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Nahum 1:7 — Word Study

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WLCט֣וֹב יְהוָ֔ה לְמָע֖וֹז בְּי֣וֹם צָרָ֑ה וְיֹדֵ֖עַ חֹ֥סֵי בֽוֹ׃

BSApleasantṭôwb The LordYᵉhôvâh [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] securitymâʻôwz dayyôwm [time of need] dearthtsârâh to knowyâdaʻ to seek refugechâçâh

Word
Listen & take awayNahum 1
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 (vo) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Nahum 1:7quick helps
In a sentenceThe verse expresses the goodness of the LORD and His role as a refuge for those in distress.
Who is speakingThe prophet Nahum, addressing the people of Judah.
Where we areIn a passage that contrasts the LORD's goodness with His judgment against Nineveh.
The hard wordמָעוֹז, ma'oz
Take awayThe LORD is a reliable refuge for those who trust in Him during difficult times.
clause subjectיהוה verbחָסָה 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 — Nahum 1:7

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 Goodness of the LORDgenerated

6Who can withstand His indignation? Who can endure His burning anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; even rocks are shattered before Him.
7The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him.
8But with an overwhelming flood He will make an end of Nineveh and pursue His enemies into darkness.
9Whatever you plot against the LORD, He will bring to an end. Affliction will not rise up a second time.

Nahum 1:7 emphasizes the character of the LORD as good and a stronghold for those in distress. This verse reassures the faithful that God cares for them, especially in times of trouble, contrasting His goodness with the impending judgment on Nineveh, as seen in the surrounding verses.


The Key Word טוֹב, Tovgenerated

The Hebrew word טוֹב (tov) means good or pleasant, encompassing a range of meanings from beneficial to ethical goodness. It functions as an adjective and can refer to welfare, happiness, and prosperity.

In this verse, טוֹב describes the nature of the LORD, affirming His character as inherently good and beneficial to His people.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main clause is governed by the finite verb יֹדֵעַ, He knows, with two phrases hanging off it: a prepositional phrase describing the time of trouble and a noun phrase that acts as the subject.

The structure emphasizes the LORD's goodness and His protective role, showing that He is both aware of and responsive to the needs of those who trust in Him.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In the Septuagint, טוֹב is rendered as ξρηστὸς (chrēstos), which carries the meaning of being good or kind, reflecting a similar understanding of the LORD's nature.

This choice highlights the goodness of God in a way that is accessible to a Greek-speaking audience, maintaining the emphasis on His benevolence.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Nahum 1:7 tells us that the LORD is good and acts as a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him, assuring them of His protection and support during distress.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that the LORD is good?

It means that the LORD is inherently beneficial and pleasing, providing welfare and happiness to His people.

How is the LORD a stronghold?

The LORD is described as a stronghold because He provides safety and protection during times of distress.

What does it mean to trust in the LORD?

To trust in the LORD means to seek refuge in Him and have faith in His ability to protect and care for us.

Why is it significant that He knows those who trust in Him?

It signifies that the LORD is personally aware of and cares for those who place their faith in Him, ensuring they are not alone in their troubles.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways have I experienced the goodness of the LORD in my life?
  2. How can I rely on God as my refuge during difficult times?
  3. What does it look like to trust in the LORD in my daily life?
  4. How can I encourage others to seek refuge in the LORD?

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 LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Yahweh is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knows those who take refuge in him.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him.

NETBNew English Translation2006

The Lord is good – indeed, he is a fortress in time of distress, and he protects those who seek refuge in him.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Jehovah is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that take refuge in him.

RVARevised Version, American1894

The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that put their trust in him.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

The Lord is good and as a strong hold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that trust in him.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Jehovah is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Good [is] Jehovah for a strong place in a day of distress. And He knoweth those trusting in Him.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Good [is] YHWH for a strong place in a day of distress. And He knows those trusting in Him.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

The Lord is good, a strong-hold on the day of distress; and he knoweth those that trust in him.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Yahweh is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he is faithful to those who take refuge in him.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

The Lord is good and giveth strength in the day of trouble: and knoweth them that hope in him.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

The Lord is good, a place of safety in a time of trouble. He takes care of those who place their trust in him,

BBEBible in Basic English1949

The Lord is good, a strong place in the day of trouble; and he has knowledge of those who take him for their safe cover.

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.

clausepredicateט֣וֹב[is].goodsubjectיְהוָ֔הYahwehclauseprepositional phrase · predicateלְ(into).aמָע֖וֹזrefugeprepositional phrase · prepositionalבְּinnoun phraseי֣וֹםa.dayצָרָ֑הof.troubleוְandclauseverbיֹדֵ֖עַ[he.is].knowingnoun phrase · objectclauseverbחֹ֥סֵי[those.who].take.refugeprepositional phrase · prepositionalבֽinוֹhim

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


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

The Masoretic Text presents the verse as it is, while the Septuagint aligns closely with it, though its word order differs. The Dead Sea Scrolls show partial agreement with the Masoretic Text, with some words restored by editors, indicating a similar understanding of the verse.

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

ט֣וֹב יְהוָ֔ה לְמָע֖וֹז בְּי֣וֹם צָרָ֑ה וְיֹדֵ֖עַ חֹ֥סֵי בֽוֹ׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
ט֣וֹבξρηστὸςיְהוָ֔הκύριοςבְּי֣וֹםἡμέρᾳצָרָ֑הθλίψεωςוְיֹדֵ֖עַγινώσκωνבֽוֹ׃αὐτόν

6 of the 8 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 — Mur88a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

טוב יהוה [למעוז] [ביום] [צרה] [וידע] חסי ב׳ו

2 words on the leather — 2 partly restored, 4 supplied entire by an editor.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q82a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

[למעוז] [ביום] [צרה] [ויודע] חוסי ב׳ו

6 words of the verse are on this fragment — 1 partly restored, 4 supplied entire by an editor.

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.

Nahum 1:7טוֹב[is] good[is] goodטוֹביהוהYahwehYahwehיהוהמָעוֹזa refugea refugeמָעוֹזיוֹםin a day ofin a day ofיוֹםבַּצָּרָהtroubletroubleבַּצָּרָהיָדַעand [he is]and [he is] knoיָדַעחָסָה[those who][those who] takחָסָהוֹin himin himוֹטוֹבbe pleasinbe pleasingטוֹבהָיָהto beto beהָיָהעָזַזbe strongbe strongעָזַזצַרnarrownarrowצַרבָּטַחto trustto trustבָּטַחיָשָׁרJasharJasharיָשָׁרמַרְאֶהappearanceappearanceמַרְאֶהנְאֻםutteranceutteranceנְאֻםצָבָאarmyarmyצָבָאבַּצָּרָהdearthdearthבַּצָּרָהצוּרrockrockצוּרשְׁבִיעִיseventhseventhשְׁבִיעִישַׁבָּתSabbathSabbathשַׁבָּתעֵתtimetimeעֵתיָשַׁעto saveto saveיָשַׁעאֲנִיIIאֲנִיבִּיןto understto understandבִּיןצֵלshadowshadowצֵל
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 Nahum 1:7

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.

