6713. tsachar

Lexical Summary

tsachar: To be bright, to glisten

Original Word: צַחַר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: tsachar
Pronunciation: tsaw-khar'
Phonetic Spelling: (tsakh'-ar)
KJV: white
NASB: white
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to dazzle]

1. sheen, i.e. whiteness

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Whiteness

From an unused root meaning to dazzle; sheen, i.e. Whiteness -- white.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
reddish-gray, tawny
NASB Translation
white (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[צַ֫חַר noun [masculine] reddish-gray, tawny; — צֶמֶר צָ֑חַר Ezekiel 27:18 wool of reddish-gray, tawny wool, or (Hi-Sm Krae), of land Sachar (si vera lectio; Co strike out צחר as dittograph).

Topical Lexicon

Root Imagery of Radiant Whiteness

צַחַר evokes brightness or dazzling whiteness—a visual associated in Scripture with purity, nobility, and uncommon value.

Singular Biblical Occurrence

Ezekiel 27:18 sets the term amid Tyre’s luxury inventory: “Damascus was your customer … with wine from Helbon and wool from Zahar”. Whether read as “wool from Zahar” (a locale) or “white wool,” the word denotes a premium, highly prized commodity.

Historical Commerce Background

Damascus controlled caravan routes that moved prized goods westward. High-elevation flocks north of the city produced exceptional fleeces; light wool required less dye, reduced labor costs, and yielded vivid colors sought by artisans. Mentioned alongside Helbon’s famed vintage, צַחַר underscores Tyre’s dependence on the choicest regional specialties before the city’s downfall.

Symbolic Layers of Whiteness in Scripture

Though commercial in Ezekiel, the whiteness imagery connects to broader biblical themes:
• Forgiveness: “Though your sins are scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).
• Divine holiness: “His hair was like pure wool” (Daniel 7:9).
• Risen Christ: “His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow” (Revelation 1:14).
• Garments of the redeemed: Revelation 3:5; 7:14.

The dazzling fleece that enriched Tyre foreshadows the spotless righteousness supplied by God alone.

Theological Insight

Ezekiel 27 magnifies Tyre’s earthly glory only to record its ruin (27:27-36). Human splendor, however bright, collapses under divine judgment (Isaiah 40:6-8). Durable whiteness belongs to those clothed in salvation through the Lamb (Revelation 7:14).

Ministry Applications

1. Luxury versus Holiness

Tyre’s fall warns churches not to let pristine outward success eclipse humble obedience (1 Corinthians 10:12).

2. Communicating Redemption

As merchants coveted spotless wool, God seeks hearts cleansed by Christ’s blood (Hebrews 9:14).

3. Shepherding Toward Purity

Leaders labor so believers stand “blameless” (Colossians 1:28), echoing shepherds who prized unblemished fleeces (1 Peter 5:2-4).

4. Eschatological Hope

The doom of Tyre preludes the fall of Babylon the Great (Revelation 18) and the arrival of the New Jerusalem, where the Bride is “arrayed in fine linen, bright and pure” (Revelation 19:8).

From a single reference, צַחַר invites reflection on ancient trade, the transience of worldly splendor, and the enduring whiteness granted through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Forms and Transliterations

צָֽחַר׃ צחר׃ ṣā·ḥar ṣāḥar Tzachar

Englishman's Concordance

Ezekiel 27:18
HEB: חֶלְבּ֖וֹן וְצֶ֥מֶר צָֽחַר׃
NAS: of Helbon and white wool.
KJV: in the wine of Helbon, and white wool.
INT: of Helbon wool and white

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 6713
1 Occurrence

ṣā·ḥar — 1 Occ.