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בְּצַר

𐤁𐤑𐤓

bᵉtsar

H1222 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root בצר to cut off, gather, fortify (root level)

Definition

A precious metal, gold; used primarily as a term for gold, sometimes appearing poetically or as a variant spelling in parallelism with other words for gold. The word is rare and occurs chiefly in poetic or wisdom literature, denoting gold as a symbol of wealth, value, or desirability.

Semantic Range

gold; precious metal; wealth (poetic or symbolic); possibly treasure (in parallel poetic usage)

Root / Etymology

Root בָּצַר (בצר), generally meaning 'to cut off, gather grapes' or 'to fortify.' The connection between this root and the meaning 'gold' is uncertain—most likely בְּצַר here reflects a homonym or a specialized development in poetic diction rather than direct derivation from the common verb בָּצַר. The form is likely related to, or a variant of, בֶּצֶר (beṭser, 'precious ore, gold').

Historical & Contextual Notes

בְּצַר occurs rarely in the Hebrew Bible, notably in poetic contexts (e.g., Job 36:19), and is generally interpreted as a term for 'gold' or 'precious metal.' It is sometimes paralleled with words such as זָהָב (zahav, 'gold') or חֶרֶץ (ḥeretṣ, 'gold, wealth'), serving to reinforce imagery of wealth or value. In classical translation traditions, it is typically rendered 'gold,' but occasionally English translations may obscure or harmonize the term, failing to differentiate it from more common terms for gold. There is no indication that בְּצַר denotes a specific type of gold, such as refined or unrefined. The etymological connection to the root 'to cut off, to gather' may be conjectural and does not clearly explain its sense as a precious metal, lending some ambiguity to its precise origin or nuance. Its use is restricted compared to זָהָב, which is the standard Hebrew word for gold.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

another form for בֶּצֶר; gold; gold.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בצר (b-ṣ-r) — cut off, gather, fortify

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1208 בָּצוֹר the fortified one
H1210 בָּצִיר grape harvest
H1219 בָּצַר made-inaccessible
H1220 בֶּצֶר extracted gold
H1221 בֶּצֶר Fortified-Place

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1222-01 בְ/צָ֑ר vetsar HR/Aamsa in distress gold 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1222-01 Job 36:19 בְ/צָ֑ר vetsar HR/Aamsa in distress gold
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