Original Word: צָרְעִי
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: Tsor`iy
Pronunciation: tso-REE or tso-RAH-thee
Phonetic Spelling: (tsor-ee')
KJV: Zorites, Zareathites, Zorathites
NASB: Zorathites, Zorites
Word Origin: [patrial from H6881 (צָּרעָה - Zorah)]

1. a Tsorite or Tsorathite, i.e. inhabitants of Tsorah

Zorites, Zareathites, Zorathites

Or Tsortathiy {tsor-aw-thee'}; patrial from Tsor'ah; a Tsorite or Tsorathite, i.e. Inhabitants of Tsorah -- Zorites, Zareathites, Zorathites.

see HEBREW Tsor'ah

Word Origin
from Tsorah
Definition
inhab. of Zorah
NASB Translation
Zorathites (2), Zorites (1).

צָרְעִי see following

צָרְעָתִי adjective, of a people with article as collective noun ׳הַצּ 1 Chronicles 2:53; 1 Chronicles 4:2 = הַצָּרְעִי 1 Chronicles 2:54.

Biblical Occurrences

Tsor‘i appears three times, each within the Judahite genealogies that open the Chronicler’s record (1 Chronicles 2:53; 1 Chronicles 2:54; 1 Chronicles 4:2). In each setting the term designates the “Zorites” or “Zorathites,” families linked to the town of Zorah.

Geographic Setting

Zorah lay in the Shephelah, the low-hill region between the Judean highlands and the coastal plain (Joshua 15:33). Border texts assign the site to Judah, yet Judges repeatedly associates it with Dan, indicating an inter-tribal frontier. Rising above the Sorek Valley on a rocky spur opposite Beth-shemesh, Zorah commanded key routes into the interior and later served as a fortified Judean outpost (2 Chronicles 11:10).

Historical Background

1. Early Settlement. Zorah was allotted to Judah in the initial conquest lists but evidently shared by Danite settlers.
2. Heroic Memory. From Zorah came Manoah and his son Samson, “a Nazirite of God from the womb” (Judges 13:2–5). The Samson narratives fix the town in Israel’s collective memory as a place where the LORD raised an unlikely deliverer.
3. Divided Kingdom and Beyond. Rehoboam bolstered Zorah’s defenses (2 Chronicles 11:10), confirming its strategic value. Even after exile and return, its inhabitants are still noticed (Nehemiah 11:29).

Placement in the Chronicler’s Genealogies

By naming the Zorites among “the families of Kirjath-jearim” (1 Chronicles 2:53) and again among “the descendants of Salma” (1 Chronicles 2:54), the Chronicler weaves them into Judah’s covenant story. A third notice groups them with clans descending from Shobal (1 Chronicles 4:2). The threefold mention highlights:
• Continuity—Zorah’s families endured from conquest to post-exilic times.
• Integration—though Zorah had strong Danite ties, its clans are reckoned within Judah’s heritage, illustrating tribal cooperation inside the larger people of God.
• Divine Memory—obscure households are not forgotten; lines that seem peripheral to human history remain written in God’s book.

Theological and Ministry Insights

1. God Values the Hidden. Inscriptions of minor clans affirm that “there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11). Today’s believers from overlooked places share equal covenant standing.
2. Borders Become Bridges. Zorah sat on a boundary, yet its citizens are catalogued with Judah. The gospel likewise erases barriers (Ephesians 2:14), forging one new people in Christ.
3. Legacy of Faithfulness. Samson’s flawed but Spirit-empowered ministry sprang from Zorah. Families associated with that town carry a heritage reminding the Church that the LORD can raise deliverers from unexpected quarters.
4. Importance of Genealogy. Chronicles shows that history is theology in narrative form. Past faithfulness undergirds present hope; therefore churches should preserve accounts of God’s work among previous generations.

Lessons for Believers Today

• Serve faithfully in the “Zorahs” of life—small, strategic places assigned by Providence.
• Remember the overlooked; pray for frontier congregations laboring between dominant cultures.
• Teach younger generations how God used ancestral weaknesses (Samson) and strengths (post-exilic fortitude) to advance redemptive purposes.

Key References

Joshua 15:33; Judges 13:2–5; 1 Chronicles 2:53–54; 1 Chronicles 4:2; 2 Chronicles 11:10; Nehemiah 11:29.

הַצָּ֣רְעָתִ֔י הַצָּֽרְעָתִֽי׃ הַצָּרְעִֽי׃ הצרעי׃ הצרעתי הצרעתי׃ haṣ·ṣā·rə·‘ā·ṯî haṣ·ṣā·rə·‘î haṣṣārə‘āṯî haṣṣārə‘î hatzTzareaTi hatztzareIInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts