A fortification supplies a defended place, often a city whose protection must be considered in a journey or conflict. Moses asks the scouts to observe whether the cities are open camps or fortified, making defenses one part of their concrete report about the land.
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Full entry for מִבְצָר (H4013) · Open the biblical lexicon
A fortification supplies a defended place, often a city whose protection must be considered in a journey or conflict. Moses asks the scouts to observe whether the cities are open camps or fortified, making defenses one part of their concrete report about the land.
The BSB source-word alignment has 37 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include the fortified (7), fortified (4), your fortresses (4), a fortified (2), fortress (2).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Numbers 13:19. Its strongest book concentrations include Jeremiah (7), 2 Kings (5), Daniel (3), Isaiah (3).
A fortification supplies a defended place, often a city whose protection must be considered in a journey or conflict. Moses asks the scouts to observe whether the cities are open camps or fortified, making defenses one part of their concrete report about the land. The Lord later makes Jeremiah like a fortified city as He commissions the prophet to speak against powerful opponents, grounding the assurance in His presence and promise of deliverance.
Nahum gives a contrasting picture when Nineveh's fortresses are likened to ripe figs that fall when shaken. The defended place can thus be observed literally or used in an expressly stated comparison. Its walls do not guarantee the outcome of every conflict, and the noun cannot carry Jeremiah's particular assurance into every modern claim of invulnerability.
Observed defenses, Jeremiah's commissioned endurance and Nineveh's collapsing fortresses occupy different contexts. A city's protection contributes to each account while the speaker's promise or judgment determines the comparison's significance.
Is the land where they live good or bad? Are the cities where they dwell open camps or fortifications?
Moses asks whether the inhabitants live in open camps or fortifications as part of a report about the land, people, soil and trees before the scouts enter it.
Now behold, this day I have made you like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land.
The fortified-city comparison concerns Jeremiah standing against the named authorities and people of the land; the next verse grounds his promised deliverance in the Lord's presence.
All your fortresses are fig trees with the first ripe figs; when shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater!
Nineveh's fortresses are compared with ripe figs that fall when shaken within the oracle announcing the failure of its defenses and approaching destruction.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. Literal fortress or stronghold that becomes figurative refuge or divine protector in covenantal language.
Literal fortress or stronghold that becomes figurative refuge or divine protector in covenantal language.
a fortification, castle, or fortified city; figuratively, a defender BDB: fortification Usage: (de-, most) fenced, fortress, (most) strong (hold).
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 1 selected witness from 37 lexical occurrence verses.
מִבְצָר is built from this root:
Fortification proves powerless before divine judgment.Isaiah 17:1-3
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Jeremiah is compared to a fortified city precisely because the commission will meet resistance. The Lord names kings, officials, priests and people who will oppose him, then promises to be with him and deliver him. The comparison therefore does not erase the conflict or place Jeremiah's confidence in literal masonry. Numbers treats fortifications differently: they are features Moses asks the scouts to report, alongside people and the land's produce.
Nahum exposes the weakness of Nineveh's apparently strong defenses through fruit that falls readily when shaken. These scenes prevent a single lesson that either glorifies every fortified place or condemns every prudent defense. Teaching should locate confidence in the particular words and actions of the Lord while allowing observation, opposition and loss to remain real.
No modern speaker gains Jeremiah's exact commission merely by describing himself as a fortress.
Jer.1.18
The Hebrew entry includes fortifications and fortified cities, with figurative application supplied by a stated comparison. It should not be confused with every other Hebrew defense term, and a figurative city in Jeremiah does not turn the noun into a universal title for a divinely protected individual.
Paul's stronghold image in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 belongs to a different Greek expression and explicitly addresses arguments and pretensions raised against the knowledge of God. It should not turn Israel's literal fortified cities or Jeremiah's commission into a program for attacking contemporary people or places.