בָּצוֹר
𐤁𐤑𐤅𐤓
bâtsôwr
H1208 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
A place name referring to an elevated, fortified location; also, in certain contexts, possibly used with connotations of inaccessibility or strength. In the Hebrew Bible, it denotes the location 'Batsor' or 'Bazur,' a fortified town or stronghold.
Semantic Range
fortified place, inaccessible height, stronghold, (as a proper noun) the town 'Batsor' or 'Bazur'
Root / Etymology
בָּצוֹר is derived from the root בָּצַר (b-tz-r), which carries the sense 'to cut off, make inaccessible, fortify.' The form בָּצוֹר in H1208 does not refer to the grape harvest (as does בָּצִיר H1210), though historical confusion in tradition sometimes linked the two due to phonetic similarity. The semantic derivation here pertains to 'fortification' or 'inaccessibility.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
This word appears as a place name, most notably in Joshua 21:39 as the Levitical city 'Batsor' in the territory of Naphtali. The term reflects the root concept of 'fortification' or 'being made inaccessible,' indicating a site with defensive qualities, likely on a height or otherwise difficult to approach. Later translations and traditions occasionally conflated בָּצוֹר (fortified place) with בָּצִיר (vintage, grape harvest), but this is a misreading. The use as a place name distinguishes it from more generic terms for fortresses (e.g., מָצוּד, stronghold).
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from בָּצַר; inaccessible, i.e. lofty; vintage (by confusion with בָּצִיר).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
בצר (b-tz-r) — to cut off, to make inaccessible, to fortify, to gather
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1210 | בָּצִיר | grape harvest |
| H1219 | בָּצַר | made-inaccessible |
| H1220 | בֶּצֶר | extracted gold |
| H1221 | בֶּצֶר | Fortified-Place |
| H1222 | בְּצַר | gold |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1208-01 |
ה/בצור | hvtsvr | HTd/Vqsmsa |
the fortified | the fortified one | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1208-01 |
Zechariah 11:2 | ה/בצור | hvtsvr | HTd/Vqsmsa |
the fortified | the fortified one |