Original Word: פְשַׁר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: pshar
Pronunciation: peh-shar
Phonetic Spelling: (pesh-ar')
KJV: interpretation
NASB: interpretation
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) from H659 (אֵפַע - Ephah)0]
1. an interpretation
(Aramaic) from pshar; an interpretation -- interpretation.
see HEBREW pshar
פְשַׁר (pesher) denotes the act or result of "explaining, interpreting, solving." The underlying idea is that something obscure is untied so that its meaning becomes plain. The term therefore belongs to the semantic field of revelation: the hidden is made known, not by human ingenuity alone but by disclosure granted from above.
Canonical Distribution
Approximately thirty-one occurrences appear in the Old Testament—about thirty in the Aramaic chapters of Daniel (2–5) and one in Hebrew, Ecclesiastes 8:1. In every case the focus is on disclosing a mystery, dream, or enigmatic sentence.
Narrative Clusters in Daniel
1. The Colossus Dream (Daniel 2)
• Repeated use of פְשַׁר frames the entire episode (2:4–45). Pagan sages promise interpretation, yet fail. Daniel prays, receives the content and meaning, and concludes, "The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy" (Daniel 2:45).
2. The Great Tree Dream (Daniel 4)
• Nebuchadnezzar again seeks "the interpretation" (4:6). Daniel supplies both meaning and exhortation, revealing divine sovereignty over kings.
3. The Handwriting on the Wall (Daniel 5)
• The word occurs eight times in chapter 5. Daniel is summoned because "an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in him" (Daniel 5:12). The final declaration, "This is the interpretation of the matter" (5:26), seals Belshazzar’s doom and the rise of the Medo-Persian Empire.
In each cluster פְשַׁר functions as a literary signpost: the repeated term heightens tension, showcases the impotence of worldly wisdom, and magnifies the God who "reveals deep and hidden things" (Daniel 2:22).
Role in Wisdom Literature
Ecclesiastes 8:1 links interpretation to the transformative power of wisdom: "Who is like the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom brightens his face and changes its hard appearance". Here פְשַׁר serves as the hallmark of true discernment that softens harshness and produces joy.
Key Theological Themes
• Divine Revelation: Interpretation is God-given, not humanly manufactured (Daniel 2:28).
• Sovereignty: Correct interpretation unveils God’s control of history—He installs and removes kings (2:21; 4:25).
• Exclusivity of True Wisdom: The failure of Babylonian experts contrasts with the success of a servant who depends on the covenant God.
• Eschatology: The unveiled mysteries culminate in an everlasting kingdom (2:44), foreshadowing later prophetic and New Testament expectations.
• Ethical Implications: Revelation calls for response—humility for Nebuchadnezzar, repentance ignored by Belshazzar, and shining countenance for the wise (Ecclesiastes 8:1).
Historical and Later Jewish Usage
At Qumran the term "pesher" became the label for inspired commentaries (e.g., Pesher Habakkuk), illustrating how the biblical concept of God-given interpretation shaped Jewish exegesis between the Testaments. The practice underscores continuity with Daniel’s conviction that meaning must come from God.
New Testament Resonance
Greek terms for "interpret" (hermēneuō, diermēneuō) echo פְשַׁר. Jesus "explained to them what was written about Himself in all the Scriptures" (Luke 24:27), and the Spirit promises guidance "into all truth" (John 16:13), carrying forward the biblical pattern: revelation leads to Spirit-enabled interpretation.
Ministry Applications
• Preaching and Teaching: Like Daniel, servants of God lean on divine illumination, not rhetorical prowess, to disclose Scripture’s meaning.
• Discipleship: Ecclesiastes 8:1 models the transformative effect of grasping God’s truth—understanding should radiate in demeanor and conduct.
• Apologetics: The fulfilled interpretations in Daniel—verified by subsequent history—offer a compelling case for the reliability of biblical prophecy.
