צָרַר

Exodus 12:34 צְרֻרֹ֥ת [were] bound up

So the people took their dough before it was leavened, carrying it on their shoulders in kneading bowls wrapped in clothing.

Exodus 23:22 צֹרְרֶֽיךָ׃ opposers your

But if you will listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

Here: A participle: 'those who press on you, who make things tight for you'. It echoes vetsarti in sound and sense, completing the second matching pair.

Leviticus 18:18 לִצְרֹ֗ר to make [her] a rival wife

You must not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is still alive.

Numbers 10:9 הַצֹּרֵ֣ר who opposes

When you enter into battle in your land against an adversary who attacks you, sound short blasts on the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God and saved from your enemies.

Here: 'The one who is pressing/harassing you'. This is a participle (a verb form describing ongoing action), so the pressure is still happening. It comes from the same root as tsar, giving the sound-play 'the foe who foes you', or 'the oppressor oppressing you'.

Numbers 25:17 צָר֖וֹר <to> oppose

“Attack the Midianites and strike them dead.

Numbers 25:18 צֹרְרִ֥ים [are] opposers

For they assailed you deceitfully when they seduced you in the matter of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of the Midianite leader, the woman who was killed on the day the plague came because of Peor.”

Numbers 33:55 וְצָרֲר֣וּ and they will oppose

But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they will harass you in the land where you settle.

Here: Drops the picture and states it plainly: they will act as adversaries (tsar, "enemy", comes from the same root) and hem you in. This is active hostility, not mere irritation.

Deuteronomy 28:52 וְהֵצַ֨ר וְהֵצַ֤ר and it will lay siege

They will besiege all the cities throughout your land, until the high and fortified walls in which you trust have fallen. They will besiege all your cities throughout the land that the LORD your God has given you.

Here: From a root meaning 'to be narrow, tight, bound up'; in this causative form, 'to put in a tight place', to squeeze, to blockade. The unstated subject is the single foreign 'nation' of vv. 49–50, so literally 'it' or 'he' will hem you in.

Joshua 9:4 וּמְצֹרָרִֽים׃ and tied up

acted deceptively and set out as envoys, carrying on their donkeys worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended.

Here: 'And tied up.' The splits have been patched by binding or tying them closed, a makeshift repair made on the road. A skin that had been split and tied shut told the viewer it had been in use for a long time.

1 Samuel 25:29 צְרוּרָ֣ה׀ bound up

And should someone pursue you and seek your life, then the life of my lord will be bound securely by the LORD your God in the bundle of the living. But He shall fling away the lives of your enemies like stones from a sling.

Here: 'Bound up' or 'tied in'. The form describes a lasting state: tied up and kept safe. The word sounds like the next word (tserurah bitsror, 'tied in a tie-bag'), and the echo underlines how secure it is.

1 Samuel 28:15 צַר־ it is distress

Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” “I am deeply distressed,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”

Here: 'It is tight, narrow.' In Hebrew, distress is a feeling of being hemmed in with no room to move. That matches Saul exactly: an enemy army in front of him and heaven shut above him.

2 Samuel 1:26 צַר־ it is distress

I grieve for you, Jonathan, my brother. You were delightful to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.

Here: The root pictures being squeezed or hemmed in. 'It is tight for me' is a standard Hebrew way to say 'I am in anguish'. David feels his grief as a crushing pressure.

2 Samuel 20:3 צְרֻר֛וֹת locked up

When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace, and he placed them in a house under guard. He provided for them, but he no longer slept with them. They were confined until the day of their death, living as widows.

1 Kings 8:37 יָֽצַר־ he will lay siege

When famine or plague comes upon the land, or blight or mildew or locusts or grasshoppers, or when their enemy besieges them in their cities, whatever plague or sickness may come,

Here: The root means 'narrow, tight'. The enemy squeezes Israel into a tight spot. Here that means siege: the people are shut inside their walled towns while the enemy holds the fields.

2 Chronicles 28:20 וַיָּ֥צַר and he harassed

Then Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came to Ahaz but afflicted him rather than strengthening him.

2 Chronicles 28:22 הָצֵ֣ר harassed

In the time of his distress, King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD.

Here: A verb form with no named subject: "at the time of [someone's] pressing him." The root is about tightness, being squeezed into a narrow place. It echoes verse 20, where the king of Assyria "pressed him" (vayyatsar lo) with the same root.

