Lexical Summary perazon: Villages, unwalled towns Original Word: פְרָזוֹן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance village From the same as paraz; magistracy, i.e. Leadership (also concretely, chieftains) -- village. see HEBREW paraz NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as perazah Definition perhaps rural population NASB Translation peasantry (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs מְּרָזוֺן noun [masculine] dubious; ׳פ Judges 5:7; suffix מִּרְזוֺנוֺ Judges 5:11 (LagBN 119), possibly collective rural population, rustics, Bachm Bu (the latter as Genitive object after צִדְקֹת righteous actsto the peasants; > ᵐ5 Thes Be leaders and leadership (compare [מֶּרֶז]; text very uncertain; on Judges 5:7 see [ מְּרָזָה] above Topical Lexicon Meaning and Nuance פְרָזוֹן portrays a settled but unwalled population—people living in open country, hamlets, and scattered farmsteads as opposed to fortified cities. It evokes both the vulnerability and the simplicity of rural life in ancient Israel. Occurrences and Context 1. Judges 5:7 – “Life in the villages ceased; it ended in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel.” Both uses lie within the Song of Deborah, a prophetic hymn celebrating Israel’s deliverance from Canaanite oppression. Historical Setting: Period of the Judges The tribal confederation had no standing army and few walled strongholds. When foreign powers dominated the land, the first casualties were the unwalled settlements. Traders avoided the highways, villagers abandoned homesteads, and the agricultural economy collapsed (Judges 5:6-7). Deborah’s leadership reversed that decline, restoring security so that open-country life once again flourished. Civic and Military Implications The term underscores how national disobedience to the covenant invited insecurity at the very grassroots. When the LORD raised Barak and the northern tribes to battle (Judges 4:6-10), His victory meant more than a military triumph; it reopened the wells, roads, and marketplaces of ordinary people. The safety of פְרָזוֹן became a barometer of spiritual health and social stability. Socio-Economic Life of Rural Israel Open villages formed the backbone of Israel’s agrarian society—fields, vineyards, and threshing floors that kept the tribes supplied. Their abandonment signaled economic breakdown; their restoration marked covenant blessing (compare Deuteronomy 28:1-8, 28:30-33). Watering places, mentioned with the term, served as community hubs where news, justice, and worship intertwined. Theological Insights: Covenant and Community By highlighting God’s “righteous acts toward His villagers” (Judges 5:11), the song links divine deliverance to everyday life. The LORD’s covenant faithfulness reached the smallest settlement, proving that no pocket of His people lay outside His care. In Scripture, the flourishing of unwalled villages anticipates the shalom described by the prophets, when “everyone will sit under his vine and under his fig tree” (Micah 4:4). Ministry Applications • God values ordinary places and people; ministry should not neglect rural congregations or marginalized communities. Reflection in Redemptive History The vulnerability of פְרָזוֹן foreshadows humanity’s need for a greater Deliverer. Just as Deborah’s victory restored village life, so the triumph of Christ secures abundant life for His people (John 10:10), inviting them to dwell in safety and proclaim His works “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Forms and Transliterations פְרָז֛וֹן פִּרְזֹנ֖וֹ פרזון פרזנו feraZon p̄ə·rā·zō·wn p̄ərāzōwn pir·zō·nōw pirzoNo pirzōnōwLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Judges 5:7 HEB: חָדְל֧וּ פְרָז֛וֹן בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל חָדֵ֑לּוּ NAS: The peasantry ceased, they ceased KJV: [The inhabitants of] the villages ceased, INT: ceased the peasantry Israel ceased Judges 5:11 2 Occurrences |
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