The Principals of PaRDeS.
Understanding PaRDeS
Pardes: meaning is orchard – PaRaDiSe. In Greek it is Paradeisos (The Garden of Eden). Taken from Persian (Enclosure or Park) In English, Paradise (Heaven)
In Nehemiah 2:8 pardes is translated as forest.
In Ecclesiastes 2:5 it is orchard.
It means a set apart place, a place of delight. A place of many fruit and many tastes.
Song of Songs 4:13 Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
PaRDes is like this, searching for the many different tastes and flavours that can be found in God’s word.
The letters “P” “R” “D” “S”. (No vowels in Hebrew).
The Hebrew Alphabet.
Pay – Resh – Dalet – Samech.
PaRDes is an acronym.
P = Peshat (The plain meaning) As in straight, historical.
R = Remez (A Hint) a nod or a wink.
D = Derash (Devotional) the application.
S = Sod (Secret) a mystery.
An example of Peshat, (the plain meaning) can be found in:
Dan 9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
The plain straight meaning of the text “that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem”.
Seventy years means seventy years. It is the literal meaning.
However we cannot always take things too far.
For example, when the text is quite obvious that it is using an allegory, it cannot be taken literally.
When John the Baptist said “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world”. It is quite obvious that this is not literal.
Jesus is not a literal lamb but this is an obvious allegory.
Also in, Psa 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
We know that God is not a bird, this is a metaphor, it means that in God, there is a place of refuge.
An example of Remez (the hint )
synonyms: clue, inkling, suggestion, indication, indicator, sign, signal, pointer, intimation, insinuation, innuendo, mention, allusion, whisper,
This is like our phrase, a nod or a wink. We would say something like, “Do you get it”? We don’t actually say what we mean, we hint at it, we give a clue.
Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
The Peshet here is the fact that God made coats of skin.
What is not said is that an animal must have been killed. So, the inference is there, there had to be an animal killed.
Exo 21:24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
Here again it is not stated explicitly but the inference, the hint is that the punishment, must fit the crime.
An example of Derash (devotional) (to seek out) to apply.
Gal 4:21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
Gal 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Gal 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Paul is giving an application to a scripture from Genesis, how it applies to us who are in Christ
What he is explaining is the truth of the two covenants, the old covenant which is under the law and the new covenant in Christ.
One is of the flesh and the other is of the Spirit.
This is a Midrash. Derash.
An example of Sod (The secret) (the Mystery) (the deeper meaning). That which is hidden.
Pro 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.
An obvious one is:
Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Here is a mystery, 666.
Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.
We in our day are beginning to understand what this mystery means, that one day the last soul will be brought into the kingdom and then God will open the eyes of those that were blinded in part.
“They shall look on Me whom they pierced”, Referring to the nation of Israel.
Another Hidden secret revealed, a mystery revealed.
Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
One principal of this PaRDeS is that no level of understanding should ever take away one of the others.
The spiritual or allegorical meaning should never rob the text of its literal meaning and visa versa.
One of the examples of this is the teaching of replacement theology, which says, that the church has replaced Israel.
That all the blessings and promises made by God to Israel, have passed to the church because of Israel’s unbelief.
God will keep all His promises that He has made, after all they are unconditional promises and not dependent on what we do.
Simply put, PaRDes deals with History (fact) – Inference (Hint) usually reference to Messiah – Devotional (Application) to our lives – Secret (Future).
One of the easiest scriptures to see PaRDes is Hosea 11:1. Exodus 4:22 and Matt 2:15.
Hos 11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
This is the plain Peshat meaning. God loved Israel and historically called him out of Egypt.
In Exodus, history tells us what happened. God sent Moses to deliver Israel out of the hands of Pharaoh.
Exo 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
Exo 4:23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.
In Matthew, we see the Remez.
This is the inference to the Messiah.
Mat 2:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
This scripture is applied to Jesus. This is a quote from Hosea.
Hosea was just writing the plain truth but this was prophetic and was applied to Jesus. It was a hint, a reference.
The Derash is the application to each of us.
We too are in Egypt, bound in sin, in bondage to the devil. God through the Holy Spirit calls us out of Egypt and sets us free in Jesus Christ.
Egypt is a type of the world.
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
God has called us out of Egypt, out of the world.
2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Isa 48:20 Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob.
The Sod can be seen in verses like:
Jer 23:7 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
Jer 23:8 But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
This is the hidden mystery, the prophetic, it is cyclical, it happened and will happen. This is future.
Sod in Context of PaRDeS:
Sod = Secret, Hidden.
What is a secret, what is sod?
Someone who is not born again is dead in trespasses and sin. He cannot comprehend the things of God.
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
He may be able to understand Peshat, the plain truth, the historical event.
He may understand that the children of Israel were in captivity in Egypt because that’s what the text says.
However, he can never understand the meaning of the text spiritually.
He would never understand the Remez, “Out of Egypt I called my Son”, referring to the Messiah.
He can never understand the Derash application of the text, that we are called out of Egypt, called out of the world, into His marvellous light.
He certainly can never understand the Sod, (the mystery of the Gospel) that we are called out of captivity to sin.
Ephesians 3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
The Bible tells us that the mystery of God is Jesus Christ:
Colossians 2:2–3 “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”.
Jesus spoke of this Mystery (Secret) Mark 4: 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables,
The mystery of being in Christ. “Christ in you the hope of glory”.
This only comes through the revelation by the Holy Spirit. This cannot be taught, it is revealed.
