Lexical Summary
batsar: To cut off, to gather, to restrain, to fortify
Original Word:בָּצַר
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:batsar
Pronunciation:baw-tsar'
Phonetic Spelling:(baw-tsar')
KJV: cut off, (de-)fenced, fortify, (grape) gather(-er), mighty things, restrain, strong, wall (up), withhold
NASB:fortified, gather, fortify, gatherers, cut off, gathered, gatherer
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to clip off
2. specifically (as denominative from H1210) to gather grapes
3. also to be isolated (i.e. inaccessible by height or fortification)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cut off, fortify, grape gatherer, mighty things, restrain, strong, wall up,
A primitive root; to clip off; specifically (as denominative frombatsiyr) to gather grapes; also to be isolated (i.e. Inaccessible by height or fortification) -- cut off, (de-)fenced, fortify, (grape) gather(-er), mighty things, restrain, strong, wall (up), withhold.
see HEBREWbatsiyr
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto cut off, make inaccessible, enclose
NASB Translationcut off (1), fortified (24), fortify (2), gather (3), gathered (1), gatherer (1), gatherers (2), impenetrable (1), impossible (1), mighty things (1), thwarted (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (especially by fortifying), enclose (Late Hebrew
id., Aramaic ,
(Pa`el
diminish, substract), perhaps compare Arabic
side, edge,
, etc.,
rough stone,
land in which are sharp stones (compare Lane)) —
ImperfectPsalm 76:13; 2masculine singularLeviticus 25:5;Deuteronomy 24:21,Judges 9:27,Leviticus 25:11;Participle activeJeremiah 6:9,Jeremiah 49:9; Obadiah 5; passive masculineZechariah 11:2 Kt (Qr ), feminineIsaiah 2:15 3t. +Ezekiel 21:25 see below; plural feminineEzekiel 36:35,Numbers 13:28 14t.,Deuteronomy 1:28;Nehemiah 9:25,Deuteronomy 3:5;Deuteronomy 9:1; —cut off, grape-clusters,Leviticus 25:5, compareLeviticus 25:11 (object ),Deuteronomy 24:21;Judges 9:27 (object in both, ); hence Participle activegrape-gathering, -gathererJeremiah 6:9;Jeremiah 49:9; Obadiah 5; figurativecut off (= take away)Psalm 76:13 (object ); most often Passive participlecut off, made inaccessible, DeIsaiah 2:15 =fortified, always f.; Generally adjective with , ;Numbers 13:28;Deuteronomy 1:28;Deuteronomy 3:5;Deuteronomy 9:1;Joshua 14:12;2 Samuel 20:6;2 Kings 18:13 =Isaiah 36:1;2 Kings 19:25 =Isaiah 37:26; 2Chronicles 17:2; 19:5; 32:1; 33:14;Nehemiah 9:25;Isaiah 25:2;Isaiah 27:10;Ezekiel 36:35;Hosea 8:14;Zephaniah 1:16; rarely withDeuteronomy 28:52;Isaiah 2:15;Jeremiah 15:20;Zechariah 11:2 (read Kt); once, substantive ofsecrets, mysteries (= unattainable things)Jeremiah 33:3; —Ezekiel 21:25 Sm Co , doubtless right.
Imperfectbe withheldGenesis 11:6 (),Job 42:2 ().
Imperfect3feminine singularJeremiah 51:53fortify; soInfinitiveIsaiah 22:10.
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Scope and Distributionבָּצַר (batsar) is employed about thirty-eight times across the Old Testament, appearing in narrative, legal, poetic, and prophetic contexts. The verb’s core idea is that of making something inaccessible—whether by building fortifications, hemming in an enemy, withholding a resource, or enclosing grapes for harvest. From this single root Scripture weaves together themes of military strength, divine sovereignty, moral restraint, and eschatological judgment.
Fortified Cities and Human Security
In the conquest narratives batsar most often portrays human attempts at security through walls, ramparts, and natural barriers. The spies report, “the cities are large, fortified up to heaven” (Deuteronomy 1:28). Og’s strongholds are “cities fortified with high walls, gates, and bars” (Deuteronomy 3:5). This usage recurs under later monarchs—Hezekiah’s Judah was overrun when “Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah” (2 Kings 18:13), and Nebuchadnezzar repeated the pattern (2 Kings 24:10–11). The text highlights two truths: (1) fortifications symbolize a nation’s pride and (2) they are impotent before the purposes of the Lord. Human security, however impressive, is never ultimate security (cf.Psalm 33:16–17).
Divine Fortification and Sovereign Protection
The same root underscores God’s unassailable wisdom and power. At Babel, “nothing they devise will be beyond them” (Genesis 11:6), yet it is the LORD who frustrates their plans. Job concludes, “no plan of Yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). What human ingenuity cannot restrain, God effortlessly encloses; what human walls cannot repel, God easily penetrates. The verbs used for men’s strongholds become, by contrast, testimonies of God’s invincible counsel (cf.Isaiah 14:27).
Withholding and Moral Restraint
בָּצַר also describes the act of holding something back. InGenesis 11:6 the thought that nothing will be “withheld” from rebellious humanity spotlights the danger of unrestrained sin. Conversely, righteous restraint is celebrated in passages likePsalm 139:5; although batsar is not used there, the theology is parallel—God “hem[s] me in behind and before.” He lovingly restrains His people from destructive autonomy.
