1508. gizrah
Lexical Summary
gizrah: Portion, district, cut-off place

Original Word: גִּזְרָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: gizrah
Pronunciation: ghiz-raw'
Phonetic Spelling: (ghiz-raw')
KJV: polishing, separate place
NASB: separate area, polishing, separate areas
Word Origin: [feminine of H1506 (גֶּזֶר - asunder)]

1. the figure or person (as if cut out)
2. also an inclosure (as separated)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
polishing, separate place

Feminine of gezer; the figure or person (as if cut out); also an inclosure (as separated) -- polishing, separate place.

see HEBREW gezer

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
fem. of gezer
Definition
a cutting, separation
NASB Translation
polishing (1), separate area (6), separate areas (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
גִּזְרָה noun feminine cutting, separationגִּזְרָה Ezekiel 41:12 6t.; suffix גִּזְרָתָם Lamentations 4:7; —

1 cutting, i.e. polishing (AV RV or carving, i.e. beauty of from, shape, compare VB) סַמִּיר גִּזְרָתָם Lamentations 4:7; their polishing, (or beauty of form) was as sapphire.

2 separation, הַגִּזְרָה Ezekiel 41:12,13,14,15; Ezekiel 42:1,10,13, separate place AV RV compare Da; i.e. yard, or space adjoining temple on three sides.

Topical Lexicon
Definition and conceptual background

gizrah (Strong’s Hebrew 1508) derives from the idea of “cutting off” or “separating.” In Scripture the noun speaks either of an individual’s “physique” (Lamentations 4:7) or, more commonly, of a “separate precinct” within the temple complex (Ezekiel 41–42). In both settings the underlying thought is the same: something set apart from what surrounds it.

Scriptural occurrences

1. Lamentations 4:7 – The word appears in a poetic description of the princes of Zion before the fall of Jerusalem: “Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than rubies, their appearance was like lapis lazuli”. Here gizrah conveys the physical form or complexion of the nobles, testifying to their former vigor and dignity.

2–8. Ezekiel 41:12, 41:13, 41:14, 41:15, 42:1, 42:10, 42:13 – In the prophet’s temple vision, gizrah designates the large western building and the court areas that flank it. These structures are constantly distinguished from the main sanctuary and the outer court, underscoring graded zones of holiness within the future temple.

Temple architecture and significance in Ezekiel

Ezekiel’s detailed measurements (Ezekiel 41–42) outline three concentric bands of sanctity: the outer court for the people, the inner court for ministering priests, and, at the center, the Most Holy Place. The gizrah lies beyond the sanctuary proper, yet it remains within the sacred complex. It is described as:
• Vast in size (Ezekiel 41:12–15), indicating ample provision for priestly activity.
• Flanked by priestly chambers where “the priests who approach the LORD will eat the most holy offerings” (Ezekiel 42:13).
• Ringed by substantial walls five cubits thick (Ezekiel 41:12), reinforcing the theme of protection and separation.

The precinct therefore embodies two inseparable truths: access and restriction. It welcomes consecrated servants while preserving the awe due to the holy presence of God. In the millennial context of Ezekiel’s vision, the gizrah foreshadows a restored order in which worship is both intimate and reverent.

Separation as a theological motif

Throughout Scripture holiness is expressed by boundaries that God Himself establishes (Genesis 2:3; Exodus 19:12; 2 Corinthians 6:17). Gizrah gives concrete form to that principle. Just as Levitical priests were required to distinguish between clean and unclean, the physical precinct in Ezekiel teaches the faithful to discern between what is common and what is consecrated. Simultaneously, the use of gizrah for the bodies of Zion’s princes in Lamentations reminds readers that personal life and character are also to be kept distinct, reflecting God’s purity.

Historical resonance

Lamentations portrays the tragic collapse of Israel’s leadership; Ezekiel, written to exiles, promises a future purification of worship. The single word gizrah brackets both realities—human failure and divine restoration—by highlighting what was lost through sin and what will be graciously re-established.

