Lexical Summary dur: To dwell, to encircle, to go around Original Word: דּוּר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance ball, turn, round about, circleFrom duwr; a circle, ball or pile -- ball, turn, round about. see HEBREW duwr NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom dur Definition a circle, ball NASB Translation ball (1), encircling (1), pile (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs דּוּר noun [masculine] circle, ball — 1 circle: DuIsa 29:3 thinks noun here also is כַּדּוּר (or כִּדּוֺר) = כִּידוֺר onset of combatants; Marti כְּדָוִד as ᵐ5 Lo Brd and others; וְחָנִיתִי כַּדּוּר עליך Isaiah 29:3 ( > ᵐ5 Brd כְּדָוִד). 2 ball צָנוֺף יִצְנָפְךָ צְנֵפָה כַּדּוּר Isaiah 22:18 (so most; but BöNÄ ii. 134 De Or JastrPAOS 1888, xciv ff. regard noun as כַּדּוּר, ball, as Talmud, compare also MV SS under the word; see כדר). [ 3 heap, pile Ezekiel 24:5 Thes Ke MV compare מְדוּרָה Ezekiel 24:9; but see above below דּוּר verb] כַּדּוּר noun [masculine] ball, according to BöNÄ ii, 134 De Or and others Isaiah 22:18, as in Talmud; circle, cordon (Assyrian kudûru), according to JastrPAOS, Oct. 1888, xcvi; see also דּוּר b. Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Imagery דּוּר carries a dynamic sense of motion or accumulation―a thing turned into a compact mass or made to revolve. Whether describing a ball, a circular siege line, or a heap of fuel, the word evokes compression, enclosure, and irresistible force. Scripture employs this imagery to portray the totality of God’s dealing with human pride and rebellion. Canonical Occurrences • Isaiah 22:18 – The Humbling of Shebna “He will surely roll you into a ball, He will hurl you into a wide land; there you will die”. The picture is of a tightly wound object flung beyond recall. Shebna’s self-promotion meets a divine counter-action that is swift, complete, and humiliating. • Isaiah 29:3 – Siege of Ariel “I will encamp against you all around; I will besiege you with towers and set up siege works against you”. The word stands behind “all around,” depicting an encircling ring of judgment. Jerusalem, confident in her rituals, finds herself compressed by the very God she presumed to honor. • Ezekiel 24:5 – The Boiling Pot Parable “Take the choicest of the flock. Pile wood beneath it and bring it to a boil”. The prophet is to heap fuel under the cauldron, intensifying the heat that will render Jerusalem’s corruption unmistakable. The same root that once described circular motion here stresses the building up of combustible material for a fiery outcome. Historical Background Isaiah 22 addresses the last days of the Assyrian menace, exposing the court official Shebna’s vanity in a time that called for repentance. Isaiah 29 anticipates Sennacherib’s encirclement of Jerusalem, yet looks beyond to Babylonian devastation. Ezekiel 24 is dated to the very day Nebuchadnezzar began the final siege (Tenth Day, Tenth Month, Ninth Year of Zedekiah), announcing the city’s fate to the exiles already in Babylon. Theological Themes 1. Divine Sovereignty in Judgment Each text underscores that judgment is orchestrated by the LORD, not by blind circumstance. The motion implied in דּוּר is initiated and directed by God. 2. Totality and Inevitability The ball thrown, the city surrounded, the wood heaped—every image communicates inevitability. Once set in motion, the action cannot be reversed without divine intervention. 3. Pride Versus Humility From a boastful steward to a ritual-laden but unrepentant city, pride invites being “rolled up” and “boiled down.” The word’s compression motif contrasts with the expansive life promised to the humble (Isaiah 57:15). Christological and Eschatological Connections The encircling siege anticipates Jesus’ warning: “your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you” (Luke 19:43). Yet the Messiah Himself was “encompassed” by the wicked (Psalm 22:16) so that believers might be “surrounded” by grace (Psalm 32:10) and “kept by God’s power” (1 Peter 1:5). Final judgment likewise comes as inescapable encirclement (Revelation 20:9), after which the redeemed inhabit the secure, all-encompassing city of God (Revelation 21:10-27). Practical and Pastoral Application • Leaders must beware the Shebna syndrome: positional security does not shield from divine accountability. Summary דּוּר, though rare, serves as a vivid thread weaving together judgment’s certainty, God’s sovereignty, and the call to humble reliance on Him. What is rolled, ringed, or heaped by the LORD cannot be resisted, yet in Christ the believer finds that encirclement turned from wrath to refuge. Forms and Transliterations דּ֥וּר דור כַּדּ֕וּר כַדּ֖וּר כדור chadDur dur dūr kad·dūr ḵad·dūr kadDur kaddūr ḵaddūrLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 22:18 HEB: יִצְנָפְךָ֙ צְנֵפָ֔ה כַּדּ֕וּר אֶל־ אֶ֖רֶץ NAS: you tightly like a ball, [To be] [cast] into a vast KJV: and toss thee [like] a ball into a large INT: tightly and toss A ball about country Isaiah 29:3 Ezekiel 24:5 3 Occurrences |
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