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Parah

biblical_place_name theological_term standard

A town in the tribal allotment of Benjamin, mentioned in Joshua 18:23.

At a Glance

A town in Benjamin’s inheritance, listed among the settlements of the tribe in Joshua 18:23.

Key Points

Description

Parah is best understood as a place name rather than a theological concept. In Joshua 18:23 it appears in the list of towns belonging to the tribe of Benjamin. The entry is significant for biblical geography and the historical settlement of the land after the conquest, but it does not by itself communicate a doctrine or ethical teaching. The precise modern identification of the site is uncertain, and the name should not be confused with unrelated Hebrew lexical forms or similar-looking terms.

Biblical Context

Joshua records Parah among the towns assigned to Benjamin in the distribution of the land. It belongs to the broader setting of Israel’s settlement in Canaan under Joshua.

Historical Context

Parah reflects the tribal and territorial organization of early Israel in the land. Like many Old Testament place names, its exact archaeological location has not been securely identified.

Jewish and Ancient Context

Ancient Israelite place names often marked covenant inheritance, tribal identity, and local memory. Parah functions as one such territorial marker within Benjamin’s allotment.

Primary Key Texts

Secondary Key Texts

Original Language Note

The name is transliterated from Hebrew and functions as a proper noun for a location. It should not be treated as a doctrinal term.

Theological Significance

Parah has limited theological significance on its own, but it contributes to the Bible’s record of God’s allocation of the land to Israel and the ordered settlement of the tribes.

Philosophical Explanation

As a place name, Parah is an example of how Scripture grounds its narratives in real locations and historical geography rather than abstract ideas alone.

Interpretive Cautions

Do not read Parah as a doctrine, moral category, or stand-alone Hebrew word study unless the intended referent has been clearly established. Avoid confusing it with similarly spelled lexical forms.

Major Views

Most treatments regard Parah simply as a Benjaminite town name. The main discussion concerns identification of the site, not interpretation of the term’s theological meaning.

Doctrinal Boundaries

Parah should be treated as a geographic reference in Scripture, not as a basis for doctrine. Any symbolic use must remain subordinate to the plain historical sense.

Practical Significance

Parah reminds readers that biblical history is set in real places and that the land promises and tribal inheritances were administered in concrete, named locations.

Related Entries

See Also

Data

Machine-readable JSON for Parah

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