King Artaxerxes (Longimanus), in the fifth century B.C.E.—See PARK.

The three terms (Hebrew par·desʹ, Persian pairidaeza, and Greek pa·raʹdei·sos), however, all convey the basic idea of a beautiful park or parklike garden. The first such park was that made by man’s Creator, Jehovah God, in Eden. (Gen. 2:8, 9, 15) It is called a gan, or “garden,” in Hebrew but was obviously parklike in size and nature. (See EDEN No. 1; GARDEN [Garden of Eden].) Adam lost his right to live in that paradise due to sin and lost his opportunity to gain the right to everlasting life, which right was represented in the fruit of a divinely designated tree in the center of the garden. The garden of Eden may have been enclosed in some way, since it was necessary to place angelic guards only at the east side thereof to prevent human entrance.—Gen. 3:22-24.

JESUS’ PROMISE TO THE WRONGDOER

Luke’s account shows that an evildoer, being executed alongside Jesus Christ, spoke words in Jesus’ defense and requested that Jesus remember him when he ‘got into his kingdom.’ Jesus’ reply was: “Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43) The punctuation shown in the rendering of these words must, of course, depend on the translator’s understanding of the sense of Jesus’ words. For in the original Greek text no punctuation was employed, punctuation in the modern style not becoming common until about the ninth century C.E. Whereas many translations place a comma before the word “today” and thereby give the impression that the evildoer entered Paradise that same day, there is nothing in the rest of the Scriptures to support this. Jesus himself was dead and in the tomb until the third day and was then resurrected as the “first fruits” of the resurrection. (Acts 10:40; 1 Cor. 15:20; Col. 1:18) He ascended to heaven forty days later.—John 20:17; Acts 1:1-3, 9.

The evidence is, therefore, that Jesus’ use of the word “today” was not to give the time of the evildoer’s being in Paradise, but, rather, to call attention to the time in which the promise was being made and in which the evildoer had shown a measure of faith in Jesus. It was a day when Jesus had been rejected and condemned by the highest-ranking religious leaders of his own people and was thereafter sentenced to die by Roman authority. He had become an object of scorn and ridicule. So the wrongdoer alongside him had shown a notable quality and commendable heart attitude in not going along with the crowd but, rather, speaking out in Jesus’ behalf and expressing belief in his coming kingship. Recognizing that the emphasis is correctly placed on the time of the promise’s being made rather than on the time of its fulfillment, other translations, such as those by Rotherham and Lamsa, as also the German translation by Reinhardt, render the text similarly to the rendering in the New World Translation, quoted herein.

As to the identification of the Paradise of which Jesus spoke, it is clearly not synonymous with the heavenly kingdom of Christ. Earlier that day entry into that heavenly kingdom had been held out as a prospect for Jesus’ faithful disciples but on the basis of their having ‘stuck with him in his trials,’ something the evildoer had never done, his dying on a stake alongside Jesus being Purely for his own criminal acts. (Luke 22:28-30; 23:40, 41) The evildoer obviously had not been “born again” of water and spirit, which Jesus showed was a prerequisite to entry into the kingdom of the heavens. (John 3:3-6) Nor was the evildoer one of the ‘conquerors’ that the glorified Christ Jesus stated would be with him on his heavenly throne, and that have a share in the “first resurrection.”—Rev. 3:11, 12, 21; 12:10, 11; 14:1-4; 20:4-6.

Some reference works present the view that Jesus was referring to a paradise location in Hades or Sheol, supposedly a compartment or division thereof for those approved by God. The claim is made that the Jewish rabbis of that time taught the existence of such a paradise for those who had died and were awaiting a resurrection. An examination of the evidence gives little support to this theory. As Hasting’s Dictionary of the Bible states: “The Rabbinical theology as it has come down to us exhibits an extraordinary medley of ideas on these questions, and in the case of many of them it is difficult to determine the dates to which they should be assigned. . . . Taking the literature as it is, it might appear that Paradise was regarded by some as on earth itself, by others as forming part of Sheol, by others still as neither on earth nor under earth, but in heaven. . . . But there is some doubt as repects, at least, part of this. These various conceptions are found indeed in later Judaism. They appear most precisely and most in detail in the mediaeval Cabbalistic Judaism. . . . But it is uncertain how far back these things can be carried. The older Jewish theology at least . . . seems to give little or no place to the idea of an intermediate Paradise. It speaks of a Gehinnom for the wicked, and a Gan Eden, or garden of Eden, for the just. It is questionable whether it goes beyond these conceptions and affirms a Paradise in Sheol.”—Vol. III, pp. 669, 670.

