Lexical Summary
atsar: To restrain, to hold back, to stop, to withhold
Original Word:עָצָר
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:`atsar
Pronunciation:ah-tsar
Phonetic Spelling:(aw-tsar')
KJV: X be able, close up, detain, fast, keep (self close, still), prevail, recover, refrain, X reign, restrain, retain, shut (up), slack, stay, stop, withhold (self)
NASB:shut, bond, checked, confined, detain, held back, restricted
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to inclose
2. by analogy, to hold back
3. also to maintain, rule, assemble
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be able, close up, detain, fast, keep self close, still, prevail, recover,
A primitive root; to inclose; by analogy, to hold back; also to maintain, rule, assemble -- X be able, close up, detain, fast, keep (self close, still), prevail, recover, refrain, X reign, restrain, retain, shut (up), slack, stay, stop, withhold (self).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto restrain, retain
NASB Translationable* (2), bond (5), checked (3), closed fast (1), confined (3), could (1), detain (2), detained (1), held back (2), kept (1), prevail (1), prevented (1), recover (1), refrain (1), restrained (1), restrains (1), restricted (2), retain (2), retained (2), rule (1), shut (7), slow down (1), stayed (1), stop (1), stopped (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
46 (Late Hebrew
id.; compare probably Assyrian
eĐru,
retain, restrain, Dl
HWB 122 Jäger
BAS i. 483 Zehnpf
ib. 500; Ethiopic
press, Arabic
; Syriac
id.); compare Assyrian
usƒurtu,
taboo SAC
JA, 1904, 754. —
Perfect3masculine singularGenesis 20:18 +, suffixGenesis 16:2; 1singularDaniel 10:8,16; etc.;Imperfect3masculine singular1 Samuel 9:17 +, 2Chron 2:5; suffix1 Kings 18:44, etc.;Infinitive absoluteGenesis 20:18, construct 2Chronicles 22:9,Job 4:2 (Ges§ 28b);Passive participleJeremiah 33:1 +, etc.; —
restrain, with accusative of personGenesis 16:2 (J; + , i.e. prevent),Genesis 20:18 (E), compare absoluteIsaiah 66:9 (opposed to ); followed by infinitive2 Kings 4:24; with accusative of person alone1 Kings 18:44hinder, stop; with accusative of sky (hindering rain)Deuteronomy 11:17; 2Chronicles 7:13; passive participle absoluteshut up, orhindered (for reasons not given)Jeremiah 36:5;Nehemiah 6:10 (? by a vow, or by ceremonial uncleanness, compare RsSem i. 436 f., 2nd ed. 455 f.); =shut up (with , in prison)2 Kings 17:4, passive participleJeremiah 33:1;Jeremiah 39:15, figurativeJeremiah 20:9; on (5 t.) see I. ;1 Samuel 21:6 women have beenkept away with reference to us (compare RSl.c.);1 Chronicles 12:1kept away from before Saul; =detain, with accusativeJudges 13:15,16; in Job with ,Job 4:2, compareJob 29:9, soJob 12:5;1 Samuel 9:17 isrule over, etc. (si vera lectio); insert also (with other words)1 Samuel 10:1 We Dr and others
(late)retain, with accusative 2Chronicles 13:20; 22:9;Daniel 10:8,16;Daniel 11:6; + infinitive =be able to1 Chronicles 29:14; 2Chron 2:5; omit 2Chron 14:10 (+ ), 2 Chronicles 20:37 (+ infinitive).
be restrained, stayed, of plague: Perfect 3 feminine singularNumbers 17:15;Imperfect3feminine singular2 Samuel 24:27 =1 Chronicles 21:22,Numbers 17:13;Numbers 25:8 (P)2 Samuel 24:25;Psalm 106:30;be shut up (of sky),Infinitive construct1 Kings 8:35 2Chronicles 6:26;be under restraint ordetention Participle1 Samuel 21:8 + (? i.e. kept by a vow, compare HPS andNehemiah 6:10 above).
Topical Lexicon
Overview and Key MotifsThe root idea expressed through עָצָר is that of restraining, holding back, or shutting up. Throughout its forty-plus appearances the term underscores that the God of Scripture both limits and releases life, nature, judgment, and human passion according to His covenant purposes. The contexts fall naturally into five spheres: (1) womb and fertility, (2) drought and the heavens, (3) pestilence and plague, (4) violence and revenge, and (5) moral and spiritual self-control. Each sphere bears witness to divine sovereignty, human responsibility, and the place of intercession.
1. Restraining or Opening the Womb
Genesis anchors the theme. Sarai confesses, “The LORD has prevented me from bearing children” (Genesis 16:2). Later, Abimelech’s household suffers barrenness: “For the LORD had completely closed all the wombs of Abimelech’s household because of Sarah” (Genesis 20:18). In both narratives the restraint is reversible, highlighting God’s power to give or withhold life. Isaiah revisits the motif: “Shall I bring the moment of birth and not give delivery? … says your God” (Isaiah 66:9). Barrenness is never random; it urges dependence on the Creator who alone “makes the barren woman abide in the house, a joyful mother of children” (Psalm 113:9, cf. Hannah’s story).
Ministry significance: Couples struggling with infertility may draw comfort from the repeated Biblical assurance that closed and opened wombs lie within the gracious providence of God, often leading to prayer, humility, and unexpected blessing (compareGenesis 25:21;1 Samuel 1:10–20).
2. Withholding or Releasing Rain
Covenant stipulations link obedience to agricultural blessing. Moses warns, “Then the LORD’s anger will burn against you, and He will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain” (Deuteronomy 11:17). Solomon echoes the clause in his temple dedication prayer (1 Kings 8:35;2 Chronicles 6:26). When apostasy matures under Ahab, Elijah announces, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives… there will be neither dew nor rain in the coming years except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). The three-and-a-half-year drought dramatizes covenant consequences and the power of intercessory prayer (James 5:17-18).
Ministry significance: Drought narratives call congregations to examine communal faithfulness and to intercede for both physical and spiritual “rain.” Modern application is not literalistic weather control but recognition that God may withhold blessing to redirect His people to repentance.
3. Staying Plague and Pestilence
The dramatic rebellions in Numbers illustrate how judgment can be “stayed.” When Korah’s company is judged, “Aaron stood between the living and the dead, and the plague was halted” (Numbers 16:48). Phinehas later thrusts through the fornicators and “the plague on the Israelites was stopped” (Numbers 25:8). Centuries afterward David’s census sin brings devastation until he builds an altar: “So the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted” (2 Samuel 24:25; parallel1 Chronicles 21:22-27).
Ministry significance: These accounts elevate the priestly and mediatorial role—intercession, atonement, and righteous zeal can restrain judgment. They underscore the gospel pattern in which the greater High Priest stands between the living and the dead, redirecting wrath upon Himself (Hebrews 7:25-27;1 Peter 2:24).
4. Restraining Violence and Personal Vengeance
David repeatedly “holds back” his men from bloodshed. In the cave scene, “David persuaded his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul” (1 Samuel 24:7). Abigail blesses David, “Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives… the LORD has kept you from bloodguilt and from avenging yourself by your own hand” (1 Samuel 25:26; cf. 25:33). The incidents reveal that divine restraint often comes through wise counsel or a leader’s self-control.
Ministry significance: Pastors and leaders must sometimes restrain their own hearts and their followers, trusting God rather than wielding immediate retaliation. Abigail’s intervention models peacemaking, while David’s restraint foreshadows Christ’s refusal to call legions of angels (Matthew 26:53).
5. Personal Sanctification and Self-Control
The psalmist prays, “Keep Your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me” (Psalm 19:13). Likewise, “I have kept my feet from every evil path, that I may keep Your word” (Psalm 119:101). Here the vocabulary of restraint is internal, not circumstantial. Self-control is presented as a gracious work of God that nevertheless requires intentional human cooperation (compareGalatians 5:23).
Ministry significance: Believers pursue holiness by leaning on the Lord who alone can “hold back” the old nature. Discipleship involves both prayer for divine keeping and practical steps that “make no provision for the flesh” (Romans 13:14).
Interplay of Divine Sovereignty and Human Agency
Whether the restraint concerns wombs, weather, warfare, or willpower, Scripture consistently presents God as the ultimate actor. Yet He frequently employs secondary means: prophetic declarations, priestly mediation, a woman’s timely counsel, or a believer’s deliberate obedience. This dual emphasis safeguards against fatalism while preserving robust confidence in divine rule.
Prophetic and Eschatological Notes
Joel’s locust plague anticipates a worldwide “Day of the LORD” unless the nation repents (Joel 1–2). Revelation echoes the motif when angels are told to “hold back the four winds of the earth” (Revelation 7:1), portraying cosmic restraint until God’s redemptive sealing is complete. The Old Testament verb therefore prepares readers for the climactic restraint of wrath in Christ and its final removal in judgment.
Applications for Prayer and Ministry
1. Intercessory Urgency: Just as Moses, Aaron, and Phinehas stood in the gap, the church is summoned to pray that outbreaks of moral, physical, or societal “plagues” be halted.
2. Stewardship of Blessing: The withholding of rain or fertility instructs believers to receive prosperity with gratitude and to interpret adversity as a call to re-alignment with God’s will.
3. Peace-Making Leadership: Davidic restraint, informed by Abigail’s wisdom, offers a template for defusing conflict within families, congregations, and nations.
4. Personal Holiness: Psalmic prayers demonstrate that sanctification involves pleading for divine power to restrain inner impulses while exercising Spirit-enabled discipline.
Select Representative References
Womb and Fertility:Genesis 16:2; 20:18;Isaiah 66:9
Rain and Heaven:Deuteronomy 11:17;1 Kings 8:35; 17:1;2 Chronicles 7:13
Plague and Pestilence:Numbers 16:48-50; 25:8;2 Samuel 24:21, 25;1 Chronicles 21:22, 27
Violence and Vengeance:1 Samuel 24:7; 25:26, 33
Self-Control and Sin:Psalm 19:13; 119:101
These occurrences together reveal a consistent Biblical theology: the same God who restrains also releases, doing both in perfect wisdom to advance His covenant plan and ultimately to magnify the glory of Jesus Christ, in whom all divine purposes find their “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Forms and Transliterations
אֶֽעֱצֹ֤ר אעצר בְּהֵעָצֵ֥ר בְּהֵעָצֵ֧ר בהעצר וְעָצ֥וּר וְעָצַ֖רְתִּי וְעָצַ֤ר וְתֵעָצַ֥ר וַ֝תֵּעָצַ֗ר וַֽיַּעַצְרֵ֙הוּ֙ וַעְצֹ֥ר וַתֵּֽעָצַר֙ וַתֵּעָצַ֖ר וַתֵּעָצַ֥ר ויעצרהו ועצור ועצר ועצרתי ותעצר יַעְצֹ֣ר יַעְצֹ֥ר יַעֲצָר־ יַעַצָרְכָ֖ה יעצר יעצר־ יעצרכה לַעְצֹ֥ר לעצר נֶעְצָר֙ נֶעֱצָֽרָה׃ נַעְצְרָה־ נַעְצֹ֣ר נעצר נעצרה־ נעצרה׃ עֲצָרַ֤נִי עֲצֻֽרָה־ עָצ֑וּר עָצ֔וּר עָצ֥וּר עָצְר֖וּ עָצְר֣וּ עָצַ֖רְתִּי עָצַ֧ר עָצַר֙ עָצֹ֤ר עָצֻ֖ר עָצוּר֙ עצור עצר עצרה־ עצרו עצרני עצרתי תַּעְצְרֵ֙נִי֙ תַּעֲצָר־ תַעְצֹ֞ר תעצר תעצר־ תעצרני ‘ă·ṣā·ra·nî ‘ā·ṣar ‘ā·ṣar·tî ‘ā·ṣə·rū ‘ā·ṣōr ‘ă·ṣu·rāh- ‘ā·ṣur ‘ā·ṣūr ‘āṣar ‘ăṣāranî ‘āṣartî ‘āṣərū ‘āṣōr ‘āṣur ‘āṣūr ‘ăṣurāh- ’e‘ĕṣōr ’e·‘ĕ·ṣōr aTzar atzaRani aTzarti atzeRu aTzor aTzur atzurah bə·hê·‘ā·ṣêr bəhê‘āṣêr beheaTzer eeTzor la‘·ṣōr la‘ṣōr laTzor na‘·ṣə·rāh- na‘·ṣōr na‘ṣərāh- na‘ṣōr natzerah naTzor ne‘·ṣār ne‘ĕṣārāh ne‘ṣār ne·‘ĕ·ṣā·rāh neeTzarah neTzar ta‘·ṣə·rê·nî ṯa‘·ṣōr ta‘ăṣār- ta‘ṣərênî ṯa‘ṣōr ta·‘ă·ṣār- taatzor tatzeReni taTzor vaiyaatzRehu vatteaTzar vaTzor veaTzar veaTzarti veaTzur veteaTzar wa‘·ṣōr wa‘ṣōr wat·tê·‘ā·ṣar wattê‘āṣar way·ya·‘aṣ·rê·hū wayya‘aṣrêhū wə‘āṣar wə‘āṣartî wə‘āṣūr wə·‘ā·ṣar wə·‘ā·ṣar·tî wə·‘ā·ṣūr wə·ṯê·‘ā·ṣar wəṯê‘āṣar ya‘·ṣōr ya‘ăṣār- ya‘aṣārəḵāh ya‘ṣōr ya·‘a·ṣā·rə·ḵāh ya·‘ă·ṣār- yaatzareChah yaatzor yaTzor
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