פָּרַשׂ H6566
To spread out, extend, stretch forth; of hands in prayer, wings in flight, garments, nets, and coverings; in Piel, to spread intensively or scatter.
Paras is the Hebrew Bible's primary verb for the gesture of opening wide and extending outward — hands lifted in prayer, wings outstretched in flight or protection, garments laid flat, nets cast wide. It captures a distinctly visual, spatial action: the image of Solomon spreading his hands toward heaven at the temple dedication (1 Kgs 8:22), the cherubim stretching their wings over the ark (1 Kgs 8:7), or the adulteress spreading a covering over her bed (Prov 7:16). The Piel intensifies the action, and in a few striking cases shifts the meaning toward scattering or dispersing people — a metaphorical extension where what is 'spread out' is a population rather than a physical object. Arabic farasha and Syriac pras both preserve this same concrete spreading sense.
6. sense 6 — A single occurrence at Lam 4:4 describing a nursing child whose tongue cleaves to the roof of its mouth, with the participle pores describing 'one who breaks/spreads' bread. The image is of breaking bread open to distribute it — a concrete extension of 'spreading apart' that verges on 'dividing' or 'distributing.' Spanish repartir ('to distribute, share out') captures this nuance well. While marginal, it represents a real semantic extension from spatial spreading to the act of breaking open for distribution. 1×
AR["بَاسِطٌ"]·ben["বিস্তার-করা"]·DE["ausbreiten"]·EN["one-breaking"]·FR["étendre"]·heb["פורש"]·HI["तोड़नेवाला"]·ID["yang-membagi"]·IT["stendere"]·jav["ingkang-mecah"]·KO["나누어주는-자-가"]·PT["quem-parte"]·RU["разламывающего"]·ES["quien-reparta"]·SW["hakuna-anayewagawia"]·TR["bölen"]·urd["بانٹنے-والا"]
▼ 5 more senses below
Senses
1. spread out, stretch forth — Qal active: to spread out, stretch forth, extend — the dominant sense covering 54 of 67 occurrences. This encompasses spreading hands in prayer (Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22; Ezra 9:5), wings being spread in flight or covering (Exod 37:9; Deut 32:11; 1 Kgs 6:27), garments laid out (Judg 8:25; Deut 22:17), nets spread for trapping (Hos 7:12; Ezek 12:13), and coverings extended. Spanish extender, German ausbreiten, and French etendre all converge on the same physical-extension semantics. The breadth of objects spread — hands, wings, cloth, nets, scrolls — is unified by the shared kinesthetic image of opening outward from a center. 54×
AR["بَسَطَ","وَ-بَسَطَ","وَأَبْسُطُ","وَيَبْسُطُ","وَيَبْسُطُونَ","وَيَفْرُشُونَ","يَبْسُطُ","يَبْسُطُونَ"]·ben["আর-আমি-পাতব","আর-বিস্তার-করবে","আর-বিস্তার-করলেন","আর-মেলে-ধরব","এবং-ছড়িয়ে-দেবে","এবং-বিছাবে","এবং-মেলবে","ও-বিস্তার-করবে","পাতিয়েছেন","বিছাবে","বিস্তার-করেছে","মেলে","মেলে-ধরে"]·DE["ausbreiten","sie-soll-ausbreiten","spreads","und-ausbreiten","und-sie-soll-ausbreiten"]·EN["And-he-shall-spread-out","He-spread","and-I-shall-spread","and-I-will-spread","and-spread-out","and-spreads","and-spreads-out","and-they-shall-spread","and-will-spread","has-spread","it-spreads","spreads","they-shall-spread"]·FR["et-ils-devra-étendre","et-étendre","ils-devra-étendre","spreads","étendre","יפרש"]·heb["ו-יפרוש","ו-יפרש","ו-פרש","ו-פרשו","ו-פרשתי","יפרוש","יפרשו","פרש"]·HI["और-फैलाई","और-फैलाऊँगा-मैं","और-फैलाए","और-फैलाएंगे","और-फैलाएगा","और-बिछाएंगे","और-मैं-फैलाऊँगा","फैलाता-है","फैलाया","बिछाएंगे","बिछाया","वह-फैलाता-है"]·ID["Dan-Aku-akan-membentangkan","Dan-mengembangkan","Ia-membentangkan","dan-Aku-akan-membentangkan","dan-membentangkan","dan-mereka-akan-membentangkan","dan-mereka-membentangkan","dan-merentangkan","membentangkan","mengulurkan","mereka-akan-membentangkan"]·IT["e-essi-dovra-stendere","e-stendere","essi-dovra-stendere","spreads","stendere"]·jav["Lan-Aku-badhé-mbentangaken","Lan-Kawula-masangaken","Lan-piyambakipun-ngèsokaken","Panjenengan-nggelar","lan-Kawula-badhe-mentangaken","lan-dipun-ewer","lan-mbeber","lan-melaraken","lan-piyambakipun-ngelar","lan-piyambakipun-ngèsokaken","melaraken","piyambak-ipun-mentangaken","piyambakipun-ngèsokaken","sampun-nguluraken"]·KO["그-가-펼네","그리고-내가-펴리라","그리고-펴겠다-그가","그리고-펴다","그리고-펴면","그리고-펴시리니","그리고-펴어라","그리고-펼리라","그리고-펼치리라","그리하여-내가-펼치리라","펌다","펴네","펴어라","펼다"]·PT["E-estenderei","E-estenderá","E-estenderão","e-estender","e-estenderei","e-estenderá","e-estenderão","e-estendeu","estende","estenderão","estendeu"]·RU["и-разостелют","и-раскину","и-распростру","и-распрострёт","и-распростёр","и-распростёрт","и-расстелют","простирает","простёр","раскинул","распростирает","расстелют"]·ES["Y-extenderá","Y-extenderán","Y-extenderé","extenderán","extiende","ha-extendido","y-extenderá","y-extenderán","y-extendiere","y-extendió"]·SW["Na-atatandaza","Na-nitamtandazia","Na-nitatandaza","ametandaza","anatandaza","anayekunjua","na-akanyosha","na-atatandaza","na-nitautandaza","na-watatandaza","watatandaza"]·TR["Ve-acti","açar","serdi","serecekler","uzattı","ve-açacak","ve-açarsa","ve-açtı","ve-serecekler","ve-yayacağım"]·urd["اور-بچھائیں","اور-مَیں-پھیلاؤں-گا","اور-وہ-پھیلائیں","اور-پھیلاؤں-گا","اور-پھیلاؤں-گا-میں","اور-پھیلائے","اور-پھیلائے-گا","بچھائیں","پھیلاتا-ہے","پھیلایا"]
2. spread out (intensive, Piel) — Piel intensive: to spread out deliberately, emphatically, or thoroughly. The six Piel occurrences carry special theological weight: Isaiah describes God's hands spread out all day toward a rebellious people (Isa 65:2), and the psalmist spreads his hands in desperate prayer (Ps 143:6). The Piel intensification in Isa 1:15 — 'when you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes' — makes the gesture more forceful and deliberate. German breitete-aus and Spanish extendi both try to capture this intentional, emphatic quality, though the distinction from the Qal is admittedly subtle in most target languages. 6×
AR["بَسَطَتْ","بَسَطْتُ","تَبْسُطُ","وَ-حِينَ-تَبسُطُونَ","يَبْسُطُ"]·ben["আমি-বিস্তার-করলাম","ও-প্রসারিত-করলে","প্রসারিত-করছে","প্রসারিত-করলাম","বিস্তার-করে","মেলে-ধরেছে"]·DE["ausbreiten","breitete-aus","und-ausbreiten"]·EN["I-spread-out","Spreads","and-when-you-spread-out","stretching-out","the-swimmer"]·FR["et-étendre","étendre"]·heb["ו-ב-פרישכם","יפרש","פרשה","פרשתי","תפרש"]·HI["और-जब-तुम-फैलाते-हो","फैलाए-मैंने","फैलाता-है","फैलाती-है","फैलाती-है-वह","मैंने-फैलाए"]·ID["Aku-membentangkan","Dan-ketika-kamu-menadahkan","Merentangkan","aku-membentangkan","mengembangkan","merentangkan"]·IT["e-stendere","stendere","stese"]·jav["Kawula-njereng","Kula-njereng","Lan-nalika-panjenengan-ngeraken","Piyambakipun-nguluraken","dipun-ewer","sami-nasaraken"]·KO["내-가-펼쳤나이다","너희가-손을-펼-때에","펴네","펴시리니","펼다","펼다-내가"]·PT["E-ao-estender","Estendeu","Estendi","estende"]·RU["Простирает","и-когда-простираете","простирает","простирал-Я","простираю","распростирает"]·ES["Extendí","Ha-extendido","Y-cuando-extendéis","extiende","que-extiende"]·SW["Imetandaza","anaeneza","anavyotandaza","na-mkinyoosha","nilitandaza","nimenyoosha"]·TR["Actim","Açtı","acar","açtım","uzatıyor","ve-actiginizda"]·urd["اور-جب-تم-پھیلاتے-ہو","میں-نے-پھیلائے","میں-نے-پھیلاے","پھیلاتا-ہے","پھیلاتی-ہے","پھیلایا"]
