parash · horseman; horse

What it means

parash (פָּרָשׁ) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “horseman; horse”.

For riding or driving.

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. A soldier who fights mounted on a horse.
2. A strong, swift animal that carries a rider or pulls a war chariot.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Horseman, the man who rides a horse; in the plural, the horsemen of an army. In a few passages, the riding horse.

• Pharaoh’s chariots and horsemen Exodus 14:9Genesis 50:9
• The horsemen of the kings of Israel 1 Samuel 8:111 Kings 10:26
• Horsemen of enemy armies 2 Samuel 8:4Habakkuk 1:8Nahum 3:3
• Trusting in chariots and horsemen Isaiah 31:1Ezra 8:22
• “The chariot of Israel and its horsemen” 2 Kings 2:122 Kings 13:14

Historical and cultural background

Samuel warned that the king would take the people’s sons and appoint them “in his chariots and among his horsemen” (1 Samuel 8:11); Solomon came to have twelve thousand horsemen (1 Kings 10:26). Ezra was ashamed to ask the king of Persia for troops and horsemen for the journey, because he had said that the hand of his Elohim was on all who seek him (Ezra 8:22).

How we translate it

“Horsemen” 52 times and “horseman” 3; “horses” and “steeds” once each where it is the animal. The word is kept also in Exodus 14, where it means the mounted troops of Pharaoh (“his horsemen and his army”, Exodus 14:9).

How it is translated

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

• horsemen ×52
• horseman ×3
• horses ×1
• steeds ×1

Related words

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

Where it appears

• Genesis×1
• Exodus×7
• Joshua×1
• 1 Samuel×2
• 2 Samuel×3
• 1 Kings×7
• 2 Kings×4
• 1 Chronicles×2
• 2 Chronicles×7
• Ezra×1
• Nehemiah×1
• Isaiah×7
• Jeremiah×2
• Ezekiel×6
• Daniel×1
• Hosea×1
• Joel×1
• Nahum×1
• Habakkuk×2

• Genesis 50:9

  There went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and the company was very large.

• Exodus 14:9

  The Egyptians pursued them and overtook them camping by the sea, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, near Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.

• Exodus 14:17

  And I, look, I am making the heart of the Egyptians obstinate, so that they will go in after them; and I will gain glory over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen.

• Exodus 14:18

  And the Egyptians will know that I am YHWH, when I gain glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

• Exodus 14:23

  The Egyptians pursued and went in after them, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen, into the midst of the sea.

• Exodus 14:26

  YHWH said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots, and over their horsemen.”

• Exodus 14:28

  The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, all the army of Pharaoh that had gone after them into the sea; not even one of them remained.

• Exodus 15:19

  For when the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, YHWH brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the sons of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea.

• Joshua 24:6

  And I brought out your fathers from Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and with horsemen to the Sea of Reeds.

• 1 Samuel 8:11

  And he said, “This will be the right of the king who will reign over you: your sons he will take and appoint for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots;

• 1 Samuel 13:5

  The Philistines gathered to fight with Israel: thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people like the sand that is on the shore of the sea in multitude. They came up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.

• 2 Samuel 1:6

  The young man who was reporting it to him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and look, Saul was leaning on his spear; and look, the chariots and the horsemen were following him closely.

• 2 Samuel 8:4

  David captured from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers; and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, and left of them a hundred chariots.

• 2 Samuel 10:18

  Aram fled before Israel, and David killed of Aram seven hundred chariots and forty thousand horsemen; and Shobach, the commander of his army, he struck, and he died there.

• 1 Kings 1:5

  Now Adonijah son of Haggith was exalting himself, saying, “I will reign.” And he made for himself chariots and horsemen and fifty men running before him.

• 1 Kings 4:26

  And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

• 1 Kings 9:19

  and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and the cities for chariots, and the cities for horsemen, and the desire of Solomon that he desired to build in Jerusalem and in Lebanon and in all the land of his dominion.

• 1 Kings 9:22

  But of the sons of Israel Solomon did not make a slave, for they were the men of war, and his servants, and his officials, and his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and of his horsemen.

• 1 Kings 10:26

  And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he stationed them in the cities for chariots and with the king in Jerusalem.

• 1 Kings 20:20

  They struck down each one his man; and Aram fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen.

• 2 Kings 2:12

  Elisha was watching and he was crying out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” And he did not see him again. Then he took hold of his clothes and tore them in two pieces.

• 2 Kings 13:7

  For he had not left Jehoahaz any people except fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, for the king of Aram had made them perish and made them like the dust at threshing.

• 2 Kings 13:14

  Now Elisha fell sick with the sickness of which he would die, and Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept over his face and said, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!”

• 2 Kings 18:24

  How then can you turn back the face of one governor, of the least of the servants of my master, while you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

• 1 Chronicles 18:4

  David captured from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers; and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, and left of them a hundred chariots.

• 1 Chronicles 19:6

  When the sons of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves from Aram-naharaim and from Aram of Maacah and from Zobah chariots and horsemen.

• 2 Chronicles 1:14

  Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had a thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he stationed them in the cities of the chariots and with the king in Jerusalem.

• 2 Chronicles 8:6

  and Baalath, and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and all the cities of the chariots and the cities of the horsemen, and all the desire of Solomon, what he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

• 2 Chronicles 8:9

  But of the sons of Israel Solomon did not make slaves for his work, for they were men of war, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and of his horsemen.

• 2 Chronicles 9:25

  Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, and he stationed them in the cities of the chariots and with the king in Jerusalem.

• 2 Chronicles 12:3

  with a thousand two hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen; and there was no number to the people who came with him from Egypt: Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites.

• 2 Chronicles 16:8

  Were not the Cushites and the Libyans a numerous force, with chariots and horsemen in very great number? Yet because you relied on YHWH, he gave them into your hand.

• Ezra 8:22

  For I was ashamed to ask of the king troops and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, saying, “The hand of our Elohim is on all who seek him for good, and his strength and his anger are against all who forsake him.”

• Nehemiah 2:9

  And I came to the governors of the other side of the river and gave them the letters of the king. And the king had sent with me commanders of troops and horsemen.

• Isaiah 21:7

  And when he sees chariots, pairs of horsemen, chariots of donkeys, chariots of camels, let him pay attention with attention, much attention.”

• Isaiah 21:9

  And look, here comes a chariot of men, pairs of horsemen!” And he answered and said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon, and all the carved images of its gods he has shattered to the ground!”

• Isaiah 22:6

  And Elam took up the quiver with chariots of men, horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.

• Isaiah 22:7

  And it came to be that the choicest of your valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen firmly took up their positions at the gate.

• Isaiah 28:28

  Bread grain is crushed, but he does not keep threshing it forever; and though he drives the wheel of his cart and his horses, he does not crush it.

• Isaiah 31:1

  Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, and YHWH they do not seek!

And 17 more times.