---
title: עָצַר — restrain · The Tanakh dictionary
description: עָצַר (6113), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 46 times: restrain. BDB 1906: vb. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

<!-- md -->
[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/6113.html)

<!-- crumbs -->
[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [ע](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1506-5.md)‎ / עָצַר‎

<!-- .hw dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
# עָצַר

<!-- .meta -->
«עָצַר» in the Tanakh dictionary: **restrain** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Used:** 46 times · **Key:** 6113 · **BDB:** עָצַר

### Glosses

shut.up (5); it.was.restrained (4); \[was\].shut.up (3)

### Meaning (OSHB)

restrain [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1506/6113/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1506/6113/#m2)

<!-- fold -->
**The whole BDB entry:** vb. restrain, retain (NH id.; cf. prob. Assyrian eṣêru, retain, restrain, DlHWB 122 JägerBAS i.483 Zehnpfundib.500\* cf. Assyrian uṣurtu, taboo SACJA, 1904, 754.; Ethiopic ዐጸረ: press, Arabic عَصَرَ; 𝔗 עֲצַר, Syriac ܥܨܰܪ id.);— Pf. 3 ms. ע׳ Gn 20:18 +, sf. עֲצָרַנִי 16:2; 1 s. עָצַרְתִּי Dn 10:8, 16, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יַעְצֹר 1 S 9:17 +, יַעְצָר־ 2 Ch 2:5; sf. יַעֲצָרְכָה 1 K 18:44, etc.; Inf. abs. עָצֹר Gn 20:18, cstr. לַעְצֹר 2 Ch 22:9, וַעְצֹר Jb 4:2 (Ges§ 28 b); Pt. pass. עָצוּר Je 33:1 +, etc.;— restrain, c. acc. pers. Gn 16:2 (J; + מִן, i.e. prevent), עָצֹר עָצַר בְּעַד כָּל־רֶחֶם 20:18 (E), cf. abs. Is 66:9 (opp. מוֹלִיד); sq. inf. 2 K 4:24; c. acc. pers. alone 1 K 18:44 hinder, stop; c. acc. of sky (hindering rain) Dt 11:17; 2 Ch 7:13; pt. pass. abs. shut up, or hindered (for reasons not given) Je 36:5; Ne 6:10 (? by a vow, or by ceremonial uncleanness, cf. RSSem i. 436 f., 2nd ed. 455 f.); = shut up (c. ב, in prison) 2 K 17:4, pt. pass. Je 33:1; 39:15, fig. 20:9; on עָצוּר וְעָזוּב (5 times), v. I. עזב; עֲצֻרָה לָנוּ 1 S 21:6 women have been kept away with ref. to us (cf. RSl.c.); עָצוּר מִפְּנֵי 1 Ch 12:1 kept away from before Saul; = detain, c. acc. Ju 13:15, 16; in Jb c. בְּ, ע׳ בְּמִלִּין 4:2, cf. 29:9, so בַּמַּיִם 12:15; ע׳ בְּעַמִּי 1 S 9:17 is rule over, etc. (si vera l.); ins. also (with other words) 10:1 𝔊 We Dr al. (late) retain, c. acc. כֹּחַ 2 Ch 13:20; 22:9 Dn 10:8, 16; 11:6; + inf. = be able to 1 Ch 29:14 2 Ch 2:5; om. כֹּחַ 14:10 (+ עִמְּךָ), 20:37 (+ inf.). be restrained, stayed, of plague: Pf. 3 fs. נֶעֱצָ֑רָה Nu 17:15; Impf. 3 fs. תֵּעָצַר 2 S 24:21 = 1 Ch 21:22, וַתֵּעָצַר Nu 17:13; 25:8 (P) 2 S 24:25 ψ 106:30; be shut up (of sky), Inf. cstr. בְּהֵעָצֵר 1 K 8:35 = 2 Ch 6:26; be under restraint or detention Pt. נֶעְצָר 1 S 21:8 + לִפְנֵי י׳ (? i.e. kept by a vow, cf. HPS and Ne 6:10 supr.).

<!-- .note -->
Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 40 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (3 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «עָצַר» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1506/6113/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Psalms 106:30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.106.30/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
וַיַּעֲמֹ֣ד פִּֽ֭ינְחָס וַיְפַלֵּ֑ל וַ֝תֵּעָצַ֗ר הַמַּגֵּפָֽה׃

*Word for word:* and he.stood.up Phinehas and he.mediated and it.was.restrained the plague

*JPS 1917:* Then stood up Phinehas, and wrought judgment, and so the plague was stayed.

<!-- /div -->

<!-- div verse -->

<!-- .ref -->
[Job 29:9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.29.9/)

<!-- .vt dir=rtl lang=hbo -->
שָׂ֭רִים עָצְר֣וּ בְמִלִּ֑ים וְ֝כַ֗ף יָשִׂ֥ימוּ לְפִיהֶֽם׃

*Word for word:* chiefs they.restrained (in) words and a.palm they.put to mouth their

*JPS 1917:* The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth;

<!-- /div -->

<!-- pn -->
- ← previous: [עֶצְנִי](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5e2_5b6_5e6_5b0_5e0_5b4_5d9.md)
- next →: [עֶצֶר](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/6114.md)
- ↑ back to [ע](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1506-5.md)