Original Word: מָגוֹר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: magowr
Pronunciation: maw-GORE or maw-GOOR
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-gore')
KJV: fear, terror
NASB: terror, panic, terrors
Word Origin: [from H1481 (גּוּר - To sojourn) in the sense of fearing]

1. a fright (objective or subjective)

fear, terror

Or (Lam. 2:22) maguwr {maw-goor'}; from guwr in the sense of fearing; a fright (objective or subjective) -- fear, terror. Compare Magowr mic-Cabiyb.

see HEBREW guwr

Word Origin
from gur
Definition
fear, terror
NASB Translation
panic (1), terror (6), terrors (1).

מָגוֺר noun masculine fear, terror — absolute ׳מ Psalm 31:14 6t. + Jeremiah 20:3 compare below; plural suffix מְגוּרַי Lamentations 2:22; — fear, terror Isaiah 31:9; = cause of terror Jeremiah 20:4; elsewhere in phrase, coined by Jeremiah, מִסָּבִיב ׳מ terror on every side Jeremiah 6:25; Jeremiah 20:3 (where as proper name), Jeremiah 20:10; Jeremiah 46:5; Jeremiah 49:29; Psalm 31:14; Lamentations 2:22 (׳מְגוּרַי מִסּ).

Thematic Overview

מָגוֹר depicts sudden dread that grips an individual or community when the protection of God is perceived to have been withdrawn. It is rarely an isolated emotion; it normally appears in collocation with surrounding threats, treachery, or invading armies. The phrase “terror on every side” (magor misabib) becomes a prophetic refrain, stressing the inescapability of judgment once covenant security has been forfeited.

Canonical Distribution

Eight occurrences appear in the Hebrew Scriptures: Psalm 31:13; Isaiah 31:9; Jeremiah 6:25; 20:4; 20:10; 46:5; 49:29; Lamentations 2:22. Six of these are in Jeremiah, underscoring its centrality in the prophet’s theology of impending national catastrophe.

Psalmic Lament and Personal Vulnerability

In Psalm 31:13 David confesses, “there is terror on every side.” The psalm juxtaposes external danger with internal trust, teaching worshipers that covenant faith can convert panic into petition. The presence of מָגוֹר in corporate worship literature validates the believer’s honest acknowledgment of fear while directing it God-ward.

Prophetic Warnings Against National Apostasy

Jeremiah employs the word to brand Judah’s condition. In Jeremiah 20:4 Pashhur is renamed “Terror on Every Side,” signifying that false security will be overturned by humiliating dread. Jeremiah 6:25 and 46:5 apply the same motif to civilian flight and military collapse; Isaiah 31:9 extends it to Assyria. Thus מָגוֹר becomes shorthand for the covenant curse foretold in Deuteronomy 28:65-67; rebellion births a society haunted by alarm.

Magor Misabib: Literary and Theological Function

The refrain “terror on every side” heightens dramatic tension, echoing in Jeremiah 20:10; 46:5; 49:29; Lamentations 2:22. The repetition suggests omnipresent danger, breaking down any illusion of safe refuge apart from the LORD. By naming the emotion, the prophets expose its theological root: estrangement from God produces pervasive panic.

Historical Setting

Every prophetic occurrence is tied to real geopolitical threats—Babylonian siege, Egyptian rout, nomadic raids. מָגוֹר therefore records Israel’s lived history of siege warfare, forced migration, and social disruption. Its inclusion in post-exilic Lamentations 2:22 confirms that the dread Jeremiah predicted was fulfilled at Jerusalem’s fall.

Pastoral and Homiletical Applications

1. Diagnosis of fear: מָגוֹר alerts contemporary readers to the spiritual origin of many communal anxieties.
2. Assurance of refuge: The same contexts that name terror also point to deliverance (Psalm 31:24; Jeremiah 20:11).
3. Call to repentance: Because dread is tied to covenant breach, preaching can move from exposing fear to inviting restoration through Christ, who bears the ultimate terror of wrath (Matthew 27:46).

Eschatological Trajectory

Revelation describes end-time judgments in similar terms (Revelation 6:15-17). מָגוֹר therefore functions typologically, foreshadowing the universal dread of God’s final day while urging present faith in the Prince of Peace who alone dispels every terror (John 14:27).

לְמָג֜וֹר למגור מְגוּרַי֙ מִמָּג֣וֹר מָג֖וֹר מָג֣וֹר מָג֥וֹר מָג֪וֹר מגור מגורי ממגור lə·mā·ḡō·wr lemaGor ləmāḡōwr mā·ḡō·wr maGor māḡōwr mə·ḡū·ray meguRai məḡūray mim·mā·ḡō·wr mimaGor mimmāḡōwrInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts