H6869b H6869b
Distress, trouble, affliction — personal or national hardship (singular); concrete instances of repeated troubles or adversities (plural).
The feminine noun tsarah, from the root meaning 'to be narrow, constricted,' evokes the visceral experience of being hemmed in by adversity. In its singular form (57 occurrences), it names the existential state of distress — Jacob's anguish over Joseph's apparent death (Gen 42:21), Hezekiah's 'day of distress' under Assyrian siege (2 Kgs 19:3), and the Psalms' repeated cry 'in the day of my trouble' (Ps 77:3; 86:7). German Bedrängnis ('constriction') captures the root metaphor beautifully, while Spanish angustia and French detresse both echo the Latin root for narrowness. The plural form tsarot (13 occurrences) shifts from state to enumeration — multiple afflictions piling up, as in 'many are the troubles of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all' (Ps 34:17-18). This singular-to-plural movement is not merely grammatical; it marks a shift from one overwhelming pressure to a life-pattern of serial adversity.
1. distress, trouble — The state or condition of distress, affliction, or trouble experienced as a singular pressing reality — personal anguish, national crisis, or existential hardship. With 57 occurrences, this sense appears in Jacob's recognition of Joseph's 'distress of soul' (Gen 42:21), the phrase 'in the day of my distress' (Gen 35:3; Ps 77:3; 86:7), the Israelites crying to God 'in the time of their trouble' (Judg 10:14), and the prophetic 'day of distress' passages (Nah 1:7; Zeph 1:15). German Bedrängnis and Trübsal capture the sense of being pressed in, Spanish angustia conveys the constriction metaphor, and French détresse tracks the English 'distress' closely. The singular form emphasizes trouble as an encompassing condition rather than a countable event. 57×
AR["الضِّيقِ","الضّيقِ","ضيق","ضيقًا","ضيقٍ","ضِيقٌ","ضِيقٍ","ضِيقَةٌ"]·ben["কষ্ট","কষ্ট।","কষ্টের","ক্লেশের","তারা-খুঁজে-পেয়েছিল","দুর্দশা","সংকটের","সংকটের,","সঙ্কট-এর","সঙ্কটের"]·DE["Bedraengnis","Bedrängnis","Trübsal","[צרה]","distress"]·EN["distress","of-distress","of-trouble","trouble"]·FR["[צרה]","détresse"]·heb["צרה"]·HI["कष्ट-का","विपत्ति","संकट","संकट-का","संकट-के"]·ID["kesesakan","kesukaran","kesusahan"]·IT["[צרה]","angoscia"]·jav["Kula","karibedan","kasangsaran","kasusahan"]·KO["고난과","고난에서","고난의","곤고가","곤난과","괴로움의","환난","환난-과","환난-의","환난에서","환난의"]·PT["a-angustia","angústia","angústia,","angústia?","de-angústia","tribulação"]·RU["беда","бедствия","беды","скорби","скорбь"]·ES["angustia"]·SW["dhiki","shida","taabu","wa-dhiki","ya-dhiki","ya-taabu"]·TR["darlıkla","sikinti","sikintinin","sıkıntı","sıkıntıdan","sıkıntının"]·urd["تنگی","تنگی-کے","تکلیف","دکھ-سے۔","مصیبت","مصیبت-سے","مصیبت-کا","مصیبت-کے","مصیبت۔"]
Gen 35:3, Gen 42:21, Judg 10:14, 1 Sam 26:24, 2 Sam 4:9, 1 Kgs 1:29, 2 Kgs 19:3, 2 Chr 15:6, 2 Chr 20:9, Neh 9:37, Job 27:9, Ps 20:1 (+38 more)
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
