Original Word: שׁוּר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: shuwr
Pronunciation: shoor
Phonetic Spelling: (shoor)
KJV: go, singular See also H7891
NASB: carriers, journey down, journeyed
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. (properly) to turn, i.e. travel about (as a harlot or a merchant)

Travel about

A primitive root; properly, to turn, i.e. Travel about (as a harlot or a merchant) -- go, singular See also shiyr.

see HEBREW shiyr

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
perhaps to travel, journey
NASB Translation
carriers (1), journey down (1), journeyed (1).

I. [שׁוּר] verb perhaps travel, journey (Assyrian šâru, pass along, take one's way, Arabic () go, pass along, journey, caravan, Palmyrene שירתא Lzb³⁷⁵ SAC¹¹³ Cooke²⁷¹, Syriac (? Arabic loan-word, Frä¹⁸⁰)); —

Qal Imperfect2feminine singular וַתָּשֻׁרִי לַמֶּלֶךְ בַּשֶּׁמֶן Isaiah 57:9 and thou (the apostate faction) didst journey to (the god) Melek with (thine) oil, i.e. bring, offer it (Che Marti read וַתָּסֻכִי). Participle feminine plural שָׁרוֺתַיִךְ Ezekiel 27:25 ships of Tarshish were thy travellers (i.e. traders), but improbable; Krae שָׁרוֺת לָךְ בְּ journey for thee with thy wares; Toy רֹכְלַיִךְ בְּ; Co ֵ˜שׁרְתוּךְ served thee.

Overview

Strong’s Hebrew 7788 (שׁוּר) portrays purposeful movement: ships plying the sea and emissaries traversing great distances. Whether on the merchant routes of Tyre or the diplomatic roads of apostate Judah, the verb paints a picture of going afar with intent. Both canonical uses occur in prophetic oracles of judgment, underscoring how human ambition that ranges “far away” so often outpaces devotion to the covenant-keeping God.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Isaiah 57:9 – Jerusalem sends “messengers far away,” seeking foreign alliances and exotic cults instead of resting in the LORD.
2. Ezekiel 27:25 – “Ships of Tarshish traveled for you,” filling Tyre with wealth until her pride doomed her in the “heart of the seas.”

Prophetic Setting

Isaiah addresses Judah during a season of idolatry and political intrigue. The nation’s envoys go abroad laden with “oil” and “perfumes,” courting pagan powers. Ezekiel’s lament for Tyre, a commercial superpower, catalogues the Mediterranean trade network whose very breadth testifies to Tyre’s self-confidence.

In both passages שׁוּר highlights restless outreach: Judah’s kings dispatch diplomats beyond their borders; Tyre’s merchants dispatch fleets beyond the horizon. The movement is energetic yet spiritually bankrupt, ending in Sheol (Isaiah) or shipwreck (Ezekiel).

Historical and Cultural Background

• Diplomatic Missions: Ancient Near Eastern states often sought treaties by lavish gifts. Isaiah 57:9 reveals Judah’s eagerness to pay tribute, an implicit denial of the LORD’s sufficiency.
• Shipping Routes: Tarshish ships were deep-sea vessels capable of lengthy voyages. Ezekiel 27:25 evokes Phoenician seamanship and a trade network stretching from Spain to the Red Sea.

Theological Themes

1. False Security – Both texts expose confidence in human networks—foreign kings or commercial fleets—rather than in God.
2. Idolatry and Commerce – Isaiah binds political outreach to cultic prostitution; Ezekiel binds maritime outreach to economic pride. The same verb unites these twin idolatries.
3. Inevitable Judgment – The prophetic tone moves from describing their journeys to announcing their downfall. Far-ranging activity cannot outrun divine holiness.

Ministry Implications

• Missions Versus Mercenariness – Modern outreach must flow from obedience, not from anxious self-promotion or profit.
• Stewardship of Mobility – Technology enables global travel; believers should employ such reach for gospel witness, mindful of Isaiah’s warning against spiritual compromise.
• Spiritual Restlessness – Pastoral counseling can draw on Isaiah 57:9 to expose the heart that “travels” from sensation to sensation, never satisfied until it rests in Christ (Matthew 11:28-30).

Christological Perspective

Where national envoys and merchant ships failed, Jesus Christ “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). His purposeful journey from heaven to the cross redeems restless wanderers and proud merchants alike. Acts 1:8 then commissions redeemed people to travel outward in Spirit-empowered witness—not for self-gain but for the glory of the risen King.

Summary

שׁוּר encapsulates far-reaching movement, yet Scripture pairs that movement with warnings against misplaced trust. The image of envoys and ships challenges the church to examine its own motives in every expedition—diplomatic, commercial, or evangelistic—lest the activity that carries us “far away” drift from the anchor of faithful dependence on the LORD.

וַתָּשֻׁ֤רִי ותשרי שָׁרוֹתַ֖יִךְ שרותיך šā·rō·w·ṯa·yiḵ šārōwṯayiḵ sharoTayich vattaShuri wat·tā·šu·rî wattāšurîInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts