Lexical Summary
tsiyr: Messenger, envoy, hinge, pain, pang
Original Word:צִיר
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:tsiyr
Pronunciation:tseer
Phonetic Spelling:(tseer)
KJV: ambassador, hinge, messenger, pain, pang, sorrow
Word Origin:[fromH6696 (צּוּר - To bind)]
1. a hinge (as pressed in turning)
2. also a throe (as a phys. or mental pressure)
3. also a herald or errand-doer (as constrained by the principal)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
ambassador, hinge, messenger, pain, pang, sorrow
Fromtsuwr; a hinge (as pressed in turning); also a throe (as a phys. Or mental pressure); also a herald or errand-doer (as constrained by the principal) -- ambassador, hinge, messenger, pain, pang, sorrow. Comparetsiyr.
see HEBREWtsuwr
see HEBREWtsiyr
Brown-Driver-Briggs
II.
Proverbs 25:13 ; — absolute
Jeremiah 49:14 +, construct
Proverbs 13:17; plural
Isaiah 18:2; suffix
Isaiah 57:9; —
envoy, from Cush
Isaiah 18:2, from apostate Israel
Isaiah 57:9; —
envoy from Cush
Isaiah 18:2, from apostate Israel
Isaiah 57:9; from
Jeremiah 49:14 = Obadiah;
messenger in General
Proverbs 13:17,
Proverbs 25:13. — I. see IV. .
II. (√ of following; ?turn, revolve; Late Hebrewpivot (of door),hinge so Arabic
(compare
, Dozyi. 712 b); compare Arabic
(mediala) =turn orincline one's face or neck, or a bough, etc. Lane1744.; perhaps Assyrianƒirru; Aramaic ,
).
III. [] (of door), ; — suffixProverbs 26:14 (in "" of sluggard).
IV. [] (properlywrithing); — pluralIsaiah 13:8;Isaiah 21:3; constructIsaiah 21:3; suffixDaniel 1O:16,1 Samuel 4:19; —pangs of childbirth1 Samuel 4:19, so (simile)Isaiah 21:3; and, of terror,Isaiah 13:8 ( + ),Isaiah 21:3; in General, of physical effects of mental distressDaniel 10:16.
, see III. .
Topical Lexicon
Overview and Semantic Rangeצִיר threads together three seemingly unrelated pictures—an envoy who bears a message, a hinge that enables movement, and the wrenching pangs of childbirth. Scripture employs the word’s spectrum to illustrate communication, transition, and intense upheaval. Across twelve canonical appearances, the term heightens narratives of judgment and deliverance, underscores the moral character of those who carry news, and offers vivid analogies for spiritual realities.
Catalogue of Biblical Occurrences
1. Labor Pains:1 Samuel 4:19;Isaiah 13:8;Isaiah 21:3 (twice);Daniel 10:16
2. Messenger/Envoy:Proverbs 13:17;Proverbs 25:13;Isaiah 18:2;Isaiah 57:9;Jeremiah 49:14;Obadiah 1:1
3. Hinge:Proverbs 26:14
The Faithful and Unfaithful Messenger
“An unreliable messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing.” (Proverbs 13:17)
“Like the cold of snow in time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.” (Proverbs 25:13)
In wisdom literature ויבנה צִיר depicts character. The righteous envoy communicates truth uncorrupted; the wicked envoy introduces ruin. This contrast foreshadows the Church’s call to be “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20), transmitting the gospel without alteration. Prophetic texts deepen the theme.Isaiah 57:9 rebukes Judah for sending costly emissaries to foreign powers, a parable of misplaced trust.Jeremiah 49:14 andObadiah 1:1 describe God-commissioned envoys summoning the nations against Edom, proving that all political movements ultimately serve divine purpose.
Pangs of Sudden Judgment
“Therefore all hands will fall limp, every man’s heart will melt, terror and agony will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor.” (Isaiah 13:7-8)
Pain imagery conveys inescapable, accelerating crisis. Hannah’s daughter-in-law in1 Samuel 4:19 goes into labor as news of the ark’s capture arrives, dramatizing Israel’s spiritual barrenness.Daniel 10:16 uses the same noun for the prophet’s internal anguish when confronted by heavenly glory. New Testament writers adopt identical labor-pain language for the Day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:3), confirming a canonical pattern: divine intervention arrives as quickly and irresistibly as birth contractions.
The Everyday Hinge
“As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.” (Proverbs 26:14)
Here צִיר becomes a domestic hinge, mocking habitual indolence. A hinge allows motion while remaining fixed; the lazy person exhibits constant motion (rolling over) without progress. For disciples, the proverb urges disciplined diligence, lest spiritual life reduce to inert repetition.
Prophetic and Eschatological Resonance
Isaiah 18:2 pictures swift papyrus boats carrying messengers to a distant nation—an anticipation of global proclamation. When judgment announcements in Jeremiah and Obadiah ride on the lips of divinely sent envoys, they preview the final trumpet calls of Revelation. Meanwhile, the labor-pain motif in Isaiah and Daniel prefigures tribulation preceding the kingdom’s birth.
Christological Echoes
Jesus embodies the righteous צִיר: “I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it.” (John 12:49)
At Calvary the hinge image finds ultimate expression; the cross becomes the pivot of history, swinging open access to God (Hebrews 10:19-20). Labor pains reach their decisive moment in Christ’s resurrection, the “firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18), guaranteeing new creation.
Pastoral and Ministry Applications
• Guard the purity of every message delivered in Christ’s name; credibility magnifies or diminishes the gospel.
• Expect seasons of intense travail—personally and corporately—that precede breakthroughs. Perseverance in prayer mirrors birth pangs bringing forth life.
• Examine daily habits: are they revolving aimlessly like a hinge, or propelling kingdom advance?
• Recognize God-sent envoys in global events and measure responses by Scripture rather than fear or politics.
Conclusion
צִיר offers a compact theology of movement: messages in transit, doors in motion, and nations in convulsive change. Whether encouraging faithfulness, warning of judgment, or illustrating redemption, every occurrence serves the unified testimony of Scripture to God’s sovereign communication and transforming power.
Forms and Transliterations
וְצִ֖יר וְצִיר֙ וציר כְּצִירֵ֖י כצירי צִ֣יר צִירִ֗ים צִירִ֣ים צִירִ֤ים צִירַי֙ צִירָ֑הּ צִרֶֽיהָ׃ צִרַ֙יִךְ֙ ציר צירה צירי צירים צריה׃ צריך kə·ṣî·rê kəṣîrê ketziRei ṣî·rāh ṣî·ray ṣi·rayḵ ṣi·re·hā ṣî·rîm ṣîr ṣîrāh ṣîray ṣirayḵ ṣirehā ṣîrîm tzir tziRah tziRai tziRaich tziReiha tziRim veTzir wə·ṣîr wəṣîr
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