This verb appears only in Nehemiah 7:3 in the Hiphil stem, where Nehemiah issues security instructions: 'Let them shut the doors and bar them.' The command reflects post-exilic Jerusalem's vulnerability—even with rebuilt walls, the city required vigilant gate management. The verbal root, occurring only this once in biblical Hebrew, has parallels in later rabbinic Hebrew where it commonly means 'shut' or 'close.' The context of urban security and nightly gate-closing illustrates the practical challenges of maintaining a defended city with a sparse population.