Lexical Summary tsiyr: Messenger, envoy, hinge, pain, pang Original Word: צִיר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance ambassador, hinge, messenger, pain, pang, sorrow From tsuwr; a hinge (as pressed in turning); also a throe (as a phys. Or mental pressure); also a herald or errand-doer (as constrained by the principal) -- ambassador, hinge, messenger, pain, pang, sorrow. Compare tsiyr. see HEBREW tsuwr see HEBREW tsiyr Brown-Driver-Briggs II. צִיר noun masculineProverbs 25:13 envoy, messenger; — ׳צ absolute Jeremiah 49:14 +, construct Proverbs 13:17; plural צִירִים Isaiah 18:2; suffix צִרַיִךְ Isaiah 57:9; — envoy, from Cush Isaiah 18:2, from apostate Israel Isaiah 57:9; — envoy from Cush Isaiah 18:2, from apostate Israel Isaiah 57:9; from ׳צ Jeremiah 49:14 = Obadiah; messenger in General צִיר אֱמוּנִים Proverbs 13:17, נֶאֱמָן ׳צ Proverbs 25:13. — I.צִיר see IV. צור. II. ציר (√ of following; ? turn, revolve; Late Hebrew צִיר pivot (of door), hinge so Arabic III. [צִיר] noun [masculine] pivot (of door), hinge; — suffix הַדֶּלֶת תִסּוֺב עַלצִֿירָּהּ Proverbs 26:14 (in "" of sluggard). IV. [צִיר] noun [masculine] pang (properly writhing); — plural צִירִים Isaiah 13:8; Isaiah 21:3; construct צִירֵי Isaiah 21:3; suffix צִייַ Daniel 1O:16, צִרֶיהָ 1 Samuel 4:19; — pangs of childbirth 1 Samuel 4:19, so (simile) Isaiah 21:3; and, of terror, Isaiah 13:8 ( + חֲבָלִים), Isaiah 21:3; in General, of physical effects of mental distress Daniel 10:16. צֵל, צִלָּה see III. צלל. Topical Lexicon Overview and Semantic Range צִיר threads together three seemingly unrelated pictures—an envoy who bears a message, a hinge that enables movement, and the wrenching pangs of childbirth. Scripture employs the word’s spectrum to illustrate communication, transition, and intense upheaval. Across twelve canonical appearances, the term heightens narratives of judgment and deliverance, underscores the moral character of those who carry news, and offers vivid analogies for spiritual realities. Catalogue of Biblical Occurrences 1. Labor Pains: 1 Samuel 4:19; Isaiah 13:8; Isaiah 21:3 (twice); Daniel 10:16 The Faithful and Unfaithful Messenger “An unreliable messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing.” (Proverbs 13:17) “Like the cold of snow in time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.” (Proverbs 25:13) In wisdom literature ויבנה צִיר depicts character. The righteous envoy communicates truth uncorrupted; the wicked envoy introduces ruin. This contrast foreshadows the Church’s call to be “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20), transmitting the gospel without alteration. Prophetic texts deepen the theme. Isaiah 57:9 rebukes Judah for sending costly emissaries to foreign powers, a parable of misplaced trust. Jeremiah 49:14 and Obadiah 1:1 describe God-commissioned envoys summoning the nations against Edom, proving that all political movements ultimately serve divine purpose. Pangs of Sudden Judgment “Therefore all hands will fall limp, every man’s heart will melt, terror and agony will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor.” (Isaiah 13:7-8) Pain imagery conveys inescapable, accelerating crisis. Hannah’s daughter-in-law in 1 Samuel 4:19 goes into labor as news of the ark’s capture arrives, dramatizing Israel’s spiritual barrenness. Daniel 10:16 uses the same noun for the prophet’s internal anguish when confronted by heavenly glory. New Testament writers adopt identical labor-pain language for the Day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:3), confirming a canonical pattern: divine intervention arrives as quickly and irresistibly as birth contractions. The Everyday Hinge “As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.” (Proverbs 26:14) Here צִיר becomes a domestic hinge, mocking habitual indolence. A hinge allows motion while remaining fixed; the lazy person exhibits constant motion (rolling over) without progress. For disciples, the proverb urges disciplined diligence, lest spiritual life reduce to inert repetition. Prophetic and Eschatological Resonance Isaiah 18:2 pictures swift papyrus boats carrying messengers to a distant nation—an anticipation of global proclamation. When judgment announcements in Jeremiah and Obadiah ride on the lips of divinely sent envoys, they preview the final trumpet calls of Revelation. Meanwhile, the labor-pain motif in Isaiah and Daniel prefigures tribulation preceding the kingdom’s birth. Christological Echoes Jesus embodies the righteous צִיר: “I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it.” (John 12:49) At Calvary the hinge image finds ultimate expression; the cross becomes the pivot of history, swinging open access to God (Hebrews 10:19-20). Labor pains reach their decisive moment in Christ’s resurrection, the “firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18), guaranteeing new creation. Pastoral and Ministry Applications • Guard the purity of every message delivered in Christ’s name; credibility magnifies or diminishes the gospel. Conclusion צִיר offers a compact theology of movement: messages in transit, doors in motion, and nations in convulsive change. Whether encouraging faithfulness, warning of judgment, or illustrating redemption, every occurrence serves the unified testimony of Scripture to God’s sovereign communication and transforming power. Forms and Transliterations וְצִ֖יר וְצִיר֙ וציר כְּצִירֵ֖י כצירי צִ֣יר צִירִ֗ים צִירִ֣ים צִירִ֤ים צִירַי֙ צִירָ֑הּ צִרֶֽיהָ׃ צִרַ֙יִךְ֙ ציר צירה צירי צירים צריה׃ צריך kə·ṣî·rê kəṣîrê ketziRei ṣî·rāh ṣî·ray ṣi·rayḵ ṣi·re·hā ṣî·rîm ṣîr ṣîrāh ṣîray ṣirayḵ ṣirehā ṣîrîm tzir tziRah tziRai tziRaich tziReiha tziRim veTzir wə·ṣîr wəṣîrLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Samuel 4:19 HEB: נֶהֶפְכ֥וּ עָלֶ֖יהָ צִרֶֽיהָ׃ NAS: and gave birth, for her pains came KJV: herself and travailed; for her pains came INT: came for her pains Proverbs 13:17 Proverbs 25:13 Proverbs 26:14 Isaiah 13:8 Isaiah 18:2 Isaiah 21:3 Isaiah 21:3 Isaiah 57:9 Jeremiah 49:14 Daniel 10:16 Obadiah 1:1 12 Occurrences |
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(compare 
, Dozyi. 712 b); **compare Arabic 
(medial a) = turn or incline one's face or neck, or a bough, etc. Lane1744.; perhaps Assyrian ƒirru; Aramaic צִירְתָּא, 
).