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צוּר

𐤑𐤅𐤓

tsûwr

H6696 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To press, constrain, bind, or encircle—commonly in the sense of besieging or restraining, but also extended to forming, shaping, or enclosing. The term is most frequently used for laying siege to a city, but also appears in the sense of distressing, oppressing, or hemming in people, physically or metaphorically. Less commonly, it refers to enclosing or binding objects tightly (e.g., valuables, bundles) or to forming something closely (fashioning).

Semantic Range

to lay siege, to besiege, to oppress, to constrain, to enclose, to bind up, to put into bags or bundles, to form by pressing, to distress, to assault, to confine, to put pressure on physically or metaphorically

Root / Etymology

From the root צוּר (צ-ו-ר) meaning 'to press, constrain, bind, encircle.' The root describes the basic act of applying pressure or narrowing space, leading to senses of besieging, encircling, distressing, or binding.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Throughout Israelite history, especially the monarchic period, the verb צוּר is frequently associated with military campaigns—especially the activity of surrounding cities or fortresses to cut them off, i.e., besieging them (e.g., 2 Sam 11:1, Isa 29:3). The concept extends metaphorically to personal or national distress (e.g., Deut 28:52). In prose and poetry, it may carry hostile or formative connotations. In some cases, it is used of enclosing objects or persons and of acts of forming or fashioning (as in tightly shaping a vessel or object). The meaning overlaps with related roots expressing constraining (e.g., צרר) but with different connotations. English translations may obscure whether the passage refers to literal siege or broader forms of pressure or distress; the nuance depends heavily on context. The meaning developed little over time, but post-exilic usage is rarer, focused more on inherited formulaic language from earlier periods.

Translation Consistency

primary "besiege" 29 occurrences

The primary and most frequent sense in the SILEX entries is laying siege to or surrounding a place or people (11 instances of “besieged,” 8 of “besiege”), and “besiege” naturally covers both literal encirclement and the metaphorical sense of pressing, harassing, or oppressing. It is the most natural, idiomatic English verb that can be inflected consistently for all related forms; rarer senses (bind/enclose/form) can be handled contextually while keeping the single core verb “besiege.”

Alternatives (7 occurrences):
"harass" (1x) "cast" (1x) "bound up" (1x) "lay siege" (1x) "bind" (1x) "beset" (1x) "enclose" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to cramp, i.e. confine (in many applications, literally and figuratively, formative or hostile); adversary, assault, beset, besiege, bind (up), cast, distress, fashion, fortify, inclose, lay siege, put up in bags.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

צור (Matsor) — to bind, to press in, to enclose, to besiege

Root צור to press, constrain, bind, besiege, encircle, form
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4693 מָצוֹר besieged stronghold
H4694 מְצוּרָה the fortified places
H6676 צַוַּאר her nape
H6677 צַוָּאר in the binding-neck
H6697 צוּר in a rock-cliff

Word Forms

14 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H6696-10 וַ/יָּ֣צַר vayatsar HC/Vqw3ms and he besieged and he encircled and he besieged 8
H6696-11 וַ/יָּצֻ֖רוּ vayatsuru HC/Vqw3mp and they besieged and they besieged and they besieged 6
H6696-08 צָרִ֖ים tsarim HVqrmpa were besieging the ones pressing in the ones besieging 5
H6696-01 הַ/צָּרִ֥ים hatsarim HTd/Vqrmpa besieging the ones besieging the ones besieging 4
H6696-12 וְ/צַרְתָּ֖ vetsareta HC/Vqq2ms and bind and you besieged and you shall besiege 3
H6696-13 וְ/צַרְתִּ֖י vetsareti HC/Vqq1cs and-I-will-besiege and I pressed in and I will besiege 2
H6696-02 לָ/צ֥וּר latsur HR/Vqc to besiege to besiege to besiege 1
H6696-03 נָצ֥וּר natsur HVqi1cp we will enclose we will besiege we will enclose 1
H6696-04 תָּ֨צַר֙ tatsar HVqj2ms harass may you besiege harass 1
H6696-05 תָצ֣וּר tatsur HVqi2ms you besiege you will besiege you besiege 1

