H6862b H6862b
Straits, distress, or anguish; also a personal adversary or enemy who causes affliction
Rooted in the idea of narrowness and constriction, this noun most often describes the abstract condition of distress, trouble, or anguish -- the tight place from which one cries out to God. The psalmists use it repeatedly: 'In my distress I called upon the LORD' (2 Sam 22:7 / Ps 18:6). Hindi 'sankat' and Arabic 'diq' both capture this sense of being hemmed in. A secondary but important sense denotes a personal adversary or enemy -- the one who causes the constriction. In Ps 60:11 and 108:12, the cry for help 'from the adversary' shows the word shading from abstract trouble into a concrete foe. Korean uses distinct terms: 'hwannan' for distress versus 'daejeok' for adversary, confirming the semantic split.
Senses
1. distress, anguish, trouble — The abstract condition of distress, anguish, or affliction -- being in straits or a tight place. Often paired with prepositions ('in distress,' 'from distress') to describe circumstances of trouble from which one cries to God for deliverance. Hindi 'sankat,' Arabic 'diq,' and Swahili 'dhiki' all convey the constriction metaphor. Key passages: 2 Sam 22:7, Ps 32:7, Job 15:24, Isa 5:30. 24×
AR["الضِّيقِ", "بِضيقِ", "ضيقٍ", "ضِيقٌ", "ضِيقٌ-", "ضِيقٍ", "في-الضّيق", "في-ضيقَ-", "فِي-الضِّيقِ", "فِي-ضَيْقِ-", "فِي-ضِيقِكَ", "فِي-ضِيقِهِ-", "مِنَ-الضِّيقِ"]·ben["-কষ্টে-", "-সংকট-থেকে", "-সঙ্কটে", "কষ্ট", "কষ্টের-", "ক্লেশের", "সংকট-", "সংকটে", "সংকটে-", "সঙ্কট-এর", "সঙ্কটে-"]·DE["Bedraenger", "Bedrängnis", "Bedrängnis-", "[בצר]", "[צר]", "auf-der-Bedrängnis", "in-Not", "in-der-Bedrängnis", "von-Bedrängnis", "wann-Bedrängnis-Krieg-"]·EN["distress", "distress-", "from-distress", "in-distress", "in-distress-", "in-distress-of", "in-his-distress", "in-the-distress", "of-adversity", "on-the-distress", "was-distress", "when-distress-was-"]·FR["Tyr", "[בצר]", "adversaire", "dans-adversaire", "dans-distress", "dans-détresse", "de-adversaire", "détresse"]·heb["ב-ה-צר", "ב-צר", "ב-צר-", "מ-צר", "צר", "צר-"]·HI["-कष्ट-में", "-संकट-में", "कष्ट-था", "ब-संकट-", "में-संकट", "संकट", "संकट-की", "संकट-के", "संकट-में", "संकट-में-", "से-संकट"]·ID["Dalam-kesesakan", "Kesesakan", "dalam-kesempitan", "dalam-kesesakan", "dalam-kesesakan-", "dalam-kesusahan", "dalam-kesusahan-", "kesempitan", "kesesakan", "kesukaran", "kesusahan", "sesak"]·IT["Tiro", "[בצר]", "angustia", "da-Tiro", "in-Tiro", "in-angoscia", "in-angustia"]·jav["Sesakan-", "ing-kasusahan", "ing-kasusahan-", "kasusahan", "rumaos-susah", "saking-karibedan", "susah", "wonten-ing-kasusahan"]·KO["-에-곤란", "고난의", "고난이라", "곤고가", "그-환난-중에", "에-괴로움", "에서-고난", "환난-과", "환난-속에서", "환난-속에서-", "환난-에서", "환난-을", "환난-의", "환난의", "환난이-있었다"]·PT["Angústia", "Na-angústia", "a-angústia", "aflição", "angústia", "de-angustia", "de-angústia", "em-angústia-de", "na-angústia", "na-angústia-", "¶ Na-angústia"]·RU["В-скорби", "Скорбь-", "беда", "в-скорби", "в-скорби-", "в-тесноте", "от-беды", "скорби", "скорби-", "скорбь", "скудости", "теснота"]·ES["Angustia", "angustia", "angustia-", "cuando-angustia-", "de-angustia", "en-angustia-de", "en-la-angustia", "en-la-angustia-", "fue-angustia"]·SW["Katika-dhiki", "dhiki", "dhiki-", "katika-dhiki", "katika-dhiki-", "katika-dhiki-ya", "kutoka-msongo", "shida", "wa-dhiki", "ya-dhiki"]·TR["-sıkıntıdan", "darliginda-", "darlikta", "darlıkta-", "sikinti", "sikintili", "sikintinin", "sıkıntı", "sıkıntı-", "sıkıntıda", "sıkıntıda-", "sıkıntının", "sıkıntısında", "sıkıntıyı"]·urd["-تنگی-میں", "-مصیبت-سے", "بِ-ہَ-تنگی-میں", "تنگی", "تنگی کے", "تنگی-میں", "تنگی-میں-", "تنگی-کی", "تکلیف-تھی", "مصیبت", "مصیبت-میں", "مُصیبَت-"]
2. adversary, enemy — A personal adversary, opponent, or hostile foe -- the concrete agent of distress rather than the state itself. Multilingual evidence confirms this distinction: Korean uses 'daejeok' (adversary) versus 'hwannan' (trouble), and Hindi uses 'shatru/dushman' (enemy). In Ps 60:11 and 108:12, the plea for divine help 'from the adversary' clearly identifies a personal enemy, as does 1 Sam 2:32. 3×
AR["ضِيقَ", "مِن-الضّيقِ", "مِنَ-الضِّيق"]·ben["শত্রু", "শত্রুর-থেকে", "শত্রুর-বিরুদ্ধে"]·DE["distress", "von-Bedrängnis", "von-der-Widersacher"]·EN["distress", "from-distress", "from-the-adversary"]·FR["de-adversaire", "détresse"]·heb["מ-צר", "צר"]·HI["दुश्मन", "शत्रु-से", "संकट-से"]·ID["dari-kesusahan", "kesesakan"]·IT["angoscia", "da-Tiro"]·jav["dhateng-kitha", "mengsah", "saking-kasusahan"]·KO["곤고", "대적에게서", "환난-에서"]·PT["adversário", "da-aflição", "na-angústia"]·RU["врага", "от-врага", "от-скорби"]·ES["angustia", "angustia-de", "el-adversario"]·SW["adui", "dhidi-ya-adui", "kutoka-dhiki"]·TR["sıkıntı", "sıkıntıdan", "sıkıntıdan-"]·urd["تنگی", "دشمن-کے-خلاف", "مِن-دُشمَن"]
Related Senses
H7965 1. peace, absence of conflict (198×)H3467 1. save, deliver, rescue (Hifil active) (156×)H5127 1. flee, run away (Qal) (144×)G1515 1. peace, well-being, harmony (93×)H8002 1. peace offering(s) (87×)G4982 1. save spiritually, grant salvation (79×)H3444 1. salvation, deliverance (67×)H4422 1. Nifal: escape, flee (63×)H1272 1. flee, run away (Qal) (58×)H6869b 1. distress, trouble (57×)G4991 1. of salvation (46×)G2347 1. tribulation, affliction, distress (45×)H0983 1. security, safety, confidence (42×)H6031b 1. Piel: afflict, oppress (42×)H6040 1. affliction, misery, suffering (36×)H3468 1. salvation, deliverance (33×)G5343 1. flee, run away (28×)H3467 2. savior, deliverer (Hifil participle substantive) (28×)H8668 1. salvation, deliverance (27×)H8252 1. be quiet, be at rest (26×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. צַר n.[m.] straits, distress;—abs. צ׳ Jb 15:24 +, also c. art. בַּצַּר Ho 5:15 +, צָ֑ר ψ 4:2 +;—straits, distress Is 5:30; Jb 15:24 ψ 32:7; 60:13 108:13 צַר־וּמָצוֹק 119:143; עֵת־צ׳ Jb 38:23, cf. בַּצַּר Is 26:16, בַּצָּ֑ר ψ 4:2; צ׳־רוּהִי Jb 7:11 distress of my spirit; לֶחֶם צַר Is 30:20; לֹא צָ֗ר Is 63:9 usually he (י׳) had distress (reading לִוֹ Qr), but 𝔊 οὐ πρέσβυς, Du CheHpt. al. לֹא…