Lexical Summary
shor: Ox, Bull
Original Word:שֹׁר
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:shor
Pronunciation:shor
Phonetic Spelling:(shore)
KJV: navel
NASB:body, navel, navel cord
Word Origin:[fromH8324 (שָׁרַר - To be firm)]
1. a string (as twisted), i.e. (specifically) the umbilical cord (also figuratively, as the centre of strength)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
navel
Fromsharar; a string (as twisted (compareshariyr)), i.e. (specifically) the umbilical cord (also figuratively, as the centre of strength) -- navel.
see HEBREWsharar
see HEBREWshariyr
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitionumbilical cord
NASB Translationbody (1), navel (1), navel cord (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (compare Aramaic
Ezekiel 16:4 ,
, Arabic
, all
id.); — suffix
Ezekiel 16:4 (Ges
§ 22s Kö
ii. 1. 45)
thy navel-string was nut cut; questioned are:
Proverbs 3:8 (De and others
navel, synechd. for body, "" ; ; , compare , Clericus Bi Frankenb , Ew Hi Kmp and others , Toy either); Cant 7:3 ( "" ), = Thes and others; now often interpreted as =
vulva, compare Arabic
secret part, Hi Stickel Buhl Öttli, noticed also by Thes, but Arabism dubious, see Bu.
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Scope and Imageryשֹׁר depicts the “navel,” the physical center of the body where the life-giving cord once joined child to mother. In the ancient Near East the navel symbolized origin, dependence and inner vitality. By extension it could stand for the whole body’s well-being, much as “heart” can stand for the inner person.
Occurrences in Canonical Context
•Proverbs 3:8 couples filial trust in the Lord and obedience to His wisdom with bodily flourishing: “This will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones”. The noun underlying “body” is שֹׁר, pointing literally to the navel. Solomon’s aphorism moves from the body’s single vital point to the skeletal frame, stressing comprehensive health that flows from covenant faithfulness.
•Ezekiel 16:4, portraying Jerusalem as an abandoned newborn, laments, “On the day you were born, your cord was not cut…”. The uncut cord presupposes the neglected navel. The prophet’s metaphor indicts the city for forgetting the gracious origins God had given her and highlights her utter helplessness apart from divine care.
Physiological Symbolism
1. Dependency: Just as the navel once fed the unborn child, so humanity remains dependent on the LORD for sustenance (Psalm 104:27-30).
2. Vitality: In Hebrew thought life pulses from the core outward; the navel therefore images holistic health (compareProverbs 4:20-22).
3. Origin and Identity: The severing of the cord marks entry into individual life yet forever testifies to one’s source—an apt emblem for Israel’s covenant beginning in Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3).
Historical and Cultural Background
Midwives customarily cut the cord, washed the infant, rubbed it with salt and swaddled it (Ezekiel 16:4). Failure to perform these acts signified rejection. The prophet exploits this cultural knowledge to underline Yahweh’s compassion: He alone rescued the forsaken child (Jerusalem), cleansed her, and raised her to royal status (16:6-14). Archaeological remains of salt basins and newborn care texts from Ugarit and Mari confirm the practice and deepen the realism of Ezekiel’s allegory.
Theological Emphasis
• Covenant Grace: The neglected navel in Ezekiel magnifies God’s initiative; salvation begins when God claims the helpless (Romans 5:6).
• Wisdom’s Fruit: Proverbs ties physical restoration to spiritual submission. The text does not teach a mechanical health-and-wealth scheme but asserts that life ordered under divine wisdom enjoys harmony in spirit and body (Proverbs 3:1-8;1 Timothy 4:8).
• Christological Fulfillment: Jesus, whose own birth involved miraculous provision (Luke 1:35), embodies the ultimate source of life (John 1:4). The believer’s new birth likewise depends entirely on union with Him (John 15:5), echoing the dependency pictured in the navel metaphor.
Pastoral and Ministry Application
1. Discipleship: Teach the inseparability of obedience and wholeness. Spiritual disciplines foster inner health that often manifests in emotional and even physical resilience.
2. Counseling: Ezekiel’s image speaks powerfully to those with abandonment wounds; God specializes in rescuing the discarded and giving them identity.
3. Missions: The navel’s symbolism of origin reminds the church to declare the Creator-Redeemer to cultures that have “cut the cord” from their spiritual source (Acts 17:24-27).
4. Worship: Incorporate prayers of dependence, acknowledging the Lord as the continuous giver of life (Psalm 36:9).
Intertextual Echoes
•Psalm 22:9-10 celebrates God’s care “from my mother’s womb,” resonating withEzekiel 16:4.
•Job 10:11-12 pairs God’s creative knitting of the body with the gift of life and steadfast love, paralleling Proverbs’ linkage of wisdom and health.
• The bride’s praise in Song of Songs 7:2, though using a different Hebrew term, sustains the metaphor of the navel as a vessel of delight, hinting at covenant intimacy restored.
Summary
שֹׁר, though occurring only twice, concentrates profound biblical theology: human life begins in utter dependence; God graciously supplies nurture; and continuing vitality flows from living in reverent submission to His wisdom. The humble navel quietly testifies to the Creator’s sustaining power and calls believers to rest in, and proclaim, that sustaining grace.
Forms and Transliterations
לְשָׁרֶּ֑ךָ לשרך שָׁרֵּ֔ךְ שרך lə·šār·re·ḵā ləšārreḵā lesharRecha šār·rêḵ šārrêḵ sharRech
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