4694. metsurah

Lexicon

metsurah: Fortress, stronghold, siege, entrenchment

Original Word: מְצוּרָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mtsuwrah
Pronunciation: met-soo-RAW
Phonetic Spelling: (mets-oo-raw')
Definition: Fortress, stronghold, siege, entrenchment
Meaning: a hemming in, a mound, a rampart, fortification

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

fenced city, fort, munition, stronghold

Or mtsurah {mets-oo-raw'}; feminine of matsowr; a hemming in, i.e. (objectively) a mound (of siege), or (subjectively) a rampart (of protection), (abstractly) fortification -- fenced (city, fort, munition, strong hold.

see HEBREW matsowr

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from tsur
Definition
siegeworks, rampart
NASB Translation
battle towers (1), fortified (5), fortress (1), fortresses (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

מְצוּרָה noun feminine siege-works, rampart; — absolute ׳מ Nahum 2:2; 2Chron 14:5; plural מְצוּרוֺת2Chronicles 11:11 +, מְצֻרֹת Isaiah 29:3, etc.; —

1 siege-works Isaiah 29:3.

2 rampart ׳נָצוֺר מ Nahum 2:2 guard the rampart / ("" צַמֵּה דֶרֶךְ; We Now derive from נצר, i.e. keep watch !), 2 Chronicles 11:11, עָרֵי מְצוּרָה2Chron 14:5 fortified cities, so עָרַי (הַ)מְצוּרוֺת v.2 Chronicles 14:10; 2 Chronicles 14:23; 2Chronicles 12:4; 21:3.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the root verb צוּר (tsur), which means "to confine" or "to besiege."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • G4444 (προμαχών, promachon): Refers to a bulwark or fortification, similar to the Hebrew concept of a defensive structure.
• G5038 (τεῖχος, teichos): Refers to a wall, particularly a city wall, which aligns with the idea of fortifications or ramparts as described by מְצוּרָה.

These Greek terms reflect similar concepts of defense and fortification found in the Hebrew Bible, illustrating the continuity of military and defensive terminology across the biblical texts.

Usage: The word מְצוּרָה is used in the context of military fortifications or defensive structures. It can refer to physical constructions like walls or mounds built for protection or to the act of besieging a city.

Context: מְצוּרָה (metzurah) appears in the Hebrew Bible to describe various forms of defensive structures or the act of besieging. It is often associated with military contexts, where cities or strongholds are fortified against enemy attacks. The term can denote both the physical structures, such as walls or ramparts, and the strategic actions taken to secure a location or to lay siege to an enemy city.

In the Berean Standard Bible, מְצוּרָה is used in passages that describe the fortification of cities or the preparation for battle. For example, in 2 Kings 25:1, the term is used to describe the siege laid against Jerusalem: "So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it."

The concept of מְצוּרָה highlights the importance of strategic defense in ancient warfare and the lengths to which cities would go to protect themselves from invaders. It also underscores the vulnerability of cities under siege and the dire circumstances faced by their inhabitants.

Forms and Transliterations

הַמְּצֻר֑וֹת הַמְּצֻר֔וֹת הַמְּצֻר֖וֹת המצרות מְצֻר֖וֹת מְצֻרָ֑ה מְצֻרֹֽת׃ מְצֻרֽוֹת׃ מְצוּרָ֖ה מצורה מצרה מצרות מצרות׃ מצרת׃ ham·mə·ṣu·rō·wṯ hamməṣurōwṯ hammetzuRot mə·ṣu·rāh mə·ṣū·rāh mə·ṣu·rō·wṯ mə·ṣu·rōṯ məṣurāh məṣūrāh məṣurōṯ məṣurōwṯ metzuRah metzuRot

Englishman's Concordance

2 Chronicles 11:10
HEB: וּבְבִנְיָמִ֑ן עָרֵ֖י מְצֻרֽוֹת׃
NAS: which are fortified cities
KJV: and in Benjamin fenced cities.
INT: Benjamin cities are fortified

2 Chronicles 11:11
HEB: וַיְחַזֵּ֖ק אֶת־ הַמְּצֻר֑וֹת וַיִּתֵּ֤ן בָּהֶם֙
NAS: He also strengthened the fortresses and put
KJV: And he fortified the strong holds, and put
INT: strengthened the fortresses and put officers

2 Chronicles 11:23
HEB: לְכֹל֙ עָרֵ֣י הַמְּצֻר֔וֹת וַיִּתֵּ֥ן לָהֶ֛ם
NAS: to all the fortified cities,
KJV: and Benjamin, unto every fenced city:
INT: to all cities the fortified gave food

2 Chronicles 12:4
HEB: אֶת־ עָרֵ֥י הַמְּצֻר֖וֹת אֲשֶׁ֣ר לִֽיהוּדָ֑ה
NAS: He captured the fortified cities
KJV: And he took the fenced cities
INT: captured cities the fortified after of Judah

2 Chronicles 14:6
HEB: וַיִּ֛בֶן עָרֵ֥י מְצוּרָ֖ה בִּיהוּדָ֑ה כִּֽי־
NAS: He built fortified cities in Judah,
KJV: And he built fenced cities
INT: built cities fortified Judah since

2 Chronicles 21:3
HEB: עִם־ עָרֵ֥י מְצֻר֖וֹת בִּֽיהוּדָ֑ה וְאֶת־
NAS: and precious things, with fortified cities
KJV: and of precious things, with fenced cities
INT: with cities fortified Judah the kingdom

Isaiah 29:3
HEB: וַהֲקִֽימֹתִ֥י עָלַ֖יִךְ מְצֻרֹֽת׃
NAS: you, And I will raise up battle towers against
KJV: and I will raise forts against thee.
INT: will raise against battle

Nahum 2:1
HEB: פָּנַ֖יִךְ נָצ֣וֹר מְצֻרָ֑ה צַפֵּה־ דֶ֙רֶךְ֙
NAS: you. Man the fortress, watch
KJV: keep the munition, watch
INT: face Man the fortress watch the road

8 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4694
8 Occurrences

ham·mə·ṣu·rō·wṯ — 3 Occ.
mə·ṣū·rāh — 2 Occ.
mə·ṣu·rō·wṯ — 3 Occ.