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אַסִּיר

𐤀𐤎𐤉𐤓

ʼaççîyr

H616 noun

SILEX Entry

Root אָסר to bind, tie, restrict, fasten

Definition

A person who is restrained or confined, primarily as a result of captivity or imprisonment; denotes an individual held in bondage, whether by physical restraint, fetters, or loss of liberty. The term often refers to someone taken captive in war or held as a detainee by legal or political authority. In poetic or figurative contexts, may be used to refer more broadly to those constrained or held against their will.

Semantic Range

one who is bound, captive, prisoner, detainee, person in physical restraint, person held against will

Root / Etymology

From the root אסר (ʼ-s-r), meaning 'to bind, tie, restrict'. The form אַסִּיר is a qal passive participle meaning 'one who is bound' or 'bound one'. The participial form reflects a state or condition resulting from the verbal action of binding. Thus, the lexical meaning is not merely 'captive' or 'prisoner', but specifically 'one who is bound'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, אַסִּיר is used predominantly for individuals physically restrained as prisoners, especially prisoners of war or those confined for legal or political reasons (e.g., Jeremiah 37:15-16, Isaiah 14:17). The term is not restricted to a particular status—Israelite, Judahite, foreigner—or crime, but rather the condition of captivity itself. It may refer to both local incarceration (within city or royal compounds) and to foreign captivity (e.g., exilic contexts). In post-exilic and later Hebrew, the meaning persists but may become generalized as 'prisoner'. The standard English 'prisoner' usually captures the central sense, but nuances such as ceremonial captivity or metaphoric use (e.g., those 'bound' by affliction) can be obscured in translation. The related participle אָסֻר/אָסוּר (ʼāsûr) shares overlap, but often occurs in legal or cultic lists and rarely in narrative prose. Unlike some English translations, the term does not presuppose guilt or criminality—it simply denotes the fact of being bound or held captive.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

for אָסִיר; {bound, i.e. a captive}; prisoner.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אסר (ʾ-s-r) — bind, tie, restrict, fasten

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4149 מוֹסֵרָה in Binding-places
H4562 מָסֹרֶת in a binding-cord of
H612 אֵסוּר bound ones
H613 אֱסוּר binding-shackle
H615 אָסִיר your bound ones

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H616-01 אַסִּ֔יר asir HNcmsa of the prisoner bound one 4

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H616-01 Isaiah 10:4 אַסִּ֔יר asir HNcmsa the prisoners bound one
H616-01 Isaiah 24:22 אַסִּיר֙ asir HNcmsa prisoner bound one
H616-01 Isaiah 42:7 אַסִּ֔יר asir HNcmsa prisoners bound one
H616-01 Psalms 79:11 אָ֫סִ֥יר asir HNcmsa of the prisoner bound one
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