Word Study for H6508 (פַּרְדֵּס)

pardêç /par-dace'/ Ask about this word

Rootof foreign origin

Meaninga park

KJV usageforest, orchard.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of pardêç — 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 pardêç, represented by H6508, is a term of foreign origin that denotes a park, forest, or orchard. It appears 3 times across 3 unique verses in the Bible. The word describes a protected or cultivated area of trees, either for resources like timber or for producing fruit.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical usage, H6508 consistently refers to a significant, managed plot of land. It appears as the "king's forest," a protected source of timber granted by the king to Nehemiah for rebuilding projects Nehemiah 2:8. The term is also used in a declaration of great works, where the speaker in Ecclesiastes made for himself gardens and orchards, planting in them all kinds of fruit trees Ecclesiastes 2:5. In a poetic context, the beloved's plants in Song of Solomon are described as an "orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits" Song of Solomon 4:13.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help define the nature and contents of a pardêç:

H1593 gannâh (garden): As a feminine noun for a garden, it appears alongside orchards to describe the cultivated spaces created for pleasure and sustenance Ecclesiastes 2:5.
H6086 ʻêts (tree): This word identifies the primary component of a pardêç, whether as timber from the king's forest Nehemiah 2:8 or as the living trees planted in an orchard Ecclesiastes 2:5.
H6529 pᵉrîy (fruit): This word denotes the produce of an orchard, as seen in the "pleasant fruits" from the orchard of pomegranates Song of Solomon 4:13 and the "all kind of fruits" from the trees planted in the orchards Ecclesiastes 2:5.
H7973 shelach (plant): Defined as a shoot of growth or branch, this term is used for the plants that constitute the beautiful and fruitful orchard in Song of Solomon 4:13.

Theological Significance

The significance of H6508 is tied to its representation of cultivated value and provision.

Royal Provision: As the "king's forest," it symbolizes a resource under royal authority, set aside for specific purposes like providing timber for the restoration of the city and temple-related structures Nehemiah 2:8.
Image of Abundance: The term is used metaphorically to evoke imagery of beauty, desirability, and fruitfulness, as when an orchard of pomegranates is used to describe the beloved in Song of Solomon Song of Solomon 4:13.
Sign of Prosperity: The ability to create orchards is presented as a mark of great human achievement and wealth, a tangible result of labor that yields sustenance and pleasure Ecclesiastes 2:5.

Summary

In summary, H6508 is a specific term for a cultivated park, forest, or orchard. While its usage is rare, it consistently points to a special, enclosed area that is managed for a purpose, whether practical, poetic, or as a display of prosperity. It carries connotations of royal authority, lush beauty, and the tangible rewards of cultivating the land.

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 3 occurrences, inflected in 3 grammatical forms — 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.

פַרְדֵּסִים
פַּרְדֵּס
פַּרְדֵּס

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

Appears in 3 verses across 3 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Nehemiah, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon (1 verse each); never once in the other 36.

Nehemiah

Ecclesiastes

Song of Solomon

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.