What does צוּר (ṣûr) mean in the Bible?
צוּר (ṣûr): Confinement through pressure: literal siege/binding or figurative distress; God fashions, enemies besiege.
Hebrew · H6696
צוּר
To cramp , i.e. confine (in many applications, literally and figuratively, formative or hostile)
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צוּר H6696
Pronunciation ṣûr
What does צוּר (ṣûr) mean in the Bible?
צוּר (ṣûr): Confinement through pressure: literal siege/binding or figurative distress; God fashions, enemies besiege.
Full entry for צוּר (H6696) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H6696?
The BSB source-word alignment has 38 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include and besieged (6), lay siege (2), they besieged (2), who besiege (2), and (1).
Where does צוּר (ṣûr) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Exodus 23:22. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Kings (8), Deuteronomy (5), Jeremiah (5), 1 Kings (4).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It and besieged 6× 2 Samuel 11:1, 2 Samuel 20:15, 1 Kings 16:17, 2 Kings 17:5
lay siege 2× Deuteronomy 20:12, Isaiah 21:2
they besieged 2× 2 Kings 6:25, 2 Kings 16:5
who besiege 2× Jeremiah 21:4, Jeremiah 21:9
and 1× Exodus 32:4
and a foe 1× Exodus 23:22
and are stirring up 1× Judges 9:31
and besiege 1× 1 Samuel 23:8
and besiege it 1× Ezekiel 4:3
and besieged it 1× 1 Chronicles 20:1
and laid siege 1× Jeremiah 39:1
and secure 1× Ezekiel 5:3
and tie it up in bags 1× 2 Kings 12:10
besiege 1× 2 Chronicles 6:28
besieged 1× 1 Kings 20:1
harass 1× Deuteronomy 2:9
harass them 1× Deuteronomy 2:19
He cast 1× 1 Kings 7:15
hostile to them 1× Esther 8:11
I will besiege 1× Isaiah 29:3
take 1× Deuteronomy 14:25
Then he tied up 1× 2 Kings 5:23
to besiege 1× 2 Kings 6:24
was besieging 1× Jeremiah 32:2
we will enclose 1× Song Of Solomon 8:9
were besieging 1× 1 Kings 15:27
were besieging it 1× 2 Kings 24:11
who were besieging 1× Jeremiah 37:5
You hem me in 1× Psalms 139:5
you lay siege 1× Deuteronomy 20:19
Show sample aligned rows
Exodus 23:22 וְצַרְתִּ֖י to and a foe Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular Exodus 32:4 וַיָּ֤צַר to and Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Deuteronomy 2:9 תָּ֙צַר֙ to harass Verb - Qal - Imperfect Jussive - second person masculine singular Deuteronomy 2:19 תְּצֻרֵ֖ם to harass them Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | third person masculine plural Deuteronomy 14:25 וְצַרְתָּ֤ to take Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular Deuteronomy 20:12 וְצַרְתָּ֖ to lay siege Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular Deuteronomy 20:19 תָצ֣וּר to you lay siege Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Judges 9:31 צָרִ֥ים to and are stirring up Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural 1 Samuel 23:8 לָצ֥וּר to and besiege Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct 2 Samuel 11:1 וַיָּצֻ֖רוּ to and besieged Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Exodus 23:22
Aligned rows 38
Books represented 16
Exodus 2 Deuteronomy 5 Judges 1 1 Samuel 1 2 Samuel 2 1 Kings 4 2 Kings 8 1 Chronicles 1 2 Chronicles 1 Esther 1 Psalms 1 Song Of Solomon 1 Isaiah 2 Jeremiah 5 Ezekiel 2 Daniel 1
Source forms
וַיָּ֥צַר 3x way·yā·ṣar 2 Kings 17:5, 2 Kings 18:9, Daniel 1:1
וַיָּצֻ֖רוּ 3x way·yā·ṣu·rū 2 Samuel 11:1, 1 Kings 16:17, Jeremiah 39:1
הַצָּרִ֤ים 2x haṣ·ṣā·rîm Jeremiah 21:9, Jeremiah 37:5
וַיָּצֻ֙רוּ֙ 2x way·yā·ṣu·rū 2 Kings 12:10, 2 Kings 16:5
צָרִ֥ים 2x ṣā·rîm Judges 9:31, 2 Kings 24:11
צָרִ֖ים 2x ṣā·rîm 1 Kings 15:27, Jeremiah 32:2
הַצָּרִ֥ים 1x haṣ·ṣā·rîm Esther 8:11
הַצָּרִ֣ים 1x haṣ·ṣā·rîm Jeremiah 21:4
Parsing patterns
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 9x Exodus 32:4, 1 Kings 7:15, 1 Kings 20:1, 2 Kings 5:23
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 6x 2 Samuel 11:1, 2 Samuel 20:15, 1 Kings 16:17, 2 Kings 12:10
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural 5x Judges 9:31, 1 Kings 15:27, 2 Kings 6:25, 2 Kings 24:11
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural 4x Esther 8:11, Jeremiah 21:4, Jeremiah 21:9, Jeremiah 37:5
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular 4x Deuteronomy 14:25, Deuteronomy 20:12, Ezekiel 4:3, Ezekiel 5:3
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular 2x Exodus 23:22, Isaiah 29:3
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct 1x 1 Samuel 23:8
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 1x 2 Chronicles 6:28
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Confinement through pressure: literal siege/binding or figurative distress; God fashions, enemies besiege.
Strong's H6696
Lexical occurrences 36 verses Word forms 2 forms 10 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Jeremiah 32:1-5 Source Gloss
to cramp , i.e. confine (in many applications, literally and figuratively, formative or hostile)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Confinement through pressure: literal siege/binding or figurative distress; God fashions, enemies besiege.
to cramp, i.e. confine (in many applications, literally and figuratively, formative or hostile) BDB: fashion Usage: adversary, assault, beset, besiege, bind (up), cast, distress, fashion, fortify, inclose, lay siege, put up in bags.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 2 Aligned forms 10
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 9×
Participle active 1Kgs 15:27 · 2Kgs 6:25 · 2Kgs 24:11 · Jer 32:2 · Judg 9:31 5×
Imperfect Deut 20:19 · Song 8:9 2×
Jussive Deut 2:9 1×
Sequential imperfect Isa 21:2 1×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 1×
Imperfect 2Chr 6:28 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
confinement or siege of a city by hostile military forces
military encirclement and assault upon a fortified location
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 36 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
צוּר is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain