{
  "id": "dict_004251",
  "term": "Parah",
  "slug": "parah",
  "letter": "P",
  "entry_type": "biblical_place_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "A town in the tribal allotment of Benjamin, mentioned in Joshua 18:23.",
  "simple_one_line": "Parah is a biblical place name, not a theological doctrine.",
  "tooltip_text": "A town listed among the settlements of Benjamin in Joshua.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Benjamin",
    "Joshua",
    "Tribal allotments",
    "Geography of the Old Testament"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Beth-hoglah",
    "Benjamin",
    "Joshua 18"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Parah is a small biblical place name mentioned in the allotment of Benjamin.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A town in Benjamin’s inheritance, listed among the settlements of the tribe in Joshua 18:23.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Biblical place name",
    "Located in Benjamin’s tribal territory",
    "Mentioned in Joshua’s land list",
    "Its exact site is uncertain"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Parah is a biblical town name appearing in Joshua 18:23 within the list of Benjaminite settlements. It is not a doctrinal or theological term in itself, but a geographic marker in Israel’s tribal inheritance.",
  "description_academic_full": "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.",
  "background_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.",
  "background_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.",
  "background_jewish_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.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Joshua 18:23"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Joshua 18:11-28"
  ],
  "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_note": "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.",
  "meta_description": "Parah is a biblical town in Benjamin mentioned in Joshua 18:23. Learn its meaning, context, and significance in biblical geography.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/parah/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/parah.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}