Topical Encyclopedia
Definition and Meaning:Shur is a region mentioned in the Bible, primarily in the Old Testament, known for its desert landscape. The name "Shur" is often associated with a wall or enclosure, which is fitting given its geographical characteristics as a boundary area.
Biblical References:Shur is frequently mentioned in the context of the wilderness or desert areas that lie to the east of Egypt and to the south of Canaan. It serves as a significant geographical marker in several biblical narratives.
1.
Hagar's Flight: The first mention of Shur is in the account of Hagar, the Egyptian maidservant of Sarah, who fled from her mistress. The Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness on the way to Shur. This encounter is recorded in
Genesis 16:7: "Now the Angel of the LORD found Hagar by a spring of water in the desert—the spring along the road to Shur."
2.
Abraham's Sojourn: After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham journeyed toward the Negev and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur.
Genesis 20:1 states, "Now Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar."
3.
The Exodus Route: The Israelites, after crossing the Red Sea, entered the Wilderness of Shur. This is documented in
Exodus 15:22: "Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. For three days they walked in the desert without finding water."
4.
Saul's Campaign: King Saul's military campaigns extended to the region of Shur. In
1 Samuel 15:7, it is recorded: "Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt."
Geographical Significance:Shur is generally identified with the northwestern part of the Sinai Peninsula, serving as a natural boundary between Egypt and the lands to the northeast. Its desert terrain made it a challenging area for travel and habitation, often symbolizing desolation and testing.
Theological Implications:The wilderness of Shur represents a place of trial and divine encounter. For Hagar, it was a place of distress but also of divine revelation and promise. For the Israelites, it was a place of testing and reliance on God's provision. The region's harsh conditions underscore themes of faith, obedience, and God's guidance through difficult circumstances.
Historical Context:In the ancient Near East, Shur was strategically significant due to its location along trade routes and as a buffer zone between powerful nations like Egypt and the emerging Israelite nation. Its mention in various biblical narratives highlights its role as a backdrop for God's interactions with His people.
Cultural Context:The desert of Shur, like other wilderness areas in the Bible, is often depicted as a place of solitude and reflection, where individuals encounter God away from the distractions of settled life. It serves as a metaphor for spiritual journeys and the challenges faced by believers in their walk with God.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Shurwall; ox; that beholds
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Shur(a wall), a place just without the eastern border of Egypt. Shur is first mentioned in the narrative of Haggar's flight from Sarah. (Genesis 16:7) Abraham afterward "dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar." (Genesis 20:1) It is also called Ethami. The wilderness of Shur was entered in the Israelites after they had crossed the Red Sea. (Exodus 15:22,23) It was also called the wilderness of Etham. (Numbers 33:8) Shur may have been a territory town east of the ancient head of the Red Sea; and from its being spoken of as a limit, it was probably the last Arabian town before entering Egypt.
ATS Bible Dictionary
ShurA city on the northeast border of Egypt, not far from the modern Suez,Genesis 16:7; 20:1; 25:18;1 Samuel 15:7; 27:8. It gave its name to the desert between it and Canaan, towards the Mediterranean,Exodus 15:22.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
An enclosure; a wall, a part, probably, of the Arabian desert, on the north-eastern border of Egypt, giving its name to a wilderness extending from Egypt toward Philistia (
Genesis 16:7;
20:1;
25:18;
Exodus 15:22). The name was probably given to it from the wall (or shur) which the Egyptians built to defend their frontier on the north-east from the desert tribes. This wall or line of fortifications extended from Pelusium to Heliopolis.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
SHURshur, shoor (shur; Sour): The name of a desert East of the Gulf of Suez. The word means a "wall," and may probably refer to the mountain wall of the Tih plateau as visible from the shore plains. InGenesis 16:7 Hagar at Kadesh (`Ain Qadis) (see 16:14) is said to have been "in the way to Shur." Abraham also lived "between Kadesh and Shur" (Genesis 20:1). The position of Shur is defined (Genesis 25:18) as being "opposite Egypt on the way to Assyria." After crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 15:4) the Hebrews entered the desert of Shur (Exodus 15:22), which extended southward a distance of three days' journey. It is again noticed (1 Samuel 15:7) as being opposite Egypt, and (1 Samuel 27:8) as near Egypt. There is thus no doubt of its situation, on the East of the Red Sea, and of the Bitter Lakes.
Brugsch, however, proposed to regard Shur ("the wall") as equivalent to the Egyptian anbu ("wall"), the name of a fortification of some kind apparently near Kantarah (see MIGDOL (2)), probably barring the entrance to Egypt on the road from Pelusium to Zoan. The extent of this "wall" is unknown, but Brugsch connects it with the wall mentioned by Diodorus Siculus (i.4) who wrote about 8 B.C., and who attributed it to Sesostris (probably Rameses II) who defended "the east side of Egypt against the irruptions of the Syrians and Arabians, by a wall drawn from Pelusium through the deserts as far as to Heliopolis, for a space of 1,500 furlongs." Heliopolis lies 90 miles (not 188) Southwest of Pelusium: this wall, if it existed at all, would have run on the edge of the desert which extends North of Wady Tumeilat from Kantarah to Tell el-Kebir; but this line, on the borders of Goshen, is evidently much too far West to have any connection with the desert of Shur East of the Gulf of Suez. See Budge, Hist. Egypt, 90; Brugsch, Egypt under the Pharaohs, abridged edition, 320.
C. R. Conder
Strong's Hebrew
7793.Shur -- a desert region Southwest of Pal. on E. border of...... 7792, 7793.
Shur. 7794 . a desert region Southwest of Pal. on E. border of
Egypt. Transliteration:
Shur Phonetic Spelling: (shoor) Short Definition:
Shur.
