בְּ/עִ֖יר

𐤁/𐤏𐤉𐤓

beir

in the city

or (in the plural) עָר; or עָיַר; (Judges 10:4), from עוּר; a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post); Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.

H5892

2 Chronicles 9:31 · Word #6

Lexicon H5892

Lemmaעִיר
Lemma (Paleo)𐤏𐤉𐤓
Transliterationʻîyr
Strong'sH5892
In-contextin the city

Morphology HR/Ncfsc All morphology codes

Part of Speech N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea
Subtype c — Common — Common noun
Gender f — Feminine — Feminine
Number s — Singular — Singular
State c — Construct — The noun is bound to the following word

SIBI-P1 H5892-18

in the guarded city

Rootעור (ʿ-w-r)
Core Meaningsto rouse, to awaken, to be alert, to watch
Semantic Rangecity, town, fortified settlement, urban center, encampment, administrative center
Conceptual SignificanceThe עִיר represents an organized, defended community—often walled and governed—serving as the social, economic, and judicial heart of Israelite life. Cities function as places of refuge, authority, and covenantal identity, contrasting with open fields or wilderness and symbolizing ordered communal existence under divine oversight.
Morphological Notesבְּ preposition (“in”) + noun עִיר (feminine singular; absolute or construct as indicated by Ncfsa/Ncfsc). No pronominal suffix. Appears with prefixed preposition in all cited forms.
Rendering RationaleThe noun עִיר is traditionally linked to the root עור (ʿ-w-r, “to awaken, be watchful”), reflecting the idea of a place kept awake or guarded. The form בְּעִיר consists of the preposition בְּ (“in”) attached to a feminine singular noun in the absolute or construct state, hence “in the guarded city,” preserving both the locative preposition and the feminine singular sense.

AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

Words from Root עור (to rouse, to awaken, to be alert, to watch)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H5782-01 airah Let me rouse myself
H5892-01 aray my watch-cities
H5892-03 arayv his watch-guarded cities

Word Usage (1095 occurrences of H5892)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Genesis 4:17 עִ֔יר ir a city
Genesis 4:17 הָ/עִ֔יר hair of the city
Genesis 10:11 עִ֖יר ir Ir