Original Word: אָטַר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: atar
Pronunciation: ah-TAR
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-tar')
KJV: shut
NASB: shut
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to close up

shut

A primitive root; to close up -- shut.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to shut up, close, bind
NASB Translation
shut (1).

[אָטַר] verb shut up, close, bind (Arabic bend, curve, what surrounds, encloses

Qal Imperfect3feminine singular תֶּאְטַר Psalm 69:16 (עָלַי בְּאֵר מִּיהָ ׳אַל תּ).

Overview

The Hebrew verb behind Strong’s number 332 portrays the action of a mouth or opening shutting over something—especially the threatening closure of watery depths or the grave over a person in distress. Though it appears only once in Scripture, its imagery speaks volumes about divine rescue, human frailty, and the believer’s hope when confronted by overwhelming forces.

Old Testament Occurrence

Psalm 69:15 sets the scene: “Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up; let not the Pit close its mouth over me” (Berean Standard Bible). David likens his affliction to chaotic waters rushing to smother him and to Sheol ready to snap shut like a trapdoor. The verb conveys an imminent, suffocating finality—a fate from which only God can redeem.

Theological Significance

1. Peril of the Pit. Scripture often personifies Sheol as a mouth that devours (Numbers 16:33; Proverbs 1:12; Jonah 2:6). The plea that the mouth not “close” recalls the covenantal promise that the righteous will not be abandoned to the grave (Psalm 16:10).
2. Divine Intervention. By praying that the mouth be kept from closing, the psalmist confesses that life and death are governed by God alone (Deuteronomy 32:39). Even when destruction seems inevitable, the Lord can halt it at the final moment.
3. Lament and Faith. The verb occurs within one of Scripture’s most intense laments, demonstrating that faithful people express raw fear without forfeiting trust (Psalm 69:30). Petition becomes worship precisely because God hears cries voiced before deliverance arrives.

Intertextual Echoes

• The threatening “deep” links Psalm 69 to Genesis 7:11–16, where floodgates “closed” behind Noah’s ark; here the psalmist seeks the opposite—a gate that stays open for escape.
• In Job 41:15, Leviathan’s scales “shut” tightly, symbolizing impenetrable danger; Psalm 69 reverses that prospect, asking God to pry open what no human can.
• Isaiah 38:10 references the “gates of Sheol”; the plea of Psalm 69 anticipates God’s later promise, “I will deliver this city … and I will defend it” (Isaiah 37:35), underscoring the Lord’s power over every gate and mouth.

Christological Foreshadowing

Psalm 69 is messianic (John 2:17; Romans 15:3). The request that the Pit not shut anticipates the resurrection: “For You will not abandon My soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay” (Psalm 16:10). Jesus Christ entered death yet burst its sealed confines, confirming that no mouth, stone, or grave can remain closed against His life-giving authority (Matthew 28:6; Revelation 1:18).

Ministry Application

• Prayer Language: Believers may appropriate this petition when beset by circumstances that seem to “close in.” Naming the threat while appealing to God’s sovereignty models authentic, hope-filled supplication (Philippians 4:6–7).
• Pastoral Comfort: The imagery assures the suffering that God restrains what would otherwise engulf them; nothing reaches them without passing through His permissive will (1 Corinthians 10:13).
• Evangelistic Urgency: The finality implied by the closing mouth underscores the peril of rejecting salvation. Today is the day of grace (2 Corinthians 6:2); once the mouth of judgment shuts, no human effort can reopen it (Luke 16:26).

Concluding Insights

Though a single occurrence, the verb tied to Strong’s 332 vividly captures the dread of irreversible destruction and the greater certainty of divine deliverance. It invites every generation to cry out to the living God, confident that He alone holds authority to keep the pit’s mouth from closing and to open the gates of everlasting life.

תֶּאְטַר־ תאטר־ te’·ṭar- te’ṭar- tetarInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts