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# מֵצַר

Biblical Hebrew · Strong's H4712

**straits** — used 3 times in the Hebrew Bible. Below: its meanings with their sources, MACULA's glosses, and 2 verses word for word and in JPS 1917.

## Meaning

### OpenScriptures lexical index

straits [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4712/#m1)

### Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906

מֵצַר²: straits, distress [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4712/#m2)

**The whole BDB entry:** n.\[m.\] straits, distress;—abs. מִן־הַמֵּצַר קָרָאתִי ψ 118:5; pl. הַמְּצָרִים La 1:3 the distresses, of conquered Judah; cstr. מְצָרֵי שְׁאוֹל ψ 116:3 the straits of Sheol, i.e. the worst possible (‖ חֶבְלֵי־מָוֶת).

Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 3 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (8 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (4 candidates)

## Glosses

MACULA's English glosses of the word in the text, with how often each is used: distress (1); places (1); the distresses (1).

## In the verses

[Psalms 118:5](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.118.5/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.118.5/#tree)

מִֽן־הַ֭מֵּצַ֥ר קָרָ֣אתִי יָּ֑הּ עָנָ֖נִי בַמֶּרְחָ֣ב יָֽהּ׃

*Word for word:* from the distress I.called.out.to Yahweh he answered.me in.(the) roomy place Yahweh

*JPS 1917:* Out of my straits I called upon the LORD; He answered me with great enlargement.

[Psalms 116:3](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.116.3/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.116.3/#tree)

אֲפָפ֤וּנִי ׀ חֶבְלֵי־מָ֗וֶת וּמְצָרֵ֣י שְׁא֣וֹל מְצָא֑וּנִי צָרָ֖ה וְיָג֣וֹן אֶמְצָֽא׃

*Word for word:* they encompassed.me \[the\].cords of.death and the.distresses of.Sheol they found.me trouble and sorrow I.found

*JPS 1917:* The cords of death compassed me, and the straits of the nether-world got hold upon me; I found trouble and sorrow.

## On Mova

- [This word in the Tanakh dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/4712.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of its meanings](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4712/): every English meaning parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.

Sources. The words, their counts, glosses and the word-for-word renderings: MACULA Hebrew (the Westminster Leningrad Codex; Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0). Meanings: the OpenScriptures lexical index (CC BY 4.0), Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906 and Jastrow 1903 (public domain, via Sefaria); Targum Onkelos from Sefaria (public domain). Translation: JPS 1917 (public domain, from eBible.org).