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טִירָה

𐤈𐤉𐤓𐤄

ṭîyrâh

H2918 noun

SILEX Entry

Root טור to arrange, to encircle, to lay in order

Definition

An encampment, enclosure, or temporary settlement composed of tents or easily movable structures, particularly for nomadic groups; by extension, a settlement, hamlet, or occasionally a fortified encampment. The term carries the sense of a regularly arranged place of habitation, typically outside permanent city structures.

Semantic Range

enclosure or encampment of tents, nomadic settlement, hamlet, place of dwelling for pastoralists, at times an organized settlement or fortress (poetic/rare)

Root / Etymology

From the root טוּר (ṭwr), meaning 'to row, arrange, encircle, or pile in a line.' טִירָה (ṭîyrâh) is derived as a feminine noun form, denoting something organized in a row or encirclement—thus an encampment, habitation, or sometimes a fortified enclosure. The concrete sense is of a 'surrounded' or 'arranged' area, i.e., a camp or settlement.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical texts, טִירָה primarily refers to encampments or nomadic tent settlements, as of clans or extended families, particularly in pastoralist contexts (e.g., Genesis 25:16; Numbers 31:10). It contrasts with permanent urban dwellings or walled cities (עִיר, 'city', and מִבְצָר, 'fortress'). The term often describes the encampments of the Ishmaelites, Midianites, or other groups whose socio-economic lifestyle involved seasonal movements, and is rarely used for Israelite camps themselves. Some later usage, especially in poetic texts, associates טִירָה with royal or impressive habitations—hence translations like 'palace' or 'castle'—but the dominant meaning is that of a tent settlement. English versions have sometimes rendered טִירָה as 'castle' or 'palace' due to the influence of Vulgate/Septuagint tradition, but these do not reflect the primary nomadic context. In post-biblical Hebrew and later periods, the word shifts in meaning and may be used for defined settlements more generally, but that is not the biblical sense.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of (an equivalent to) טוּר; a wall; hence, a fortress or a hamlet; (goodly) castle, habitation, palace, row.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

טור (ṭ-w-r) — to arrange, to encircle, to lay in order

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2905 טוּר the aligned row
H2906 טוּר to a rocky ridge
H3195 יְטוּר and Jetur

Word Forms

7 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2918-06 טִירֽוֹתֵי/הֶם֙ tiroteyhem HNcfpc/Sp3mp their encampments their enclosed encampments 1
H2918-02 לְ/טִירוֹתָ֖/ם letirotam HR/Ncfpc/Sp3mp in-their-encampments to their encampments 1
H2918-01 הַ/טִּיר֖וֹת hatirot HTd/Ncfpa the rows the arranged encampments 1
H2918-03 טִ֣ירַת tirat HNcfsc battlement encampment of 1
H2918-07 וּ/בְ/טִֽירֹתָ֑/ם uvetirotam HC/R/Ncfpc/Sp3mp and in their encampments and in their encampments 1
H2918-05 טִֽירֹתָ֑/ם tirotam HNcfpc/Sp3mp their encampments their arranged-encampments 1
H2918-04 טִֽירָתָ֥/ם tiratam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their palace their encampment 1

Occurrences in Scripture

7 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2918-07 Genesis 25:16 וּ/בְ/טִֽירֹתָ֑/ם uvetirotam HC/R/Ncfpc/Sp3mp and in their encampments and in their encampments
H2918-05 Numbers 31:10 טִֽירֹתָ֑/ם tirotam HNcfpc/Sp3mp their encampments their arranged-encampments
H2918-06 Ezekiel 25:4 טִירֽוֹתֵי/הֶם֙ tiroteyhem HNcfpc/Sp3mp their encampments their enclosed encampments
H2918-01 Ezekiel 46:23 הַ/טִּיר֖וֹת hatirot HTd/Ncfpa the rows the arranged encampments
H2918-04 Psalms 69:26 טִֽירָתָ֥/ם tiratam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their palace their encampment
H2918-03 Song of Songs 8:9 טִ֣ירַת tirat HNcfsc battlement encampment of
H2918-02 1 Chronicles 6:39 לְ/טִירוֹתָ֖/ם letirotam HR/Ncfpc/Sp3mp in-their-encampments to their encampments
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