פַּקֻּעֹת

# פַּקֻּעֹת (paqquah): The Biblical Gourd The Hebrew word *paqquah* appears only once in the Bible and refers to a gourd—a type of climbing or trailing plant bearing a hollow fruit. Based on its single occurrence, this term designates a specific botanical item rather than a concept with theological or metaphorical range. The word's hapax legomenon status (appearing just once) means its full semantic potential cannot be determined from biblical usage alone, though the definition provided indicates it refers to the fruit itself, likely valued for practical purposes such as containers or food. The limited attestation of this term suggests that while gourds may have been present in ancient Near Eastern agriculture and daily life, they held minimal importance in the texts that comprise the Hebrew Bible. This contrasts with more frequently mentioned plants and foods, indicating either that gourds were sufficiently uncommon, regionally specific, or simply not central to the narratives and teachings preserved in scripture. The word's appearance stands as a straightforward botanical reference without apparent symbolic or extended meaning in biblical discourse.