3. be spread out (passive) — Qal passive participle: the state of being spread out or extended, functioning adjectivally. In 1 Kgs 8:54 Solomon rises from kneeling with his hands 'spread out' (perusot) toward heaven; in Hos 5:1 a net is 'spread' upon Tabor; in Joel 2:2 darkness is 'spread out' over the mountains like dawn. Spanish extendido/extendida and German ausgebreitet both use past-participial forms, confirming this as a stative-resultative reading distinct from the active verbal senses. 3×
AR["مَبْسُوطَتَانِ","مَنشورَةً","مُنْتَشِرٌ"]·ben["বিস্তৃত","মেলে-ধরা"]·DE["ausbreiten","spread-heraus"]·EN["spread","spread-out"]·FR["étendit-dehors","étendre"]·heb["פָּרוּשׂ","פרושה","פרושות"]·HI["फैली-हुई"]·ID["dibentangkan","terentang","terhampar"]·IT["stendere","sterco","stese-fuori"]·jav["dipun-gulung","gelar","kaacungaken"]·KO["펴져-있었다","펴진"]·PT["espalhado","estendida","estendidas"]·RU["раскинутая","распростёртая","распростёрты"]·ES["extendida","extendidas","extendido"]·SW["imenyoshwa","uliotandazwa","yamesambaa"]·TR["gerilmiş","yayılmış"]·urd["پھیلایا-ہوا","پھیلی-ہوئی","پھیلے-ہوئے"]
4. scatter, disperse (Piel) — Piel with a dispersal meaning: to scatter or spread abroad people, extending the physical 'spread out' metaphor to the dispersion of populations. In Zech 2:6 God declares 'I have spread you abroad like the four winds' — a striking image where people are the object being flung outward. Ps 68:14 similarly uses this sense when kings are 'scattered.' Arabic farraqa ('to scatter, disperse'), Korean 흩뜨리다 ('to scatter'), and Swahili -tawanya ('to disperse') all select forceful dispersal vocabulary here, marking a clear semantic break from the stretching-forth of sense 1. 2×
AR["بِ-تَفْريقِ","فَرَّقْتُكُمْ"]·ben["ছড়িয়ে-দিয়েছি","যখন-ছড়িয়ে-দিলেন"]·DE["ausbreiten","breitete-aus"]·EN["I-have-spread-you","when-scattered"]·FR["dans-étendre","étendre"]·heb["ב-פרש","פרשתי"]·HI["मैंने-फैलाया"]·ID["Aku-menyebarkan","Ketika-menyebarkan"]·IT["stendere","stese"]·jav["Nalika-nyebar","nyebar-Kawula"]·KO["내가-흩뜨렸도다","흩뜨리실-때-에"]·PT["Quando-dispersou","espalhei"]·RU["когда-рассеивал","рассеял-Я"]·ES["Cuando-esparció","os-he-esparcido"]·SW["Alipowatawanya","niliwatawanya"]·TR["dağıttığında-","yaydım"]·urd["بِ-پھیلانے-میں","میں-نے-پھیلایا"]
5. sense 5 — A single occurrence at Ezek 17:21 where fugitives 'shall be scattered' to every wind. The passive/Nifal form and the dispersal context align this most naturally with sense 4's scattering meaning, and multilingual evidence (Spanish esparcidos, English 'shall be scattered') confirms the semantic connection. It likely represents a stray singleton that belongs with sense 4 rather than a genuinely independent meaning. 1×
AR["يَتَفَرَّقُونَ"]·ben["ছড়িয়ে-পড়বে"]·DE["ausbreiten"]·EN["shall-be-scattered"]·FR["étendre"]·heb["ייפרשו"]·HI["तितर-बितर-होंगे"]·ID["akan-dicerai-beraikan"]·IT["stendere"]·jav["badhé-dipun-sebar"]·KO["흩어지리라"]·PT["serão-espalhados"]·RU["рассеются"]·ES["serán-esparcidos"]·SW["watatawanywa"]·TR["ve-bileceksiniz"]·urd["بکھرائے-جائیں-گے"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
פָּרַשׂ vb. spread out, spread (NH id.; Arabic فَرَشَ; 𝔗 פְּרַס (rare), Syriac ܦܪܰܣ; cf. Assyrian parašu, fly (der. spec.; proposes spread [wings]); v. also NöZA i. 417);— Qal Pf. 3 ms. פ׳ La 1:10 +; 2 ms. וּפָרַשְׂתָּ֫ Jb 11:13; Ru 3:9, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יִפְרשֹׁ Dt 32:11 +; 3 fs. וַתִּפְרשֹׁ 2 S 17:19, etc.; Pt. act. פּוֹרֵשׂ Pr 29:5, etc.; pass. פָּרֻשׂ Jo 2:2; fs. פְּרוּשָׂה Ho 5:1; pl.…