---
title: מְצָד — fastness · The Tanakh dictionary
description: מְצָד (4679), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 11 times: fastness. BDB 1906: n.f. fastness, stronghold. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# מְצָד

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«מְצָד» in the Tanakh dictionary: **fastness** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 11 times · **Key:** 4679 · **BDB:** מְצָד²

### Glosses

strongholds (6); stronghold (3); \[will.be\].strongholds (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

fastness [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4679/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.f. fastness, stronghold [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4679/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.f. Je 48:41 fastness, stronghold (prop. hunting-place?);—abs. מְצָד 1 Ch 11:7; 12:6, מְצַד 12:8; pl. abs. מְצָדוֹת 1 S 23:14 +, cstr. id. v 29 (Gi, 24:1 van d. H. Baer), Is 33:16;— mountain-fastness Ju 6:2 1 S 23:14, 19, 19 (v. supr.), Ez 33:27; 1 Ch 12:8(9), 16(17); מְצָדוֹת סְלָעִים Is 33:16. more gen., stronghold Je 48:41; 51:30; Ez 19:9 (Baer Gi van d. H. מְצֹדוֹת id. \[ii. מְצוֹדָה\] Ew Hi-Sm Da al.; nets \[i. מְצוֹדָה\] Krae; del. Co Oort Toy); citadel of Jerusalem 1 Ch 11:7.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 11 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (5 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (3 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «מְצָד» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4679/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[1 Samuel 24:1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/1SA.24.1/)

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וַיַּ֥עַל דָּוִ֖ד מִשָּׁ֑ם וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב בִּמְצָד֥וֹת עֵֽינ־גֶּֽדִיעֵֽינ־גֶּֽדִי׃

*Word for word:* and he.went.up David from there and he.dwelt in the.strongholds of En.Gedi

*JPS 1917:* And David went up from thence, and dwelt in the strongholds of En-gedi.

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[1 Chronicles 11:7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/1CH.11.7/)

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וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב דָּוִ֖יד בַּמְצָ֑ד עַל־כֵּ֥ן קָרְאוּ־ל֖וֹ עִ֥יר דָּוִֽיד׃

*Word for word:* and he.dwelt David in the stronghold therefore people.called (to) it the.city of.David

*JPS 1917:* And David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it the city of David.

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