Summary
פְשַׁר is more than a technical term; it is a theological witness. Every biblical occurrence insists that ultimate meaning originates with God, is granted to the faithful, and carries ethical and eschatological weight. From Daniel’s courts to the reflective wisdom of Ecclesiastes, interpretation is portrayed as a sacred trust that unveils God’s sovereign purposes and invites responsive obedience.
Daniel 2:5
HEB: תְהֽוֹדְעוּנַּ֙נִי֙ חֶלְמָ֣א וּפִשְׁרֵ֔הּ הַדָּמִין֙ תִּתְעַבְד֔וּן
NAS: to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn
KJV: unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut
INT: make the dream interpretation limb will be torn
Daniel 2:6
HEB: וְהֵ֨ן חֶלְמָ֤א וּפִשְׁרֵהּ֙ תְּֽהַחֲוֹ֔ן מַתְּנָ֤ן
NAS: the dream and its interpretation, you will receive
KJV: the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive
INT: if the dream interpretation shew gifts
Daniel 2:6
HEB: לָהֵ֕ן חֶלְמָ֥א וּפִשְׁרֵ֖הּ הַחֲוֹֽנִי׃
NAS: to me the dream and its interpretation.
KJV: me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
INT: if the dream interpretation shew
Daniel 2:7
HEB: יֵאמַ֥ר לְעַבְד֖וֹהִי וּפִשְׁרָ֥ה נְהַחֲוֵֽה׃
NAS: and we will declare the interpretation.
KJV: and we will shew the interpretation of it.
INT: tell to his servants the interpretation will shew
Daniel 2:9
HEB: וְֽאִנְדַּ֕ע דִּ֥י פִשְׁרֵ֖הּ תְּהַחֲוֻנַּֽנִי׃
NAS: that you can declare to me its interpretation.
KJV: ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.
INT: known its interpretation shew
Daniel 2:16
HEB: יִנְתֵּן־ לֵ֔הּ וּפִשְׁרָ֖א לְהַֽחֲוָיָ֥ה לְמַלְכָּֽא׃
NAS: in order that he might declare the interpretation to the king.
KJV: the king the interpretation.
INT: time give the interpretation shew to the king
Daniel 2:24
HEB: קֳדָ֣ם מַלְכָּ֔א וּפִשְׁרָ֖א לְמַלְכָּ֥א אֲחַוֵּֽא׃
NAS: and I will declare the interpretation to the king.
KJV: unto the king the interpretation.
INT: presence the king's the interpretation to the king will shew
Daniel 2:25
HEB: יְה֔וּד דִּ֥י פִשְׁרָ֖א לְמַלְכָּ֥א יְהוֹדַֽע׃
NAS: can make the interpretation known
KJV: unto the king the interpretation.
INT: Judah who the interpretation to the king make
Daniel 2:26
HEB: דִֽי־ חֲזֵ֖ית וּפִשְׁרֵֽהּ׃
NAS: I have seen and its interpretation?
KJV: which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
INT: which have seen and the interpretation
Daniel 2:30
HEB: דִּבְרַת֙ דִּ֤י פִשְׁרָא֙ לְמַלְכָּ֣א יְהוֹדְע֔וּן
NAS: of making the interpretation known
KJV: shall make known the interpretation to the king,
INT: the purpose forasmuch the interpretation to the king of making
Daniel 2:36
HEB: דְּנָ֣ה חֶלְמָ֔א וּפִשְׁרֵ֖הּ נֵאמַ֥ר קֳדָם־
NAS: now we will tell its interpretation before
KJV: and we will tell the interpretation thereof before
INT: This the dream interpretation will tell before
Daniel 2:45
HEB: חֶלְמָ֖א וּמְהֵימַ֥ן פִּשְׁרֵֽהּ׃ פ
NAS: is TRUE and its interpretation is trustworthy.
KJV: [is] certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
INT: the dream is trustworthy interpretation
Daniel 4:6
HEB: בָבֶ֑ל דִּֽי־ פְשַׁ֥ר חֶלְמָ֖א יְהֽוֹדְעֻנַּֽנִי׃
NAS: that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.
