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זוּר

𐤆𐤅𐤓

zûwr

H2115 verb

SILEX Entry

Root זוּר to press, compress, squeeze, crowd

Definition

To press tightly together, compress, or crowd; to close up a space. In biblical usage, refers to the physical act of pressing or crowding, often of people or objects being forced together, or of spaces being constricted. The term also carries a nuance of pressing with urgency or force, sometimes to the point of distress.

Semantic Range

to press together, to crowd or compress (persons or objects), to close up tightly (as a space or passage), to force together under pressure, to thrust or rush together

Root / Etymology

Root: זוּר. The root fundamentally denotes the act of pressing, squeezing, or compressing. This verb form is rarely attested and may be related to or conflated with roots like צוק (to oppress, constrain, or distress), but its independent character is retained in lexical tradition. The etymology is distinct from the much more common זוּר (H2114), which means 'to be a foreigner' or 'to be strange.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

זוּר (H2115) is a rarely attested root in the Hebrew Bible, not to be confused with the much more frequent זוּר (H2114) meaning 'to be a foreigner, stranger.' H2115 occurs in contexts where compression, constriction, or crowding is implied, particularly under pressure or duress. It is possible that in later texts or dialects, a semantic overlap developed with שלה, a root related to pressing hard or distressing, especially in poetic or military contexts (e.g., siege or battle situations). The nuance of 'closing up' is contextually dependent and may refer metaphorically to the crowding of people or the tightening of a boundary. Standard English translations tend to obscure the precise shade of this verb, often rendering it with general terms like 'press' or 'thrust.' Its limited usage makes cross-comparison difficult, but the notion of forced compression is constant.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root (compare צוֹק); to press together, tighten; close, rush, thrust together.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

זור (z-w-r) — pressing, compressing, crowding, squeezing

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2114 זוּר with foreign ones
H2116 זוּרֶה the winnowed one
H2223 זַרְזִיר girded swift-beast of
H4204 מָזוֹר wound
H4205 מָזוֹר binding bandage

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2115-01 תְּזוּרֶ֑/הָ tezureha HVqi3fs/Sp3fs may crush it she will press her 1
H2115-03 זֹ֨רוּ֙ zoru HVQp3cp pressed out they were pressed together 1
H2115-02 וַ/יָּ֖זַר vayazar HC/Vqw3ms and-he-squeezed and he pressed together 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2115-02 Judges 6:38 וַ/יָּ֖זַר vayazar HC/Vqw3ms and-he-squeezed and he pressed together
H2115-03 Isaiah 1:6 זֹ֨רוּ֙ zoru HVQp3cp pressed out they were pressed together
H2115-01 Job 39:15 תְּזוּרֶ֑/הָ tezureha HVqi3fs/Sp3fs may crush it she will press her
← H2114 Hebrew Lexicon H2116 →