:28
Isaiah 54:3
Jeremiah 14:17 (eyes overflow like a fountain)
Ezekiel 22:30 (seeking one to repair the wall and stand in the breach)
Amos 4:3
Micah 2:13
In its forty-nine appearances פרַץ consistently signals either God-given expansion or God-sent rupture. Both facets call God’s people to trust His power, revere His holiness, and follow His Breaker-King wherever He leads.
Forms and Transliterations
הַמִּתְפָּ֣רְצִ֔ים הַפְּרֻצִ֖ים הַפְּרוּצָ֜ה הַפֹּרֵץ֙ המתפרצים הפרוצה הפרץ הפרצים וְכִפְרֹ֣ץ וַיִּפְרְצוּ־ וַיִּפְרָץ־ וַיִּפְרֹ֞ץ וַיִּפְרֹ֣ץ וַיִּפְרֹ֥ץ וַיִּפְרֹ֨ץ וַיִּפְרֹץ֩ וַתִּפְרָץ־ וּפָרַ֖ץ וּפָרַצְתָּ֛ וּפֹרֵ֥ץ ויפרץ ויפרץ־ ויפרצו־ וכפרץ ופרץ ופרצת ותפרץ־ יִפְרְצֵ֣נִי יִפְרָץ־ יִפְרֹ֑ץ יִפְרֹ֑צוּ יִפְרֹ֥ץ יִפְרֹֽצוּ׃ יפרץ יפרץ־ יפרצו יפרצו׃ יפרצני לִפְר֖וֹץ לפרוץ מְפֹרָ֔צֶת מפרצת נִפְרְצָה֙ נִפְרָֽץ׃ נפרץ׃ נפרצה פְּ֭רוּצָה פְרַצְתָּ֑נוּ פָּ֤רַץ פָּֽרְצוּ֙ פָּרְצ֖וּ פָּרַ֖צְתָּ פָּרַ֣צְתָּ פָּרַ֤ץ פָּרַ֥ץ פָּרַ֥צְתָּ פָּרַ֧ץ פָּרַ֨ץ פָּרָ֕צוּ פָּרֹ֥ץ פָרְצ֖וּ פָרַ֧ץ פְּרוּצִ֔ים פרוצה פרוצים פרץ פרצו פרצת פרצתנו תִּפְרֹ֑צִי תפרצי faRatz fareTzu feratzTanu ham·miṯ·pā·rə·ṣîm hammiṯpārəṣîm hammitPareTzim hap·pə·rū·ṣāh hap·pə·ru·ṣîm hap·pō·rêṣ happərūṣāh happəruṣîm happeruTzah happeruTzim happōrêṣ happoRetz lifRotz lip̄·rō·wṣ lip̄rōwṣ mə·p̄ō·rā·ṣeṯ mefoRatzet məp̄ōrāṣeṯ nifRatz nifreTzah nip̄·rāṣ nip̄·rə·ṣāh nip̄rāṣ nip̄rəṣāh pā·rā·ṣū pā·raṣ p̄ā·raṣ pā·raṣ·tā pā·rə·ṣū p̄ā·rə·ṣū pā·rōṣ pāraṣ p̄āraṣ pāraṣtā pārāṣū paRatz paRatzta paRatzu pārəṣū p̄ārəṣū pareTzu pārōṣ paRotz p̄ə·raṣ·tā·nū pə·rū·ṣāh pə·rū·ṣîm p̄əraṣtānū pərūṣāh pərūṣîm Perutzah peruTzim tifRotzi tip̄·rō·ṣî tip̄rōṣî ū·p̄ā·raṣ ū·p̄ā·raṣ·tā ū·p̄ō·rêṣ ufaRatz ufaratzTa ufoRetz ūp̄āraṣ ūp̄āraṣtā ūp̄ōrêṣ vaiyifretzu vaiyifRotz vattifrotz vechifRotz wat·tip̄·rāṣ- wattip̄rāṣ- way·yip̄·rāṣ- way·yip̄·rə·ṣū- way·yip̄·rōṣ wayyip̄rāṣ- wayyip̄rəṣū- wayyip̄rōṣ wə·ḵip̄·rōṣ wəḵip̄rōṣ yifreTzeni yifRotz yifRotzu yip̄·rāṣ- yip̄·rə·ṣê·nî yip̄·rō·ṣū yip̄·rōṣ yip̄rāṣ- yip̄rəṣênî yip̄rōṣ yip̄rōṣū
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