Word Study for H6474 (פַּעֲרַי)

Paʻăray /pah-ar-ah'-ee/ Ask about this word

Meaningyawning; Paarai, an Israelite

KJV usagePaarai.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of Paʻăray — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word Paʻăray, represented by H6474, is a proper name meaning yawning; Paarai, an Israelite. It is a very specific term, appearing only 1 time in 1 unique verse within the biblical text. Its sole purpose is to identify a particular individual.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The single appearance of H6474 is in a list of King David's mighty men found in 2 Samuel 23:35. In this verse, he is identified as "Paarai the Arbite," indicating he was a native of Arab. He is listed alongside another warrior, "Hezrai the Carmelite," establishing his place among the honored heroes who served David.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide context for Paarai's identity and the record in which he appears:

H701 ʼArbîy (Arbite): This patrial term directly describes Paarai, defining him as "an Arbite or native of Arab". It connects his identity to a specific location.
H2695 Chetsrôw (Hezro, Hezrai): This is the name of the man listed with Paarai in 2 Samuel 23:35. The name also appears as Hezro in a parallel list in 1 Chronicles 11:37, though in that account a different individual is named afterward.
H3761 Karmᵉlîy (Carmelite): This designation, meaning "a Karmelite or inhabitant of Karmel," is applied to Hezrai/Hezro, the man named alongside Paarai.

Theological Significance

While not a term with deep theological weight, the inclusion of H6474 carries significance in the biblical narrative.

Historical Preservation: The name Paarai is preserved in scripture to honor the identity and service of one of David's mighty men.
Geographic Diversity: By identifying Paarai as "the Arbite," the text highlights that David's elite warriors were drawn from various locations and clans within Israel.
Scribal Context: The presence of Paarai in the 2 Samuel 23:35 list, compared to a different name in the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 11:37, provides insight into the transmission of biblical texts.

Summary

In summary, H6474 is the proper name Paʻăray, identifying one of David's mighty men. Its significance is not found in a broad theological concept but in its specific, singular role within the historical record of David's kingdom. The name is preserved in 2 Samuel 23:35, cementing the identity of Paarai the Arbite as one of the heroes of ancient Israel.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 1 occurrence, inflected in 1 grammatical form — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

פַּעֲרַי

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

1 verse, all in 2 Samuel — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.