H6887b H6887b
To bind, tie up, wrap; to be narrow or in distress; in Hifil, to cause distress or besiege; in passive, to be bound up or confined.
Tsarar is one of Hebrew's most versatile roots, spanning the physical act of binding and wrapping all the way to the deeply personal experience of distress and constriction. The semantic bridge is intuitive: to be 'bound' is to be 'narrowed,' and to be 'narrowed' is to be 'in straits.' Abigail's memorable prayer that David's life be 'bound in the bundle of the living' with Yahweh (1 Sam 25:29) captures the root's positive potential — binding as protective enclosure. But more often, tsarar describes the painful tightening of circumstances: Saul in desperate straits before the battle of Gilboa (1 Sam 28:15), David crying 'I am in distress' (2 Sam 1:26; Ps 31:9), and the prophetic warnings of siege and military constriction (Deut 28:52). The Hifil causative concentrates the agency: God or enemies actively 'cause distress' — a theological claim about the source of suffering. Languages handle the range differently: Arabic distinguishes darra ('bind') from dayq ('narrowness'), while Korean splits between mukda ('to tie') and gotonghada ('to suffer').
Senses
1. cause distress, besiege (Hifil) — The Hifil causative sense of actively causing distress, bringing trouble, or besieging — 7 occurrences where an agent (God, enemies, or circumstances) inflicts constriction upon others. Deuteronomy 28:52 warns that the enemy 'shall besiege you in all your gates'; 2 Chronicles 33:12 records that when God 'caused distress' to Manasseh, he humbled himself; Nehemiah 9:27 recounts the cycle of deliverance. Spanish angustiar ('to cause anguish'), German bedrängen ('to press upon'), and Arabic yudayyiqu ('to narrow/constrict upon') all select causative-affliction vocabulary, confirming the Hifil's distinctive agentive force. The theological pattern is striking: distress is instrumentalized as a means of correction. 7×
AR["الضِّيقِ","ضَايَقَ-","وَ-أُضَيِّقُ","وَ-لَمَّا-تَضَايَقَ","وَأُضَيِّقُ","وَتُحَاصِرُكَ"]·ben["-সংকট","এবং-কষ্ট-দেব","এবং-সে-অবরোধ-করবে","ও-সঙ্কটে","ও-সঙ্কটে-দেব-তাদের","ঘেরাও-করে-"]·DE["[הצר]","[והצרותי]","[והצרתי]","[וכהצר]","besieges-","und-distresses"]·EN["and-I-will-bring-distress-on","and-I-will-cause-distress","and-distresses","and-when-distress","besieges-","the-distress"]·FR["[הצר]","[והצרותי]","[והצרתי]","[וכהצר]","besieges-","et-détresses"]·heb["הצר","ו-הצר","ו-הצרותי","ו-כ-הצר","יצר"]·HI["और-घेरेगा","और-जब-वह-संकट-में-था","और-मैं-तंग-करूँगा","और-संकट-दूंगा","घेरे","तंग-की"]·ID["Dan-mengepung","Dan-menyesaki","dan-Aku-akan-menyusahkan","dan-ketika-dalam-kesusahan","dan-mengepung","kesulitan","mengepung-"]·IT["[הצר]","[והצרותי]","[וכהצר]","besieges-","e-affliggere","e-distresses"]·jav["Lan-Kawula-badhé-nyusahaken","Lan-nalika-karupekan","Lan-ngepung","lan-Kula-badhé-nyesakaken","lan-ngepung","ngepung-","rupek"]·KO["괴롭힘","그리고-같이-곤고함","그리고-괴롭게-하리라","그리고-내가-괴록게-하리라","그리고-에워싸리라","에워싸면-"]·PT["E-angustiarei","E-quando-angustiou-se","cercar","e-angustia-los-ei","e-sitiar-te-á","o-oprimir"]·RU["И-притесню","И-стеснит","и-в-скорби","и-стеснит","и-стесню","осадит-","утеснения"]·ES["Y-angustiaré","Y-te-sitiará","angustiar","angustiará","y-cuando-estaba-en-angustia","y-los-angustiaré","y-te-sitiará"]·SW["na-litakuzingira","na-nitawaletea-dhiki","nami-nitawaletea-dhiki","taabu","ugonjwa-wowote","wּkhatser"]·TR["Ve-sıkıntı-vereceğim","Ve-sıkıntıda","sıkıntı","sıkıştırırsa-","ve-kuşatacak","ve-sıkıntı-vereceğim"]·urd["اور-تنگ-کروں-گا","اور-تنگ-کرےگی","اور-جب-تنگی-میں","تنگ-کرے","تنگی-کے"]
