Lexical Summary tseriach: Shout, cry, outcry Original Word: צְרִיחַ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance high place, hold From tsarach in the sense of clearness of vision; a citadel -- high place, hold. see HEBREW tsarach NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition perhaps excavation, underground chamber NASB Translation cellars (1), inner chamber (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs צְרִיחַ noun [masculine] perhaps excavation, underground chamber; — ׳צ absolute Judges 9:49, construct Judges 9:46; plural צְרִחִים 1 Samuel 13:6; — used as hiding-places 1 Samuel 13:6 (+ מְעָרוֺת, חֲוָחִים, סְלָעִים, בֹּרוֺת); as refuge Judges 9:46 (where connected with shrine), Judges 9:49 (Vrss stronghold; on uncertainty of meaning see GFM). צֹרִי see I. צֹר. צֳרִי, צְרִי, צְרֻיָה see צרה. above, צרך (√ of following; Late Hebrew צָרַךְ have need of; Arabic Topical Lexicon Overview צְרִיחַ denotes a defensible refuge cut into natural rock or embedded within a larger structure such as a sanctuary or tower. Rather than a freestanding fortification, it pictures an inward retreat—an impregnable inner room, cellar, or rocky chamber reserved for last-resort protection. Biblical Occurrences • Judges 9:46–49 records the most vivid use. The leaders of Shechem, realizing Abimelech’s vengeance, “entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith” (Judges 9:46). Abimelech responded by heaping brushwood “against the inner chamber and set it on fire with the people inside” (Judges 9:49). The צְרִיחַ that promised safety became the scene of judgment. Historical and Cultural Background Iron Age cities often carved out subterranean rooms beneath temples or towers. These cavities served multiple purposes—granaries, water storage, and wartime refuges. In a siege the population could retreat into these chambers, lower stone traps, and survive until relief arrived. Archaeological parallels include the cistern complexes beneath Hazor and the rock-cut chambers at Megiddo. צְרִיחַ fits this milieu: an inner retreat ordinarily invisible from the outside yet critical in crisis. Theological Themes 1. False security. The Shechemites trusted the god Berith and their stone stronghold; both failed when confronted by divine retribution through Abimelech. The narrative echoes Psalm 20:7—“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Practical Ministry Insights • Preaching: the contrast between the crumbling inner chamber of Shechem and the everlasting refuge in Christ provides a potent gospel illustration—self-made defenses burn, but “the name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10). Foreshadowing in the Canon The smoldering צְרִיחַ anticipates the eschatological shaking when every refuge of lies is swept away (Isaiah 28:17). It also prefigures the salvation motif of Revelation 6:15–17, where kings and commanders similarly seek caves and rocks to hide from the Lamb’s wrath. Only those sealed by Christ possess an inviolable sanctuary—“their lives are hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Related Imagery in Scripture • Rock as protection: Exodus 33:22; Psalm 27:5. In every instance צְרִיחַ presses the reader to discern the location of ultimate trust—either in perishable structures or in the steadfast God who alone is “a refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Forms and Transliterations הַצְּרִ֔יחַ הַצְּרִ֖יחַ הצריח וּבַצְּרִחִ֖ים ובצרחים צְרִ֔יחַ צריח haṣ·ṣə·rî·aḥ haṣṣərîaḥ hatztzeRiach ṣə·rî·aḥ ṣərîaḥ tzeRiach ū·ḇaṣ·ṣə·ri·ḥîm ūḇaṣṣəriḥîm uvatztzeriChimLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Judges 9:46 HEB: וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ אֶל־ צְרִ֔יחַ בֵּ֖ית אֵ֥ל NAS: of [it], they entered the inner chamber of the temple KJV: [that], they entered into an hold of the house INT: entered about the inner of the temple of the god Judges 9:49 Judges 9:49 1 Samuel 13:6 4 Occurrences |
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be needy, so Aramaic צְרַךְ, 
(צ, 
= 
!); Christian-Palestinian Aramaic 
χρεία).