paras · spread out

What it means

paras (פָּרַשׂ) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “spread out”.

Hands in prayer, wings, a net, a cloth or a tent.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To open out hands, wings or cloth.
2. To throw or spread in different directions so that it is scattered.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

To spread out, unfold something that was gathered: the hands, the wings, a cloak, a net, a cloth.

• Spreading out the hands to pray 1 Kings 8:22Exodus 9:29Ezra 9:5
• Spreading the edge of one's cloak over someone Ruth 3:9Ezekiel 16:8
• The spread wings of the cherubim Exodus 25:20
• Spreading out a covering or a document Numbers 4:6Isaiah 37:14
• Spreading a net Psalms 140:5Ezekiel 12:13

Historical and cultural background

Ruth asked Boaz: “Spread the edge of your cloak over your servant, for you are a kinsman-redeemer” (Ruth 3:9); in Ezekiel 16:8 the same gesture means taking as wife.

How we translate it

Almost always “spread” (27 times) or “spread out” (25), also with a net (“they have spread a net”, Psalm 140:5); in Proverbs 31:20, with the palm, “she opens”.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• spread ×27
• spread out ×25
• spreads out ×4
• spreads ×3
• scattered ×2
• spreading out ×2
• break it ×1
• she opens ×1
• they chop them up ×1
• were spreading ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Exodus×5
• Numbers×6
• Deuteronomy×2
• Judges×1
• Ruth×1
• 2 Samuel×1
• 1 Kings×5
• 2 Kings×2
• 1 Chronicles×1
• 2 Chronicles×5
• Ezra×1
• Job×3
• Psalms×5
• Proverbs×3
• Isaiah×7
• Jeremiah×3
• Lamentations×4
• Ezekiel×7
• Hosea×2
• Joel×1
• Micah×1
• Zechariah×1

• Exodus 9:29

  Moses said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, I will spread out my palms to YHWH; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth belongs to YHWH.

• Exodus 9:33

  So Moses went out from Pharaoh, out of the city, and spread out his palms to YHWH; and the thunder and the hail ceased, and rain no longer poured on the earth.

• Exodus 25:20

  The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, overshadowing with their wings the cover of expiation, and their faces shall be one toward the other; toward the cover of expiation the faces of the cherubim shall be turned.

• Exodus 37:9

  And the cherubim were spreading out their wings upward, covering with their wings over the cover of expiation, and their faces were each toward the other; toward the cover of expiation were the faces of the cherubim.

• Exodus 40:19

  And he spread the tent over the dwelling, and put the covering of the tent on it above, as YHWH had commanded Moses.

• Numbers 4:6

  And they shall put on it a covering of fine leather, and spread over it a cloth entirely of blue, and put in its poles.

• Numbers 4:7

  And over the table of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put on it the plates, and the spoons, and the bowls, and the jars for the libation; and the continual bread shall be on it.

• Numbers 4:8

  And they shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet, and cover it with a covering of fine leather, and put in its poles.

• Numbers 4:11

  And over the altar of gold they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of fine leather, and put in its poles.

• Numbers 4:13

  And they shall remove the ashes from the altar and spread over it a cloth of purple.

• Numbers 4:14

  And they shall put on it all its utensils with which they minister on it: the firepans, the forks, and the shovels, and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread over it a covering of fine leather, and put in its poles.

• Deuteronomy 22:17

  and look, he has charged her with shameful deeds, saying, ‘I did not find in your daughter virginity.’ But these are the evidence of my daughter’s virginity.” And they shall spread out the cloth before the elders of the city.

• Deuteronomy 32:11

  Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, he spread out his wings, took him, carried him on his pinions.

• Judges 8:25

  They said, “We will certainly give them.” They spread out the cloak, and each man threw there an earring from his spoil.

• Ruth 3:9

  He said, “Who are you?” And she said, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread the edge of your cloak over your servant, for you are a kinsman-redeemer.”

• 2 Samuel 17:19

  The woman took and spread the covering over the mouth of the well and scattered grain on it, and nothing was known.

• 1 Kings 6:27

  And he put the cherubim in the middle of the inner house; and the wings of the cherubim were spread out, so that the wing of the one touched the wall, and the wing of the second cherub was touching the second wall, and their wings toward the middle of the house were touching wing to wing.

• 1 Kings 8:7

  For the cherubim were spreading their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered over the ark and over its poles from above.

• 1 Kings 8:22

  And Solomon stood before the altar of YHWH in front of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward the heavens.

• 1 Kings 8:38

  whatever prayer, whatever supplication that is made by any human being, by all your people Israel, when each knows the sore of his own heart and spreads out his hands toward this house,

• 1 Kings 8:54

  And it happened, when Solomon finished praying to YHWH all this prayer and supplication, that he rose from before the altar of YHWH, from kneeling on his knees, with his hands spread out toward the heavens.

• 2 Kings 8:15

  And it happened on the next day that he took the cloth and dipped it in the water and spread it over his face, and he died; and Hazael reigned in his place.

• 2 Kings 19:14

  Hezekiah took the letters from the hand of the messengers and read them; then he went up to the house of YHWH, and Hezekiah spread it out before YHWH.

• 1 Chronicles 28:18

  and for the altar of incense, refined gold by weight; and for the pattern of the chariot, the cherubim of gold that spread out and cover over the ark of the covenant of YHWH.

• 2 Chronicles 3:13

  The wings of these cherubim spread out twenty cubits; and they stood on their feet, with their faces toward the house.

• 2 Chronicles 5:8

  The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and its poles from above.

• 2 Chronicles 6:12

  He stood before the altar of YHWH in front of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands.

• 2 Chronicles 6:13

  For Solomon had made a platform of bronze and set it in the middle of the enclosure, five cubits its length, five cubits its width, and three cubits its height; he stood on it, knelt on his knees in front of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward the heavens,

• 2 Chronicles 6:29

  whatever prayer, whatever supplication that is made by any human being or by all your people Israel, who know, each his own sore and his own pain, and spread out his hands toward this house,

• Ezra 9:5

  And at the evening offering I rose from my affliction, and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to YHWH my Elohim,

• Job 11:13

  If you prepare your heart and spread out your palms toward him,

• Job 36:30

  Look, he spreads his light over himself, and the roots of the sea he covers.

• Job 39:26

  Is it by your understanding that the hawk flies, and spreads its wings toward the south?

• Psalms 44:20

  If we had forgotten the name of our Elohim and spread out our palms to a strange god,

• Psalms 68:14

  When Shaddai scattered kings in it, it snowed on Zalmon.

• Psalms 105:39

  He spread out a cloud as a covering, and fire to give light at night.

• Psalms 140:5

  The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net beside the track; traps they have set for me. Selah.

• Psalms 143:6

  I spread out my hands to you; my soul is like an exhausted land for you. Selah.

• Proverbs 13:16

  Every shrewd man acts with knowledge, but the senseless spreads out folly.

• Proverbs 29:5

  A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his steps.

And 27 more times.