עִיר
city
‘city’ is one of 2 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Construct-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
- Proper
- A name of a specific person, place, or people (e.g. Abraham, Zion, Israel).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Every verse where H5892 appears in the Book of 2 Chronicles — 74 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
2 Chronicles
- 2 Chronicles 1:14 בְּ/עָרֵ֣י prep + n c fp cs Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen: and he had one thousand four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he placed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 5:2 מֵ/עִ֥יר prep + n c fs cs Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers' [houses] of the children of Israel, to Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh out of the city of David, which is Zion.
- 2 Chronicles 6:5 בְ/עִ֗יר prep + n c fs Since the day that I brought forth my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be prince over my people Israel:
- 2 Chronicles 6:34 הָ/עִ֤יר ptcl def.art + n c fs If your people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to you toward this city which you have chosen, and the house which I have built for your name;
- 2 Chronicles 6:38 וְ/הָ/עִיר֙ conj + ptcl def.art + n c fs if they return to you with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have carried them captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, and the city which you have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for your name:
- 2 Chronicles 8:2 וְ/הֶ/עָרִ֗ים conj + ptcl def.art + n c fp that the cities which Huram had given to Solomon, Solomon built them, and caused the children of Israel to dwell there.
- 2 Chronicles 8:4 עָרֵ֣י n c fp cs He built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store-cities, which he built in Hamath.
- 2 Chronicles 8:5 עָרֵ֣י n c fp cs Also he built Beth Horon the upper, and Beth Horon the lower, fortified cities, with walls, gates, and bars;
- 2 Chronicles 8:6 עָרֵ֤י עָרֵ֣י עָרֵ֣י n c fp cs n c fp cs n c fp cs and Baalath, and all the store-cities that Solomon had, and all the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
- 2 Chronicles 8:11 מֵ/עִ֣יר prep + n c fs cs Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David to the house that he had built for her; for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, whereunto the ark of Yahweh has come.
- 2 Chronicles 9:25 בְּ/עָרֵ֣י prep + n c fp cs Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 9:31 בְּ/עִ֖יר prep + n c fs cs Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 10:17 בְּ/עָרֵ֣י prep + n c fp cs But as for the children of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
- 2 Chronicles 11:5 עָרִ֛ים n c fp Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.
- 2 Chronicles 11:10 עָרֵ֖י n c fp cs and Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin, fortified cities.
- 2 Chronicles 11:12 עִ֤יר וָ/עִיר֙ n c fs conj + n c fs In every city [he put] shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong. Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.
- 2 Chronicles 11:23 עָרֵ֣י n c fp cs He dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city: and he gave them food in abundance. He sought [for them] many wives.
- 2 Chronicles 12:4 עָרֵ֥י n c fp cs He took the fortified cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 12:13 הָ֠/עִיר ptcl def.art + n c fs So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Yahweh had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there: and his mother's name was Naamah the Ammonitess.
- 2 Chronicles 12:16 בְּ/עִ֣יר prep + n c fs cs Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 13:19 עָרִ֔ים n c fp Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with the towns of it, and Jeshanah with the towns of it, and Ephron with the towns of it.
- 2 Chronicles 14:1 בְּ/עִ֣יר prep + n c fs cs So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet ten years.
- 2 Chronicles 14:5 עָרֵ֣י n c fp cs Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the sun-images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.
- 2 Chronicles 14:6 עָרֵ֥י n c fp cs He built fortified cities in Judah; for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years, because Yahweh had given him rest.
- 2 Chronicles 14:7 הֶ/עָרִ֣ים ptcl def.art + n c fp For he said to Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars; the land is yet before us, because we have sought Yahweh our God; we have sought him, and he has given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.
- 2 Chronicles 14:14 הֶֽ/עָרִים֙ הֶ֣/עָרִ֔ים ptcl def.art + n c fp ptcl def.art + n c fp They struck all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of Yahweh came on them: and they despoiled all the cities; for there was much spoil in them.
- 2 Chronicles 15:6 וְ/עִ֣יר בְּ/עִ֑יר conj + n c fs prep + n c fs They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God did vex them with all adversity.
- 2 Chronicles 15:8 הֶ֣/עָרִ֔ים ptcl def.art + n c fp When Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill-country of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of Yahweh, that was before the porch of Yahweh.
- 2 Chronicles 16:4 עָרֵ֣י עָרֵ֥י n c fp cs n c fp cs Ben Hadad listened to king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they struck Ijon, and Dan, and Abel Maim, and all the store-cities of Naphtali.
- 2 Chronicles 16:14 בְּ/עִ֣יר prep + n c fs cs They buried him in his own tombs, which he had hewn out for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odors and various kinds [of spices] prepared by the perfumers' are: and they made a very great burning for him.
- 2 Chronicles 17:2 עָרֵ֥י וּ/בְ/עָרֵ֣י n c fp cs conj + prep + n c fp cs He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had taken.
- 2 Chronicles 17:7 בְּ/עָרֵ֥י prep + n c fp cs Also in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, even Ben Hail, and Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah;
- 2 Chronicles 17:9 עָרֵ֣י n c fp cs They taught in Judah, having the book of the law of Yahweh with them; and they went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught among the people.
- 2 Chronicles 17:12 וְ/עָרֵ֥י conj + n c fp cs Jehoshaphat grew great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles and cities of store.
- 2 Chronicles 17:13 בְּ/עָרֵ֣י prep + n c fp cs He had many works in the cities of Judah; and men of war, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 17:19 בְּ/עָרֵ֥י prep + n c fp cs These were those who waited on the king, besides those whom the king put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.
- 2 Chronicles 18:25 הָ/עִ֑יר ptcl def.art + n c fs The king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;
- 2 Chronicles 19:5 עָרֵ֧י לְ/עִ֥יר וָ/עִֽיר n c fp cs prep + n c fs conj + n c fs He set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
- 2 Chronicles 19:10 בְּ/עָרֵי/הֶ֗ם prep + n c fp cs + sfx pers 3mp Whenever any controversy shall come to you from your brothers who dwell in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and ordinances, you shall warn them, that they not be guilty towards Yahweh, and so wrath come on you and on your brothers: this do, and you shall not be guilty.
- 2 Chronicles 20:4 עָרֵ֣י n c fp cs Judah gathered themselves together, to seek [help] of Yahweh: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek Yahweh.
- 2 Chronicles 21:1 בְּ/עִ֣יר prep + n c fs cs Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 21:3 עָרֵ֥י n c fp cs Their father gave them great gifts, of silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with fortified cities in Judah: but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.
- 2 Chronicles 21:20 בְּ/עִ֣יר prep + n c fs cs Thirty-two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years: and he departed without being desired; and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
- 2 Chronicles 23:2 עָרֵ֣י n c fp cs They went about in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the heads of fathers' [houses] of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.
- 2 Chronicles 23:21 וְ/הָ/עִ֣יר conj + ptcl def.art + n c fs So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. Athaliah they had slain with the sword.
- 2 Chronicles 24:5 לְ/עָרֵ֪י prep + n c fp cs He gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year; and see that you hasten the matter. However the Levites didn't hurry.
- 2 Chronicles 24:16 בְ/עִיר prep + n c fs cs They buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house.
- 2 Chronicles 24:25 בְּ/עִ֣יר prep + n c fs cs When they were departed for him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed, and he died; and they buried him in the city of David, but they didn't bury him in the tombs of the kings.
- 2 Chronicles 25:13 בְּ/עָרֵ֣י prep + n c fp cs But the men of the army whom Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell on the cities of Judah, from Samaria even to Beth Horon, and struck of them three thousand, and took much spoil.
- 2 Chronicles 25:28 בְּ/עִ֥יר prep + n c fs cs They brought him on horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.
- 2 Chronicles 26:6 עָרִ֔ים n c fp He went forth and warred against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in [the country of] Ashdod, and among the Philistines.
- 2 Chronicles 27:4 וְ/עָרִ֥ים conj + n c fp Moreover he built cities in the hill-country of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers.
- 2 Chronicles 27:9 בְּ/עִ֣יר prep + n c fs cs Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 28:15 עִיר n c fs cs The men who have been mentioned by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all who were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers: then they returned to Samaria.
- 2 Chronicles 28:18 בְּ/עָרֵ֨י prep + n c fp cs The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland, and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Soco with the towns of it, and Timnah with the towns of it, Gimzo also and the towns of it: and they lived there.
- 2 Chronicles 28:25 עִ֨יר וָ/עִ֤יר n c fs conj + n c fs In every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger Yahweh, the God of his fathers.
- 2 Chronicles 28:27 בָ/עִיר֙ prep det + n c fs Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem; for they didn't bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 29:20 הָ/עִ֑יר ptcl def.art + n c fs Then Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the city, and went up to the house of Yahweh.
- 2 Chronicles 30:10 מֵ/עִ֧יר לָ/עִ֛יר prep + n c fs prep det + n c fs So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even to Zebulun: but they ridiculed them, and mocked them.
- 2 Chronicles 31:1 לְ/עָרֵ֣י לְ/עָרֵי/הֶֽם prep + n c fp cs prep + n c fp cs + sfx pers 3mp Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, and broke in pieces the pillars, and hewed down the Asherim, and broke down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities.
- 2 Chronicles 31:6 בְּ/עָרֵ֣י prep + n c fp cs The children of Israel and Judah, who lived in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of dedicated things which were consecrated to Yahweh their God, and laid them by heaps.
- 2 Chronicles 31:15 בְּ/עָרֵ֥י prep + n c fp cs Under him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their office of trust, to give to their brothers by divisions, as well to the great as to the small:
- 2 Chronicles 31:19 עָרֵי/הֶם֙ עִ֣יר וָ/עִ֔יר n c fp cs + sfx pers 3mp n c fs conj + n c fs Also for the sons of Aaron the priests, who were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every city, there were men who were mentioned by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all who were reckoned by genealogy among the Levites.
- 2 Chronicles 32:1 הֶ/עָרִ֣ים ptcl def.art + n c fp After these things, and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fortified cities, and thought to win them for himself.
- 2 Chronicles 32:3 לָ/עִ֑יר prep det + n c fs he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the springs which were outside of the city; and they helped him.
- 2 Chronicles 32:5 עִ֣יר n c fs cs He took courage, and built up all the wall that was broken down, and raised [it] up to the towers, and the other wall outside, and strengthened Millo [in] the city of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance.
- 2 Chronicles 32:6 הָ/עִ֔יר ptcl def.art + n c fs He set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the broad place at the gate of the city, and spoke comfortably to them, saying,
- 2 Chronicles 32:18 הָ/עִֽיר ptcl def.art + n c fs They cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city.
- 2 Chronicles 32:29 וְ/עָרִים֙ conj + n c fp Moreover he provided him cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him very much substance.
- 2 Chronicles 32:30 לְ/עִ֣יר prep + n c fs cs This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper spring of the waters of Gihon, and brought them straight down on the west side of the city of David. Hezekiah prospered in all his works.
- 2 Chronicles 33:14 לְ/עִיר הֶ/עָרִ֥ים prep + n c fs cs ptcl def.art + n c fp Now after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance at the fish gate; and he compassed Ophel about [with it], and raised it up to a very great height: and he put valiant captains in all the fortified cities of Judah.
- 2 Chronicles 33:15 לָ/עִֽיר prep det + n c fs He took away the foreign gods, and the idol out of the house of Yahweh, and all the altars that he had built in the mountain of the house of Yahweh, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.
- 2 Chronicles 34:6 וּ/בְ/עָרֵ֨י conj + prep + n c fp cs [So did he] in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even to Naphtali, in their ruins round about.
- 2 Chronicles 34:8 הָ/עִ֗יר ptcl def.art + n c fs Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of Yahweh his God.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
The Hebrew noun עיר centers on the idea of “city.” Its earliest occurrence is Genesis 4:17. It turns up in 936 verses across 37 books, one of the most common footprint. The lexicon spreads it across several senses; see its full sense range. It shares a root with עור, עיר and עיר. For the data behind this summary, explore the sense tree and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H5892 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 936
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 936 distinct verses.
- 37 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 37 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #35
- by frequency
- Top 50 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 35 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 936 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Joshua 128 verses 14%
- Jeremiah 118 verses 13%
- 2 Chronicles 74 verses 8%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 936 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 602 verses · 64%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 191 verses · 20%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 143 verses · 15%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 4 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: City 554×, Cities 316×, All the cities 34×
- American Standard Version†: City 504×, Cities 294×, All the cities 32×
- Berean Standard Bible†: City 567×, Cities 332×, Towns 20×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: City 486×, Cities 246×, Cities of 115×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H5892 across 1,081† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 100 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 8 further occurrences.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H5892 across 1,079† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 157 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H5892 across 1,034† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 56 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 58 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H5892 across 1,092† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 48 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
12 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 12 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
עיר I [m.] agitation
עיר II
- 1. city, town, abode of men Gn 4:17 (J) and often; גְּדֹלָה 10:12 (J), +, or קְטַנָּה Ec 9:14 (cf. Gn 19:20); especially e.g. Genesis 4:17
- a. fortified: עָרִים בְּצֻרוֹת 2 S 20:6 +, etc., v. בָּצַר, מִבְצָר; עִיר מִבְצַר־צֹר Jos 19:29 (P) fortified city (of) Tyre, ע׳ מָצוֹר ψ 31:22 +, etc., v. מָצוֹר, מְצוּרָה sub צוּר (Mi 7:12 v. מָצוֹר p. 596 a); ע׳ עָז־לָנוּ Is 26:1, עָרֵי מָעוּזּוֹ 17:9; ע׳ דְּלָתַים וּבְרִיחַ 1 S 23:7; ע׳ חוֹמָה Lv 25:29, cf. v 30 (P), 1 K 4:13; on Ho 10:14 v. i. עַם 2 b (1 S 9:14 read הַשַּׁעַר 𝔊 We Dr al.). e.g. 2 Samuel 20:6
- b. opp. כֹּפֶר הַפְּרָוִי 1 S 6:18, עָרֵי הַפּ׳ Dt 3:5, ע׳ הַפְּרָזוֹת Est 9:19; disting. from dependencies חֲצֵרִים Jos 13:23 + often P e.g. 1 Samuel 6:18
- c. עָרֶיהָ are dependent towns Jos 13:17 (P), Je 19:15. e.g. Joshua 13:17
- d. עָרֵי הַמַּמְלָכָה Jos 10:2 (JE) royal cities (i.e. with a king, cf. Tel Am. al šarri;), so sg. 1 S 27:5, opp. עָרֵי הַשָּׂדֶה v 5 rural towns; ע׳ הַמְּלוּכָה 2 S 12:26 (but read ע׳ הַמַּיִם We Bu Kit Löhr HPS, v. 2 infr.). e.g. Joshua 10:2
- e. עָרֵי מִסְכְּנוֹת Ex 1:11 storage-cities, so 1 K 9:19 = 2 Ch 8:6; 2 Ch 8:4; 17:12; for מ׳ ע׳ נַפְתָּלִי 16:4 read prob. כִּנְרוֹת עַל־וגו׳ (as 1 K 15:20; Be Kit Buhl); cf. ע׳ הָרֶכֶב 1 K 9:19; 10:26 = 2 Ch 8:6; 9:25; 2 Ch 1:14; ע׳ הַפָּרָשִׁים 1 K 9:19 = 2 Ch 8:6. e.g. Exodus 1:11
- f. ע׳ (הַ)מִקְלָט (P) asylum-cities Nu 35:11, 13, 14; Jos 20:2, cf. Nu 35:25, 26, 27, 28, 32, ע׳ לְמִקְלָט v 12; ע׳ מִקְלַט הָרֹצֵחַ Jos 21:13 + 4 times 21. e.g. Numbers 35:11
- g. ע׳ (הָ)אֱלֹהִים = Jerus.: ψ 46:5; 87:3, cf. 48:2, 9; ע׳ י׳ Is 60:14 ψ 101:8; ע׳ י׳ צְבָאוֹת 48:9. e.g. Psalms 46:5
- h. city = inhabitants 1 S 4:13; 5:12; Is 22:2 Ru 1:19, so 2 S 20:22 (reading הָעִיר for MT הָעָם) 𝔊 We Dr al. (cf. also foll.). e.g. 1 Samuel 4:13
- i. combinations are: ע׳ רֹכְלִים Ez 17:4 city of merchants; ע׳ מוֹשָׁב ψ 107:4, 7, 36 city for dwelling; especially of character or condition: †ע׳ הַצֶּדֶק Is 1:26, †ע׳ הָאֱמֶת Zc 8:3; †ע׳ הַקֹּדֶשׁ Is 48:2; 52:1 Ne 11:1, 18, cf. Dn 9:24, all of Jerus.; עָרֵי קָדְשֶׁ֑ךָ Je 5:17 of Judaean cities; of foreign cities, ע׳ תְּהִלָּה Je 49:25, הַהֻלָּלָה הָע׳ Ez 26:17, הָע׳ הָעַלִּיזָה Zp 2:15; of Jerus. also הָע׳ הַיּוֹנָה Zp 3:1 oppressive city, ע׳ (הַ)דָּמִים bloody city Ez 22:2; 24:6, 9 and (of Nineveh) Na 3:1. e.g. Ezekiel 17:4
- 2. of fortress in a city especially עִיר דָּוִד 2 S 5:7, 9; 6:10 + often (v. דָּוִד); ע׳ בֵּית הַבָּ֑עַל 2 K 10:25 (crpt.; Klo proposes דְּבִיר for ע׳, cf. Kmp Benz Kit); ע׳ הַמַּיִם 2 S 12:27 (so read also v 26, see 1 d). e.g. 2 Samuel 5:7
- 3. appar. fortified place, of any size, בְּכָל־עָרֵיהֶם מִמִּגְדַּל נוֹצְרִים עַד־ עִיר מִבְצָר 2 K 17:9 = 18:8; cf. Nu 13:9 (P; but on comp. of ver. see Di); perhaps also ע׳ עֲמָלֵק 1 S 15:5 (HPS).—Ho 7:4 v. I. עור Hiph. e.g. 2 Kings 17:9
עיר III m. in בְּנֵי ע׳ 1 Ch 7
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. n.[m.] agitation;—of terror, ע׳ וּבֶהָלוֹת Je 15:8; of rage (si vera l.), לֹא אָבוֹא בְּעִיר Ho 11:9, but St proposes לְבָעֵר cf. We Oort Now GASm.—בָּעִיר ψ 73:20 v. עור Hiph.—ii, iii. עִיר v. p. 746 infr.
III. n.f. Gn 10:12 (AlbrechtZAW xvi. 49 f.) city, town (√ unkn.; NH id.;? Ph. ער Lzb345; Sab. ער fortified height (cf. 3) PräZMG xxvi (1872), 437, ערן, עהרן city CISiv. pp. 94, 95, 173);—ע׳ abs. Gn 4:17 +, cstr. 24:10 +; הָעִ֫ירָה 1 K 14:12 + 7 times; sf. עִירִי 2 S 19:38 + 2 times, etc.; pl. עָרִים Is 6:11 +, עֲיָרִים Ju 10:4 (textual error, or word-play, cf. GFM); cstr. עָרֵי Gn 19:29 +; sf. עָרַי Zc 1:17, עָרֵיכֶם Is 1:7 +, etc.;—
IV. n.pr.m. in בְּנֵי ע׳ 1 Ch 7:12, text dub., v. Be Kau.
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from עור (ʻûwr) (H5782) — to awake.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
עֲיָירוֹת
- , pl. of עִיר.
*עַיִר
- (= h. עַיִר; v. עוּר; cmp. נַעַר) foal. Targ. Zech. IX, 9.—Pl. עַיְרִין. Targ. Jud. X, 4; v. עִיל.
עִיר I
- (עוּר) guardian, angel. Midr. Till. to Ps. CXVIII, 8 ולא ירד עמו לא ע׳ ולא שרף וכ׳ ed. Bub. (oth. ed. לא ע׳ ולא קדיש, borrowed from Dan. IV, 10) nor went down with him (Abraham) a guardian, or Seraph, or angel. Ib. to Ps. 1 (play on עיר, Gen. XI, 4) ואין ע׳ אלא אלוה ʿir means a deity (ref. to Dan. l. c.).—Pl. עִירִין. Pes. 33ᵃ (quot. fr. Dan. IV, 14) בגזירת ע׳ וכ׳ by the decree of the guardians (scholars) the word (is established) &c., i.e. they have so decided at college.—[עִיר awake, v. עוּר ch.] e.g. Daniel 4:10
עִיר II
- [watch-tower, fort,] town, city. B. Kam. 80ᵇ הלוקח ע׳ בארץ וכ׳ he who buys a township in Palestine, is bound by law to buy also the accesses to it on four sides. Snh. 17ᵇ כל ע׳ שאין בה עשרה וכ׳ in a town in which there are not the following ten things (institutions), a scholar is not permitted to live. Snh. I, 6 וכמה יהא בע׳ וכ׳ and how large must the population of a town be, to be fit as a seat for a Sanhedrin? Yoma 20ᵇ הָעִ׳ (Ms. M. רומי) the City of Rome; Pes. 119ᵃ בָּעִ׳ (Ms. M. ברומי) in Rome; a. v. fr.—Pl. עָרִים, עֲיָירוֹת. Tosef. Macc. III (II), 1; Macc. 9ᵇ שלש ע׳ הבדיל וכ׳ Moses set apart three towns (of refuge). Ib. II, 4, a. fr. עָרֵי מקלט, v. מִקְלָט. Meg. I, 1, sq.; a. fr.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 276 distinct written forms H5892 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 216 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H5892, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
- עירא ʻÎyrâʼ H5896 Ira
- ער ʻÊr H6147 Er
- ערי ʻÊrîy H6179 Eri
- ערן ʻÊrân H6197 Eran
- עיר ʻÎyr H5893 Ir
- עיר המלח ʻÎyr ham-Melach H5898 Ir-hammelech
- עיר התמרים ʻÎyr hat-Tᵉmârîym H5899 the city of palmtrees
- עירו ʻÎyrûw H5900 Iru
- עירי ʻÎyrîy H5901 Iri
- עירם ʻÎyrâm H5902 Iram
- עיר נחש ʻÎyr Nâchâsh H5904 Ir-nahash
- עיר שמש ʻÎyr Shemesh H5905 Ir-shemesh
- ער ʻÂr H6144 Ar
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 18 — not the complete family. 13 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 879 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 936 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 4:17
- Exodus 1:11
- Leviticus 14:40
- Numbers 13:19
- Deuteronomy 1:22
- Joshua 3:16
- Judges 1:8
- Ruth 1:19
- 1 Samuel 1:3
- 2 Samuel 2:1
- 1 Kings 2:10
- 2 Kings 2:19
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.