מָצוֹק
𐤌𐤑𐤅𐤒
mâtsôwq
H4689 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A condition or place of severe constraint, distress, or hardship, often with implications of being confined or in a narrow, pressured situation. The term denotes both literal physical straitness—a narrow or confining space—and metaphorical circumstances of distress, affliction, or oppression. In some contexts, it refers to conditions resulting from enemy siege or economic hardship, emphasizing the pressure and restriction experienced.
Semantic Range
narrow place, confined area, straitness, distress, calamity arising from constraint, hardship under pressure, anguish, physical or metaphorical confinement
Root / Etymology
From the root צוּק (ts-w-q), meaning 'to press, to pour, to distress'—the core sense pertains to exerting pressure, whether physical or emotional. מָצוֹק derives from this root and describes the resulting state of pressure or distress, either as an actual constricted location or an abstract circumstance of suffering.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, מָצוֹק primarily describes states of social or economic hardship (e.g., Deuteronomy 28:53, 2 Kings 6:26), often associated with the calamities of siege, famine, or forced privation. It is less frequent than related terms such as צָרָה (trouble, distress) or מְצוּקָה (distress, anguish), but when used, carries a connotation of confinement—physically, as in being besieged within a city or hemmed in by enemies, and metaphorically, as in severe personal or communal distress. While English translations render it as 'anguish', 'distress', or 'straitness', these often do not capture the particular sense of constriction or pressure inherent in the term. Over time, the lexical field overlaps with other terms for distress or affliction, but usage tends to focus on the experience of hardship arising from external constraint or pressure, especially in dire historical circumstances. Later Jewish textual traditions sometimes connect the word with the experience of the besieged, but the core biblical meaning remains linked to the idea of straitness and calamity brought by external circumstances.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from צוּק; a narrow place, i.e. (abstractly and figuratively) confinement or disability; anguish, distress, straitness.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
צוק (ts-w-q) — to press, to pour, to distress
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4690 | מָצוּק | constricted crag |
| H4691 | מְצוּקָה | from my constrictions |
| H6693 | צוּק | the pressuring one |
| H6694 | צוּק | they poured out |
| H6695 | צוֹק | pressing distress |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4689-03 |
וּ/בְ/מָצ֔וֹק | uvematsoq | HC/R/Ncmsa |
and-in-distress | and in straitened-distress | 4 |
H4689-02 |
וּ/מָצ֥וֹק | umatsoq | HC/Ncmsa |
and-anguish | and pressing straitness | 1 |
H4689-01 |
מָצ֜וֹק | matsoq | HNcmsa |
in distress | pressing straitness | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
6 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4689-03 |
Deuteronomy 28:53 | וּ/בְ/מָצ֔וֹק | uvematsoq | HC/R/Ncmsa |
and in the straitness | and in straitened-distress |
H4689-03 |
Deuteronomy 28:55 | וּ/בְ/מָצ֔וֹק | uvematsoq | HC/R/Ncmsa |
and-in-distress | and in straitened-distress |
H4689-03 |
Deuteronomy 28:57 | וּ/בְ/מָצ֔וֹק | uvematsoq | HC/R/Ncmsa |
and in the distress | and in straitened-distress |
H4689-01 |
1 Samuel 22:2 | מָצ֜וֹק | matsoq | HNcmsa |
in distress | pressing straitness |
H4689-03 |
Jeremiah 19:9 | וּ/בְ/מָצ֔וֹק | uvematsoq | HC/R/Ncmsa |
and-in-distress | and in straitened-distress |
H4689-02 |
Psalms 119:143 | וּ/מָצ֥וֹק | umatsoq | HC/Ncmsa |
and-anguish | and pressing straitness |