אַסִּיר

# The Hebrew Word for Prisoner (אַסִּיר) The Hebrew word *assir* denotes a prisoner—a person held in captivity or confinement. Based on its five occurrences in the biblical text, this term represents a straightforward, concrete designation for someone deprived of freedom. The word appears infrequently in Scripture, suggesting it was used when specifically identifying individuals in a state of imprisonment rather than being a common or idiomatic expression. The rarity of this term across the biblical corpus indicates that when ancient Hebrew writers needed to refer to prisoners, they selected this particular word deliberately. Its limited appearances suggest the concept of imprisonment itself may not have been a dominant theme in biblical narratives, or that other related terms were preferred in most contexts. The specific definition provided—simply "prisoner"—indicates the word carried no extended metaphorical meaning or theological weight, but functioned as a direct label for its referent. Understanding *assir* matters primarily for accurate biblical translation and for recognizing how ancient texts referred to captivity and confinement as literal, physical conditions. The word's straightforward meaning and sparse usage demonstrate that biblical writers could express this concept clearly when circumstances required it.

AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.