בָּצִיר

𐤁𐤑𐤉𐤓

bâtsîyr

H1210 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Mature, harvested grapes—especially those gathered during the grape harvest or vintage; by extension, the act of grape gathering or the time of grape harvesting. The term primarily designates the yield of ripe grapes but can also refer to the event or season of vintage as a key element in the agricultural calendar.

Semantic Range

ripe grapes, grape harvest, vintage, season of gathering grapes, time of vintage, yield of grapes, act of harvesting grapes

Root / Etymology

From the root בצר (to cut off, harvest, gather), specifically referring to the practice of cutting clusters of ripened grapes from the vine.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the biblical context, בָּצִיר refers specifically to the grape harvest, an event of economic and symbolic significance in ancient Israelite society. The vintage season followed the grain harvest and preceded the olive harvest, marking a crucial point in the agricultural year (cf. Judges 8:2; Isaiah 16:9, 10; Jeremiah 48:32). Unlike the generic term קָצִיר (qatsir, 'harvest') which can refer to any kind of harvesting, בָּצִיר is specialized for grapes. Over time, the term came to represent not only the product (the grapes) but also the collective activity (the vintage). In poetic passages, it can function symbolically (e.g., representing abundance or its loss). Later Hebrew and translation traditions sometimes render בָּצִיר inaccurately as 'harvest' in general, but the term is always distinctively linked to grapes in biblical usage.

Translation Consistency

primary "grapes" 2 occurrences

The primary sense of בָּצִיר is the yield of ripe, harvested fruit. "Grapes" is the most natural, everyday English word that captures the typical meaning; broader senses (the season or act of harvesting) can be expressed contextually while keeping a single consistent base term.

Alternatives (5 occurrences):
"grape harvest" (3x) "than the grape-harvest of" (1x) "grape-harvest" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from בָּצַר; clipped, i.e. the grape crop; vintage.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

בצר (Betser) — to cut off, to make inaccessible, to fortify, to gather (in the agricultural sense)

Root בצר to cut off, gather, harvest
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1208 בָּצוֹר the fortified one
H1219 בָּצַר made-inaccessible
H1220 בֶּצֶר extracted gold
H1221 בֶּצֶר Fortified-Place
H1222 בְּצַר gold

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1210-01 בָּצִ֔יר batsir HNcmsa of the vintage grape harvest harvest of grapes 2
H1210-05 בָצִֽיר vatsir HNcmsa the-harvest grape harvest grape harvest 2
H1210-02 בְּצִירֵ֖/ךְ betsirekhe HNcmsc/Sp2fs your vintage your grape-harvest your grape-harvest 1
H1210-03 מִ/בְצִ֥יר mivetsir HR/Ncmsc than the vintage grape-harvest of than the grape-harvest of 1
H1210-04 וּ/בָצִ֖יר uvatsir HC/Ncmsa and the vintage grape harvest and grape harvest 1

Occurrences in Scripture

7 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1210-01 Leviticus 26:5 בָּצִ֔יר batsir HNcmsa the vintage grape harvest harvest of grapes
H1210-04 Leviticus 26:5 וּ/בָצִ֖יר uvatsir HC/Ncmsa and the vintage grape harvest and grape harvest
H1210-03 Judges 8:2 מִ/בְצִ֥יר mivetsir HR/Ncmsc than the vintage grape-harvest of than the grape-harvest of
H1210-05 Isaiah 24:13 בָצִֽיר vatsir HNcmsa the-harvest grape harvest grape harvest
H1210-05 Isaiah 32:10 בָצִ֔יר vatsir HNcmsa the vintage grape harvest grape harvest
H1210-02 Jeremiah 48:32 בְּצִירֵ֖/ךְ betsirekhe HNcmsc/Sp2fs your vintage your grape-harvest your grape-harvest
H1210-01 Micah 7:1 בָּצִ֑יר batsir HNcmsa of the vintage grape harvest harvest of grapes