While this work thereafter refers to certain apocryphal works, investigation here likewise reveals no clear support for the claim that the concept of a paradise in Sheol was commonly believed or prominently taught by the Jewish rabbis in Jesus’ day. Nor does Josephus’ brief reference to a religious belief in the “punishments and rewards in Hades.” (Wars of the Jews, Book II, chap. VIII, par. 14) Even if such were the case, it would be most unreasonable to believe that Jesus would propagate such concept, in view of his condemnation of the non-Biblical religious traditions of the Jewish religious leaders. (Matt. 15:3-9) Likely the paradise truly familiar to the Jewish malefactor to whom Jesus spoke was the earthly paradise described in the first book of the Hebrew Scriptures, the paradise of Eden. That being so, Jesus’ promise would reasonably point to a restoration of such earthly paradisaic condition. His promise to the wrongdoer would therefore give assured hope of a resurrection of such unrighteous one to an opportunity to life in that restored paradise.—Compare Acts 24:15; Revelation 20:12, 13; 21:1-5; Matthew 6:10.

A SPIRITUAL PARADISE

Throughout many of the prophetic books of the Bible divine promises are found regarding the restoration of Israel from the lands of its exile to its desolated homeland. God would cause that abandoned land to be tilled and sown, to produce richly and to abound with humankind and animalkind; the cities would be rebuilt and inhabited and people would say: “That land yonder which was laid desolate has become like the garden of Eden.” (Ezek. 36:6-11, 29, 30, 33-35; compare Isaiah 51:3; Jeremiah 31:10-12; Ezekiel 34:25-27.) However, these prophecies also show that paradise conditions related to the people themselves, who, by faithfulness to God, could now “sprout” and flourish as “trees of righteousness,” enjoying beautiful spiritual prosperity like a “well-watered garden,” showered by bounteous blessings from God due to having his favor. (Isa. 58:11; 61:3, 11; Jer. 31:12; 32:41; compare Psalm 1:3; 72:3, 6-8, 16; 85:10-13; Isaiah 44:3, 4.) The people of Israel had been God’s vineyard, his planting, but their badness and apostasy from true worship had caused a figurative ‘withering away’ of their spiritual field, even before the literal desolation of their land took place.—Compare Exodus 15:17; Isaiah 5:1-8; Jeremiah 2:21.

This undoubtedly provides the key for understanding Paul’s description of the vision (evidently had by him, since it forms part of his defense of his own apostleship) referred to at 2 Corinthians 12:1-7. Caught away to the “third heaven” (see HEAVEN [Third Heaven]), the vision viewer entered “paradise” and heard unutterable words. That this paradise envisioned could refer to a spiritual state among God’s people, as in the case of fleshly Israel, can be seen from the fact that the Christian congregation was also God’s “field under cultivation,” his spiritual vineyard, rooted in Christ Jesus and bearing fruit to God’s praise. (1 Cor. 3:9; John 15:1-8) As such it had replaced the nation of Israel in God’s favor. (Compare Matthew 21:33-43.) Paul’s vision, nevertheless, must logically have applied to some future time, so as to constitute a ‘revelation.’ (2 Cor. 12:1) An apostasy was due to set in among the Christian congregation, was already working in Paul’s day, and would result in a condition like that of a field oversown with weeds. (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43; Acts 20:29; 2 Thess. 2:3, 7; compare Hebrews 6:7, 8.) So, Paul’s paradise vision would not reasonably apply while such was the case but would evidently relate to the time of the “harvest season” when the genuine Christians would be gathered by the angelic reapers and would enjoy rich blessings and spiritual prosperity from God.

EATING OF THE “TREE OF LIFE” IN THE “PARADISE OF GOD”

Revelation 2:7 mentions this “tree of life” in the “paradise of God,” the eating from it being the privilege of “him that conquers.” Since other promises given in this section of Revelation to such conquering ones clearly relate to their gaining a heavenly inheritance (Rev. 2:26-28; 3:12, 21), it seems evident that the “paradise of God” in this case is a heavenly one. The word “tree” here translates the Greek word xyʹlon, which literally means “wood,” and could therefore refer to an orchard of trees. In the earthly paradise of Eden, eating of the tree of life would have meant living forever for man. (Gen. 3:22-24) Even the fruit of the other trees of the garden would have been life-sustaining for man as long as he continued obedient. So, the partaking of the “tree [or trees] of life” in the “paradise of God” evidently relates to the divine provision for sustained life granted the Christian conquerors, other texts showing that they receive the prize of immortality and incorruptibility along with their heavenly Head and Lord, Christ Jesus.—1 Cor. 15:50-54; 1 Pet. 1:3, 4.

PARAH

(Paʹrah) [cow].

A city of Benjamin. (Josh. 18:21, 23) Parah is usually identified with Khirbet el-Farah, about five and a half miles (9 kilometers) NE of Jerusalem. A nearby spring (ʽAin Farah) furnishes water for the Old City of Jerusalem.

