Paarai

Paarai is one of David's valiant men, named in the catalogue of warriors in 2 Samuel and reappearing in the parallel list in 1 Chronicles under a different form of the name.

In the Roster of David's Mighty Men

The Samuel list places Paarai immediately after Hezro the Carmelite: "Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite," (2Sa 23:35). The single descriptor "the Arbite" is the only personal datum the verse supplies — a tribal or geographic tag attached to the name.

The Parallel in Chronicles

The Chronicler's parallel roster of David's warriors gives the same slot but a different form of the name and patronymic: "Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai," (1Ch 11:37). The shared neighbor — Hezro the Carmelite — anchors the two verses as the same position in the same list, while the name itself shifts from Paarai the Arbite to Naarai the son of Ezbai.