Original Word: צוּר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: tsuwr
Pronunciation: tsoor
Phonetic Spelling: (tsoor)
KJV: adversary, assault, beset, besiege, bind (up), cast, distress, fashion, fortify, inclose, lay siege, put up in bags
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to cramp, i.e. confine (in many applications, literally and figuratively, formative or hostile)

adversary, assault, beset, besiege, bind up, cast, distress, fashion,

A primitive root; to cramp, i.e. Confine (in many applications, literally and figuratively, formative or hostile) -- adversary, assault, beset, besiege, bind (up), cast, distress, fashion, fortify, inclose, lay siege, put up in bags.

II. צוּר verb confine, bind, besiege (Late Hebrew id., wrap (rare); Aramaic צוּר besiege, beleaguer); —

Qal Perfect2masculine singularוְצַרְתָּ֫ Deuteronomy 14:25, etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular וַיָּ֫צַר 1 Kings 20:1 +, 2 masculine singular תָּצוּר Deuteronomy 20:19, etc.; Imperative feminine singular צוּרִ֫י Isaiah 21:2 (after עֲלִי Kö^{i. 444}, compare Ges^{§ 72s}); Infinitive construct לָצוּר 1 Samuel 23:8; Participle plural צָרִים 1 Kings 15:27 +; —

1 confine, secure ("" I. צרר), accusative of thing + ב of receptacle Deuteronomy 14:25; 2 Kings 5:23; Ezekiel 5:3; complem. omitted 2 Kings 12:11.

2 shut in, besiege, with עַל of city 2 Samuel 11:1; 1 Kings 15:27; 1 Kings 16:17; 1 Kings 20:1; 2 Kings 6:24,25; 2 Kings 17:5; 2 Kings 18:9; 2 Kings 24:11; Isaiah 29:3 (+ accusative of siege-works), Jeremiah 32:2; Jeremiah 37:5; Jeremiah 39:9; Deuteronomy 20:12; Ezekiel 4:3; Daniel 1:1; with עַל person (within city) 2 Samuel 20:15; 2 Kings 16:5; Jeremiah 21:4,9; with אֶל of city (for עַל) Deuteronomy 20:19; with אֶל person 1 Samuel 23:8; with אֵת of city only 1 Chronicles 20:1 ("" 2 Samuel 11:1 above); absolute Isaiah 21:2. — הִנָּם צָרִים אֶתהָֿעִיר עָלֶיךָ Judges 9:31 is corrupt; Frankenb^{Richterbuch 28} Bu GFM^Hpt Now מְעִרִים inciting against.

3 shut up, enclose: נָצוּר עָלֶיהָ לוּחַ אָ֑רֶז Songs 8:9 (על of maid [under figure of door] + accusative mater., compare Isaiah 29:3 above); with suffix person Psalm 139:5 (figurative, ׳י subject).

III. [צוּר] verb shew hostility to, treat as foe (with accusative of person) (akin to II. צרר, to which SS assign the forms, but compare Arabic act unjustly, also defraud; Syriac , rival wife); —

Qal Perfect1singular וְצַרְתִּ֫י אֶתצֹֿרֲרֶיךָ Exodus 23:22 (subject ׳י; "" וְאָיַבְתִּ֫י אֶתאֹֿיְבֶיךָ); Imperfect2masculine singular אַלתָּֿ֫צַר אֶתמֿוֺאָב Deuteronomy 2:9; 2masculine plural suffix אַלתְּֿצֻרֵם Deuteronomy 2:19; Participle הַצָּרִים אוֺתָם Esther 8:11.

IV. [צוּר] verb fashion, delineate (Late Hebrew id.; so Aramaic צוּר, , ; picture, Sabean צור, plural צורת Hom^Chrest.125 Mordtm^{Him. Inschr. 14.15}; Arabic is loan-word according to Frä²⁷²); — Perfect2masculine singular וְצַרְתָּ֫ Ezekiel 43:11 (for ᵑ0 צוּרַת) according to ᵐ5. We Sm Co Toy Berthol Krae, and thou shalt delineate the house (compare הַגֵּד Ezekiel 43:10, הוֺדַע וּכְתֹב Ezekiel 43:11); Imperfect3masculine singular וַיָּ֫צַר אֹתוֺ בַּחֶרֶט Exodus 32:4 (E) and fashioned it [the gold] with a graving-tool; וַיָּ֫צַר אֶתשְֿׁנֵי הָֹעַמּוּדִים 1 Kings 7:15 (+ accusative mater.), read (יצק) וַיִּצֹּק, so ᵐ5 SS Kit Benz compare Th; 1 singular suffix אצורך Jeremiah 1:5 Kt, see יצר

Overview

The verb צוּר (Strong’s 6696) portrays the purposeful act of hemming in—whether by an enemy army, by difficult circumstances, or by the Lord Himself. Its roughly thirty-six occurrences fall largely into military narratives, covenant warnings, wisdom reflections, and prophetic oracles. The word’s range moves from hostile siege to benevolent encirclement, revealing the Lord’s sovereign control of both judgment and protection.

Israelite Siege Warfare and Covenant Ethics

Deuteronomy 20:19–20 introduces Israel to the ethics of siege: fruit trees must not be destroyed, but non-fruit trees may be used for siege works. The legislation assumes that Israel will at times surround hostile cities, yet it tempers military necessity with reverence for God’s bounty. Later, the covenant curses warn that if Israel turns from the Lord, foreign powers will do the same to her: “They will besiege all the cities throughout the land that the LORD your God has given you” (Deuteronomy 28:52). Thus siege becomes a measurable index of covenant fidelity or violation.

Narratives of National Crisis

1. Joab “besieged Rabbah” on David’s behalf (2 Samuel 11:1), demonstrating how siege warfare marked royal power.
2. The Arameans surrounded Samaria and provoked famine so severe that “a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver” (2 Kings 6:24–25).
3. The Assyrian king “marched against Samaria and besieged it for three years” (2 Kings 17:5), culminating in the Northern Kingdom’s fall.
4. Babylon’s final encirclement of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:2; 2 Chronicles 32:10) realized the Deuteronomic curse and ushered in exile.

These accounts underline the historical reality of siege in the Ancient Near East while affirming prophetic warnings that unfaithfulness would invite divine discipline through foreign armies.

Wisdom and Poetic Reflections

Job translates military pressure into personal anguish: “Know then that God has wronged me and drawn His net around me” (Job 19:6). Yet the same verb can describe comforting enclosure: “You hem me in behind and before” (Psalm 139:5). In Lamentations 3:5 Jeremiah laments, “He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship,” voicing the nation’s collective sorrow. The contrasting uses show how the experience of being ‘surrounded’ can signal either overwhelming distress or intimate security, depending on one’s relationship with the Lord.

Prophetic Oracles of Judgment and Hope

Isaiah 29:3 speaks of God Himself laying siege to Ariel: “I will camp against you on all sides; I will besiege you with towers.” Yet Zechariah 9:8 reverses the image: “I will camp around My house because of an army… never again will an oppressor overrun them.” The same verb that once announced judgment becomes a pledge of protection, foreshadowing ultimate deliverance.

Theological Themes

1. Sovereign control: God employs siege to discipline or to shelter, demonstrating mastery over human warfare.
2. Covenant accountability: Siege fulfills covenant blessings or curses, linking military events to spiritual realities.
3. Protective encirclement: For the faithful, being ‘hemmed in’ signifies safety within God’s providence.
4. Eschatological preview: The transition from judgment to protection anticipates the consummate security of God’s people in the Messianic age.

Ministry Application

• Pastoral Counsel: When believers feel confined by trials, Psalm 139:5 invites them to interpret the “hemming in” as God’s purposeful care rather than mere limitation.
• Intercession for Nations: Biblical sieges warn modern societies that persistent rebellion invites divine discipline; prayer should therefore combine repentance with appeal for mercy.
• Spiritual Warfare: Christians may build “siege works” of prayer and Scripture against strongholds of sin (cf. 2 Corinthians 10:4), appropriating the constructive use of the verb.
• Hope in Christ: Just as Zechariah foresaw God’s encampment around His house, believers rest in the risen Christ who “will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5), the ultimate assurance that no hostile encirclement can prevail.

Representative Occurrences

Deuteronomy 20:19–20; 28:52–57

2 Samuel 11:1; 2 Samuel 24:16

1 Chronicles 20:1

2 Kings 6:24–25; 17:5; 18:9; 25:2

Psalm 139:5

Job 19:6–8

Isaiah 29:3

Lamentations 3:5

Zechariah 9:8

Summary

Strong’s Hebrew 6696 presents siege not merely as an ancient military tactic but as a theological instrument revealing the Lord’s righteous judgment, protective care, and redemptive purpose. Whether depicting armies at city walls or God’s hand surrounding His own, the verb summons every generation to covenant faithfulness and confident trust in the One who alone controls the boundaries of distress and deliverance.

הַצָּרִ֣ים הַצָּרִ֤ים הַצָּרִ֥ים הצרים וְצַרְתִּ֖י וְצַרְתִּ֤י וְצַרְתָּ֖ וְצַרְתָּ֣ וְצַרְתָּ֥ וַיָּ֖צַר וַיָּ֙צַר֙ וַיָּ֛צַר וַיָּ֣צַר וַיָּ֥צַר וַיָּצֻ֖רוּ וַיָּצֻ֙רוּ֙ וַיָּצֻ֣רוּ ויצר ויצרו וצרת וצרתי יָֽצַר־ יצר־ לָצ֥וּר לצור נָצ֥וּר נצור צַרְתָּ֑נִי צָרִ֖ים צָרִ֣ים צָרִ֥ים צוּרִ֣י צורי צרים צרתני תְּצֻרֵ֖ם תָּ֙צַר֙ תָצ֣וּר תצור תצר תצרם haṣ·ṣā·rîm haṣṣārîm hatztzaRim lā·ṣūr lāṣūr laTzur nā·ṣūr nāṣūr naTzur ṣā·rîm ṣar·tā·nî ṣārîm ṣartānî ṣū·rî ṣūrî tā·ṣar ṯā·ṣūr tāṣar ṯāṣūr tatzar taTzur tə·ṣu·rêm təṣurêm tetzuRem tzaRim tzarTani tzuRi vaiYatzar vaiyaTzuru vetzarTa vetzarTi way·yā·ṣar way·yā·ṣu·rū wayyāṣar wayyāṣurū wə·ṣar·tā wə·ṣar·tî wəṣartā wəṣartî yā·ṣar- yāṣar- yatzarInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts