Lexical Summary chuwr: Hole, white, noble Original Word: חוּר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance hole Or (shortened) chur {khoor}; from an unused root probably meaning to bore; the crevice of a serpent; the cell of a prison -- hole. Brown-Driver-Briggs חֹר noble, חֹר, חֻר hole, see below II. חרר; חֹר הַגִּדְגָּד see below II. חור. חרא, or חרה (√ of following; meaning unknown). חֻר, חוּר noun [masculine] id. — collective חוּר Isaiah 42:22 as hiding-places of men; construct חֻר Isaiah 11:8 hole of asp (מָּ֑חֶן). Topical Lexicon Overview Strong’s Hebrew 2352 (ḥûr) is encountered once in the Old Testament, Isaiah 42:22, where it describes “holes” or “caves” in which the covenant people are shut up like spoil. The single appearance lends vivid force to Isaiah’s prophetic portrait of captivity, yet its theological ripples extend across Scripture, illuminating themes of bondage, judgment, and promised release. Biblical Usage Isaiah 42:22: “But this is a people plundered and looted; all of them trapped in caves or imprisoned in dungeons; they have become plunder, with no one to rescue them, and loot, with no one saying, ‘Send them back!’” Here ḥûr paints an image of deep recesses—dark, confining places where the defeated are hidden away. The term functions metaphorically, emphasizing not simply physical detention but spiritual helplessness. Israel’s exile is pictured as entombment, anticipating both the anguish of Babylonian captivity and the broader human plight apart from divine intervention. Context within Isaiah 42 1. Servant Contrast: Earlier in the chapter (Isaiah 42:1-9) the Servant of the LORD is commissioned to “open eyes that are blind” and “lead prisoners from the dungeon.” The later description of Israel confined in ḥûr-holes exposes their need for the very deliverance the Servant will bring. Themes of Captivity and Deliverance • Spiritual Bondage: ḥûr underscores that sin imprisons. Comparable imagery appears when Joseph is abandoned in a pit (Genesis 37:24) or when Jeremiah sinks in a cistern (Jeremiah 38:6). Historical Background During Isaiah’s ministry Judah vacillated between Assyrian oppression and the looming threat of Babylon. Imprisonment imagery was not hypothetical; deportees were literally confined in earthen pits and subterranean cells. Archaeological strata in Mesopotamian sites show underground holding chambers consistent with Isaiah’s language. Thus ḥûr evokes a scene recognizable to eighth-century hearers—fields stripped, cities burned, survivors herded into dark holes awaiting transport. New Testament Echoes While ḥûr itself does not appear in Greek manuscripts, its concept resonates throughout: Implications for Worship and Ministry 1. Proclamation of Freedom: Preaching should present Christ as the One who calls the captives out of every cavern of addiction, fear, or guilt. Concluding Observation Though ḥûr surfaces only once, its single echo resounds through redemptive history: humanity crouched in darkness until the Servant shone forth. From Isaiah’s generation to the consummation of the age, the LORD’s purpose has been to empty every prison, whether carved in stone or etched upon the heart. Forms and Transliterations בַּֽחוּרִים֙ בחורים ba·ḥū·rîm bachuRim baḥūrîmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 42:22 HEB: וְשָׁסוּי֒ הָפֵ֤חַ בַּֽחוּרִים֙ כֻּלָּ֔ם וּבְבָתֵּ֥י NAS: of them are trapped in caves, Or are hidden KJV: [they are] all of them snared in holes, and they are hid INT: and despoiled are trapped caves All houses 1 Occurrence |
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