פֶּ֫רֶט

# H6528 (פֶּ֫רֶט / peret): Broken The Hebrew word *peret* carries the basic meaning of "broken" and appears only once in the biblical text. This single occurrence severely limits what can be determined about its semantic range or how the ancient Hebrew speakers applied it in different contexts. Unlike words that appear dozens or hundreds of times—allowing scholars to observe how meaning shifts or remains stable across various situations—this hapax legomenon (one-time occurrence) provides minimal evidence for analysis. The rarity of *peret* raises questions about its significance in biblical Hebrew vocabulary. It may have been an uncommon term, a specialized word for a particular type of breakage, or simply a word that fell out of regular use by the time the biblical texts were standardized. Without multiple contextual examples, we cannot reliably determine whether "broken" describes a physical fracture, a metaphorical breach, a state of incompleteness, or something more specific. The single usage is insufficient to establish whether this word held theological, legal, or practical importance in ancient Israelite culture. To understand this word's actual application and meaning, consultation of the single biblical verse in which it appears would be essential—the immediate context alone can provide clues about what exactly was broken and in what sense the term was being used.