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מְצוּרָה

𐤌𐤑𐤅𐤓𐤄

mᵉtsûwrâh

H4694 noun

SILEX Entry

Root צור to bind, enclose, besiege, fortify

Definition

A fortified place, especially a stronghold, fortress, or fortification; refers both to physical defensive structures (such as walls, ramparts, or citadels) and, more abstractly, to the condition or quality of being fortified or besieged. Used for walled cities, fortified towns, citadels, or defensive positions.

Semantic Range

fortified city, stronghold, fortress, fortification, rampart, defensive enclosure, fortified place, besieged place

Root / Etymology

From the root צוּר, which primarily means 'to bind, enclose, press, lay siege.' מְצוּרָה is the feminine form derived from מָצוֹר ('siege, siegework'), and refers to something made impregnable or enclosed for defense.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, מְצוּרָה designates fortified cities, towns, or structures, particularly in narratives of military activity (e.g., cities of the Canaanites or cities under siege by the Neo-Assyrian or Babylonian empires). The term commonly appears in accounts of conquest, defense, and descriptions of Israelite or Judahite urban centers. It can refer both to the fortification itself and to the place fortified. English translations variously render the term as 'fortress,' 'stronghold,' 'fortified city,' or 'rampart,' sometimes obscuring distinctions among related terms. For example, עִיר (city/town) becomes מְצוּרָה when fortified, whereas מִבְצָר (another term for fortress) often designates a particularly strong defensive city or structure, sometimes interchangeably. The term is used in all main periods of the Hebrew Bible but is especially common in monarchic narratives concerning city defense or siege. In later Hebrew and post-biblical usage, the term persisted and broadened contextually. Where English translations use 'fenced city' or 'munition,' these sometimes reflect older translation traditions and may miss the emphasis on fortification or defense. Modern scholarship recognizes that the term encompasses both man-made defensive structures and, in poetic or metaphorical contexts, the sense of protection or security provided by such structures.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or מְצֻרָה; feminine of מָצוֹר; a hemming in, i.e. (objectively) a mound (of siege), or (subjectively) a rampart (of protection), (abstractly) fortification; fenced (city, fort, munition, strong hold.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

צור (ṣ-w-r) — bind, enclose, besiege, fortify

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1049 בֵּית צוּר Rock
H4692 מָצוֹר in the siege
H4693 מָצוֹר besieged stronghold
H6676 צַוַּאר her nape
H6677 צַוָּאר in the binding-neck

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4694-01 הַ/מְּצֻר֑וֹת hametsurot HTd/Ncfpa the fortified the fortified places 3
H4694-03 מְצֻרֹֽת metsurot HNcfpa fortified fortified strongholds 3
H4694-02 מְצֻרָ֑ה metsurah HNcfsa fortified fortified stronghold 2

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4694-03 Isaiah 29:3 מְצֻרֹֽת metsurot HNcfpa siege-walls fortified strongholds
H4694-02 Nahum 2:2 מְצֻרָ֑ה metsurah HNcfsa the rampart fortified stronghold
H4694-03 2 Chronicles 11:10 מְצֻרֽוֹת metsurot HNcfpa fortified fortified strongholds
H4694-01 2 Chronicles 11:11 הַ/מְּצֻר֑וֹת hametsurot HTd/Ncfpa fortresses the fortified places
H4694-01 2 Chronicles 11:23 הַ/מְּצֻר֔וֹת hametsurot HTd/Ncfpa the fortified the fortified places
H4694-01 2 Chronicles 12:4 הַ/מְּצֻר֖וֹת hametsurot HTd/Ncfpa the fortified the fortified places
H4694-02 2 Chronicles 14:5 מְצוּרָ֖ה metsurah HNcfsa fortified fortified stronghold
H4694-03 2 Chronicles 21:3 מְצֻר֖וֹת metsurot HNcfpa fortified fortified strongholds
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