Original Word: צוּק
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: tsuwq
Pronunciation: tsook
Phonetic Spelling: (tsook)
KJV: constrain, distress, lie sore, (op-)press(-or), straiten
NASB: oppress, distress, oppressor, bring distress, constrains, pressed, pressed him so hard
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to compress, i.e. (figuratively) oppress, distress

constrain, distress, lie sore, oppressor, straiten

A primitive root; to compress, i.e. (figuratively) oppress, distress -- constrain, distress, lie sore, (op-)press(-or), straiten.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to constrain, bring into straits, press upon
NASB Translation
bring distress (1), constrains (1), distress (2), oppress (3), oppressor (2), pressed (1), pressed him so hard (1).

I. [צוּק] verb Hiph`il constrain, bring into straits, press upon (Late Hebrew צוּק be distressed (rare), Hiph`il = Biblical Hebrew; Arabic () be narrow, tight, so Ethiopic ; Aramaic עִיק, ; Christian-Palestinian Aramaic ); — Perfect 3 feminine singular הֵצִיקָה Judges 16:16, suffix הֱצִיקַתְהוּ Judges 14:17, נִ֑י Job 32:18 (Gi Job 32:19); 1singular וַהֲצִיקוֺתִ֫י consecutive Isaiah 29:2; Imperfect3masculine singular יָצִיק Deuteronomy 28:53 2t.; 3 masculine plural יָצִיקוּ Jeremiah 19:9; Participle מֵצִיק Isaiah 51:13 (twice in verse), plural מְצִיקִים Isaiah 29:7; — bring into straits, by importunity with ל person Judges 16:16, with suffix person Judges 14:17; constrain (to speak) Job 32:18 (suffix person); elsewhere of bringing into straits a city or people, with ל, Isaiah 29:2,7, so Isaiah 7:6 (reading וּנְצִיקֶנָּה for ᵑ0 וּנְקִיצֶנָּה), Thes Che Du Gr Marti, compare formula לְ ׳בְּמָצוֺר וּבְמָצוֺק אֲשֶׁר יָצ Deuteronomy 28:53,55,57; Jeremiah 19:9; participle absolute הַמֵּצִיק Isaiah 51:13 (twice in verse) the oppressor.

Overview of the Motif

The verb rendered by the Berean Standard Bible as “oppress,” “distress,” “press,” or “compel” traces a line through Israel’s covenant history—from warnings in the Torah, through narratives of the Judges, to wisdom reflections and prophetic oracles. In every setting it carries the idea of inescapable pressure—physical, emotional, or spiritual—permitted or employed by God to expose the heart and summon repentance.

Covenant Curses and Siege Conditions (Deuteronomy 28; Jeremiah 19)

Moses foretold that persistent covenant infidelity would culminate in unthinkable desperation. Three times in Deuteronomy 28 the term describes the pressure of an enemy siege that pushes parents to cannibalism:

• Deuteronomy 28:53—“the siege and hardship with which your enemies will oppress you.”
• Deuteronomy 28:55; 28:57—repeating the same phrase to underline the escalating horror.

Centuries later Jeremiah cites the same scenario verbatim (Jeremiah 19:9), showing that the warnings were not empty rhetoric but prophetic certainties. The verb therefore functions as a moral alarm: when the covenant community rejects God’s gracious rule, He allows external forces to press them until their own sinfulness is unmistakably exposed.

Relational Pressure in the Samson Cycle (Judges 14:17; 16:16)

In the narratives of Samson the word shifts from military siege to personal manipulation. Samson’s Philistine bride “pressed him” for the answer to his riddle (Judges 14:17), and Delilah “pressed him daily with her words” (Judges 16:16), draining him “to the point of death.” The same reality—relentless pressure—moves from battlefield to household, illustrating how covenant failure renders even intimate relationships vulnerable to destructive forces.