Ministry insights

1. Guarded sanctity. Churches and families need wisely defined spaces—physical, relational, and theological—that foster reverence.
2. Priestly service. The chambers adjoining the gizrah provide for the priests’ nourishment, suggesting that those who serve must themselves be fed from holy things (1 Timothy 5:17–18).
3. Embodied testimony. Lamentations shows that moral and spiritual health often manifest in visible ways. When holiness departs, even outward beauty fades.

Christological perspective

In Jesus Christ the ultimate “separate place” and the perfect “body” converge. He “was made holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26) yet, through His crucified body, became the new and living way into God’s presence (Hebrews 10:20). The gizrah motif therefore points forward to the One who is both distinct from creation and intimately present within it.

Practical application

Believers are called “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). The careful boundaries of the ancient gizrah urge the modern church to cultivate corporate worship that is distinct from worldliness, while the healthy bodies of Zion’s former princes encourage personal consecration. Such separation is never isolation; rather, it equips God’s people to serve Him effectively in the midst of a needy world.

Forms and Transliterations
גִּזְרָתָֽם׃ גזרתם׃ הַגִּזְרָ֛ה הַגִּזְרָ֜ה הַגִּזְרָה֒ הגזרה וְהַגִּזְרָ֛ה וְהַגִּזְרָ֤ה והגזרה giz·rā·ṯām gizraTam gizrāṯām hag·giz·rāh haggizRah haggizrāh vehaggizRah wə·hag·giz·rāh wəhaggizrāh
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Englishman's Concordance
Lamentations 4:7
HEB: מִפְּנִינִ֔ים סַפִּ֖יר גִּזְרָתָֽם׃ ס
NAS: corals, Their polishing [was like] lapis lazuli.
KJV: than rubies, their polishing [was] of sapphire:
INT: corals lapis their polishing

Ezekiel 41:12
HEB: אֶל־ פְּנֵ֨י הַגִּזְרָ֜ה פְּאַ֣ת דֶּֽרֶךְ־
NAS: that [was] in front of the separate area at the side
KJV: that [was] before the separate place at the end
INT: about front of the separate the side toward

Ezekiel 41:13
HEB: מֵאָ֣ה אַמָּ֑ה וְהַגִּזְרָ֤ה וְהַבִּנְיָה֙ וְקִ֣ירוֹתֶ֔יהָ
NAS: long; the separate area with the building
KJV: long; and the separate place, and the building,
INT: A hundred cubits the separate the building walls

Ezekiel 41:14
HEB: פְּנֵ֨י הַבַּ֧יִת וְהַגִּזְרָ֛ה לַקָּדִ֖ים מֵאָ֥ה
NAS: of the temple and [that of] the separate areas along the east
KJV: of the house, and of the separate place toward the east,
INT: of the front of the temple the separate the east a hundred

Ezekiel 41:15
HEB: אֶל־ פְּנֵ֨י הַגִּזְרָ֜ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר עַל־
NAS: the front of the separate area behind
KJV: over against the separate place which [was] behind
INT: along the front of the separate after behind

Ezekiel 42:1
HEB: אֲשֶׁ֨ר נֶ֧גֶד הַגִּזְרָ֛ה וַאֲשֶֽׁר־ נֶ֥גֶד
NAS: [was] opposite the separate area and opposite
KJV: me into the chamber that [was] over against the separate place, and which [was] before the building
INT: which opposite the separate which and opposite

Ezekiel 42:10
HEB: אֶל־ פְּנֵ֧י הַגִּזְרָ֛ה וְאֶל־ פְּנֵ֥י
NAS: facing the separate area and facing
KJV: over against the separate place, and over against
INT: over against the separate and to against

Ezekiel 42:13
HEB: אֶל־ פְּנֵ֣י הַגִּזְרָה֒ הֵ֣נָּה ׀ לִֽשְׁכ֣וֹת
NAS: are opposite the separate area, they are the holy
KJV: which [are] before the separate place, they [be] holy
INT: about which before the separate in chambers

8 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1508
8 Occurrences


giz·rā·ṯām — 1 Occ.
hag·giz·rāh — 5 Occ.
wə·hag·giz·rāh — 2 Occ.

1507
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