Biblical Lexicon

H4307 H4307

Art | N-fs | 16× in 2 senses

Guard, guardhouse, court of the guard (a detention area); also a target or mark for shooting.

A feminine noun from the root meaning 'to watch, guard' (natar), yielding two surprisingly divergent senses. In Jeremiah, it appears almost formulaically as 'the court of the guard' (chatsar hammattarah), the detention compound within the royal palace where the prophet was repeatedly confined (Jer 32:2; 37:21; 38:6). Nehemiah mentions both the court and a gate by this name (Neh 3:25; 12:39). The second sense, 'target' or 'mark,' draws on the same root idea of watching or fixing one's eye upon something. Job laments that God has set him up 'as his target' (Job 16:12), and Lamentations 3:12 uses the vivid simile 'like a target for the arrow.' Spanish neatly distinguishes 'la guardia/cárcel' from 'blanco' (target).

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Senses

1. guard, guardhouse, court of the guard — Guard, guardhouse, or court of the guard, referring to a detention facility or guarded enclosure within a royal or administrative compound. Nearly all occurrences appear in Jeremiah's narrative of imprisonment in the 'court of the guard' (Jer 32:2, 8, 12; 33:1; 37:21; 38:6, 13, 28; 39:14-15), with Nehemiah adding references to both a court and a gate of the guard (Neh 3:25; 12:39). Spanish 'la guardia' and 'la cárcel' capture the custodial sense. 13×

VIOLENCE_CONFLICT › Military Activities › Guards and Watchers

AR["السِّجنِ", "السِّجْنِ", "الْحَرَسِ"]·ben["-পাহারার", "-প্রহরীদের", "-প্রহরীর", "প্রহরীদের", "প্রহরীর"]·DE["[המטרה]", "das-Ziel"]·EN["the-Guard", "the-guard"]·FR["[המטרה]", "cible"]·heb["ה-מטרה"]·HI["पहरे", "पहरे-के", "पहरेदारों"]·ID["Penjaga-itu", "penjagaan", "penjara"]·IT["[המטרה]", "bersaglio"]·jav["Penjagian", "pakunjaran", "penjagaan", "penjagi"]·KO["감시의", "그-감시의", "그-경비대-의"]·PT["a-Guarda", "a-guarda", "a-prisão"]·RU["Стражи", "стражи"]·ES["la-cárcel", "la-guardia"]·SW["Mlinzi", "walinzi"]·TR["Muhafızlar'ın", "muhafızların", "muhafızların-o", "muhafızın"]·urd["پہرے", "پہرے-کے"]

Neh 3:25, Neh 12:39, Jer 32:2, Jer 32:8, Jer 32:12, Jer 33:1, Jer 37:21, Jer 37:21, Jer 38:6, Jer 38:13, Jer 38:28, Jer 39:14 (+1 more)

2. target, mark (for shooting) — A target or mark set up for shooting, drawing on the root sense of watching or fixing the eye on something. Used figuratively in Job 16:12, where Job protests that God has set him up as a target, and in Lamentations 3:12, 'like a target for the arrow.' The sole literal use appears in 1 Samuel 20:20, Jonathan's archery-signal scene. Spanish 'blanco' (target) sharply distinguishes this from the guardhouse sense. 3×

DISCOURSE_NAMES › Names of Persons and Places › Balaam Prophet Name

AR["كَهَدَفٍ", "لِ-هَدَفٍ", "لِـ-هَدَفٍ"]·ben["-লক্ষ্য-রূপে", "লক্ষ্যবস্তুতে", "লক্ষ্যের-মত"]·DE["[כמטרא]", "[למטרה]", "bei-ein-target"]·EN["as-a-target", "at-a-target"]·FR["cible", "à-un-target", "à-למטרה"]·heb["כ-מטרה", "ל-מטרה"]·HI["निशने-पर", "निशाने-की-तरह", "निशाने-के-लिए"]·ID["pada-sasaran", "sebagai-sasaran", "seperti-sasaran"]·IT["a-un-target", "bersaglio", "per-as-un-target"]·jav["dados-sasaran", "kados-sasaran", "sasaran"]·KO["과녁으로", "과녉-처럼", "과녕으로"]·PT["como-alvo", "para-alvo"]·RU["к-цели", "как-цель", "мишенью"]·ES["al-blanco", "como-blanco", "por-blanco"]·SW["kama-shabaha", "kwa-shabaha"]·TR["hedef", "hedef-gibi", "hedefe"]·urd["نشانے-پر۔", "نشانے-کی-طرح", "نشانے-کے-طور-پر"]

1 Sam 20:20, Job 16:12, Lam 3:12

BDB / Lexicon Reference

† מַטָּרָה and (La 3:12) מַטָּרָא n.f. 1. guard, ward, prison. 2. target, mark (as kept in the eye, watched, cf. נָצַר Pr 23:26, and σκόπος (watcher, mark) from σκέπτομαι; perhaps Nab. מט[רתא] Lzb323);—always abs.:— 1. guard, ward, prison, usually חֲצַר הַמּ׳ court of guard (v. i. חָצֵר) Je 32:2, 8, 12; 33:1; 37:21(×2); 38:6, 13, 28; 39:14, 15; Ne 3:25; שַׁעַר הַמּ׳ 12:39. 2. target, mark Jb 16:12 (fig. of י׳’s chastisement), כַּמַּטָּרָא לַחֵץ La 3:12 (sim. id.); lit. only 1 S 20:20.