צָרָה
tsa.rah (H6869B)
distress
AI Word Study
# צָרָה (Tsarah): Distress in Biblical Hebrew The Hebrew word צָרָה (tsarah) appears 70 times throughout the Bible and carries the fundamental meaning of "distress." This term describes a state of acute difficulty or suffering, functioning as a key vocabulary item for expressing human hardship in biblical contexts. Its frequency across the scriptures suggests that the concept it represents held considerable importance for ancient Hebrew speakers and the communities who preserved these texts. The word's consistent usage across 70 biblical occurrences indicates that distress was a recurring theme in Israel's religious and historical experience. Rather than describing a single, narrowly-defined type of suffering, צָרָה appears to function as a broad term encompassing various forms of difficulty—whether physical, emotional, or circumstantial. This semantic range made it suitable for describing diverse situations where individuals or communities faced overwhelming hardship or crisis. The prominence of this word in biblical literature underscores how central the experience and articulation of human suffering was to ancient Hebrew religious expression. By appearing 70 times, צָרָה provided biblical authors and speakers with a standard vocabulary for naming distress, making it a foundational term for discussions of human vulnerability and divine intervention in times of trouble.
AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.
Let’s arise, and go up to Bethel. I will make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me on the way which I went.”
They said to one another, “We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn’t listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.”
Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come on them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Haven’t these evils come on us because our God is not among us?’
It will happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song will testify before them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants; for I know their ways and what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land which I promised them.”
Go and cry to the gods which you have chosen. Let them save you in the time of your distress!”
But you have today rejected your God, who himself saves you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said to him, ‘No! Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before Yahweh by your tribes, and by your thousands.”
Behold, as your life was respected today in my eyes, so let my life be respected in Yahweh’s eyes, and let him deliver me out of all oppression.”
David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity,
The king swore, and said, “As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity,
They said to him, “Hezekiah says, ‘Today is a day of trouble, of rebuke, and of rejection; for the children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to deliver them.
They were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God troubled them with all adversity.
‘If evil comes on us—the sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this house, and before you (for your name is in this house), and cry to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.’
Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries, who distressed them. In the time of their trouble, when they cried to you, you heard from heaven; and according to your manifold mercies you gave them saviors who saved them out of the hands of their adversaries.
It yields much increase to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. Also they have power over our bodies and over our livestock, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.
He will deliver you in six troubles; yes, in seven no evil will touch you.
Will God hear his cry when trouble comes on him?
May Yahweh answer you in the day of trouble. May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high,
Don’t be far from me, for trouble is near. For there is no one to help.
The troubles of my heart are enlarged. Oh bring me out of my distresses.
Redeem Israel, God, out of all his troubles.
I will be glad and rejoice in your loving kindness, for you have seen my affliction. You have known my soul in adversities.
This poor man cried, and Yahweh heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
The righteous cry, and Yahweh hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
But the salvation of the righteous is from Yahweh. He is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
For he has delivered me out of all trouble. My eye has seen triumph over my enemies.
You, who have shown us many and bitter troubles, you will let me live. You will bring us up again from the depths of the earth.
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord. My hand was stretched out in the night, and didn’t get tired. My soul refused to be comforted.
He threw on them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, and a band of angels of evil.
You called in trouble, and I delivered you. I answered you in the secret place of thunder. I tested you at the waters of Meribah.”
In the day of my trouble I will call on you, for you will answer me.
He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him, and honor him.
The cords of death surrounded me, the pains of Sheol got a hold of me. I found trouble and sorrow.
Though I walk in the middle of trouble, you will revive me. You will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies. Your right hand will save me.
I pour out my complaint before him. I tell him my troubles.
Revive me, Yahweh, for your name’s sake. In your righteousness, bring my soul out of trouble.
when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when your disaster comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come on you.
A righteous person is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked takes his place.
An evil man is trapped by sinfulness of lips, but the righteous shall come out of trouble.
A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity.
Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.
If you falter in the time of trouble, your strength is small.
Confidence in someone unfaithful in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a lame foot.
and look to the earth, and see distress, darkness, and the gloom of anguish. They will be driven into thick darkness.
The burden of the animals of the South. Through the land of trouble and anguish, of the lioness and the lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they carry their riches on the shoulders of young donkeys, and their treasures on the humps of camels, to an unprofitable people.
Yahweh, be gracious to us. We have waited for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.
They said to him, “Hezekiah says, ‘Today is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of rejection; for the children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to give birth.
They bear it on their shoulder. They carry it, and set it in its place, and it stands there. It cannot move from its place. Yes, one may cry to it, yet it can not answer. It cannot save him out of his trouble.
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