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Isaiah 24:10 — Word Study

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WLCנִשְׁבְּרָ֖ה קִרְיַת־ תֹּ֑הוּ סֻגַּ֥ר כָּל־ בַּ֖יִת מִבּֽוֹא׃

BSAThe cityqiryâh [of vanity, waste, or confusion] of chaostôhûw [emptiness, formlessness] is shatteredshâbar [broken down, burst] everykôl housebayith [dwelling place, family home] is closedçâgar [shut up, barred] to entrybôwʼ [from coming in, that no man may enter]

Word
Listen & take awayIsaiah 24
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 10 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (mi.Bo') — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Isaiah 24:10quick helps
In a sentenceIsaiah describes a city in chaos, now broken and closed off.
Where we areThis verse is part of a prophecy about judgment and desolation.
The hard wordנִשְׁבְּרָ֖ה
Take awayThe city is shattered; no one can enter.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbשָׁבַר The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Isaiah 24:10

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Judgment on the Earthgenerated

9They no longer sing and drink wine; strong drink is bitter to those who consume it.
10The city of chaos is shattered; every house is closed to entry.
11In the streets they cry out for wine. All joy turns to gloom; rejoicing is exiled from the land.
12The city is left in ruins; its gate is reduced to rubble.

Isaiah 24:10 depicts a city that has fallen into chaos and destruction, emphasizing the consequences of sin and rebellion against God. The surrounding verses illustrate a broader picture of desolation, where joy is absent and the land is left in ruins, as seen in Isaiah 24:11 and Isaiah 24:12.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Isaiah 24:12The city is left in ruins; its gate is reduced to rubble.
2Isaiah 25:2Indeed, You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin. The fortress of strangers is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.
3Isaiah 27:10For the fortified city lies deserted— a homestead abandoned, a wilderness forsaken. There the calves graze, and there they lie down; they strip its branches bare.
4Isaiah 32:14For the palace will be forsaken, the busy city abandoned. The hill and the watchtower will become caves forever— the delight of wild donkeys and a pasture for flocks—
5Isaiah 34:13–15Her towers will be overgrown with thorns, her fortresses with thistles and briers. She will become a haunt for jackals, an abode for ostriches.

The Key Word נִשְׁבְּרָ֖ה, nish.be.Rahgenerated

The verb נִשְׁבְּרָ֖ה (nish.be.Rah) is a perfect form in the Niphal stem, indicating a completed action that has happened to the subject, which in this case is the city. It conveys the idea of something being broken or shattered, often with a sense of violence or destruction.

This word is often used in contexts of physical destruction, but it can also imply emotional or spiritual breaking. The use of this verb here highlights the severity of the city's downfall, as it has been utterly ruined.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

In the Berean Standard Bible, the translation reads is shattered, which is consistent with the KJV and ASV.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verb נִשְׁבְּרָ֖ה governs the main clause, indicating the action of the city being broken. The structure of the verse presents a subject followed by a series of actions that describe the state of the city.

The syntax emphasizes the destruction of the city and the closure of houses, with the verbs נִשְׁבְּרָ֖ה and סֻגַּ֥ר working together to illustrate the complete desolation.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates נִשְׁבְּרָ֖ה as ἠρημώθη, meaning 'was made desolate.' This choice indicates a shift from a focus on physical breaking to a broader sense of desolation.

This translation reflects an interpretation that emphasizes the emptiness and abandonment of the city, rather than just its physical destruction.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Isaiah 24:10 describes a city that has been completely shattered and closed off, illustrating the devastation that comes from chaos and sin. This verse is part of a larger prophecy about the judgment and desolation of the land.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does the city of chaos represent?

The city symbolizes a place of disorder and desolation, reflecting the consequences of sin and rebellion against God.

Why is the word 'shattered' significant?

The term emphasizes the complete destruction and violence that has befallen the city, indicating a total breakdown of order.

What does it mean that every house is closed?

This signifies that the city is no longer a place of refuge or safety; it is shut off from entry, highlighting the severity of the situation.

How does this verse connect to the surrounding context?

This verse is part of a prophecy that depicts the overall desolation and loss of joy in the land, as seen in the verses before and after.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways do I see chaos or disorder in the world around me today?
  2. How can I find hope in the midst of destruction and desolation?
  3. What does this verse teach me about the consequences of turning away from God?
  4. How can I apply the lessons from this prophecy to my own life and community?

