← H6868 H6870 →

צָרָה

𐤑𐤓𐤄

tsârâh

H6869 noun

SILEX Entry

Root צ־ר־ר to be narrow, to be in distress, to bind tightly

Definition

A state of distress, affliction, or hardship; used to describe situations of acute difficulty, suffering, or trouble, whether due to external threat, emotional turmoil, or social adversity. The word may also refer more specifically to dire circumstances requiring urgent response, including military threat, personal crisis, or national calamity.

Semantic Range

distress, affliction, adversity, trouble, hardship, dire circumstances, calamity, anguish, constrained situation

Root / Etymology

From the root צ־ר־ר (צָרַר), which fundamentally conveys the sense of being narrow, constrained, or limited. The noun צָרָה (tsârâh) is a feminine abstract formation expressing the state or condition of being in a narrow place, i.e., metaphorically under pressure or distress. The shift from the physical sense (narrowness, confinement) to the experiential (trouble, affliction) is established in usage.

Historical & Contextual Notes

צָרָה often depicts both personal and collective crises in biblical texts, used for circumstances ranging from oppression by enemies (Judg 10:14) to individual suffering (Ps 9:10, 107:6). In poetic and prophetic literature, its metaphor of 'narrowness' contrasts with words signifying spaciousness and deliverance (e.g., רֶוַח, רחב). The English 'trouble' often renders the term, but this can understate its association with severe, constraining hardship. In later Hebrew, and especially after the exile, the term also acquires associations with periods of persecution or national disaster. The word has no intrinsic connection to female rivalry—occasional translation as 'rival' (influenced by adjacent words like צָרָה for 'rival wife') is context-dependent and not its primary lexical sense. The KJV’s range “tribulation, affliction, adversity” covers much of the word’s field, but 'distress'—capturing the root constriction—is often most literal. It is distinct from other terms like עָנִי ('poverty, affliction') or רָעָה ('evil, calamity') in emphasizing the experiential pressure and constriction of hardship.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of צַר; tightness (i.e. figuratively, trouble); transitively, a female rival:; adversary, adversity, affliction, anguish, distress, tribulation, trouble.

Bantu Hebrew

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

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

צרר (ts-r-r) — to be narrow, to be in distress, to bind tightly

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H6862 צַר the constrictor
H6863 צֵר Tsêr
H6872 צְרוֹר in a bound bundle of
H6887 צָרַר to cause distress
H6888 צְרֵרָה Enclosure-town

Word Forms

23 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H6869-11 צָרָֽה tsarah HNcfsa of distress constraining distress 36
H6869-07 מִ/צָּ֥רָה mitsarah HR/Ncfsa from trouble from constraining distress 4
H6869-16 צָֽרָתִ֔/י tsarati HNcfsc/Sp1cs of my distress my constricted distress 4
H6869-22 וְ/צָר֑וֹת vetsarot HC/Ncfpa and-distresses distresses 3
H6869-01 בַּצָּרָֽה batsarah HNcfsa trouble in the constraining distress 3
H6869-17 צָר֣וֹת tsarot HNcfpc troubles distresses of 3
H6869-21 וְ/צָרָ֑ה vetsarah HC/Ncfsa and trouble distress 2
H6869-19 צָֽרוֹתָי/ו tsarotayv HNcfpc/Sp3ms his troubles his distresses 2
H6869-14 צָרָתָ֣/ם tsaratam HNcfsc/Sp3mp of their distress their distress 2
H6869-12 צָרַ֥ת tsarat HNcfsc distress distress of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

73 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H6869-16 Genesis 35:3 צָֽרָתִ֔/י tsarati HNcfsc/Sp1cs of my distress my constricted distress
H6869-12 Genesis 42:21 צָרַ֥ת tsarat HNcfsc distress distress of
H6869-04 Genesis 42:21 הַ/צָּרָ֖ה hatsarah HTd/Ncfsa this distress the constricted-distress
H6869-22 Deuteronomy 31:17 וְ/צָר֑וֹת vetsarot HC/Ncfpa and-distresses distresses
H6869-22 Deuteronomy 31:21 וְ/צָרוֹת֒ vetsarot HC/Ncfpa and troubles distresses
H6869-15 Judges 10:14 צָרַתְ/כֶֽם tsaratekhem HNcfsc/Sp2mp your-distress your distress
H6869-13 1 Samuel 1:6 צָֽרָתָ/הּ֙ tsaratah HNcfsc/Sp3fs her rival her distress
H6869-23 1 Samuel 10:19 וְ/צָרֹֽתֵי/כֶם֒ vetsaroteykhem HC/Ncfpc/Sp2mp and-your-distresses your distresses
H6869-11 1 Samuel 26:24 צָרָֽה tsarah HNcfsa trouble constraining distress
H6869-11 2 Samuel 4:9 צָרָֽה tsarah HNcfsa distress constraining distress
← H6868 Hebrew Lexicon H6870 →