H1221 H1221
Bezer: (1) a Levitical city of refuge in Reuben's territory; (2) a descendant of Asher. Means 'fortress.'
Bezer serves as both a place name and a personal name, rooted in the idea of 'fortress' or 'enclosure.' As a city, it was designated one of the three cities of refuge east of the Jordan, assigned to the tribe of Reuben (Deut 4:43; Josh 20:8; 21:36), and later given to the Merarite Levites (1 Chr 6:78). The Moabite Stone (Mesha Inscription) also mentions a place called Bezer, confirming its historical and geographic reality. As a personal name, Bezer appears as a descendant of Asher in 1 Chronicles 7:37. Spanish alternates between 'Beser' and 'Betser,' reflecting the difficulty of rendering the Hebrew tsade across Romance phonologies.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A proper name meaning 'fortress,' applied to (a) a Levitical city of refuge in the territory of Reuben east of the Jordan (Deut 4:43; Josh 20:8; 21:36; 1 Chr 6:78), attested also on the Moabite Stone, and (b) a descendant of Asher (1 Chr 7:37). The city's role as a refuge for manslayers makes it theologically significant in Israel's justice system. Spanish 'Betser/Beser' and French 'Bezer/Betser' reflect varying transliteration strategies for the Hebrew tsade. 5×
AR["باصِر", "بَاصَرَ"]·ben["বেৎসর"]·DE["Betser", "Bezer", "[בצר]"]·EN["Betser", "Bezer"]·FR["Betser", "Bezer", "[בצר]"]·heb["בצר"]·HI["-जंगल-में", "बेसेर"]·ID["Bezer"]·IT["Beser", "Betser", "Bezer", "[בצר]"]·jav["Bèsèr", "Bèzèr"]·KO["베셀", "베셀을", "베젔을", "베제르"]·PT["Betser", "Bezer"]·RU["Бецер"]·ES["Beser", "Betser", "Bétser"]·SW["Beseri"]·TR["Betser", "Betser'i"]·urd["بصر"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. בֶּ֫צֶר (fortress)— 1. n.pr.loc. city in Reuben (MI בצר) Dt 4:43 Jos 20:8 1 Ch 6:63. 2. n.pr.m. a descendant of Asher 1 Ch 7:37.