Paruah

Paruah (meaning: flourishing or blossoming) was the father of Jehoshaphat, one of the twelve officers whom Solomon appointed to provide provisions for the royal household, each responsible for supplying the palace for one month of the year. His son Jehoshaphat served as the officer over the tribe of Issachar (1 Kings 4:17).

Paruah himself is mentioned only in this genealogical notice; beyond being the father of Solomon's Issachar officer, no further details are recorded about him in Scripture. The administrative system Solomon established — with rotating provincial officers responsible for supplying the court — represented a sophisticated bureaucratic achievement, and the listing of each officer's father and territory reflects the official character of the arrangement.