...7790.shur -- perhaps enemy
... 7789, 7790.shur. 7791 . perhaps enemy. Transliteration:shur Phonetic Spelling:
(shoor) Short Definition: foes.... 7789, 7790.shur. 7791 . Strong's Numbers
7792.shur -- a wall
... 7791, 7792.shur. 7793 . a wall. Transliteration:shur Phonetic Spelling:
(shoor) Short Definition: walls.... 7791, 7792.shur. 7793 . Strong's Numbers.
7788.shur -- perhaps to travel, journey
... 7787, 7788.shur. 7789 . perhaps to travel, journey. Transliteration:shur
Phonetic Spelling: (shoor) Short Definition: carriers.... 7787, 7788.shur. 7789...
7789.shur -- to behold, regard
... 7788, 7789.shur. 7790 . to behold, regard. Transliteration:shur Phonetic
Spelling: (shoor) Short Definition: behold.... 7788, 7789.shur. 7790 ....
7791.shur -- a wall
... 7790, 7791.shur. 7792 . a wall. Transliteration:shur Phonetic Spelling:
(shoor) Short Definition: wall.... 7790, 7791.shur. 7792 . Strong's Numbers.
51. Abishur -- "my father is a wall," an Israelite
... Abishur. Word Origin from ab andshur Definition "my father is a wall," an
Isr. NASB Word Usage Abishur (1), Abishur's (1). Abishur....
7796b. shorer -- (treacherous) watcher
... (treacherous) watcher. Transliteration: shorer Short Definition: foes. Word Origin
fromshur Definition (treacherous) watcher NASB Word Usage foes (5)....
8670. teshurah -- perhaps gift, present
... Word Origin fromshur Definition perhaps gift, present NASB Word Usage present
(1). present. From shuwr in the sense of arrival; a gift -- present....
8284. sharah -- a fortification, wall
... a fortification, wall. Transliteration: sharah Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-raw') Short
Definition: wall. Word Origin fem. ofshur, qv. a fortification, wall...
Library
Chapter xx
... 1. And Abraham journeyed from thence to the land of the South Country (Negeb)
and dwelt between Kadesh andShur; he also sojourned in Gerar....
Chapter xvi
... her.". 7. But the Angel of the Lord found her by the spring of water in the
wilderness, by the fountain on the road toShur. A singular...
The General Service to the Venerated and vivifying Cross.
... Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out, into the wilderness of
Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water....
Argument. --Moreover Also, from the Fact that He who was Seen of...
... if, moreover, the angel meets with Hagar, Sarah's maid, driven from her home as
well as turned away, near the fountain of water in the way toShur; asks and...
Caesarea. Strato's Tower.
... When the Asmoneans had snatched away this city out of the hand of the Grecians,
the name of it was changed into "The taking of the towerShur," as the...
Chapter xxv
... 18. They had their dwelling place (in the region) from Havilah untoShur,
which lies east of Egypt in the direction of Assyria....
Marah; Or, the Bitter Waters Sweetened
... Israel was no sooner across the Red Sea than they went three days into the wilderness
ofShur, but found no water; and on the third day, when they did arrive...
Canaan
... They had their home, it is said, in the desert which extended fromShur to
Havilah.Shur was the line of fortification which defended...
Here Followeth the Life of Abraham
... Abraham departed from thence and went southward and dwelled between Kadesh andShur,
and went a pilgrimage to Gerar. He said that his wife was his sister....
The Nations of the South-East
... The larger part of northern Arabia, however, was the home of the Ishmaelites. They
lived, it is said, "from Havilah untoShur," like the Amalekites or Bedawin....
Thesaurus
Shur (6 Occurrences)... The name was probably given to it from the wall (or
shur) which the Egyptians built
to defend their frontier on the north-east from the desert tribes.
...SHUR.
...Abi'shur (1 Occurrence)
Abi'shur. Abishur, Abi'shur. Abishur's . Multi-Version Concordance
Abi'shur (1 Occurrence). 1 Chronicles 2:28 And the...
Abi'shur's (1 Occurrence)
Abi'shur's. Abishur's, Abi'shur's. Abissei . Multi-Version
Concordance Abi'shur's (1 Occurrence). 1 Chronicles 2:29...
Etham (4 Occurrences)
... Perhaps another name for Khetam, or "fortress," on theShur or great wall of Egypt,
which extended from the Mediterranean to the Gulf of Suez....
Bered (2 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Hail. (1.) A town in the south of Palestine
(Genesis 16:14), in the desert ofShur, near Lahai-roi. (2...
Havilah (7 Occurrences)
... (3) Mentioned withShur as one of the limits of the territory of... Genesis 25:18 They
lived from Havilah toShur that is before Egypt, as you go toward Assyria....
Amalekite (12 Occurrences)
... "They dwelt in the land of the south...from Havilah until thou comest toShur"
(Numbers 13:29; 1 Samuel 15:7). They were a pastoral, and hence a nomadic race....
Abishur (2 Occurrences)
... ABISHUR. a-bi'-shur ('abhishur, "my father is a wall"): Great-grandson of
Jerahmeel and Atarah, Jerahmeel being great-grandson of Judah....
Settled (112 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Genesis 20:1 Abraham traveled from there toward the land of the South,
and lived between Kadesh andShur. He lived as a foreigner in Gerar. (See NAS)...
Amal'ekites (24 Occurrences)
... (See RSV). 1 Samuel 15:7 And Saul smote the Amalekites, from Havilah as
thou goest toShur, that is in front of Egypt. (See RSV)....
Resources
Who are the descendants of Ishmael? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the Wilderness of Sin? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the biblical significance of Beer Lahai Roi? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
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