Lexical Summary assir: prisoners, captives, prisoner Original Word: אַסִּיר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance prisonerFor 'aciyr: prisoner. see HEBREW 'aciyr NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom asar Definition prisoners NASB Translation captives (1), prisoner (1), prisoners (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs אַסִּיר noun [masculine] mostly collective prisoners (according to Ol§ 185 a corruption of אָסִיר, compare LagBN 110) taken in battle Isaiah 10:4 (LagSymm i. 105; GGA 1884, 259 reads חַת אֹסִיר etc., Osiris is broken, but compare Checritical note.), Isaiah 24:22 (simile of judgment upon kings of earth); Isaiah 42:7 ("" ישְׁבֵי חשֶׁךְ; reference to exiled Israel, but see also Hi Che Di); 1 Chronicles 3:17 בְּנֵי יְכָנְיָה אַסִּר probably = sons of Jeconiah the captive (yet note omission of article) so Be Zö Öttli and others; ᵐ5 ᵑ9 translated as proper name Topical Lexicon Core Ideaאַסִּיר denotes a person held in bondage—a prisoner or captive. The term spans literal detention behind physical bars and figurative captivity under judgment, darkness, or death. Its sparse distribution heightens its theological weight, portraying both the severity of divine justice and the breadth of divine mercy. Canonical Appearances 1. Psalm 79:11 “May the groaning of the prisoner come before You; by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death.” Written in the aftermath of national catastrophe, the psalmist pleads for compassion on the afflicted captives. The prayer assumes God’s attentiveness to the weakest and anticipates deliverance rooted in covenant faithfulness. 2. Isaiah 10:4 “Nothing will remain but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain.” Here the captives are not the oppressed but the oppressors—Israel’s elite who exploited the poor. Judgment turns rulers into prisoners, underscoring the moral order in which prideful injustice leads to humiliating bondage. 3. Isaiah 24:22 “They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit; they will be confined in a dungeon, and after many days they will be punished.” In a sweeping oracle against the whole earth, kings and heavenly powers alike are rounded up as inmates awaiting final sentence. Captivity becomes a cosmic metaphor for the inescapability of divine reckoning. 4. Isaiah 42:7 “[I have called you]… to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon and those sitting in darkness from the prison house.” The Servant of the Lord is commissioned to reverse the condition described in the previous texts. Judgment gives way to salvation; captivity yields to liberation. Historical and Redemptive Setting The eighth- and seventh-century prophets ministered amid Assyrian expansion, Babylonian exile, and social breakdown within Judah. Captivity was a grim reality for thousands. By adopting אַסִּיר, the Spirit through the prophets interprets these events as outworkings of covenant blessings and curses (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28) while also projecting a future release. The progression from Psalmic lament to Isaianic promise traces the arc from exile to restoration, preparing the stage for the fuller redemption accomplished in Jesus Christ. Theological Themes • Divine Justice: Those who spurn God’s law eventually “crouch among the prisoners.” Bondage is not an accident of history but a verdict of the heavenly court. Ministry and Pastoral Implications 1. Intercession: Congregational prayer should echo Psalm 79:11, lifting up persecuted believers and those literally imprisoned for their faith. Intertextual Echoes and Fulfillment • Old Testament previews (Joseph, Samson, Jehoiachin) illustrate righteous sufferers awaiting vindication. Summary אַסִּיר captures the human plight under sin and the divine pledge of deliverance. From anguished prayers in Jerusalem’s ruins to the Servant’s worldwide mandate, Scripture moves prisoners from darkness to light, portraying captivity as both a sobering consequence and a stage for redemptive triumph. Forms and Transliterations אַסִּ֔יר אַסִּיר֙ אָ֫סִ֥יר אסיר ’ā·sîr ’as·sîr ’āsîr ’assîr aSir asSirLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Psalm 79:11 HEB: לְפָנֶיךָ֮ אֶנְקַ֪ת אָ֫סִ֥יר כְּגֹ֥דֶל זְרוֹעֲךָ֑ INT: before the groaning prisoner to the greatness of your power Isaiah 10:4 Isaiah 24:22 Isaiah 42:7 4 Occurrences |
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