KJV: me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.
INT: of Babylon forasmuch the interpretation of the dream make
Daniel 4:7
HEB: אֲנָה֙ קֳדָ֣מֵיה֔וֹן וּפִשְׁרֵ֖הּ לָא־ מְהוֹדְעִ֥ין
NAS: to them, but they could not make its interpretation known
KJV: make known unto me the interpretation thereof.
INT: and I before interpretation did not make
Daniel 4:9
HEB: דִֽי־ חֲזֵ֛ית וּפִשְׁרֵ֖הּ אֱמַֽר׃
NAS: I have seen, along with its interpretation.
KJV: that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.
INT: which have seen interpretation tell
Daniel 4:18
HEB: ק) בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּ֜ר פִּשְׁרֵ֣א ׀ אֱמַ֗ר כָּל־
NAS: tell [me] its interpretation, inasmuch
KJV: declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as
INT: as for thee Belteshazzar interpretation tell all
Daniel 4:18
HEB: לָֽא־ יָכְלִ֤ין פִּשְׁרָא֙ לְהוֹדָ֣עֻתַ֔נִי [וְאַנְתָּה
NAS: to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able,
KJV: to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou
INT: are not is able the interpretation to make as for thee
Daniel 4:19
HEB: בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר֙ חֶלְמָ֤א וּפִשְׁרֵא֙ אַֽל־ יְבַהֲלָ֔ךְ
NAS: do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm
KJV: the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble
INT: Belteshazzar the dream interpretation not alarm
Daniel 4:19
HEB: (לְשָֽׂנְאָ֖ךְ ק) וּפִשְׁרֵ֥הּ [לְעָרַיִךְ כ]
NAS: applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries!
KJV: [be] to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.
INT: the dream hate interpretation enemy
Daniel 4:24
HEB: דְּנָ֥ה פִשְׁרָ֖א מַלְכָּ֑א וּגְזֵרַ֤ת
NAS: this is the interpretation, O king,
KJV: This [is] the interpretation, O king,
INT: this is the interpretation king is the decree
Daniel 5:7
HEB: כְּתָבָ֣ה דְנָ֗ה וּפִשְׁרֵהּ֙ יְחַוִּנַּ֔נִי אַרְגְּוָנָ֣א
NAS: and explain its interpretation to me shall be clothed
KJV: and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed
INT: inscription this interpretation and shew purple
Daniel 5:8
HEB: [וּפִשְׁרָא כ] (וּפִשְׁרֵ֖הּ ק) לְהוֹדָעָ֥ה
NAS: or make known its interpretation to the king.
KJV: to the king the interpretation thereof.
INT: the inscription read interpretation make to the king
Daniel 5:12
HEB: דָּנִיֵּ֥אל יִתְקְרֵ֖י וּפִשְׁרָ֥ה יְהַֽחֲוֵֽה׃ פ
NAS: and he will declare the interpretation.
KJV: and he will shew the interpretation.
INT: Daniel be summoned the interpretation will shew
Daniel 5:15
HEB: דְנָה֙ יִקְר֔וֹן וּפִשְׁרֵ֖הּ לְהוֹדָעֻתַ֑נִי וְלָֽא־
NAS: and make its interpretation known
KJV: and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could
INT: this read interpretation and make not
31 Occurrences
Strong's Hebrew 6591
31 Occurrences
p̄ə·šar — 1 Occ.
p̄iš·rā — 3 Occ.
p̄iš·rêh — 1 Occ.
pə·šar- — 2 Occ.
piš·rā — 1 Occ.
piš·rê — 1 Occ.
piš·rêh — 1 Occ.
piš·rîn — 1 Occ.
ū·p̄ə·šar — 1 Occ.
ū·p̄iš·rā — 4 Occ.
ū·p̄iš·rāh — 2 Occ.
ū·p̄iš·rê — 1 Occ.
ū·p̄iš·rêh — 12 Occ.