מִסְתָּר
𐤌𐤎𐤕𐤓
miçtâr
H4565 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A hiding place, shelter, or place of concealment; a location or situation intentionally designed or used to hide, protect, or obscure a person or object. Can refer to both literal and figurative places of secrecy or protection, including secret locations, refuges, or places of ambush.
Semantic Range
hiding place, shelter, covert, secret place, place of concealment, den, lair, refuge
Root / Etymology
The word is derived from the root סתר (s-t-r), meaning 'to hide, conceal, cover.' The noun form מִסְתָּר (mistar) designates the place or means of hiding or sheltering, rather than the act itself. The prefix מִ– (mi–) often denotes the place of an action in Hebrew nouns.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In biblical usage, מִסְתָּר appears in contexts describing literal places of safety or concealment (such as a refuge or lair used by animals, e.g., Jeremiah 13:17), as well as metaphorical uses pointing to God's protection or the secrecy of divine activity. During the monarchic and exilic periods, the term could denote both physical shelters (for humans or animals) or abstract notions of being hidden or protected from danger or enemies. It is distinct from words like מַחֲסֶה (maḥaseh, 'refuge') and סֵתֶר (seter, 'covering, hiding place'), the former emphasizing protection, the latter the condition or manner of being hidden. Standard English translations often render מִסְתָּר as 'covert,' 'hiding place,' or 'secret place,' but sometimes do not capture its fuller connotation of intentional concealment or strategic refuge. The term's usage remained consistent from early biblical literature into later texts, but in non-biblical Hebrew, more common synonyms superseded it.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from סָתַר; properly, a concealer, i.e. a covert; secret(-ly, place).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
סתר (s-t-r) — hide, conceal, cover
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4563 | מִסְתּוֹר | and for a hiding place |
| H4564 | מַסְתֵּר | and as a hiding-place of |
| H5639 | סְתוּר | Hidden One |
| H5641 | סָתַר | I will conceal |
| H5642 | סְתַר | he concealed him |
Word Forms
5 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4565-02 |
בַּ/מִּסְתָּרִ֛ים | bamisetarim | HRd/Ncmpa |
in secret | in the hiding places | 3 |
H4565-03 |
בְּ/מִסְתָּרִ֥ים | bemisetarim | HR/Ncmpa |
in hiding places | in hiding-places | 3 |
H4565-01 |
בַּ/מִּסְתָּֽר | bamisetar | HRd/Ncmsa |
in the hiding place | in the hiding-place | 2 |
H4565-04 |
מִסְתָּרָ֔י/ו | misetarayv | HNcmpc/Sp3ms |
his hiding places | his hiding places | 1 |
H4565-05 |
מִסְתָּרִ֑ים | misetarim | HNcmpa |
places | hiding places | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
10 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4565-05 |
Isaiah 45:3 | מִסְתָּרִ֑ים | misetarim | HNcmpa |
places | hiding places |
H4565-03 |
Jeremiah 13:17 | בְּ/מִסְתָּרִ֥ים | bemisetarim | HR/Ncmpa |
in-secret-places | in hiding-places |
H4565-02 |
Jeremiah 23:24 | בַּ/מִּסְתָּרִ֛ים | bamisetarim | HRd/Ncmpa |
in secret places | in the hiding places |
H4565-04 |
Jeremiah 49:10 | מִסְתָּרָ֔י/ו | misetarayv | HNcmpc/Sp3ms |
his hiding places | his hiding places |
H4565-01 |
Habakkuk 3:14 | בַּ/מִּסְתָּֽר | bamisetar | HRd/Ncmsa |
in secret | in the hiding-place |
H4565-02 |
Psalms 10:8 | בַּֽ֭/מִּסְתָּרִים | bamisetarim | HRd/Ncmpa |
in the secret places | in the hiding places |
H4565-01 |
Psalms 10:9 | בַּ/מִּסְתָּ֨ר | bamisetar | HRd/Ncmsa |
in the hiding place | in the hiding-place |
H4565-03 |
Psalms 17:12 | בְּ/מִסְתָּרִֽים | bemisetarim | HR/Ncmpa |
in hiding places | in hiding-places |
H4565-02 |
Psalms 64:5 | בַּ/מִּסְתָּרִ֣ים | bamisetarim | HRd/Ncmpa |
in secret | in the hiding places |
H4565-03 |
Lamentations 3:10 | בְּ/מִסְתָּרִֽים | bemisetarim | HR/Ncmpa |
in hiding places | in hiding-places |