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שׁוּר

𐤔𐤅𐤓

shûwr

H7792 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שור to turn, encircle, go around, inspect

Definition

A defensive wall, typically constructed of stone or brick, marking the fortified boundary of a city, building, or enclosure. In Aramaic biblical passages, particularly in Daniel and Ezra, it refers specifically to city walls built for protection or to demarcate a settlement. While its primary sense is architectural and physical, it can denote metaphorical boundaries in later post-biblical usage.

Semantic Range

city wall, fortification wall; boundary wall; structure encircling a city or compound

Root / Etymology

From the root שׁוּר, meaning 'to turn, go around, inspect, look at.' The noun derives from the concept of something that goes around or encircles, i.e., a structure surrounding and protecting an area. The Aramaic term in H7792 is cognate with the Hebrew שׁוּר (shur) with similar meaning but occurs in different dialectal contexts.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שׁוּר in the biblical Aramaic passages appears notably in Daniel 4:13, 16, and Ezra 5:8, always denoting the physical city wall. In contrast to חוֹמָה (chomah), the standard Hebrew term for 'wall' with heavy usage in Hebrew texts, שׁוּר occurs solely in the Aramaic sections and is thus dialectally distinct. Its function is consistently defensive or delimiting, marking the confines of urban fortifications—unlike גָּדֵר (gader), which often denotes a lesser fence or enclosure for fields. English translations usually render the term simply as 'wall,' which is accurate but does not convey the architectural or military nuances present in the biblical context. There is no attested use for social or religious barriers in the biblical texts, though such senses appear later in Aramaic or post-biblical usage. The term's occurrence is largely limited to texts from the Persian period, reflecting the rebuilding of city walls (notably Jerusalem) under Achaemenid administration.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to שׁוּר; {a wall (as going about)}; wall.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שור (sh-w-r) — turn, encircle, go around, inspect

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4884 מְשׂוּרָה in a measured vessel
H7788 שׁוּר your wandering women
H7789 שׁוּר I attentively observe him
H7790 שׁוּר in my ambushing foes
H7791 שׁוּר Encircling Wall

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7792-02 וְ/שׁוּרַיָּ֖/ה veshurayah AC/Ncmpd/Td and its walls and the encircling walls 2
H7792-03 ו/שורי vshvry AC/Ncmpc and walls and encircling-walls of 1
H7792-01 וְ/שׁוּרַיָּ֣/א veshuraya AC/Ncmpd/Td and the walls the encircling-walls 1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7792-03 Ezra 4:12 ו/שורי vshvry AC/Ncmpc and walls and encircling-walls of
H7792-01 Ezra 4:12 וְ/שׁוּרַיָּ֣/א veshuraya AC/Ncmpd/Td and the walls the encircling-walls
H7792-02 Ezra 4:13 וְ/שׁוּרַיָּ֖/ה veshurayah AC/Ncmpd/Td and its walls and the encircling walls
H7792-02 Ezra 4:16 וְ/שׁוּרַיָּ֖/ה veshurayah AC/Ncmpd/Td and its walls and the encircling walls
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