2. be narrow, be in distress (Qal stative) — The Qal stative/intransitive sense of being narrow, constricted, or in distress — 5 occurrences describing the experiential state of someone pressed by circumstances. Saul tells Samuel 'I am in great distress' (1 Sam 28:15); David laments 'I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan' (2 Sam 1:26); the Psalmist cries 'be gracious to me, for I am in distress' (Ps 31:9; 69:17). German Bedrängnis, Spanish angustia, Arabic diq, and Korean goeropda all select stative 'affliction/anguish' vocabulary rather than active binding terms. Isaiah 28:20 gives a vivid physical image: the bed is 'too narrow' to stretch out on — the literal spatial constriction that metaphorically underlies all distress. 5×
AR["ضيقٌ","ضيقٌ-","ضَيِّقٌ","ضِيقٌ-"]·ben["দুঃখ","সংকট","সংকীর্ণ-","সঙ্কীর্ণ"]·DE["Bedrängnis","Bedrängnis-ist-","[צרה]","distress","distressed"]·EN["distress","distress-is-","distressed","too-narrow"]·FR["adversaire","distressed","détresse"]·heb["צר","צר-","צרה"]·HI["तंग","तनग-","दुखी","संकट-है"]·ID["sempit","sesak","sesak-"]·IT["Tiro","[צרה]","angoscia","angosciato"]·jav["Sedhih-","ciyut","rumaos-","sesak","susah-"]·KO["괴로움이-","괴로움이-있다","좁다","환난-이"]·PT["Angústia","angústia","angústia-","estreita"]·RU["тесно","тесно-","узкое"]·ES["Angustia","angustia","angustia-","estrecha"]·SW["Ninasikitika","dhiki","dhiki-iko","ni-finyu","nina-dhiki"]·TR["dar","darlık-","sıkıntı","sıkıntı-"]·urd["تنگ-ہے","تنگی","تنگی-"]
3. bind, wrap up, tie (Qal active) — The Qal active/transitive sense of physically binding, wrapping, or tying up — 5 occurrences focused on concrete acts of enclosure. God 'binds up' waters in thick clouds (Job 26:8; Prov 30:4); Isaiah 8:16 commands 'bind up the testimony'; Hosea 4:19 describes the wind wrapping someone in its wings. Spanish atar ('to tie'), English 'bind/wrap,' and Arabic rabata ('to bind') all use physical-binding vocabulary. Abigail's theology of the 'bundle of the living' (1 Sam 25:29) may echo this concrete sense even though its occurrence is classified under the passive. 5×
AR["اِربِط","صارِرٌ","صَرَّ-","كَ-رَبْطِ","لَفَّت"]·ben["তিনি-বাঁধেন-","বাঁধার-মতো","বেঁধে-রাখ","বেঁধেছে","বেঁধেছে-"]·DE["[כצרור]","[צור]","[צרר]"]·EN["Has-wrapped","bind-up","binding-up-","has-wrapped","like-binding"]·FR["[צור]","assiéger","comme-assiéger","envelopper"]·heb["כ-צרור","צור","צורר","צרר","צרר-"]·HI["जैसे-बाँधना","बाँध-लिया","बाँधने-वाला","बाँधे-","बांध"]·ID["Ikatlah","Membungkus","Seperti-mengikat","membungkus"]·IT["[צור]","affliggere","binding-up","come-like-binding","has-wrapped"]·jav["Tampakaken","kados-ngiket","mbuntel","ngiket-","sampun-mbungkus"]·KO["매는-자-","매라","묶는-것처럼","묶었는가"]·PT["Amarrou","Ata","Como-atador-de","envolveu-"]·RU["завернул","завяжи","завязывал-","заключающий-","как-привязывание"]·ES["Ata","Atando-","Ató","Como-atar","envolvió-"]·SW["Anafunga","Funga","Imemfunga","amefunga-","kama-kufunga"]·TR["Bagla","bağlamak-gibi","bağlayan-","sardı","sardı-"]·urd["باندھ","باندھا","باندھنے-والا-","جیسے-باندھنا"]