PARALYSIS

Impairment or total loss of muscular power or of sensation in one or more parts of the body. Sometimes called palsy, it results from damage or disorder of the nervous system or atrophy of muscles, thus either preventing the transmission of nervous impulses or causing inability of the muscles to react to them. Paralysis has many names and forms, some of which types can be fatal. Among its causes are disease (as in the case of diphtheric paralysis), brain lesions, damage to the spinal cord or pressure from a tumor.

Paralyzed persons were among those miraculously cured by Jesus Christ. (Matt. 4:24) A paralyzed man was brought to Jesus, who cured the sufferer after forgiving his sins. Then, at Christ’s bidding, the former paralytic picked up his cot and went home. (Matt. 9:2-8; Mark 2:3-12; Luke 5:18-26) On another occasion the manservant of an army officer was laid up with paralysis and was about to die, but Jesus healed him from a distance. (Matt. 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10) This slave was “terribly tormented” or “terribly afflicted” (Matt. 8:6, NW, 1961 and 1950 editions), which may, but does not necessarily, indicate that he was suffering intense pain. Though usually not painful, paralysis may be. Cramplike pains occur in the spine and the extremities in cases of paralysis agitans (Parkinsonism, or “shaking palsy”) and there is agonizing pain in paraplegia dolorosa, a form of paralysis associated with some cases of spinal cord cancer. “Paralytics” are persons afflicted with paralysis.

The evangelist Philip preached and performed signs in the city of Samaria, curing many paralyzed persons. (Acts 8:5-8) In Lydda, paralyzed Aeneas, “who had been lying flat on his cot for eight years,” was told by Peter: “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Rise and make up your bed.” At that, “he rose immediately.”—Acts 9:32-35.

PARAN

(Paʹran).

The name is of uncertain meaning, possibly from a root defined as “abounding in foliage,” hence “ornamental,” or, more likely, from a root meaning “abounding in caverns or caves.” Paran was the greater part of that vast wilderness region in which the nation of Israel wandered about for some thirty-eight years before entering the Promised Land. (Num. 10:11, 12; Deut. 2:14) Having no fixed boundaries, Paran occupied the central and northeastern portion of the Sinai Peninsula. On the E was that part of the Rift Valley known as the Arabah and also the Gulf of Aqabah, on the S the wilderness of Sinai, on the SW the wilderness of Sin, and on the NW and N the wildernesses of Etham and Shur. Toward the Dead Sea to the NE Paran blended with, and perhaps included, the wilderness of Zin.

For the most part Paran was a rough mountainous region of limestone, plateau-like in places, the central section being between 2,000 and 2,500 feet (610 to 762 meters) high. (Deut. 33:2; compare Habakkuk 3:3.) It was also included as part of “that great and fear-inspiring wilderness” referred to at Deuteronomy 1:1, 19; 8:15. Except during the brief rainy seasons the gravel face of this rude country is devoid of green vegetation; springs are few and far between. These factors emphasize the complete dependence upon Jehovah to provide food and water miraculously during those many years for the nation of Israel, numbering perhaps 3,000,000 persons.—Ex. 16:1, 4, 12-15, 35; Deut. 2:7; 8:15, 16.

Apparently the first reference to this wilderness of Paran was in the days of Lot when Chedorlaomer and his allies defeated a number of cities in the vicinities of the Dead Sea and Edom as far S as El-paran. (Gen. 14:4-6) Later, after Ishmael was dismissed by his father Abraham, he settled down in the wilderness of Paran and occupied himself mainly with the hunt.—Gen. 21:20, 21.

However, the principal references to Paran are in connection with the wanderings of the Israelites. After leaving Mount Sinai, Israel camped at Taberah and Kibroth-hattaavah, then at Hazeroth on the southern edge of Paran, before moving N toward Kadesh-barnea. (Num. 10:12, 33; 11:3, 34, 35; 12:16) Not long after entering Paran the twelve spies were sent out to reconnoiter Canaan. (Num. 13:3, 26) The bad report given by the majority upon returning resulted in Jehovah’s decree that the nation prolong their stay in the wilderness until all the registered ones who had murmured against God had died off. (Num. 13:31-33; 14:20-34) During that forty years by far the majority of Israel’s campsites, from Egypt to the Promised Land, were in Paran.—Num. 33:1-49.

According to the Septuagint Version as found in the Vatican Manuscript No. 1209, David went into the wilderness of Maon following the death and burial of Samuel. However, the Masoretic text, as well as the Syriac, Vulgate and Septuagint (Alexandrine Manuscript) versions say he went into the wilderness of Paran. (1 Sam. 25:1) When David became king and made war on Edom, the young Edomite prince Hadad, together with some of his father’s servants, made his escape to Egypt. On the way down they were joined by certain men of Paran as they passed through that country.—1 Ki. 11:15-18.