5463. segar

Lexical Summary

segar: shut

Original Word: סְגַר
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: cgar
Pronunciation: sah-GAR
Phonetic Spelling: (seg-ar')
NASB: shut
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H5462 (סָגַר - shut)]

1. shut up

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

shut up

(Aramaic) corresponding to cagar -- shut up.

see HEBREW cagar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to sagar
Definition
to shut
NASB Translation
shut (1).

Topical Lexicon

סְגַר (Strong’s Hebrew 5463)

Biblical occurrence

Daniel 6:22 relates the single use of this verb: “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me…”. Here, “shut” portrays the decisive intervention of God on behalf of His servant.

Historical background

Daniel’s ordeal took place under Darius the Mede. Persian law consigned violators to the lions’ den, an execution method designed to be both swift and certain. Ancient Near-Eastern monarchs often styled themselves as able to master beasts; Scripture answers by showing that only the living God truly commands creation. By “shutting” the lions’ mouths, the Lord overturned imperial power, preserved His messenger, and publicly demonstrated His supremacy before the court (Daniel 6:26-27).

Theological themes

1. Divine sovereignty over nature
• God’s act parallels other moments when He restrains or releases created forces (Genesis 7:16; Jonah 1:17; 2:10). Creation itself is dependent on His continual governance (Psalm 104:27-30).

2. Vindication of faithful witnesses
• Daniel is preserved because “he was found innocent” (Daniel 6:22). His experience illustrates the broader principle that “the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro” to strengthen the loyal (2 Chronicles 16:9). The Hebrew verb draws attention to the physical evidence of that strengthening—predators rendered harmless.

3. Salvation as protective enclosure
• The shutting of the lions’ mouths functions like the closing of the ark’s door (Genesis 7:16) or the chamber in Isaiah 26:20: God encloses His people in safety while judgment passes by.

4. Public testimony
• Darius’s decree (Daniel 6:26-27) spreads the report of this miracle throughout the empire. God’s deliverance moves from private experience to public proclamation, a pattern continued in the New Testament (Acts 4:20).

Related scriptural motifs

• Hebrews 11:33 celebrates believers “who through faith… shut the mouths of lions,” explicitly linking Daniel’s deliverance to the wider history of faith.
• Psalm 22:21 prays, “Save me from the mouth of the lion,” anticipating the same divine rescue.
• 1 Peter 5:8 portrays Satan as a “roaring lion.” The power that silenced literal lions likewise protects against spiritual ones (Ephesians 6:10-18).

New Testament echoes and Christological overtones

Daniel’s emergence unhurt from a sealed den prefigures Jesus Christ’s resurrection from a sealed tomb. Both events display God’s authority over sovereign power (Rome or Persia), over natural threat (lions or death), and over the final verdict on righteousness (Acts 2:24). Revelation 3:7 affirms that the risen Christ now holds “the key of David,” opening and shutting with absolute authority.

Practical ministry implications

• Encouragement in persecution: God can nullify seemingly irresistible threats, whether political, physical, or spiritual.
• Prayer strategy: intercede for divine “shutting” of destructive influences—temptations, slander, or demonic activity.
• Evangelistic witness: testify that the God who silenced lions still acts, inviting listeners to trust Him (Psalm 34:8).
• Pastoral care: point suffering believers to Daniel’s account as assurance that vindication and deliverance rest with God, even when outcomes differ (cf. Daniel 3:17-18).

Summary

סְגַר, though occurring only once, encapsulates a rich biblical truth: the Lord alone shuts and no one opens (Job 12:14; Revelation 3:7). By closing the lions’ mouths, He demonstrated sovereign power, defended His servant, and broadcast His glory to the nations—a timeless reassurance for all who place their confidence in Him.

Forms and Transliterations

וּֽסֲגַ֛ר וסגר ū·să·ḡar usaGar ūsăḡar

Englishman's Concordance

Daniel 6:22
HEB: שְׁלַ֣ח מַלְאֲכֵ֗הּ וּֽסֲגַ֛ר פֻּ֥ם אַרְיָוָתָ֖א
NAS: His angel and shut the lions'
KJV: his angel, and hath shut the lions'
INT: sent his angel and shut mouths the lions'

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 5463
1 Occurrence

ū·să·ḡar — 1 Occ.