Original Word: אשׁר
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: ashur
Pronunciation: ash-SHOOR
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-shoor')
KJV: going, step
NASB: step, steps
Word Origin: [from H833 (אָשַׁר אָשֵׁר - guide) in the sense of going]

1. a step

going, step

Or ashshur {ash-shoor'}; from 'ashar in the sense of going; a step -- going, step.

see HEBREW 'ashar

Word Origin
from ashar
Definition
step, going
NASB Translation
step (1), steps (1).

[אֲשׁוּר, אָשׁוּר] noun feminine^{Psalm 44:19} step, going (compare Arabic , , Ethiopic footstep) only suffix אֲשֻׁרוֺ Job 23:11; Proverbs 14:15; אֲשׁוּרַי Proverbs 17:5; אֲשֻׁרָ֑י Psalm 40:3; Psalm 73:2; אֲשֻׁרֵנוּ Psalm 44:19; אֲשֻׁרָיוּ Psalm 37:31, all poetic & figurative of mode of life, etc.

[אַשֻּׁר] noun feminine^{Job 31:7} step, going, same usage, אַשֻּׁרַי Job 31:7; אַשֻּׁרֵנוּ Psalm 17:11.

Overview

Strong’s Hebrew 838 (אֲשׁוּר) pictures the individual “step,” the concrete imprint of the foot that becomes a rich metaphor for the whole course of life. Across its nine occurrences the term embraces walking in integrity, resisting evil, relying on divine guidance, and enjoying covenant security. “Steps” thus functions as a moral barometer: where the footsteps go, the heart has already chosen to go.

Occurrences and Principal Themes

1. Job 23:11 – fidelity under trial
2. Job 31:7 – self-examination of integrity
3. Psalm 17:5 – steadfastness in prayer
4. Psalm 17:11 – hostile encirclement
5. Psalm 37:31 – Torah-shaped stability
6. Psalm 40:2 – salvation and firm footing
7. Psalm 44:18 – national faithfulness amid defeat
8. Psalm 73:2 – the peril of envy
9. Proverbs 14:15 – discernment versus credulity

Integrity Tested and Proven (Job 23:11; Job 31:7)

In Job’s laments the vocabulary of “steps” forms the basis of covenant lawsuit language. Job 23:11: “My feet have followed in His tracks; I have kept His way without turning aside.” Later he invites divine scrutiny: “If my step has turned from the way…” (Job 31:7). The imagery underscores that righteousness is measurable and observable; it is not an abstract ideal but a track left in the sand.

Worship and Protection in the Psalter

• Psalm 17:5 anchors the plea for protection: “My steps have held to Your paths; my feet have not slipped.” Trust is expressed as sure-footedness.

• Psalm 17:11 shifts the scene to enemy aggression: “They have now surrounded us in our steps,” highlighting the vulnerability of God’s servants when hemmed in by the wicked.

• Psalm 37:31 presents the antidote: “The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter.” Torah internalized fortifies every stride.

• Psalm 40:2 celebrates rescue: “He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm.” Salvation is pictured not merely as extraction from danger but as establishment on immovable ground.

• Psalm 44:18 broadens to corporate lament: “Our hearts have not turned back; our steps have not strayed from Your path.” Even in military defeat Israel claims covenant fidelity, appealing to God’s knowledge of their “steps.”

• Psalm 73:2 confesses the near disaster of envy: “But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my steps nearly slid.” Spiritual slippage begins in the affections before it reaches the feet.

Wisdom’s Call to Discernment (Proverbs 14:15)

“The simple man believes every word, but the prudent man considers his steps.” The verse links mental discernment with deliberate movement. Wisdom weighs the path before taking a single stride, integrating intellect, morality, and action.

Theological Significance

1. Divine Guidance: The consistent pattern is that God both observes and orders the believer’s steps (cf. Psalm 37:23), ensuring that obedience and providence converge.
2. Moral Visibility: Steps leave prints; righteousness and sin both manifest in observable choices, refuting any dichotomy between inner piety and outward behavior.
3. Stability versus Slipping: The righteous experience firmness; the compromised face the danger of sliding. Stability is not self-generated but rooted in God’s word and deliverance.
4. Corporate Dimension: National Israel and the individual saint alike are evaluated by their collective and personal footsteps, reinforcing the covenantal unity of the people of God.

Intertextual Echoes

Though the lexical form is Hebrew, the conceptual thread continues into the New Testament where “walk” (Greek περιπατέω) embodies discipleship (Ephesians 5:2). The imagery of ordered steps finds its climax in Jesus Christ, whose flawless path fulfills the ideal toward which the Old Testament points.

Ministry Applications

• Preaching: Expository sermons can trace the motif to encourage congregations to examine the trajectory of their lives, assuring them that God steadies repentant feet.
• Counseling: Passages like Psalm 73:2 validate the struggle with doubt while offering the promise of restored footing through worship and perspective.
• Discipleship: Proverbs 14:15 instructs mentors to cultivate critical thinking, urging believers to test every message against Scripture before taking the next step.
• Corporate Prayer: Psalm 44:18 provides language for communal lament when the church suffers despite faithfulness, inviting confidence that God sees every footprint.

Summary

אֲשׁוּר encapsulates the practical outworking of faith. Whether under scrutiny (Job), in danger (Psalms 17, 73), rejoicing in deliverance (Psalm 40), or seeking wisdom (Proverbs 14), the believer’s “steps” testify to an internal allegiance to the Lord. When His word saturates the heart, the result is a life-path that neither turns aside nor slips, but advances steadily toward the purposes of God.

אֲ֭שֻׁרַי אֲשֻׁרֵ֗ינוּ אֲשֻׁרָֽי׃ אֲשֻׁרָֽיו׃ אַ֭שֻּׁרֵינוּ אַשֻּׁרִי֮ אשרי אשרי׃ אשריו׃ אשרינו בַּ֭אֲשֻׁרוֹ באשרו לַאֲשֻׁרֽוֹ׃ לאשרו׃ ’ă·šu·rāw ’ă·šu·ray ’ă·šu·rāy ’ă·šu·rê·nū ’aš·šu·rê·nū ’aš·šu·rî ’aššurênū ’aššurî ’ăšurāw ’ăšuray ’ăšurāy ’ăšurênū Ashshureinu ashshuRi Ashurai ashuRav ashuReinu ba’ăšurōw ba·’ă·šu·rōw baashuro la’ăšurōw la·’ă·šu·rōw laashuRoInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts