The Hebrew verb parar (פָּרַר) means to break, to frustrate, to annul, or to make void. It is commonly used for breaking or violating a covenant, nullifying a legal agreement, or frustrating someone's plans. The word appears about 50 times in the Old Testament across various contexts of negation and destruction of binding agreements.
Parar carries enormous covenantal weight. When Israel 'broke' the covenant, the word used is often parar — not merely a lapse but a deliberate annulment of what was solemnly established. Conversely, God promises he will not parar — break — his covenant with his people even when they have broken theirs (Leviticus 26:44). This asymmetry is the heart of grace: God maintains what man has destroyed. Parar also describes the frustrating of human plans by divine sovereignty (Proverbs 19:21), reminding us that only God's purposes stand firm while human schemes are easily annulled.