2 Chronicles 33:12 וּכְהָצֵ֣ר and just as harassed

And in his distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his fathers.

Here: "And when [it] hemmed [him] in." The root means to be narrow or tight, to squeeze. It is a verb form with no stated subject, so the meaning is "when things closed in on him." Manasseh is in actual bronze shackles at this point (v. 11), so the picture is literal as well as emotional.

Esther 3:10 צֹרֵ֥ר [the] opposer of

So the king removed the signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.

Esther 8:1 צֹרֵ֣ר [the] opposer

That same day King Xerxes awarded Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai entered the king’s presence because Esther had revealed his relation to her.

Here: A participle (a verb used as a noun) meaning 'the one who acts with hostility toward'. It is Haman's fixed title in the book (3:10; 8:1; 9:10, 24), naming what he did, not only how he felt.

Esther 9:10 צֹרֵ֥ר [the] opposer of

They killed these ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

Esther 9:24 צֹרֵר֙ [the] opposer of

For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the Pur (that is, the lot) to crush and destroy them.

Job 26:8 צֹרֵֽר־ [he] binds up

He wraps up the waters in His clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their own weight.

Here: The everyday action of tying something into a bundle or bag, here done by God with the sky's water. The form means 'the one binding up', so it describes what he keeps doing, not one act in the past.

Psalm 6:7 צוֹרְרָֽי׃ opposers my

My eyes fail from grief; they grow dim because of all my foes.

Psalm 7:4 צוֹרְרִ֣י opposer my

if I have rewarded my ally with evil, if I have plundered my foe without cause,

Here: 'The one who treats me with hostility': an active opponent. It is the opposite of 'the one at peace with me'. Friend and foe together cover everyone: the speaker claims he has wronged neither.

Psalm 7:6 צוֹרְרָ֑י opposers my

Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; rise up against the fury of my enemies. Awake, my God, and ordain judgment.

Here: "Those who keep up hostility against me": the participle describes people whose ongoing activity is opposing him. It is related to ṣar, "foe", and to the idea of hemming someone into a tight place.

Psalm 8:2 צוֹרְרֶ֑יךָ opposers your

From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger.

Here: Literally "those who are hostile to you," a participle from a root meaning to press hard, to harass. They are God's own opponents ("your"), not only the psalmist's personal rivals.

Psalm 10:5 צ֝וֹרְרָ֗יו opposers his

He is secure in his ways at all times; Your lofty judgments are far from him; he sneers at all his foes.

Here: A participle, 'those who are hostile to him.' These are people who stand against him, perhaps rivals or the very poor who resist him. He treats all of them as nothing.

Psalm 23:5 צֹרְרָ֑י opposers my

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Here: 'Those who are hostile to me': a participle, so people whose ongoing stance is hostility. The root shares sound and sense with words for pressure and narrow straits, so these are the ones who hem the speaker in.

Psalm 31:9 צַ֫ר־ it is distress

Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes fail from sorrow, my soul and body as well.

Here: Literally 'it is narrow/tight.' Distress in Hebrew is pictured as being hemmed in or squeezed. It contrasts on purpose with the 'broad place' (merḥāv) where God set his feet in v. 8.

Psalm 31:11 צֹרְרַ֨י opposers my

Among all my enemies I am a disgrace, and among my neighbors even more. I am dreaded by my friends—they flee when they see me on the street.

Here: A participle, 'those who show hostility to me': people who are actively pressing the psalmist and treating him as an enemy, not merely people who dislike him.

Psalm 42:10 צוֹרְרָ֑י opposers my

Like the crushing of my bones, my enemies taunt me, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

Here: "My adversaries." The word is a participle (literally "those harassing me"), so it names people defined by their active hostility. It belongs to the same family as tsar, "foe," and tsarah, "distress": these are the people who press in on him.

Psalm 59:16 צַר־ [when] it is distress

But I will sing of Your strength and proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning. For You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

Here: "It is tight/narrow": distress pictured as being squeezed or hemmed in. The supplied data parses it as a verb ("when it is tight"). It can also be read as the noun "distress." The meaning is the same either way.

Psalm 69:17 צַר־ it is distress

Hide not Your face from Your servant, for I am in distress. Answer me quickly!

Here: 'It is tight / it presses.' Distress pictured as being squeezed into a narrow place, which fits the psalm's picture of a man sinking into mud and a pit closing over him.

Psalm 69:19 צוֹרְרָֽי׃ opposers my

You know my reproach, my shame and disgrace. All my adversaries are before You.

Here: Literally 'those who are hostile to me'. It is a participle, a verb form used as a noun, so it describes people who keep up their hostility. They are active persecutors, not just rivals.

Psalm 74:4 צֹ֭רְרֶיךָ opposers your

Your foes have roared within Your meeting place; they have unfurled their banners as signs,

Psalm 74:23 צֹרְרֶ֑יךָ opposers your

Do not disregard the clamor of Your adversaries, the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually.

Psalm 102:2 צַ֫ר [when] it is distress

Do not hide Your face from me in my day of distress. Incline Your ear to me; answer me quickly when I call.

Here: Literally '[it is] narrow / tight.' Distress in Hebrew is pictured as being squeezed into a tight place with no room to move. The source tags it as a verb ('it is tight'). It could also be read as the related adjective ('a tight day'). The meaning is the same either way.

Psalm 129:1 צְרָר֣וּנִי people have opposed me

A song of ascents. Many a time they have persecuted me from my youth—let Israel now declare—

Here: 'They have acted as enemies toward me.' The verb is related to tsar/tsorer, 'enemy, adversary'. The form describes something completed or repeated in the past. 'They' is left unnamed: the whole line of Israel's enemies.

Psalm 129:2 צְרָר֣וּנִי people have opposed me

many a time they have persecuted me from my youth, but they have not prevailed against me.

Here: 'They have treated me as an enemy / attacked me.' The verb belongs to the family of tsar and tsorer, 'adversary, foe.' The subject is left as an unnamed 'they': the many nations and powers that have come against Israel.

Psalm 143:12 צֹרֲרֵ֣י [the] opposers of

And in Your loving devotion, cut off my enemies. Destroy all who afflict me, for I am Your servant.

Here: "Those who are hostile to" or "who harass." It is a participle (literally "the ones being hostile"), the same word as "my enemies" in Psalm 23:5. It also echoes in sound "trouble" (ṣārāh, literally "tight place") in v. 11: the people causing his "tight spot" are the ṣōrərîm.

Proverbs 26:8 כִּצְר֣וֹר as ties

Like binding a stone into a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.

Proverbs 30:4 צָֽרַר־ has he wrapped

Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son—surely you know!

Here: 'Has bundled up.' The everyday act of tying things in a cloth, as the Israelites tied their dough bowls in their cloaks (Exod 12:34). Here it is done to the sky's waters.

Isaiah 8:16 צ֖וֹר bind up

Bind up the testimony and seal the law among my disciples.

Here: A brisk command: tie it up, the way a rolled document was wrapped with cord before it was sealed. It is the first of two quick, two-word commands, with no 'and' between them.

Isaiah 11:13 וְצֹרְרֵ֥י יָצֹ֥ר and [the] opposing of, it will be opposed to

Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and the adversaries of Judah will be cut off. Ephraim will no longer envy Judah, nor will Judah harass Ephraim.

Here: "And the hostile ones of". This is a participle, meaning people who act as enemies. Grammatically it can mean either those hostile *to* Judah or the hostile ones *in/of* Judah. The verse's own ending ("Judah will not harass Ephraim") makes the second reading a serious option.

Isaiah 28:20 צָ֖רָה it is narrow

Indeed, the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket too small to wrap around you.

Jeremiah 10:18 וַהֲצֵר֥וֹתִי and I will cause distress

For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, at this time I will sling out the inhabitants of the land and bring distress upon them so that they may be captured.”

Jeremiah 48:41 מְצֵרָֽה׃ in labor

Kirioth has been taken, and the strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

Jeremiah 49:22 מְצֵרָֽה׃ ס in labor

Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s mighty men will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

Here: From a root meaning 'to be narrow, squeezed, hemmed in'. It means a woman caught in the crushing strain of childbirth. In the Bible the phrase occurs only here and in the Moab parallel (48:41).

Hosea 4:19 צָרַ֥ר it has wrapped

The whirlwind has wrapped them in its wings, and their sacrifices will bring them shame.

Hosea 13:12 צָרוּר֙ [is] bound up

The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is stored up.

Amos 5:12 צֹרְרֵ֤י O opposers of

For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.

Here: "Harassers of / enemies of": people who act as the adversary of someone. It describes what they keep doing, not a single act.

Zephaniah 1:17 וַהֲצֵרֹ֣תִי and I will cause distress

I will bring such distress on mankind that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.