בַּצֹּרֶת
𐤁𐤑𐤓𐤕
batstsôreth
H1226 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A period of severe lack of rain or water, specifically drought or scarcity due to withheld precipitation; indicates either a natural phenomenon of withheld rain or the resulting condition of dearth in vegetation and agricultural resources.
Semantic Range
drought, restraint of rain, dearth due to lack of rainfall, period of withheld precipitation, scarcity of water
Root / Etymology
From the root בָּצַר (b-tz-r), which fundamentally means 'to restrain, withhold, cut off,' often in the sense of preventing or holding back. The form בַּצֹּרֶת is a feminine intensive noun, denoting a pronounced or ongoing act of withholding, especially in relation to rain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
בַּצֹּרֶת appears primarily in poetic and prophetic texts describing the withholding of rain as an act of divine judgement or as a natural disaster affecting the land of Israel and its inhabitants. It often signifies not just the meteorological condition of drought but its social and economic implications—dearth, famine, and hardship. The term is less common than related words such as חֹרֶב (dryness) or רָעָב (famine), but underscores the idea of something actively restrained or withheld (mainly rain, as in Amos 4:7). In post-biblical Hebrew, more generic words are used for drought, while בַּצֹּרֶת remains a literary or archaic term. English translations often render בַּצֹּרֶת as 'drought' or 'dearth,' but these do not fully convey the sense of active restraint implied in the Hebrew usage. In the biblical context, the term is often associated with covenant language concerning rainfall and agricultural blessing or curse.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
feminine intensive from בָּצַר; restraint (of rain), i.e. drought; dearth, drought.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
בצר (b-ṣ-r) — restrain, withhold, cut off, 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
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1226-01 |
בַּצֹּ֨רֶת֙ | batsoret | HNcfsa |
drought | rain-withholding drought | 1 |
H1226-02 |
הַ/בַּצָּרֽוֹת | habatsarot | HTd/Ncfpa |
the droughts | the rain-withholdings | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1226-02 |
Jeremiah 14:1 | הַ/בַּצָּרֽוֹת | habatsarot | HTd/Ncfpa |
the droughts | the rain-withholdings |
H1226-01 |
Jeremiah 17:8 | בַּצֹּ֨רֶת֙ | batsoret | HNcfsa |
drought | rain-withholding drought |