צְרֵרָה
𐤑𐤓𐤓𐤄
Tsererah
H6888 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper noun, likely a location name; considered an erroneous or alternate spelling for Tseredah (צְרֵדָה), a town locally associated with Jeroboam I. In the biblical context, 'Tsᵉrêrâh' functions as a toponym, referencing a location in the tribal territory of Ephraim.
Semantic Range
proper noun (place name), possibly 'enclosure' or stemming from 'narrowness'; in practice, denotes a town in Ephraim (variant for Tseredah); not used for abstract or verbal senses in the Hebrew Bible
Root / Etymology
From the root צרר ('tsarar'), meaning 'to bind, enclose, be narrow,' but the relationship is likely secondary or folk-etymological, as the form and referent derive from a scribal variant or textual corruption of צְרֵדָה (Tseredah); the precise etymology of the place name is uncertain, and the original sense may be lost.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Tsᵉrêrâh (צְרֵרָה) appears in Judges 7:22 as the location 'Zererath,' which is believed by scholarly consensus to be a scribal error or alternate spelling for Tsᵉrēdāh (צְרֵדָה), later identified as the hometown of Jeroboam I (1 Kings 11:26). The text in Judges has differing manuscript traditions (cf. LXX with Σερηρά), and the name is rendered as Zererath in several English translations. The confusion likely results from the similarity of Hebrew letters resh (ר) and dalet (ד) in paleo-Hebrew scripts, supporting the view that the term is a textual variant rather than a distinct place name. There is no evidence that 'Tsᵉrêrâh' had any separate usage or meaning outside this scribal context. English translations following translation tradition may refer to 'Zererath,' but the majority scholarly view treats it as a variant of Tseredah. Contrast with unrelated toponyms with similar roots or phonetic patterns.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
apparently by erroneous transcription for צְרֵדָה; Tsererah for Tseredah; Zererath.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
צרר (ṣ-r-r) — bind, enclose, make narrow, press, be in distress
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6862 | צַר | the constrictor |
| H6863 | צֵר | Tsêr |
| H6869 | צָרָה | in the constraining distress |
| H6872 | צְרוֹר | in a bound bundle of |
| H6887 | צָרַר | to cause distress |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6888-01 |
צְֽרֵרָ֔תָ/ה | tsereratah | HNp/Sd |
Zererah | Enclosure-town | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6888-01 |
Judges 7:22 | צְֽרֵרָ֔תָ/ה | tsereratah | HNp/Sd |
Zererah | Enclosure-town |