H8108 H8108
guard or watch, protection set over something vulnerable
This noun denotes a guard, watch, or protective observation. It appears in Psalm 141 where the psalmist asks God to set a guard over his mouth and protect his lips. The term emphasizes active, vigilant watching rather than passive barrier—a guard who monitors and controls. Paired with 'doorkeeper' for the lips, it suggests speech requires careful supervision since words can damage as easily as weapons. The root meaning 'keep' or 'guard' extends to protective watching in military, cultic, and moral contexts. Here the petition recognizes human inability to self-regulate speech, requiring divine assistance to guard against destructive words.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A guard, watch, or protective monitoring, particularly in the metaphor of guarding one's speech. Psalm 141:3 prays: 'Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.' The military metaphor applies to moral vigilance—just as a guard protects a city gate, so the psalmist needs God to monitor his speech. The Spanish 'guarda,' French 'garde,' and German 'hüten' all convey protective watching. The parallelism with 'doorkeeper' emphasizes that lips need active supervision, not mere restraint. The prayer acknowledges that controlling speech requires more than willpower; it needs divine intervention. 1×
AR["حَارِسًا"]·ben["পাহারা"]·DE["ein-hüten"]·EN["a-guard"]·FR["garde"]·heb["שמרה"]·HI["पहरा"]·ID["penjagaan"]·IT["custodisci"]·jav["jaga"]·KO["파수꾼-을"]·PT["guarda"]·RU["стражу"]·ES["guarda"]·SW["ulinzi"]·TR["nöbetçi"]·urd["پہرا"]
Related Senses
H4421 1. war, battle, armed conflict (319×)H0341 1. enemy, adversary, foe (284×)H3898a 1. Nifal: to fight, wage war (167×)H2026 1. kill, slay (active) (146×)H2451 1. wisdom, discernment (146×)H5483b 1. horse (the animal) (138×)H0006 1. to perish, be destroyed (105×)H7843 1. Hifil: destroy, annihilate (83×)H2491a 1. slain, fatally pierced (74×)H6862c 1. adversary, enemy, foe (69×)H8045 1. destroy, exterminate (69×)G0615 1. kill, put to death (60×)H6571b 1. horseman, cavalryman (52×)H8077a 1. desolation, waste (abstract state) (52×)G4678 1. of wisdom (51×)G4717 1. crucify, fasten to a cross (46×)H2763a 1. utterly destroy (Hifil active) (44×)G0622 1. perish, be destroyed (intransitive) (41×)H0006 2. to destroy, annihilate (Piel) (38×)H8074 1. be desolate, lie waste (36×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† שָׁמְרָה n.f. guard, watch;—שִׁיתָה י׳ שׁ׳ לְפִי ψ 141:3 (‖ נִצְּרָה עַל־דַּל שְׂפָתָ֑י).