Lexical Summary
parzel: Iron
Original Word: פַרְזֶל
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: parzel
Pronunciation: par-ZEL
Phonetic Spelling: (par-zel')
KJV: iron
NASB: iron
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H1270 (בַּרזֶל - iron)]
1. iron
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
iron
(Aramaic) corresponding to barzel; iron -- iron.
see HEBREW barzel
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to
barzelDefinitioniron
NASB Translationiron (20).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
19 Daniel 2:40 ( Syriac; see Biblical Hebrew ); — absolute
Daniel 2:33 (-),
Daniel 4:12 +; emphatic
Daniel 2:34 +; —
Daniel 2:33,34 11t. 2;
Daniel 4:12;
Daniel 4:20;
Daniel 5:4,23;
Daniel 7:7,19.
Topical Lexicon
Overview Though 6523 פַרְזֶל (parzel) appears only in the Aramaic sections of Daniel, its twenty occurrences carry weight far beyond their number. Each reference to iron serves as a theological marker for divine sovereignty over empires, the fragility of human power, and the ultimate triumph of the kingdom of God.
Distribution in Daniel
• Daniel 2 (verses 33, 34, 35, 40-45) – Nebuchadnezzar’s statue
• Daniel 4:15, 23 – the felled tree bound with bands of iron and bronze
• Daniel 5:4, 23 – Belshazzar’s idolatrous banquet
• Daniel 7:7, 19 – the dreadful fourth beast with iron teeth
Iron in the Statue Vision (Daniel 2)
1. Composition: The image’s legs are “of iron” (Daniel 2:33). The metal’s hardness contrasts with the softer gold, silver, and bronze above it.
2. Crushing Power: “There will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron crushes and shatters everything” (Daniel 2:40). This expresses the brutal might of the kingdom that follows Babylon, Media-Persia, and Greece.
3. Mixture with Clay: The feet are “partly of iron and partly of clay” (Daniel 2:41), highlighting internal division. Political strength without cohesion fails when struck by the stone “cut out without human hands” (Daniel 2:34).
4. Eschatological Contrast: The iron kingdom falls before the everlasting kingdom that “will never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44). The imagery assures believers that even the strongest human governments are temporary under God’s plan.
Bands of Iron around the Stump (Daniel 4)
Nebuchadnezzar’s tree is cut down but not uprooted; a band “of iron and bronze” encircles the stump (Daniel 4:15). Iron here conveys restraint and preservation. The king’s dominion is limited yet protected until he acknowledges that “the Most High rules the kingdom of men” (Daniel 4:17). The image offers hope of restoration after judgment.
Iron in Idolatry Exposed (Daniel 5)
At Belshazzar’s feast the nobles praise “the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone” (Daniel 5:4). Placing iron among created objects underscores the blindness of idolatry. That very night the Babylonian empire collapses (Daniel 5:30-31), demonstrating that reliance on any material—however strong—invites downfall when divorced from reverence for the living God.
Iron Teeth of the Fourth Beast (Daniel 7)
The fourth beast is “dreadful and terrifying… it had large iron teeth; it devoured and crushed its victims” (Daniel 7:7). Iron symbolizes savage conquest. Yet “the Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:9) judges the beast, and “the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom” (Daniel 7:18). The passage reinforces that oppressive strength ultimately submits to divine justice.
Historical Perspective
Iron technology marked a military revolution in the Near East. The Assyrians, and later the Romans, are plausible historical reflections of Daniel’s iron symbolism. Both wielded unmatched discipline, organization, and weaponry—yet both succumbed to the march of God-ordained history. Archaeology uncovers Assyrian iron weaponry and Roman iron infrastructure, affirming Scripture’s portrait of iron as an emblem of unmatched but transient power.
Theological Themes
• Supremacy of God: Every iron image bends to God’s decree.
• Fragility of Human Empire: Iron breaks others yet is itself broken by the stone, by divine command, or by heavenly court.
• Mixture and Division: Iron mingled with clay foreshadows political coalitions lacking true unity.
• Judgment and Mercy: Iron bands restrain the stump for future restoration, illustrating both discipline and promise.
Ministry Applications
1. Preaching on Sovereignty: Iron provides vivid imagery when teaching that no secular power escapes God’s timetable.
2. Counseling Leaders: Nebuchadnezzar’s iron band warns those in authority to humble themselves before God.
3. Apologetics: The precise progression of metals culminating in iron offers a compelling case for the predictive reliability of Scripture.
4. Discipleship: Believers learn to trust not in material strength—economic, military, or personal—but in the unshakeable kingdom.
Christological Insight
The stone that shatters the iron (Daniel 2:34-35) prefigures Messiah’s advent and eventual reign. Jesus Christ, “the stone the builders rejected” (Psalm 118:22; compare Luke 20:17), brings an indestructible kingdom. Iron’s defeat points to the victory achieved at the cross and consummated at His return.
Conclusion
Pharzél’s twenty appearances cast iron as the ultimate human alloy of might—and as the ultimate example of its limitations. Whether binding a humbled monarch, forming the legs of a colossal image, or filling the mouth of a ferocious beast, iron stands firm only until the sovereign Lord issues His decree. The faithful therefore look beyond iron to the rock cut without hands and to the kingdom that will endure forever.
Forms and Transliterations
וּֽכְפַרְזְלָ֛א וכפרזלא כְּפַרְזְלָ֑א כפרזלא פַּ֨רְזְלָ֔א פַּרְזְלָ֨א פַּרְזְלָא֙ פַּרְזְלָא֩ פַּרְזֶ֔ל פַּרְזֶ֖ל פַרְזְלָ֔א פַרְזְלָ֖א פַרְזְלָ֜א פַרְזְלָא֙ פַרְזֶ֑ל פַרְזֶ֔ל פַרְזֶ֣ל פַרְזֶ֥ל פַרְזֶל֙ פרזל פרזלא farZel farzeLa kə·p̄ar·zə·lā kefarzeLa kəp̄arzəlā par·zə·lā p̄ar·zə·lā par·zel p̄ar·zel parzel p̄arzel parzeLa parzəlā p̄arzəlā ū·ḵə·p̄ar·zə·lā uchefarzeLa ūḵəp̄arzəlā
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