2. troubles, afflictions — Concrete, repeated instances of trouble and affliction — the plural tsarot referring to multiple distresses experienced over time or a catalog of adversities. With 13 occurrences, this sense surfaces in Moses' warning that 'many troubles and afflictions will come upon them' (Deut 31:17, 21), Samuel's charge that Israel has 'added to all your sins the evil of asking for a king, in all your troubles' (1 Sam 10:19), Job 5:19 ('in six troubles he will deliver you'), and the Psalms' striking declaration 'the troubles of my heart have enlarged' (Ps 25:17) and 'many are the troubles of the righteous' (Ps 34:19). Spanish angustias (plural), French détresses, and German Bedrängnisse all shift to plural morphology. The distinction from sense 1 is not merely grammatical: the plural conveys a pattern of serial or accumulated hardships rather than a single overwhelming crisis. 13×
AR["الضِّيقَاتُ","بِضِيقَاتِ","ضيقاتٍ","ضيقاتِهِ","ضيقاتِهِم","ضِيقَاتُ","ضِيقَاتِهِ","في-الضّيقاتِ","مِنَ-الضِّيقاتِ","وَ-ضِيقَاتِكُمْ","وَضِيقَاتٌ"]·ben["আর-তোমাদের-দুর্দশাগুলি","এবং-সঙ্কট","কষ্ট","তাদের-সংকট","তার-সংকট","তার-সঙ্কট","বিপদ-থেকে","মধ্যে-সঙ্কট","সংকট","সংকটে","সঙ্কট","সঙ্কটে"]·DE["Bedraengnis","der-troubles-von","ihr-troubles","in-distresses-von","in-troubles","sein-troubles","troubles","und-dein-troubles","und-troubles"]·EN["and-troubles","and-your-troubles","from-troubles","his-troubles","in-distresses-of","in-troubles","the-troubles","the-troubles-of","their-troubles","troubles"]·FR["dans-détresse","de-détresse","détresse","et-ton-troubles","et-troubles"]·heb["ב-צרות","ה-צרות","ו-צרות","וְ-צָרוֹתֵיכֶם","מ-צרות","צרות","צרות-ם","צרותי-ו","צרותיו"]·HI["और-कष्ट","और-तुम्हारी-कष्टों","कष्ट","में-संकटों","विपत्तियां","संकटों","संकटों-उनके","संकटों-उसके","संकटों-से"]·ID["dan-kesesakan","dan-kesusahanmu","dari-kesukaran-kesukaran","kesusahan","kesusahan-kesusahan"]·IT["angoscia","da-angoscia","e-troubles","e-tuo-troubles"]·jav["Kasusahan","ing-karibedan","karibedan-tiyang-punika","karibedanipun","kasusahan","kasusahan-ipun","lan-kasusahan-kasusahan","lan-kasusahan-panjenengan","saking-kasusahan"]·KO["-환난들-에서","고통-중에","곤란들-이","그-곤고들이","그-의-환난-에서","그들-의-환난-에서","그리고-너희의-곤란들","그리고-환난들이","환난들","환난들-에서","환난들에서"]·PT["As-angústias","angústias","as-aflições","de-angústias","e-angustias-vossas","e-angústias","em-angústias","nas-angústias","suas-angústias","tribulações"]·RU["hа-скорби","бедах","бедствий-его","бедствия","в-бедствиях","в-скорбях","и-бедствий-ваших","и-скорби","от-бед","скорбей-его","скорбей-их","скорби"]·ES["angustias","angustias-de","de-angustias","en-angustias","las-angustias","sus-angustias","y-angustias","y-vuestras-angustias"]·SW["Dhiki-za","dhiki","dhiki-zake","katika-taabu","katika-taabu-za","kutoka-taabu","na-taabu","na-taabu-zenu","taabu","taabu-zake","taabu-zao"]·TR["-sıkıntılarda","darlıkları","sikintilari","sıkıntılardan","sıkıntıları","sıkıntıları-","sıkıntılarından","ve-sıkıntılar","ve-sıkıntılarınızdan"]·urd["-تنگیوں-میں","اور-تکلیفیں","اور-مصیبتوں-تمہاری","اُس-کی-مصیبتوں","اُس-کی-مصیبتوں-سے","اُن-کی-مصیبتوں","مصیبتوں-سے","مصیبتوں-میں","مصیبتیں"]
Deut 31:17, Deut 31:21, 1 Sam 10:19, Job 5:19, Ps 25:17, Ps 25:22, Ps 31:7, Ps 34:6, Ps 34:17, Ps 46:1, Ps 71:20, Prov 21:23 (+1 more)
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×)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×)G4990 1. Savior (24×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
I. צָרָה72 n.f. id.;—abs. צ׳ 1 S 26:24 +, צָרָ֫תָה ψ 120:1 (Ges§ 90 g); cstr. צָרַת Gn 42:21; sf. צָרָתִי 35:3 +, צָרַתְכֶם Ju 10:14, etc.; pl. צָרוֹת abs. Is 65:16 +; sf. צָרֹתֵיכֶם 1 S 10:19, etc.;—straits, distress, Gn 42:21 (E); 1 S 26:24; 2 S 4:9; 1 K 1:29; Is 8:22; Jb 5:19; 27:9; especially ψψ (24 times), e.g. 22:12; 25:17 (v. רחב), v 22 31:8; 34:17, 18; specif. of travail, צָרָה וַחֲבָלִים…