Harvest and Vintage Imagery
In Leviticus and Deuteronomy the verb shifts to viticulture: “You are not to … gather the grapes of your untended vines” (Leviticus 25:5, 11); “When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches again. Leave what remains … When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not glean the vines afterward” (Deuteronomy 24:20–21). The Sabbatical and gleaning laws portray harvest as a shared gift rather than private stockpiling. Israel’s social ethics were meant to reflect Yahweh’s generosity by placing boundaries (“fortifications”) around personal gain so that the poor and the sojourner might live.
Judgment Motif in Prophetic Literature
Prophets exploit the dual imagery of siege and vintage. Nations are likened to vineyards ripe for a crushing. “Glean the remnant of Israel as thoroughly as a vine” (Jeremiah 6:9). Obadiah taunts Edom, “If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings?” (Obadiah 1:5). Micah laments, “I am like one who gathers summer fruit … not a cluster of grapes to eat” (Micah 7:1). The siege of a city and the stripping of a vineyard converge to picture comprehensive judgment: none can hide behind walls and none can escape God’s grape-gathering hand (Isaiah 24:13).
Covenant and Redemptive Themes
1. Human fortresses crumble so that the covenant people learn to trust in the LORD as their true strong tower (Proverbs 18:10).
2. The vineyard laws foreshadow the gospel pattern of grace—what is “withheld” from personal exploitation is released for the marginalized, prefiguring New Testament generosity (2 Corinthians 8:9).
3. The siege-judgment type reaches its climax at Calvary: the Son is “cut off” (Daniel 9:26) so that a redeemed people might be forever enclosed in divine refuge (John 10:28–29).
4. Eschatologically, Revelation transforms the vintage motif into the final harvest of the earth (Revelation 14:18-20), echoing Isaiah’s and Jeremiah’s language.
Ministry Implications
• Preaching: Batsar invites proclamation of God’s unassailable sovereignty and the folly of self-made security.
• Pastoral Care: The verb reassures believers that God can “hem in” every threat; His purposes for them cannot be thwarted (Romans 8:28–39).
• Social Ethics: The gleaning applications challenge churches to set deliberate boundaries on consumption so that resources overflow to the needy (James 1:27).
• Missions: Just as fortified cities fell before Israel, spiritual strongholds yield to the gospel; prayer and proclamation penetrate what looks humanly inaccessible (2 Corinthians 10:4).
Representative References
Fortify:Deuteronomy 1:28;2 Kings 18:13;2 Chronicles 17:2; 32:1
Withhold/Restrain:Genesis 11:6;Job 42:2
Gather Grapes:Leviticus 25:5;Deuteronomy 24:21;Jeremiah 6:9;Micah 7:1
Judgment Siege:2 Kings 24:10-11;Obadiah 1:5;Isaiah 24:13
בָּצַר thus forms a rich biblical tapestry—walls and vineyards, restraint and harvest, judgment and refuge—all converging in the God who encloses His people in steadfast love while laying every proud stronghold in the dust.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּצֻר֑וֹת בְּצֻר֔וֹת בְּצֻר֖וֹת בְּצֻר֛וֹת בְּצֻר֤וֹת בְּצֻרֽוֹת׃ בְּצֻרוֹת֮ בְּצוּר֥וֹת בְּצוּרָ֔ה בְּצוּרָֽה׃ בְּצוּרָה֙ בְצוּרָ֖ה בְצוּרָֽה׃ בֹּֽצְרִים֙ בצורה בצורה׃ בצורות בצרות בצרות׃ בצרים הַבְּצֻר֑וֹת הַבְּצֻר֔וֹת הַבְּצֻר֖וֹת הַבָּצִֽיר׃ הבציר׃ הבצרות וְהַבְּצֻר֔וֹת וַֽיִּבְצְר֤וּ וּבְצֻר֖וֹת וּבְצֻרֹ֖ת וּבְצוּרֹ֖ת ובצורת ובצרות ובצרת והבצרות ויבצרו יִ֭בְצֹר יִבָּצֵ֖ר יִבָּצֵ֣ר יבצר כְּבוֹצֵ֖ר כבוצר לְבַצֵּ֖ר לבצר תְבַצֵּ֖ר תִבְצְר֖וּ תִבְצֹ֑ר תִבְצֹר֙ תבצר תבצרו bə·ṣū·rāh ḇə·ṣū·rāh bə·ṣu·rō·wṯ bə·ṣū·rō·wṯ bəṣūrāh ḇəṣūrāh bəṣurōwṯ bəṣūrōwṯ betzuRah betzuRot bō·ṣə·rîm bōṣərîm botzeRim hab·bā·ṣîr hab·bə·ṣu·rō·wṯ habbāṣîr habbaTzir habbəṣurōwṯ habbetzuRot kə·ḇō·w·ṣêr kəḇōwṣêr kevoTzer lə·ḇaṣ·ṣêr ləḇaṣṣêr levatzTzer ṯə·ḇaṣ·ṣêr ṯəḇaṣṣêr tevatzTzer ṯiḇ·ṣə·rū ṯiḇ·ṣōr ṯiḇṣərū ṯiḇṣōr tivtzeRu tivTzor ū·ḇə·ṣu·rō·wṯ ū·ḇə·ṣu·rōṯ ū·ḇə·ṣū·rōṯ ūḇəṣurōṯ ūḇəṣūrōṯ ūḇəṣurōwṯ uvetzuRot vaiyivtzeRu vehabbetzuRot vetzuRah way·yiḇ·ṣə·rū wayyiḇṣərū wə·hab·bə·ṣu·rō·wṯ wəhabbəṣurōwṯ yib·bā·ṣêr yiḇ·ṣōr yibbāṣêr yibbaTzer yiḇṣōr Yivtzor
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