Original Word: סִיר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ciyr
Pronunciation: seer
Phonetic Spelling: (seer)
KJV: caldron, fishhook, pan, ((wash-))pot, thorn
Word Origin: [from a primitive root meaning to boil up]

1. a pot
2. (also) a thorn (as springing up rapidly)
3. (by implication) a hook

caldron, fishhook, pan, washpot, thorn

Or (feminine) ciyrah {see-raw'}; or cirah (Jeremiah 52:18) {see-raw'}; from a primitive root meaning to boil up; a pot; also a thorn (as springing up rapidly); by implication, a hook -- caldron, fishhook, pan, ((wash-))pot, thorn.

I. סִיר noun masculine^{Jeremiah 1:13} and feminine^{2Kings 4:38} pot (probably foreign word (Egyptian ?), Arabic a large water-jar Lane^{1276is perhaps loan-word}; on Greek derivatives σιρός, σίρινος see Lewy^{Fremdw. 107}); — ׳ס absolute 2 Kings 4:38 +, construct Exodus 16:3 +; plural סִירֹת Exodus 38:3, סִירוֺת 1 Kings 7:45 +; suffix סִירֹתָיו Exodus 27:3, סִירֹתֵיכֶם Psalm 58:10; — pot:

1. a. household utensil for boiling 2 Kings 4:38,39,40,41 (twice in verse) הַבָּשָׂר ׳ס Exodus 16:3 (P), Zechariah 14:21; נָפוּחַ ׳ס Jeremiah 1:13 (compare נפח in vision), symbolic of Jerusalem Ezekiel 11:3,7,11; Ezekiel 24:3,6; figurative also Psalm 58:10 (compare Che); in simile Micah 3:3; Job 41:23; Ecclesiastes 7:6.

b. רַחְצִי ׳ס Psalm 60:10 my washing-pot, Psalm 108:10.

2 pots used in sanctuary, Ezekiel 27:3; Ezekiel 38:3 (both P), 1 Kings 7:40 (read סִירוֺת for ᵑ0 כִּיִּרוֺת, so Manuscripts of HCT ᵐ5 ᵑ9 Th Ke Klo Kmp Benz), 1 Kings 7:45 2Chronicles 4:11,16; 2 Kings 25:14 = Jeremiah 52:18, also Jeremiah 52:19; 2Chronicles 35:13; Zechariah 14:20. — Here belongs probably סִרָה in בּוֺר הַסִּרָה.

II. [סִיר] noun [masculine] thorn, hook (ᵑ7 id.; compare סירם in Sabean proper name Hom^{ZMG xivi (1892), 532}); —

1 plural סִירִים thorns, sign of desolation Isaiah 34:13, a barrier Hosea 2:8, on Nahum 1:10 see [ סָבַךְ]; תַּחַת הַסִּיר ׳כְּקוֺל הַסּ Ecclesiastes 7:6 as the sound of thorns (crackling as they burn) under the pot.

2 plural סִירוֺת hooks Amos 4:2 (compare דּוּגָה below דגה; "" צִנּוֺת; on relation of meanings see חוֺחַ, צֵן).

סָךְ, [סֹךְ], סֻכָּה, סֻכּוֺת see II. סכך.

Overview

סִיר denotes the common cooking pot or cauldron. Appearing in narrative, legal, poetic, and prophetic texts (about thirty-four times), it serves as an everyday utensil, a cultic implement, and a vivid metaphor. The word therefore bridges Israel’s domestic life, sacrificial worship, and covenantal warnings, reminding readers that ordinary objects can become instruments either of blessing or of judgment.

Everyday Provision and Wilderness Memory

The first mention highlights human hunger and God’s faithfulness. In Egypt the Israelites “sat by the pots of meat” (Exodus 16:3), but the Lord later supplied manna, teaching that true provision comes from Him, not from human kitchens. Numbers 11:8 repeats the scene of wilderness cooking, underscoring daily dependence. Ecclesiastes 7:6 compares superficial laughter to “the crackling of thorns under a pot,” locating the vessel at the heart of domestic experience.

Culinary And Community Life in the Monarchy

During the united and divided kingdoms, the pot appears in accounts of hospitality and crisis. Elisha commands, “Put on the large pot and cook stew for the sons of the prophets” (2 Kings 4:38). When a poisonous plant is accidentally mixed in, the prophet’s healing intervention (2 Kings 4:39-41) turns a threatened meal into miraculous provision. Conversely, the siege of Samaria drives two women to boil a child (2 Kings 6:28-29), showing how covenant curses (Deuteronomy 28:53-57) become grim reality when a nation rejects God.