4. be bound, shut up (Qal passive) — The Qal passive participle sense of being bound, shut up, or confined — 4 occurrences describing the resultant state after binding. Israel's kneading troughs were 'bound up' in their garments at the Exodus (Exod 12:34); David's life is 'bound in the bundle of the living' with God (1 Sam 25:29); David's concubines were 'shut up' until their death (2 Sam 20:3); Ephraim's iniquity is 'bound up,' stored for future reckoning (Hos 13:12). Spanish atado/atada, English 'bound,' and German gebunden all use passive participles mirroring the Hebrew morphology. The range from protective storage (Exodus, 1 Samuel) to punitive confinement (2 Samuel, Hosea) shows how the passive state can be either blessing or curse depending on context. 4×
AR["مَحْبُوسَاتٍ","مَصرورٌ","مَصرورَةً","مَصْرُورَةً"]·ben["বন্দী","বাঁধা"]·DE["[צרור]","band-hinauf","bound","schloss-hinauf"]·EN["bound","bound-up","is-bound-up","shut-up"]·FR["[צרור]","ferma-en-haut","lia-en-haut","lié"]·heb["צרור","צרורה","צרורות"]·HI["बंदी","बंधी","बाँधी-हुई","बांधा-हुआ-है"]·ID["terbungkus","terkurung"]·IT["affliggere","chiuse-su","legò","legò-su"]·jav["dipun-buntel","dipun-kurung","kabungkus","kabuntel"]·KO["감금되어","매인","묶여-있느니라","묶인"]·PT["Amarrada","amarrada","atadas","encerradas"]·RU["завязана","завязанные","затворены","связано"]·ES["atada","atadas","atado","encerradas"]·SW["imefungwa","umefungwa","vilivyofungwa","wamefungwa"]·TR["bağlı","kapalı","sarılı"]·urd["باندھ-کر","بندھی-ہوئی","بندھی-ہوئی-ہے","قید-میں"]
5. patched, mended (Pual) — A single Pual (passive-intensive) occurrence in Joshua 9:4 describing the Gibeonites' wineskins as 'patched' or 'mended' — that is, bound up and repaired. Spanish remendados ('patched'), English 'patched,' and the broader multilingual evidence (Hindi bandhi hui, Arabic muraqqaa) all select mending/repair vocabulary rather than general binding or distress terms. The intensive-passive stem specializes the binding root into a craft action: sewing or tying together torn material. This hapax within the stem pattern confirms a distinct artisanal sub-sense at the periphery of the root's range. 1×
AR["وَ-مُرَقَّعَةً"]·ben["এবং-বাঁধা"]·DE["und-patched"]·EN["and-patched"]·FR["et-patched"]·heb["ו-מצוררים"]·HI["और-बंधी-हुई"]·ID["dan-diikat"]·IT["e-patched"]·jav["lan-ditambel"]·KO["그리고-묶은"]·PT["e-atados"]·RU["и-завязанные"]·ES["y-remendados"]·SW["na-vilivyofungwa"]·TR["ve-bağlanmış"]·urd["اور-بندھی-ہوئی"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H???? 1. (4670×)H0935 1. come, arrive (Qal) (2413×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G1473 1. first person singular pronoun (2084×)H3318 1. Qal: go out, depart, come forth (891×)H7725 1. to return, come/go back (Qal) (874×)H5927 1. go up, ascend (Qal) (779×)H7971 1. to send, dispatch (Qal) (701×)G2064 1. come / arrive (physical movement toward) (588×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H5307 1. Qal: fall down physically (339×)H5375 1. Qal: to lift up, raise (330×)H5975 1. to stand, stand up (310×)H5674a 1. Qal: pass by, pass through (256×)H3381 1. Qal: to go down, descend (physical movement) (242×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H7965 1. peace, absence of conflict (198×)G1831 1. go/come out physically (193×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
I. צָרַר vb. bind, tie up, be restricted, narrow, scant, cramped (NH id.; Arabic صَرَّ bind, tie up; so Aramaic צְרַר, ܨܰܪ );— A. trans.: Qal Pf. 3 ms. צָרַר Ho 4:19; Pr 30:4; Imv. צוֹר Is 8:16; Inf. cstr. צְרוֹר Pr 26:8 (?); Pt. act. צֹרֵר Jb 26:8; pass. צָרוּר Ho 13:12, f. צְרוּרָה 1 S 25:29; fpl. צְרֻרֹת Ex 12:34; 2 S 20:3;—bind or tie up, of kneading-troughs Ex 12:34 (E); fig. of a life…