PUR

A non-Hebrew word found at Esther 3:7 and 9:24, 26; it means “lot” (Heb., goh·ralʹ; see LOT, I). This is the singular form, the plural being “Purim.” (Es 9:26, 28-32) “Pur” is linked with an Akkadian word, puru, meaning “lot.” It is the source of the name of the Jewish festival Purim.​—See PURIM.

Commemoration of Deliverance. The festival commemorates the Jews’ deliverance from destruction through Haman’s plot. Consequently, the name Purim was probably given by the Jews in irony. (Es 9:24-26)