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Isaiah 24:10 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

The city of confusion is broken down,.... Or "of vanity", as the Vulgate Latin version; or of "emptiness" or "desolation"; the word is "tohu", used in Genesis 1:2 this is to be understood not of

Read John Gill on Isaiah 24 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

Read Robert Jamieson on Isaiah 24 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

The city; Jerusalem, and other cities; for the singular word may be here taken collectively. Of confusion; or, of vanity, or emptiness, or desolation; for this Hebrew word signifies all these things. And the city may be thus called, either, 1. In regard of the judgments of God coming upon it, as if he had said, a city devoted to desolation or destruction, to be emptied of its goods and people; or, 2. For its sin, a city of confusion or disorder, breaking all the laws and orders which God had established among them; or a city that walketh with or after vanity, as the Scripture speaks, , that loveth and speaketh vanity, as they did, 12:2. And this may seem most convenient, that the sin of the…

Read Matthew Poole on Isaiah 24 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Isaiah 24:10 The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.Ver. 10. The city of confusion.] Urbs desolanda, destined to desolation: whether it be Babylon, Tyre, Jerusalem, or any other. Mundum intellige in quo nihil nisi vanum, saith Oecolampadius: that is, by this city of vanity - so the Vulgate translateth it - understand the world; according to that of the preacher, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." Augustine, in the beginning of that excellent work of his, De Civitate Dei, maketh two opposite cities - the one the city of God, the other the city of the devil; the one a city of verity, the other a city of vanity.

Read John Trapp on Isaiah 24 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(10) The city of confusion.—Better, the city of chaos, the tohu of Gen 1:2, “without form and void.” The world should be cast back out of its cosmos into its primeval chaos. The word is a favourite one with Isaiah (Isaiah 34:11; Isaiah 59:4, and nine other passages). Every house is shut up—i.e., to complete the picture, not because its gates are barred, but because its own ruins block up the entrance.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Isaiah 24 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

10–12. Even the “city,” usually the scene of busy and joyous life, shares in the universal sadness. It is difficult to say whether a particular city is meant, or whether the word is used collectively for cities in general. The fulness of the picture gives the impression that the writer has a particular city before his mind, although it stands as a type of many others throughout the world. If this be so, it is most natural to refer the description to Jerusalem, where the prophecy seems to have been written.

Read Cambridge on Isaiah 24 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The city of confusion - That Jerusalem is here intended there can be no doubt.

Read Albert Barnes on Isaiah 24 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

10. City of confusion — “Confusion,” not in respect to social order, but external unplacement: thohu, like that in Genesis 1:2, chaos; every thing in amorphous fragments and impalpable ruins.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Isaiah 24 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

The city of chaos is shattered; every house is closed to entry.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

The confused city is broken down. Every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

The city of chaos is shattered; every house is closed to entry.

NETBNew English Translation2006

The ruined town is shattered; all of the houses are shut up tight.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

The waste city is broken down; every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

RVARevised Version, American1894

The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may enter.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

The citie of vanitie is broken downe: euery house is shut vp, that no man may come in.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

The city of solitude is broken down; every house is shut up, so that none entereth in.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

It was broken down — a city of emptiness, Shut hath been every house from entrance.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

It was broken down—a city of emptiness, || Every house has been shut from [its] entrance.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Broken down is the city of desolation; shut up is every house that none can enter.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

The city of chaos has been broken down; every house is closed up and empty.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

The city of vanity is broken down, every house is shut up, no man cometh in.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

The chaotic city is falling apart; every house is barred shut to keep others out.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

The town is waste and broken down: every house is shut up, so that no man may come in.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseverbנִשְׁבְּרָ֖הit.has.been.brokennoun phrase · subjectקִרְיַת[the].townתֹּ֑הוּof.formlessnessclauseverbסֻגַּ֥רit.has.been.shut.upnoun phrase · subjectכָּלeveryבַּ֖יִתhouseprepositional phrase · prepositionalמִfromclauseverbבּֽוֹאentering

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text reads נִשְׁבְּרָ֖ה קִרְיַת־ תֹּ֑הוּ, while the Septuagint aligns closely with it, translating five of the seven words directly. The Dead Sea Scrolls also support the Masoretic Text with slight variations in spelling but maintain the same meaning.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

נִשְׁבְּרָ֖ה קִרְיַת־ תֹּ֑הוּ סֻגַּ֥ר כָּל־ בַּ֖יִת מִבּֽוֹא׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
נִשְׁבְּרָ֖הἠρημώθηקִרְיַת־πόλιςסֻגַּ֥רκλείσειבַּ֖יִתοἰκίανמִבּֽוֹא׃εἰσελθεῖν

5 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 1Qisaaa copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

נשברה קרית תהו סגר כול בית מבוא

7 words on the leather.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q57a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

נשברה קרית תהו סוגר כול בית מבוא

7 words on the leather.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Isaiah 24:10שָׁבַרit has beenit has been broשָׁבַרקִרְיָה[the] town [the] town ofקִרְיָהתֹּ֫הוּformlessnesformlessnessתֹּ֫הוּסָגַרit has beenit has been shuסָגַרכֹּלeveryeveryכֹּלבֵּיתhousehouseבֵּיתבּוֹאfrom enterifrom enteringבּוֹאבָּנָהto buildto buildבָּנָהקָרָהto meetto meetקָרָהכָּלַלto perfectto perfectכָּלַלשָׂבַרto inspectto inspectשָׂבַרמַצֵּבָהpillarpillarמַצֵּבָהגָּדַעto cut dowto cut down/offגָּדַעעַלִּיזjubilantjubilantעַלִּיזשָׂגַבto exaltto exaltשָׂגַבבֹ֫הוּvoidvoidבֹ֫הוּיָעַלto gainto gainיָעַלדָּלdoordoorדָּלבַּ֫עַדabout/throabout/through/fבַּ֫עַדעֵדָהcongregaticongregationעֵדָהעֲבֹדָהserviceserviceעֲבֹדָהאוֹצָרtreasuretreasureאוֹצָרשֶׁ֫מֶשׁsunsunשֶׁ֫מֶשׁ
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Isaiah 24:10

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

it has been broken [the] town of formlessness it has been shut up every house from entering
נִשְׁבְּרָ֖הnish.be.Rah it has been broken H7665 Verb · Niphal · perfect third person feminine singular
147× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means to break or shatter something, either physically or emotionally. It can also mean to burst or rupture, and is often used to describe intense violence or destruction. In the Bible, it's translated as break or crush.
Amplified meaning
broken down, burst
Tyndale gloss
to break
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שָׁבַר (shabar) means to break or shatter, with various nuances including breaking in pieces, causing to break out (like bringing to birth), and being broken or crushed. It appears in different forms, such as Qal, Niphal, Piel, Hiphil, and Hophal, indicating active and passive meanings. The lexicons do not present any significant disagreements.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׁבַר 148 vb. break, break in pieces

Qal 53 break, lit.

Niph. 57 be broken

Pi. 26 shatter, break

Hiph. cause to break out, i.e. bring to the birth

Hoph. be broken, shattered (in heart)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7665 שָׁבַר break, break in pieces .break, lit.

. be broken

. shatter, break

. cause to break out, i.e. bring to the birth

. be broken, shattered (in heart)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7665 shabar shaw-bar'

a primitive root; to burst (literally or

figuratively):--break (down, off, in pieces, up),

broken((-hearted)), bring to the birth, crush, destroy, hurt,

quench, X quite, tear, view (by mistake for 7663).

see HEBREW for 07663

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁבַר (sha.var) — to break.

1) to break, break in pieces

1a) (Qal)

1a1) break, break in or down, rend violently, wreck, crush, quench

1a2) to break, rupture (fig)

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be broken, be maimed, be crippled, be wrecked

1b2) to be broken, be crushed (fig)

1c) (Piel) to shatter, break

1d) (Hiphil) to cause to break out, bring to the birth

1e) (Hophal) to be broken, be shattered

Aramaic equivalent: te.var (תְּבַר "to break" H8406)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Niphal-Perf-3fs — Verb · Niphal · perfect third person feminine singular
HVNp3fs
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

bro'-k'-n: Occurs both as past participle of the verb translated "to break" and as an adjective, the former use will be dealt with here only so far as verbs occur which are thus translated but do not present the non-participial forms. Such are: meroach = "bruised," "emasculated" (Le 21:20); chathath = "to frustrate," hence, "to break down" either by violence or by confusion and fear (1Sa 2:10; Jer 48:20,39); dakhah = "to collapse" (Ps 44:19; 51:8); ratsats = "to crack in pieces" "crush" (Ec 12:6); kathath = "to bruise or violently strike," "break in pieces" (Isa…

it has been broken [the] town of formlessness it has been shut up every house from entering
קִרְיַת־kir.yat- [the] town of H7151 Noun common · feminine singular construct
29× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to a town or city, a place where people live and work. It is used in the Bible to describe various urban areas.
Amplified meaning
of vanity, waste, or confusion
Tyndale gloss
town
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

קִרְיָה (qiryah) means 'town' or 'city' and is derived from the root associated with building. It covers general, specific, collective, and indefinite uses of the term. The Aramaic equivalent is also קִרְיָה (qir.yah).

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

קִרְיָה n.f. town, city

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7151 קִרְיָה town, city

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7151 qiryah kir-yaw'

from 7136 in the sense of flooring, i.e. building; a

city:--city.

see HEBREW for 07136

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

קִרְיָה (qir.yah) — town.

1) city, town

1a) in general

1b) in specific

1c) collective

1d) indefinite

Aramaic equivalent: qir.yah (קִרְיָה "town" H7149)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular construct
HNcfsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

it has been broken [the] town of formlessness it has been shut up every house from entering
תֹּ֑הוּTo.hu formlessness H8414 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
20× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Tohuw describes a desolate or empty place, like a wilderness or wasteland. It can also mean something is worthless or unreal, like an idol.
Amplified meaning
emptiness, formlessness
Tyndale gloss
formlessness
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

תֹּ֫הוּ (tohu) refers to formlessness, confusion, and emptiness, often conveying a sense of desolation or worthlessness. It can describe both physical emptiness, like wilderness, and abstract concepts such as vanity or unreality. The term is rooted in a meaning related to lying waste, and it appears in contexts discussing chaos or the primeval state of the earth.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

תֹּ֫הוּ n.m. formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness (primary meaning difficult to seize)

formlessness

fig. of what is empty, unreal

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8414 תֹּ֫הוּ formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness (primary meaning difficult to seize) . formlessness

. fig. of what is empty, unreal

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8414 tohuw to'-hoo

from an unused root meaning to lie waste; a desolation (of

surface), i.e. desert; figuratively, a worthless thing;

adverbially, in vain:--confusion, empty place, without form,

nothing, (thing of) nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

תֹּ֫הוּ (to.hu) — formlessness.

1) formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness

1a) formlessness (of primeval earth)

1a1) nothingness, empty space

1b) that which is empty or unreal (of idols) (fig)

1c) wasteland, wilderness (of solitary places)

1d) place of chaos

1e) vanity

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
it has been broken [the] town of formlessness it has been shut up every house from entering
סֻגַּ֥רsu.Gar it has been shut up H5462 Verb · Pual · perfect third person masculine singular
91× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To shut means to close something, like a door or a container. In the Bible, this word is used to describe surrendering or giving something up, like in the book of Ezra where the Israelites shut themselves in to pray.
Amplified meaning
shut up, barred
Tyndale gloss
to shut
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

סָגַר (sagar) means to shut or close, with various applications including shutting doors, closing up breaches, and imprisoning. It can also imply delivering someone up or surrendering. The verb appears in different forms, such as Qal (to shut), Niphal (to be shut up), and Piel (to deliver up). The term is associated with the concept of being tightly sealed or enclosed.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

סָגַר vb. shut, close

Qal

shut door

close in upon

close up breach

Pt. pass., closed up = closely joined with tight seal

elsewhwere only Pt. pass. (gold shut up, and so prized, rare, fine?)

Niph.

subj. pers. be shut up

be shut, closed, of city gates

Pi. deliver up to (leave no other opening for one, shut one up to)

Pu.

of cities

of prisoners

of doors

Hiph.

deliver up to

shut up

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5462 סָגַר shut, close .. shut door

. . close in upon

. close up breach

. Pt. pass., closed up = closely joined with tight seal

. elsewhwere only Pt. pass. (gold shut up, and so prized, rare, fine?)

. . subj. pers. be shut up

. be shut, closed, of city gates

. deliver up to (leave no other opening for one, shut one up to)

. . of cities

. of prisoners

. of doors

. . deliver up to

. shut up

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5462 cagar saw-gar'

a primitive root; to shut up; figuratively, to

surrender:--close up, deliver (up), give over (up), inclose,

X pure, repair, shut (in, self, out, up, up together), stop, X

straitly.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

סָגַר (sa.gar) — to shut.

