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אָסִיר

𐤀𐤎𐤉𐤓

ʼâçîyr

H615 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A person who is restrained or detained with bonds, specifically a prisoner or captive. The term refers to someone deprived of freedom through physical restraint, usually by binding with cords, chains, or fetters. This term can denote captives taken in war, individuals detained for judicial reasons, or those symbolically described as bound.

Semantic Range

prisoner, captive, detainee, one held in bonds, person in physical restraint, metaphorically one in distress or under restriction

Root / Etymology

From the root אָסַר (ʼsr), meaning 'to bind, tie, confine.' The form אָסִיר is a passive participle, denoting one who has been bound or is in a state of being restrained.

Historical & Contextual Notes

אָסִיר appears in a variety of contexts throughout the Hebrew Bible, generally indicating someone imprisoned or held captive. In narratives of the patriarchs and monarchic periods, it's used to describe individuals detained by authorities (e.g., Joseph in Egypt, Jeremiah under arrest in Judah). In prophetic or poetic texts, it often symbolizes national captivity or is used metaphorically for distress or restriction. The underlying connotation may reflect social or political realities such as judicial imprisonment, hostage-taking, or status as a prisoner of war. English translations almost always render this as 'prisoner' or 'captive,' but in the biblical world, the form and conditions of captivity were culturally distinct from modern notions of imprisonment. The term is related to, but distinct from, other Hebrew vocabulary for captives (e.g., שָׁבוּי), which stresses the act of being taken in war rather than physical restraint. Later Jewish interpretative traditions sometimes equate 'bound ones' with those in spiritual or legal difficulty, but such meanings are not primary in the biblical period. Use of 'prisoner' or 'bound' in later English Bibles can obscure the specific nuance of physical restraint implied by the original context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from אָסַר; bound, i.e. a captive; (those which are) bound, prisoner.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

אסר (mâçôreth) — to bind, tie, secure

Root אסר to bind, tie, confine
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4562 מָסֹרֶת in a binding-cord of
H612 אֵסוּר bound ones
H632 אֱסָר her binding vows
H633 אֱסָר binding decree

Word Forms

7 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H615-04 אֲסִירֵ֥י asirey HNcmpc prisoners bound ones of bound ones of 4
H615-03 אֲסִירָ֖י/ו asirayv HNcmpc/Sp3ms his prisoners his bound ones his bound ones 2
H615-05 אֲסִירִ֣ים asirim HNcmpa prisoners bound ones prisoners 2
H615-07 ה/אסירים hsyrym HTd/Ncmpa of the prisoners the bound ones the bound ones 2
H615-01 אָסִ֑יר asir HNcmsa the prisoner turned-aside one prisoner 1
H615-02 אֲסִירַ֨יִ/ךְ֙ asirayikhe HNcmpc/Sp2fs your prisoners your bound ones your prisoners 1
H615-06 הָ֣/אֲסִירִ֔ם haasirim HTd/Ncmpa the prisoners the bound ones the prisoners 1

Occurrences in Scripture

13 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H615-04 Genesis 39:20 אֲסִירֵ֥י asirey HNcmpc prisoners bound ones of the prisoners of
H615-06 Genesis 39:22 הָ֣/אֲסִירִ֔ם haasirim HTd/Ncmpa the prisoners the bound ones the prisoners
H615-07 Judges 16:21 ה/אסירים hsyrym HTd/Ncmpa of the prisoners the bound ones the bound ones
H615-07 Judges 16:25 ה/אסירים hsyrym HTd/Ncmpa the prisoners the bound ones the prisoners
H615-03 Isaiah 14:17 אֲסִירָ֖י/ו asirayv HNcmpc/Sp3ms his prisoners his bound ones his prisoners
H615-02 Zechariah 9:11 אֲסִירַ֨יִ/ךְ֙ asirayikhe HNcmpc/Sp2fs your prisoners your bound ones your prisoners
H615-04 Zechariah 9:12 אֲסִירֵ֖י asirey HNcmpc prisoners bound ones of prisoners of
H615-05 Psalms 68:7 אֲ֭סִירִים asirim HNcmpa prisoners bound ones prisoners
H615-03 Psalms 69:34 אֲ֝סִירָ֗י/ו asirayv HNcmpc/Sp3ms prisoners his bound ones his bound ones
H615-01 Psalms 102:21 אָסִ֑יר asir HNcmsa the prisoner turned-aside one prisoner
H615-04 Psalms 107:10 אֲסִירֵ֖י asirey HNcmpc prisoners bound ones of bound ones of
H615-05 Job 3:18 אֲסִירִ֣ים asirim HNcmpa prisoners bound ones prisoners
H615-04 Lamentations 3:34 אֲסִ֥ירֵי asirey HNcmpc prisoners bound ones of the bound ones of
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