Lexical Summary
Pashchur: Pashhur
Original Word:פַשְׁחוּר
Part of Speech:Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration:Pashchuwr
Pronunciation:pash-KHOOR
Phonetic Spelling:(pash-khoor')
KJV: Pashur
NASB:Pashhur
Word Origin:[probably fromH6582 (פָּשַׁח - torn me to pieces)]
1. liberation
2. Pashchur, the name of four Israelites
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Pashur
Probably frompashach; liberation; Pashchur, the name of four Israelites -- Pashur.
see HEBREWpashach
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
pashachDefinitionfive Isr.
NASB TranslationPashhur (14).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
, () etc.:
Jeremiah 20:1,2,3 (twice in verse);Jeremiah 20:6.
Jeremiah 21:1;Jeremiah 38:1bNehemiah 11:12, compare1 Chronicles 9:12.
Nehemiah 10:4.
Jeremiah 38:1a.
familyEzra 2:38 =Nehemiah 7:14;Ezra 10:22. compare MeyEntstehung 169 f.
Topical Lexicon
Name and SignificancePashhur (Hebrew פַשְׁחוּר) appears in several priestly lines and royal narratives. The root idea of the name suggests “freedom” or “expansion,” yet the biblical record repeatedly sets that meaning against bondage, exile, and judgment, creating a memorable irony.
Pashhur Son of Immer: Temple Official Who Persecuted Jeremiah
Jeremiah 20 introduces Pashhur son of Immer as “priest and chief officer in the house of the LORD” (Jeremiah 20:1). Angered by Jeremiah’s temple sermon, he “had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks” (20:2). The next morning Jeremiah renamed him “Magor-missabib” (“Terror on Every Side,” 20:3), prophesying that he, his household, and his false-prophet companions would go to Babylon and die there (20:6). This episode highlights three themes:
• Prophetic authority over corrupt religious leadership.
• The certainty of Babylonian exile despite institutional resistance.
• Divine reversal: the man whose name implies freedom will enter captivity.
Pashhur Son of Malchiah: Royal Envoy and Opponent of Jeremiah
A second Pashhur, “son of Malchiah,” surfaces during Zedekiah’s reign.
1. As royal envoy he is sent with Zephaniah to ask Jeremiah for divine guidance when Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem (Jeremiah 21:1–2). Jeremiah’s reply condemns the city, underscoring that superficial inquiries cannot replace genuine repentance.
2. Later the same Pashhur joins princes who demand Jeremiah’s death for preaching surrender (Jeremiah 38:1–6). He thus shifts from seeking a word of the LORD to silencing it, illustrating the hardening progression of unbelief under mounting judgment.
Priestly Lineages and the Return from Exile
Long after the downfall of Jerusalem, families bearing the name Pashhur re-emerge among the priests who return with Zerubbabel: “the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247” (Ezra 2:38;Nehemiah 7:41). Their sizable number indicates that, despite earlier apostasy, the line was not extinguished. God preserves priestly succession even through exile, fulfilling covenant promises concerning the endurance of the priesthood.
Priestly Purification in Ezra’s Reform
Ezra 10:22 names six men “among the descendants of Pashhur” who had married foreign women. Their inclusion on the list of offenders—and their agreement to put away unlawful wives—shows that the Pashhur line participated both in the compromise and in the repentance that sought to restore holiness to the priesthood.
Covenant Renewal under Nehemiah
Nehemiah 10:3 lists a priest named Pashhur as a signatory to the renewed covenant. This public commitment to obey the Law contrasts sharply with the earlier Pashhurs who resisted Jeremiah. The name that once symbolized opposition now appears beside leaders pledging faithfulness, demonstrating generational mercy.
Post-Exilic Service in Jerusalem
In the repopulation of Jerusalem, descendants of Pashhur are counted among those “who carried out the work for the house” (Nehemiah 11:12; cf.1 Chronicles 9:12). The line is restored to active ministry, confirming that repentance and covenant fidelity reopen avenues of service that sin had closed.
Theological Reflections
1. God disciplines faithless leaders but keeps open a path for their descendants to return and serve.
2. Prophetic warnings, though resisted, prove true; Jeremiah’s words about Pashhur son of Immer are fulfilled in the Babylonian exile.
3. Names and titles carry significance, yet true identity is measured by obedience. The renaming to “Magor-missabib” underscores that divine verdict overrides human status.
4. Corporate memory within priestly families is vital. The later faithfulness of the Pashhur descendants likely drew upon lessons from their forebear’s failure.
Summary of Occurrences
•1 Chronicles 9:12;Nehemiah 11:12 – ancestral listing of post-exilic priests.
•Ezra 2:38;Nehemiah 7:41 – census of returnees.
•Ezra 10:22 – involvement in the reform of mixed marriages.
•Nehemiah 10:3 – covenant signatory.
•Jeremiah 20:1-6 – Pashhur son of Immer persecutes Jeremiah and is judged.
•Jeremiah 21:1; 38:1-6 – Pashhur son of Malchiah, royal emissary turned persecutor.
Across these texts, Pashhur stands both as a warning against resisting God’s word and as a witness to the restoring grace that can bring even a disgraced line back into priestly service.
Forms and Transliterations
וּפַשְׁח֖וּר ופשחור פַּשְׁח֑וּר פַּשְׁח֔וּר פַּשְׁח֖וּר פַּשְׁח֥וּר פַּשְׁחוּר֙ פַשְׁח֔וּר פַשְׁח֗וּר פַשְׁח֛וּר פַשְׁחוּר֙ פשחור fashChur paš·ḥūr p̄aš·ḥūr pashChur pašḥūr p̄ašḥūr ū·p̄aš·ḥūr ufashChur ūp̄ašḥūr
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