1) to shut, close

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to shut

1a2) to close, close up

1a3) closed up, closely joined, shut up

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be shut up

1b2) to be shut or closed

1c) (Piel) to shut up, deliver up

1d) (Pual) to be shut up

1e) (Hiphil)

1e1) to deliver up

1e2) to shut up, imprison

2) pure gold

Aramaic equivalent: se.gar (סְגַר "to shut" H5463)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Pual-Perf-3ms — Verb · Pual · perfect third person masculine singular
HVPp3ms
it has been broken [the] town of formlessness it has been shut up every house from entering
כָּל־kol- every H3605 Noun common · masculine singular construct
5,415× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Tyndale gloss
all
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

Absolutely:

without the art., all things, all

with the art. הַכֹּל

where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all

. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3605 kol kole

or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;

hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a

plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any

(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as

many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,

whoso(-ever).

see HEBREW for 03634

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֹּל (kol) — all.

1) all, the whole

1a) all, the whole of

1b) any, each, every, anything

1c) totality, everything

Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
it has been broken [the] town of formlessness it has been shut up every house from entering
בַּ֖יִתBa.yit house H1004 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
2,049× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for house refers to a dwelling place, including a family home, temple, or even the human body. It appears in various contexts, such as the temple in Jerusalem or the household of a family. In the Bible, it is often used to describe a place of worship or a family's living space.
Amplified meaning
dwelling place, family home
Tyndale gloss
place
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word בַּיִת (*bayith*) means 'house' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including dwelling, family, and place. It can refer to physical structures, such as homes and temples, as well as metaphorical uses like the body or household affairs. The word is built from the root related to 'between' and appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בֵּית fem. of בַּיִן, בֵּין prep. between

base

בַּ֫יִת 2034 n.m. house

house

place

receptacle

of house as containing a family

household, family (592 t.)

house, including household affairs

lit. housewards, hence metaph. inwards

מִבַּיִת

adv. on the inside

prep. within

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1004a בֵּית fem. of בַּיִן, בֵּין prep. between H1004b בַּ֫יִת house

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1004 bayith bah'-yith

probably from 1129 abbreviated; a house (in the greatest

variation of applications, especially family, etc.):--court,

daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth of, X great as

would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter)house(-hold),

inside(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet,

temple, web, + within(-out).

see HEBREW for 01129

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בֵּית (bet) — place.

nm

place, origin, between

בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — house: home.

: home/temple/building

nm

1) house

1a) house, dwelling habitation

1b) shelter or abode of animals

1c) human bodies (fig.)

1d) of Sheol

1e) of abode of light and darkness

1f) of land of Ephraim

2) place

3) receptacle

4) home, house as containing a family

5) household, family

5a) those belonging to the same household

5b) family of descendants, descendants as organized body

6) household affairs

7) inwards (metaph.)

8) (TWOT) temple

adv

9) on the inside

prep

10) within

בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — Beth-(ashbea).

nm

This name is used for a house, habitation

Combined with ash.be.a (אַשְׁבֵּעַ "Ashbea" H0791)

בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — Beth (Haggan).

nm

This name is used for a house, habitation

Combined with hag (גַּן "Haggan" H1588)

בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — Beth-(togarmah).

nm

This name is used for a house, habitation

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hous (bayith; oikos, in classical Greek generally "an estate," oikia, oikema (literally, "habitation"), in Ac 12:1, "prison"):

I. CAVE DWELLINGS

II. STONE-BUILT AND MUD/BRICK-BUILT HOUSES

1. Details of Plan and Construction

(1) Corner-Stone

(2) Floor

(3) Gutter

(4) Door

(5) Hinge

(6) Lock and Key

(7) Threshold

(8) Hearth

(9) Window

(10) Roof

2. Houses of More than One Story

(1) Upper Chambers and Stairs

(2) Palaces and Castles

3. Internal Appearance

III. OTHER MEANINGS

LITERATURE

I. Cave Dwellings.

The earliest permanent habitations of the prehistoric inhabitants of Palestine were the natural caves which abound throughout the country. As the people increased and grouped themselves into communities, these abodes were supplemented by systems of artificial caves which, in some cases, developed into extensive burrowings of many adjoining compartments, having…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

