מָגוֹר מִסָּבִיב
𐤌𐤂𐤅𐤓 𐤌𐤎𐤁𐤉𐤁
Mâgôwr miç-Çâbîyb
H4036 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A symbolic phrase or name meaning 'terror on every side' or 'panic from all around.' Used in prophetic contexts to signify being surrounded or engulfed by dread or impending disaster, either as a description of a person's condition or as a pronouncement of judgment. Sometimes used as a proper noun, notably as a name given by Jeremiah to the priest Pashhur.
Semantic Range
terror on every side, panic from all around, all-encompassing dread, symbolic designation of impending disaster, proper name for Pashhur
Root / Etymology
Compound expression formed from מָגוֹר (magor, 'terror, fear, panic')—from the root גור (to sojourn, be afraid)—and מִסָּבִיב (misaviv, 'from all around,' 'on every side'), itself derived from סָבִיב (around, surrounding) with preposition min ('from') affixed. The phrase literally conveys the sense of 'terror from all sides.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
The expression מָגוֹר מִסָּבִיב appears prominently in the book of Jeremiah (e.g. Jer 6:25; 20:3,10; 46:5; 49:29; Lam 2:22) in contexts of threat, siege, or imminent calamity. Jeremiah assigns this phrase as a symbolic renaming for the priest Pashhur after his opposition to Jeremiah’s prophecy (Jer 20:3), underscoring the impending disaster facing both individuals and the community. The phrase features both as a description of psychological state and as a symbol of national catastrophe, especially in oracles of doom against the Jerusalemite elite and foreign nations. English translations often render the phrase as 'terror on every side.' In context, it denotes both literal and psychological siege, and differs from solitary 'fear' words in Hebrew by its intensive, encompassing sense. Later periods and translation traditions (Greek, Latin, English) sometimes treat the phrase as a proper name (e.g. 'Magormissabib') rather than a descriptive expression, but in the Hebrew text it retains its force as a vivid idiom of distress and dread.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from מָגוֹר and סָבִיב with the preposition inserted; affright from around; Magor-mis-Sabib, a symbolic name of Pashur; Magormissabib.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
גור (g-w-r) — to sojourn, to fear, to dread
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1481 | גּוּר | I will sojourn |
| H1482 | גּוּר | Sojourn! |
| H1483 | גּוּר | Gur |
| H1484 | גּוֹר | his den-dwelling cubs |
| H1616 | גֵּר | in the resident-foreigner |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4036-01 |
מָג֥וֹר | magor | HNcmsa |
terror | terror | 1 |
H4036-02 |
מִ/סָּבִֽיב | misaviv | HR/D |
on every side | from around | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4036-01 |
Jeremiah 20:3 | מָג֥וֹר | magor | HNcmsa |
terror | terror |
H4036-02 |
Jeremiah 20:3 | מִ/סָּבִֽיב | misaviv | HR/D |
on every side | from around |