Internal Compulsion in Wisdom Literature (Job 32:18)

Elihu declares, “I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me.” Here the pressure is not external but internal, likened elsewhere in Job to new wine fermenting. Divine truth cannot remain bottled up; authentic revelation exerts a holy urgency upon the messenger. This anticipates the prophetic experience of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:9) and underscores that the Lord’s word, whether comfort or rebuke, demands utterance.

Prophetic Oracles of Distress (Isaiah 29; Isaiah 51)

Isaiah twice employs the verb to describe God’s impending action against Jerusalem (called “Ariel”):

• Isaiah 29:2—“I will distress Ariel, and there will be mourning and crying.”
• Isaiah 29:7—nations that “distress her” will vanish “like a dream.”

The pressure is real but not final; God’s ultimate purpose is purgation and preservation. In Isaiah 51:13 the same root underlies the phrase “the fury of the oppressor,” yet the verse ends, “But where is the fury of the oppressor?” Divine perspective relativizes human intimidation and calls the remnant to trust the Creator who “stretches out the heavens.”

Theological Themes

1. Divine Sovereignty in Human Pressure

Behind every form of pressure—siege, manipulation, inner urgency—stands the Lord who uses both enemy armies and personal circumstances to discipline, warn, or propel His purposes.

2. Human Sin and Moral Collapse

The verb often occurs at the point where sin’s consequences reach their horrific climax. The text refuses to sanitize the cost of rebellion, compelling readers to reckon with the depth of human depravity apart from grace.

3. Redemptive Intent

Even when distress is at its most severe, the context consistently holds out hope: repentance in Deuteronomy, deliverance after Jerusalem’s distress in Isaiah, and renewal after Job’s speeches. Pressure is thus a crucible, not an end in itself.

Christological and Pastoral Reflections

• The Gospels portray Jesus entering a “press” of distress in Gethsemane and on the cross, absorbing covenant curses to open the way for covenant blessings (Galatians 3:13).
• Believers facing external persecution or internal compulsion to testify can take comfort that the same Lord who ordained the pressure also limits it and works through it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
• Pastoral ministry must neither minimize the reality of divine discipline nor despair under it; instead, it should call people to the refuge found in the Risen Christ, who was “pressed” but not crushed and now grants the Spirit who empowers endurance.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Preaching and Teaching

Use the Deuteronomy and Jeremiah texts to warn against complacency, connecting the ancient siege imagery to modern idols that destroy from within.

2. Counseling

Samson’s narratives provide case studies on relational manipulation and the boundaries needed to resist ungodly pressure.

3. Prayer and Intercession

Isaiah’s promise that oppressors fade “like a dream” fuels intercession for persecuted believers today, anchoring hope in God’s unassailable sovereignty.

4. Prophetic Witness

Elihu’s example validates the internal compulsion felt by Spirit-led voices. Congregations should cultivate spaces where such burdened proclamation is welcomed and tested against Scripture.

The thread running through every occurrence is clear: God allows, and even ordains, pressing circumstances to expose sin, to summon repentance, and to advance His redemptive plan, ultimately fulfilled in Christ and applied by the Holy Spirit to the life of the Church.

הֱ֝צִיקַ֗תְנִי הֱצִיקַ֔תְהוּ הֵצִ֨יקָה הַמֵּצִ֔יק הַמֵּצִֽיק׃ המציק המציק׃ הציקה הציקתהו הציקתני וְהַמְּצִיקִ֖ים וַהֲצִיק֖וֹתִי והמציקים והציקותי יָצִ֥יק יָצִ֧יקוּ יציק יציקו ham·mê·ṣîq hammêṣîq hammeTzik hê·ṣî·qāh hĕ·ṣî·qaṯ·hū hĕ·ṣî·qaṯ·nî hêṣîqāh hĕṣîqaṯhū hĕṣîqaṯnî heTzikah hetziKathu hetziKatni vahatziKoti vehammetziKim wa·hă·ṣî·qō·w·ṯî wahăṣîqōwṯî wə·ham·mə·ṣî·qîm wəhamməṣîqîm yā·ṣî·qū yā·ṣîq yāṣîq yāṣîqū yaTzik yaTzikuInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts