עִיר
Ir
BDB lists 2 entries for ‘Ir’ fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Proper
- A name of a specific person, place, or people (e.g. Abraham, Zion, Israel).
Every verse where H5893 appears — 1 distinct verse across 1 book. 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.
1 Chronicles 1 verse
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.
At its core, עיר (ʻÎyr) means “Ir.” It occurs a mere 1 verse across Scripture. Its uses cluster heavily in 1 Chronicles (100% of all occurrences). It occurs only once, in 1 Chronicles 7:12. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H5893 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 →
- 1
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 1 distinct verse.
- 1 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 1 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #6,101
- by frequency
- Rank #6,101 (rank 6,101 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 1 occurrence in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- 1 Chronicles 1 verse 100%
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 1 distinct verse.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 1 verse · 100%
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†: Ir 1×
- American Standard Version†: Ir 1×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Ir 1×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Ir 1×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H5893 across 1† tagged occurrence — most commonly:
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H5893 across 1† tagged occurrence — most commonly:
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H5893 across 1† tagged occurrence — most commonly:
Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H5893 across 1† tagged occurrence — most commonly:
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.
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 עיר (ʻîyr) (H5892) — city.
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.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H5893, 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
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
- 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 10 — not the complete family. 8 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Bible dictionary
Public-domain dictionary articles matched to this entry by name (Ir). A biblical name can be shared by more than one person or place, so an article may treat several.
Smith's Bible Dictionary · William Smith, 1863
(city). (1 Chronicles 7:12) [Iri]
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary · Roswell D. Hitchcock, 1869
watchman; city; vision
Classic public-domain reference works; full attribution on Sources.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 1 verse that also exists in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 1 Hebrew verse 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
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.