Occurrences in Scripture

36 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H6696-13 Exodus 23:22 וְ/צַרְתִּ֖י vetsareti HC/Vqq1cs and I will oppose and I pressed in and I will besiege
H6696-04 Deuteronomy 2:9 תָּ֨צַר֙ tatsar HVqj2ms harass may you besiege harass
H6696-06 Deuteronomy 2:19 תְּצֻרֵ֖/ם tetsurem HVqj2ms/Sp3mp you-shall-distress-them may you besiege them besiege them
H6696-12 Deuteronomy 20:12 וְ/צַרְתָּ֖ vetsareta HC/Vqq2ms then you shall besiege and you besieged and you shall besiege
H6696-05 Deuteronomy 20:19 תָצ֣וּר tatsur HVqi2ms you besiege you will besiege you besiege
H6696-08 Judges 9:31 צָרִ֥ים tsarim HVqrmpa are stirring up the ones pressing in the ones besieging
H6696-02 1 Samuel 23:8 לָ/צ֥וּר latsur HR/Vqc to besiege to besiege to besiege
H6696-11 2 Samuel 11:1 וַ/יָּצֻ֖רוּ vayatsuru HC/Vqw3mp and they besieged and they besieged and they besieged
H6696-11 2 Samuel 20:15 וַ/יָּצֻ֣רוּ vayatsuru HC/Vqw3mp and they besieged and they besieged and they besieged
H6696-10 1 Kings 7:15 וַ/יָּ֛צַר vayatsar HC/Vqw3ms And he cast and he encircled and he cast
H6696-08 1 Kings 15:27 צָרִ֖ים tsarim HVqrmpa were besieging the ones pressing in the ones besieging
H6696-11 1 Kings 16:17 וַ/יָּצֻ֖רוּ vayatsuru HC/Vqw3mp and they besieged and they besieged and they besieged
H6696-10 1 Kings 20:1 וַ/יָּ֨צַר֙ vayatsar HC/Vqw3ms and he besieged and he encircled and he besieged
H6696-10 2 Kings 6:24 וַ/יָּ֖צַר vayatsar HC/Vqw3ms and besieged and he encircled and he besieged
H6696-08 2 Kings 6:25 צָרִ֣ים tsarim HVqrmpa they besieged the ones pressing in the ones besieging
H6696-11 2 Kings 12:11 וַ/יָּצֻ֨רוּ֙ vayatsuru HC/Vqw3mp and they bound up and they besieged and they bound up
H6696-11 2 Kings 16:5 וַ/יָּצֻ֨רוּ֙ vayatsuru HC/Vqw3mp and they besieged and they besieged and they besieged
H6696-10 2 Kings 17:5 וַ/יָּ֥צַר vayatsar HC/Vqw3ms and he besieged and he encircled and he besieged
H6696-10 2 Kings 18:9 וַ/יָּ֥צַר vayatsar HC/Vqw3ms and besieged and he encircled and he besieged
H6696-08 2 Kings 24:11 צָרִ֥ים tsarim HVqrmpa were besieging the ones pressing in the ones besieging
H6696-09 Isaiah 21:2 צוּרִ֣י tsuri HVqv2fs lay siege my rock-mass lay siege
H6696-13 Isaiah 29:3 וְ/צַרְתִּ֤י vetsareti HC/Vqq1cs and-I-will-besiege and I pressed in and I will besiege
H6696-01 Jeremiah 21:4 הַ/צָּרִ֣ים hatsarim HTd/Vqrmpa the-besieging the ones besieging the ones besieging
H6696-01 Jeremiah 21:9 הַ/צָּרִ֤ים hatsarim HTd/Vqrmpa besieging the ones besieging the ones besieging
H6696-08 Jeremiah 32:2 צָרִ֖ים tsarim HVqrmpa besieging the ones pressing in the ones besieging
H6696-01 Jeremiah 37:5 הַ/צָּרִ֤ים hatsarim HTd/Vqrmpa who were besieging the ones besieging the ones besieging
H6696-11 Jeremiah 39:1 וַ/יָּצֻ֖רוּ vayatsuru HC/Vqw3mp and they besieged and they besieged and they besieged
H6696-12 Ezekiel 4:3 וְ/צַרְתָּ֣ vetsareta HC/Vqq2ms and you shall besiege and you besieged and you shall besiege
H6696-12 Ezekiel 5:3 וְ/צַרְתָּ֥ vetsareta HC/Vqq2ms and bind and you besieged and you shall bind
H6696-07 Psalms 139:5 צַרְתָּ֑/נִי tsaretani HVqp2ms/Sp1cs you have beset me you constrained me you have beset me
H6696-03 Song of Songs 8:9 נָצ֥וּר natsur HVqi1cp we will enclose we will besiege we will enclose
H6696-01 Esther 8:11 הַ/צָּרִ֥ים hatsarim HTd/Vqrmpa that would assault them the ones besieging the ones besieging
H6696-10 Daniel 1:1 וַ/יָּ֥צַר vayatsar HC/Vqw3ms and he besieged and he encircled and he besieged
H6696-10 1 Chronicles 20:1 וַ/יָּ֣צַר vayatsar HC/Vqw3ms and he besieged and he encircled and he besieged
H6696-14 2 Chronicles 6:28 יָֽצַר yatsar HVhi3ms they besiege he besieged they besiege
H6696-10 2 Chronicles 28:20 וַ/יָּ֥צַר vayatsar HC/Vhw3ms and distressed and he encircled and he besieged
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