House

Till their sojourn in Egypt the Hebrews dwelt in tents. They then for the first time inhabited cities (Gen. 47:3; Ex. 12:7; Heb. 11:9). From the earliest times the Assyrians and the Canaanites were builders of cities. The Hebrews after the Conquest took possession of the captured cities, and seem to have followed the methods of building that had been pursued by the Canaanites. Reference is made to the stone (1 Kings 7:9; Isa. 9:10) and marble (1 Chr. 29:2) used in building, and to the internal wood-work of the houses (

The houses of the rural poor in Egypt, as well as in most parts of Syria, Arabia and Persia, are generally mere huts of mud or sunburnt bricks. In some parts of Palestine and Arabia stone is used, and in certain districts caves in the rocks are used as dwellings. (Amos 5:11) The houses are usually of one story only, viz., the ground floor, and often contain only one apartment. Sometimes a small court for the cattle is attached; and in some cases the cattle are housed in the same building, or the live in a raised platform, and, the cattle round them on the ground. (1 Samuel 28:24) The windows are small apertures high up in the walls, sometimes grated with wood. The roofs are commonly but not always flat, and are usually formed of plaster of mud and straw laid upon boughs or…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Is often put for dwelling, residence; and hence the temple, and even the tabernacle, are called the house of God.

The universal mode of building houses in the East, is in the form of a hollow square, with an open court or yard in the center; which is thus entirely shut in by the walls of the house around it. Into this court all the windows open, there being usually no windows towards the street. Some houses of large size require several courts, and these usually communicate with each other. These courts are commonly paved; and in many large houses parts of them are planted with shrubs and trees, Ps 84:3 128:3; they have also, when possible, a fountain in them, often with a jet d’ eau, 2Sa 17:18. It is customary in many houses to extend an awning over the whole court in hot…

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
it has been broken [the] town of formlessness it has been shut up every house from entering
מִבּֽוֹא׃mi.Bo' from entering H935 Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common
2,573× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This verb means to go or come, and is used in many contexts, such as entering a place or approaching someone, as seen in the book of Genesis. It can also mean to abide or apply, and is translated in various ways in the KJV Bible. This term is related to the name Lebo Hamath.
Amplified meaning
from coming in, that no man may enter
Tyndale gloss
Lebo
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

בּוֹא (bo) is a Hebrew verb meaning to come or go in, with a wide range of applications including entering, arriving, and bringing in. It can refer to both physical movement and abstract concepts like events coming to pass. The verb appears in various forms, such as Qal (to come), Hiphil (to cause to come), and Hophal (to be brought). There is no significant disagreement among lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בּוֹא 2569 vb. come in, come, go in, go

Qal

come in

come (approach, arrive)

go, i.e. walk, associate with

go from speaker, but with limit of motion given

Hiph.

cause to come in, bring in (conduct, lead, obj. persons and animals)

cause to come, bring, bring near, etc. (animate obj.)

Hoph.

be brought in (of pers. and things)

be brought

be introduced, put

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H935 בּוֹא come in, come, go in, go .. come in

. come (approach, arrive)

. go, i.e. walk, associate with

. go from speaker, but with limit of motion given

. . cause to come in, bring in (conduct, lead, obj. persons and animals)

. cause to come, bring, bring near, etc. (animate obj.)

. . be brought in (of pers. and things)

. be brought

. be introduced, put

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

935 bow' bo

a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of

applications):--abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, +

besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X

certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out,

upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ,

(cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be

fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war),

grant, + have, X indeed, (in-)vade, lead, lift (up), mention,

pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken

(in age), X surely, take (in), way.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בּוֹא (bo) — to come (in): come.

: come/go_in

1) to go in, enter, come, go, come in

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to enter, come in

1a2) to come

1a2a) to come with

1a2b) to come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy)

1a2c) to come to pass

1a3) to attain to

1a4) to be enumerated

1a5) to go

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to lead in

1b2) to carry in

1b3) to bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring against, bring upon

1b4) to bring to pass

1c) (Hophal)

1c1) to be brought, brought in

1c2) to be introduced, be put

לְב֥וֹא (bo) — Lebo-(Hamath).

This name means to go in, enter

Combined with cha.mat (חֲמָת "Hamath" H2574)

בּוֹא (bo) — to come (in): towards.

: towards/entrance

1) to go in, enter, come, go, come in

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to enter, come in

1a2) to come

1a2a) to come with

1a2b) to come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy)

1a2c) to come to pass

1a3) to attain to

1a4) to be enumerated

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a — Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common
HR/Vqcc
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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