Levitical And Temple Service

Pots were forged for the bronze altar: “Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots to remove the ashes” (Exodus 27:3). Similar vessels were later fashioned for Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 7:45; 2 Chronicles 4:16) and Josiah’s Passover (2 Chronicles 35:13). Thus the same object that simmered family meals also handled sacrificial flesh and altar ashes, demonstrating that worship and work were intertwined.

Symbol of Divine Judgment

Prophets frequently employed the pot to dramatize approaching disaster:
• Jeremiah sees “a boiling pot…tilting toward us from the north” (Jeremiah 1:13), prefiguring Babylonian invasion.
• Ezekiel is told, “Put on the pot…pile meat into it” (Ezekiel 24:3-5). Jerusalem imagines herself the secure pot and her people the protected flesh, but God declares, “This city will not be a pot for you” (Ezekiel 11:3-11). The same vessel that once nourished now burns with judgment, illustrating that misplaced confidence in religious structures invites wrath.

Instrument of Refinement and Purification

Psalms employ the image for refining heat: “Before your pots can feel the burning thorns, the wicked will be swept away” (Psalm 58:9). Job pictures Leviathan’s breath kindling a pot (Job 41:20), hinting at untamable forces still ruled by God. The pot therefore evokes both the purifying fire that removes dross and the consuming blaze that devours the unrepentant.

Promise of Universal Holiness

Zechariah envisions a restored Jerusalem where “Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD of Hosts” (Zechariah 14:21). In the messianic age even mundane cookware becomes consecrated, erasing the divide between sacred and secular. The prophecy anticipates the New Covenant reality in which believers, indwelt by the Spirit, present their bodies—and their kitchens—as living sacrifices.

Typological And Ministry Reflections

1. God meets physical needs yet uses limited resources to teach spiritual lessons (Exodus 16; 2 Kings 4).
2. Ordinary tools become holy when placed in divine service; ministry therefore includes the stewardship of daily tasks.
3. False security in religious symbols (the “pot” of Jerusalem) must yield to genuine obedience; otherwise the same symbol becomes an implement of chastisement.
4. Ultimate hope lies in a future when all creation, including the simplest utensil, is sanctified to the Lord (Zechariah 14:21; Romans 12:1).

Key References

Exodus 16:3; 27:3; Numbers 11:8; 1 Kings 7:45; 2 Kings 4:38-41; 2 Kings 6:28-29; 2 Chronicles 35:13; Job 41:20; Psalm 58:9; Ecclesiastes 7:6; Jeremiah 1:13; Ezekiel 11:3-11; 24:3-13; Zechariah 14:21.

Summary

סִיר reminds readers that in God’s economy no article is insignificant. The same pot can serve a family meal, receive sacrificial meat, or warn of divine fury. Ultimately, Scripture points toward a redeemed order where every vessel—like every believer—is set apart for holy use.

בְּסִיר֥וֹת בַּסִּ֔יר בַּסִּֽיר׃ בַּסִּיר֙ בַּסִּיר֤וֹת בַּסִּירִ֑ים בסיר בסיר׃ בסירות בסירים הַ֠סִּירוֹת הַ֠סִּרוֹת הַ֨סִּיר֔וֹת הַסִּ֑יר הַסִּ֔יר הַסִּ֣יר הַסִּיר֙ הַסִּיר֣וֹת הַסִּיר֨וֹת הַסִּירִים֙ הַסִּירֹ֤ת הַסִּירֹ֨ת הַסִּירוֹת֙ הסיר הסירות הסירים הסירת הסרות כַּסִּ֣יר כסיר לְסִ֔יר לסיר סִ֚יר סִ֣יר סִ֤יר סִ֥יר סִ֨יר סִ֬יר סִּֽירֹתֵיכֶ֣ם סִּֽירֹתָיו֙ סִירִ֔ים סִירִ֣ים סיר סירים סירתיו סירתיכם bas·sî·rîm bas·sî·rō·wṯ bas·sîr basSir bassîr bassiRim bassîrîm bassiRot bassîrōwṯ bə·sî·rō·wṯ besiRot bəsîrōwṯ has·sî·rîm has·si·rō·wṯ has·sî·rō·wṯ has·sî·rōṯ has·sîr hasSir hassîr hassiRim hassîrîm hassiRot hassîrōṯ hassirōwṯ hassîrōwṯ kas·sîr kasSir kassîr lə·sîr leSir ləsîr sî·rîm sî·rō·ṯāw sî·rō·ṯê·ḵem sir sîr siRim sîrîm siroTav sîrōṯāw siroteiChem sîrōṯêḵemInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts