Hebrew word · H6116

עֲצָרָה

'atzarah

assembly

From the root ʿṣr, 'to hold back, restrain.' It means a day of restraint, when ordinary work stopped and the people gathered for worship. It was used for the closing day of a festival (the seventh day of Unleavened Bread, Deut 16:8; the eighth day of Booths, Lev 23:36; Num 29:35, form ʿăṣeret).

Appears 11 times in 11 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) assembly, solemn assembly

1a) assembly (sacred or festive meeting)

1b) assemblage, company, group

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Amos 5:21

Range of meaning

From the root ʿṣr, 'to hold back, restrain.' It means a day of restraint, when ordinary work stopped and the people gathered for worship. It was used for the closing day of a festival (the seventh day of Unleavened Bread, Deut 16:8; the eighth day of Booths, Lev 23:36; Num 29:35, form ʿăṣeret). It could also be a specially called gathering, such as a national fast (Joel 1:14; 2:15).

Against the English

'Solemn assembly' (KJV, BSB, ESV, NASB) suggests a gloomy, sombre meeting. Many of these assemblies, especially the closing day of Booths, were joyful festival days. YLT's 'restraints' keeps the root meaning, but readers will not follow it. 'Sacred assembly' or 'festival gathering' is closer.

How it drifted

'Solemn' once meant 'ceremonial, formally held' (Latin sollemnis, 'yearly, established'). In modern English it has narrowed to 'serious, grave.'

Used elsewhere in the period

Lev 23:36; Num 29:35; Deut 16:8; Joel 1:14; 2:15. In 2 Kgs 10:20 Jehu has an ʿăṣārâ called for Baal, which shows the word was a general term for a sacred assembly, used even for a rival cult. Isa 1:13: 'I cannot bear iniquity together with the sacred assembly (ʿăṣārâ).'

From the study of Isaiah 1:13

Range of meaning

A solemn or festive assembly. The noun comes from 'atsar, 'restrain, hold back, shut in.' It names a gathering held on a day of restraint from work, such as the closing day of Tabernacles (Lev 23:36; Num 29:35) or of Passover week (Deut 16:8). An 'atsarah could also be called in a crisis together with a fast (Joel 1:14; 2:15).

Against the English

'Solemn assembly/meeting' (KJV, BSB, ESV) is traditional. YLT's 'restraint' keeps the root's sense of holding back. 'Solemn' can wrongly suggest a mournful mood; many of these gatherings were joyful festival days.

How it drifted

English 'solemn' now means grave or sombre. Originally the word meant 'formal, ceremonially appointed', which is the meaning here.

Used elsewhere in the period

Amos 5:21, from the same century and nearly the same words: 'I hate, I reject your feasts; I take no delight in your solemn assemblies ('atsrotekhem).' Jehu calls an 'atsarah for Baal in 2 Kings 10:20, which shows the word means any sacred convocation.

From the study of Jeremiah 9:2

Range of meaning

An assembly, especially a solemn sacred gathering on a festival day, when ordinary work stopped (Lev 23:36; Num 29:35; Deut 16:8; 2 Kgs 10:20; Joel 1:14; 2:15; Amos 5:21; Isa 1:13). It comes from ʿāṣar, 'to restrain, hold back', perhaps from the idea of being 'held' at the sanctuary or 'stopping' work.

Against the English

KJV/WEB 'assembly' keeps the formal sense but loses the worship setting. BSB 'crowd' and similar renderings ('company', 'pack') lose the irony altogether.

How it drifted

English 'assembly' or 'crowd' sounds like any gathering. The Hebrew word normally meant a festival gathering for worship.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 1:13: 'I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly (ʿăṣārâ)'. Amos 5:21: 'I take no delight in your solemn assemblies'. 2 Kings 10:20: Jehu calls a 'solemn assembly' for Baal. Jeremiah 9:2 is the only place the word describes a group of people by their character.

Where it appears

Leviticus · 1

  1. Leviticus 23:36 עֲצֶ֣רֶת [is] a solemn assembly

    For seven days you are to present a food offering to the LORD. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you must not do any regular work.

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 29:35 עֲצֶ֖רֶת an assembly

    On the eighth day you are to hold a solemn assembly; you must not do any regular work.

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 16:8 עֲצֶ֙רֶת֙ an assembly

    For six days you must eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day you shall hold a solemn assembly to the LORD your God, and you must not do any work.

2 Kings · 1

  1. 2 Kings 10:20 עֲצָרָ֛ה an assembly

    And Jehu commanded, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they announced it.

2 Chronicles · 1

  1. 2 Chronicles 7:9 עֲצָ֑רֶת an assembly

    On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for the dedication of the altar had lasted seven days, and the feast seven days more.

Nehemiah · 1

  1. Nehemiah 8:18 עֲצֶ֖רֶת an assembly

    Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. The Israelites kept the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly, according to the ordinance.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 1:13 וַעֲצָרָֽה׃ and solemn assembli[es]

    Bring your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations—I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn assembly.

    Here: 'And solemn assembly.' This is a sacred gathering on a day of restraint from work. God's complaint is the pair itself: wickedness and holy assembly together. Each is named, and joining them is what he cannot bear.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 9:2 עֲצֶ֖רֶת an assembly of

    If only I had a traveler’s lodge in the wilderness, I would abandon my people and depart from them, for they are all adulterers, a crowd of faithless people.

    Here: Usually a sacred festival gathering called for worship (Lev 23:36; Deut 16:8; Joel 1:14). Here it is ironic: the only 'holy assembly' this people forms is a gathering of traitors.

Joel · 2

  1. Joel 1:14 עֲצָרָ֔ה an assembly

    Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.

    Here: From a root meaning 'hold back, restrain.' A convened sacred gathering, probably one at which ordinary work stopped. It is the word for the closing day of Passover and of the Feast of Booths, so it is not gloomy in itself. Here the setting makes it a gathering for lament.

  2. Joel 2:15 עֲצָרָֽה׃ an assembly

    Blow the ram’s horn in Zion, consecrate a fast, proclaim a sacred assembly.

    Here: From a root meaning 'hold back, restrain'. It is a sacred day when ordinary work stops and the people are held together before God. Verse 16 shows how far that went: elders, babies at the breast, even a bride and groom on their wedding day all have to come.

Amos · 1

  1. Amos 5:21 בְּעַצְּרֹֽתֵיכֶֽם׃ in assemblies your

    “I hate, I despise your feasts! I cannot stand the stench of your solemn assemblies.

    Here: 'Smell in' is a Hebrew idiom meaning 'take delight in' (compare Isa 11:3). The ʿăṣārâ was a holy day on which all work stopped and the people gathered for worship, such as the closing day of a festival. Once again God calls them 'yours.'

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.