Original Word: אֱסוּר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ecuwr
Pronunciation: ay-soor
Phonetic Spelling: (es-oor')
NASB: band, imprisonment
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H612 (אֵסוּר - bonds)]

1. band, imprisonment

band, imprisonment

(Aramaic) corresponding to 'ecuwr -- band, imprisonment.

see HEBREW 'ecuwr

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to esur
Definition
a band, bond
NASB Translation
band (2), imprisonment (1).

אֱסוּר noun [masculine] band, bond (ᵑ7 אֲסוּר, אֵיסוּר, Syriac , ); — absolute ׳א Daniel 4:12; Daniel 4:20 (of iron and bronze, for stump, in Nebuchadnezzar's vision); plural absolute אֱסוּרִין Ezra 7:26 bonds = imprisonment.

Semantic Range and Imagery

אֱסוּר presents the concrete picture of something forcibly bound or confined—whether a person shut up in prison or an object encircled by an iron clamp. The term therefore carries connotations of restraint, loss of freedom, and judicial or divinely imposed limitation.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Ezra 7:26 sets אֱסוּר among four possible penalties in Ezra’s royal commission: “death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.” The word marks the severest form of non-capital punishment a Persian court might inflict, underscoring the seriousness with which the restored community was to uphold both God’s law and the king’s edict.
2. Daniel 4:15 portrays the visionary tree stump “with a band of iron and bronze around it.”
3. Daniel 4:23 repeats the detail. In both cases the band symbolizes an imposed curtailment on Nebuchadnezzar’s power—he will live, but within limits decreed by heaven.

Historical Context

• Ezra’s use reflects Persian jurisprudence of the fifth century BC. Imprisonment was less common than fines or corporal punishment in the ancient Near East; its inclusion here signals the breadth of authority delegated to Ezra.
• Daniel’s setting is the Neo-Babylonian court of the sixth century BC. An iron-bronze band would prevent a living stump from splitting or regrowing unchecked, graphically portraying the monarch’s coming humiliation while preserving the dynasty for future restoration.

Theological Significance

1. Divine Sovereignty. The binding of the stump shows that God alone fixes the boundaries of human pride (Daniel 4:25-26).
2. Covenant Accountability. Ezra 7:26 illustrates that disregard for God’s revealed will invites tangible earthly sanctions.
3. Hope within Judgment. The stump remains; the prisoner may yet be released. Even restraint can serve redemptive ends as God disciplines in order to restore (Hebrews 12:6-11).

Canonical Connections

• Psalm 107:10-14 and Isaiah 61:1 present prisoners in chains whom the Lord delivers, anticipating the Messiah who proclaims “freedom for the captives” (Luke 4:18).
• The apostle Paul, often “in chains for the gospel” (Philippians 1:13), turns literal bonds into opportunities for witness, echoing Daniel’s lesson that restraints cannot hinder divine purpose.

Ministry Applications

• Preaching: Contrast the voluntary self-limitation of Christ (Philippians 2:6-8) with Nebuchadnezzar’s enforced restraint; call hearers to humble obedience rather than coerced submission.
• Pastoral Care: Encourage believers who feel hemmed in—whether by illness, persecution, or personal failure—that God remains present and purposeful within their limits.
• Discipleship: Warn that sin still enslaves (John 8:34), but Christ offers release (John 8:36); therefore believers should no longer “submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

Key Themes for Further Study

• Judicial punishments in the Persian Empire (cf. Esther 7:8-9).
• Symbolic bands and seals as marks of divine decree (Jeremiah 13:11; Revelation 20:1-3).
• The paradox of the gospel: true freedom found in being “bond-servants of Christ” (Romans 6:22).

וְלֶאֱסוּרִֽין׃ וּבֶֽאֱסוּר֙ וּבֶאֱסוּר֙ ובאסור ולאסורין׃ ū·ḇe·’ĕ·sūr ūḇe’ĕsūr uveeSur veleesuRin wə·le·’ĕ·sū·rîn wəle’ĕsūrînInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts