6698. Tsur

Lexical Summary

Tsur: Rock, Cliff, Stone

Original Word: צוּר
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Tsuwr
Pronunciation: tsoor
Phonetic Spelling: (tsoor)
KJV: Zur
NASB: Zur
Word Origin: [the same as H6697 (צּוּר צּוּר - rock)]

1. rock
2. Tsur, the name of a Midianite and of an Israelite

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Zur

The same as tsuwr; rock; Tsur, the name of a Midianite and of an Israelite -- Zur.

see HEBREW tsuwr

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from tsur
Definition
"rock," a Midianite, also a Gibeonite
NASB Translation
Zur (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

II. צוּר proper name, masculine Σουρ (Rock); —

1 a prince of Midian Numbers 25:15; Numbers 31:8; Joshua 13:21.

2 Gibeon-ite 1 Chronicles 8:30; 1 Chronicles 9:36.

Topical Lexicon

Name and Symbolic Resonance

The name “Zur” carries the idea of a rock or cliff. Scripture repeatedly presents the Lord as the only true Rock (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 18:2). The human bearers of the name, therefore, provide a striking foil: those called “Rock” prove unstable when set against the steadfastness of Israel’s covenant God.

Principal Old Testament Appearances

1. Zur the Midianite prince (Numbers 25:15; Numbers 31:8; Joshua 13:21).
2. Zur the Benjamite in the genealogies of Gibeon (1 Chronicles 8:30; 1 Chronicles 9:36).

Zur the Midianite Prince

• Setting. While Israel was encamped at Shittim, Midianite women—under Moabite instigation—enticed Israel into idolatry and immorality at Baal Peor (Numbers 25). The episode ended with a devastating plague halted only by Phinehas’ zeal.
• Family connection. “The name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family” (Numbers 25:15). Zur’s household thus spearheaded the seduction that threatened Israel’s spiritual integrity.
• Divine judgment. Midian’s leaders, including Zur, were later executed in Israel’s retaliatory campaign: “They also killed the kings of Midian—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba” (Numbers 31:8). Joshua 13:21 recalls the same event, emphasizing that these princes served under Sihon, king of the Amorites.
• Theological implications. Zur’s downfall demonstrates that no earthly “rock” can oppose the purposes of God. The Lord vindicated His holiness, protected His people from syncretism, and upheld the covenant promise that those who curse Israel will themselves be cursed (Genesis 12:3).

Zur in Israel’s Genealogies

• Textual witness. “His firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab” (1 Chronicles 8:30; mirrored in 9:36).
• Lineage. This Zur belongs to the house of Jeiel in Gibeon, an early patriarch of Benjamin. The list culminates in Saul (1 Chronicles 8:33), Israel’s first king.
• Significance. Though little else is said of this Zur, his placement in the royal line underlines God’s meticulous preservation of tribal records. Even minor figures participate in the unfolding redemptive narrative that ultimately leads to David and, by covenant extension, to Messiah (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Luke 1:32-33).

Contrasting Rocks: Human Fragility vs. Divine Faithfulness

1. Midian’s “rock” is shattered; Israel’s Rock delivers.
2. A Benjamite named “Rock” vanishes from the narrative, while the true Rock remains the foundation of Israel’s hope (Psalm 62:2).
3. The juxtaposition exposes the futility of relying on human strength and the necessity of anchoring faith in the Lord alone.

Ministry Reflections

• Guard the covenant. Just as Midian’s enticement threatened Israel’s fellowship with God, believers today must resist cultural pressures toward idolatry and moral compromise (1 Corinthians 10:6-12).
• Trust the greater Rock. Worldly powers rise and fall, but “the LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock” (Psalm 18:46).
• Value the unnoticed. Genealogies remind the church that every believer, however obscure, is known and woven into God’s redeeming plan (Ephesians 2:19-22).

Summary

Strong’s Hebrew 6698 introduces two men named Zur—one a hostile Midianite prince destroyed for leading Israel astray, the other a quiet link in Benjamin’s family chain. Their accounts frame a single lesson: human “rocks” crumble, but the Lord, the eternal Rock, remains immovable and faithful to His covenant purposes.

Forms and Transliterations

וְצ֣וּר וְצ֥וּר וצור צ֑וּר צ֤וּר צור ṣūr Tzur veTzur wə·ṣūr wəṣūr

Englishman's Concordance

Numbers 25:15
HEB: כָּזְבִּ֣י בַת־ צ֑וּר רֹ֣אשׁ אֻמּ֥וֹת
NAS: the daughter of Zur, who
KJV: the daughter of Zur; he [was] head
INT: was Cozbi the daughter of Zur was head of the people

Numbers 31:8
HEB: רֶ֙קֶם֙ וְאֶת־ צ֤וּר וְאֶת־ חוּר֙
NAS: and Rekem and Zur and Hur
KJV: and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur,
INT: Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba

Joshua 13:21
HEB: רֶ֙קֶם֙ וְאֶת־ צ֤וּר וְאֶת־ חוּר֙
NAS: and Rekem and Zur and Hur
KJV: and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur,
INT: Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba

1 Chronicles 8:30
HEB: הַבְּכ֖וֹר עַבְדּ֑וֹן וְצ֥וּר וְקִ֖ישׁ וּבַ֥עַל
NAS: son [was] Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal,
KJV: Abdon, and Zur, and Kish,
INT: and his firstborn Abdon Zur Kish Baal

1 Chronicles 9:36
HEB: הַבְּכ֖וֹר עַבְדּ֑וֹן וְצ֣וּר וְקִ֔ישׁ וּבַ֥עַל
NAS: son [was] Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal,
KJV: Abdon, then Zur, and Kish,
INT: and his firstborn Abdon Zur Kish Baal

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6698
5 Occurrences

ṣūr — 3 Occ.
wə·ṣūr — 2 Occ.