[is] good Yahweh a refuge in a day of trouble and [he is] knowing [those who] take refuge in him
ט֣וֹבTov [is] good H2896 Adj
538× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means good or welfare, describing something that is beneficial or pleasing, like a good deed or a happy time. It is used in many contexts, including Genesis and Psalms. This word is often translated as 'good' or 'beautiful'.
Tyndale gloss
pleasant
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

טוֹב (tov) is a Hebrew word meaning good or pleasant, encompassing a wide range of meanings from agreeable to the senses to ethical goodness. It can function as an adjective, noun, or adverb, referring to things like welfare, happiness, and prosperity. The feminine form, טוֹבָה (tovah), specifically denotes welfare or good things.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

טוֹב adj. pleasant, agreeable, good

pleasant, agreeable to the senses

pleasant to the higher nature, giving pleasure, happiness, prosperity, and so agreeable, pleasing, well

good, excellent, of its kind

good, rich, valuable in estimation

good, appropriate, becoming

c. מִן compar. = better

of man's sensuous nature, glad, happy, prosperous

of man's intellectual nature, good understanding

good, kind, benign

good (ethical), right

base

טוֹב n.m. a good thing, benefit, welfare

welfare, prosperity, happiness

good things

good = benefit

moral good

base

טוֹבָה n.f. welfare, benefit, good things, good

welfare, prosperity, happiness

good things

bounty, good

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2896a טוֹב pleasant, agreeable, good . pleasant, agreeable to the senses

. pleasant to the higher nature, giving pleasure, happiness, prosperity, and so agreeable, pleasing, well

. good, excellent, of its kind

. good, rich, valuable in estimation

. good, appropriate, becoming

. c. מִן compar. =better

. of man's sensuous nature, glad, happy, prosperous

. of man's intellectual nature, good understanding

. good, kind, benign

. good (ethical), right

H2896b טוֹב a good thing, benefit, welfare H2896c טוֹבָה welfare, benefit, good things, good

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2896 towb tobe

from 2895; good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used

likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine,

the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a

good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or

women), also as an adverb (well):--beautiful, best, better,

bountiful, cheerful, at ease, X fair (word), (be in) favour,

fine, glad, good (deed, -lier, -liest, -ly, -ness, -s),

graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, liketh (best), loving,

merry, X most, pleasant, + pleaseth, pleasure, precious,

prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well

((-favoured)).

see HEBREW for 02895

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

טוֹב (tov) — pleasant.

adj

1) good, pleasant, agreeable

1a) pleasant, agreeable (to the senses)

1b) pleasant (to the higher nature)

1c) good, excellent (of its kind)

1d) good, rich, valuable in estimation

1e) good, appropriate, becoming

1f) better (comparative)

1g) glad, happy, prosperous (of man's sensuous nature)

1h) good understanding (of man's intellectual nature)

1i) good, kind, benign

1j) good, right (ethical)

Aramaic equivalent: tav (טָב "fine" H2869)

טוֹב (tov) — good.

1) a good thing, benefit, welfare

1a) welfare, prosperity, happiness

1b) good things (collective)

1c) good, benefit

1d) moral good

טוֹבָה (to.vah) — welfare.

1) welfare, benefit, good things

1a) welfare, prosperity, happiness

1b) good things (collective)

1c) bounty

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Adj
HAamsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

good (Tobh, Tubh, yaTabh; agathos, agathon, kalos, kalon): In English "good" is used in various senses, most of which are represented in the Bible.

(1) In the Old Testament the commonest word is Tobh, occurring very frequently and translated in a great variety of ways. Of the different shades of meaning, which frequently run into each other, the following may be distinguished:

(a) Possessing desirable qualities, beneficial, agreeable, e.g. "good for food" (Ge 2:9); "We will do thee good" (Nu 10:29); Who will show us any good?" (Ps 4:6); "good tidings of good" (Isa 52:7).

[is] good Yahweh a refuge in a day of trouble and [he is] knowing [those who] take refuge in him
יְהוָ֔הYah.weh Yahweh H3068 Noun proper
6,528× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Yehovah is another name for God, often translated as 'the Lord'. It is a national name for God in the Jewish faith. This name is used throughout the Old Testament.
Amplified meaning
Yehovah, The covenant Name of God
Tyndale gloss
The Lord
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) is the proper name of the God of Israel, often rendered as Jehovah or the Lord. It signifies the self-existent or eternal nature of God. The name is closely associated with the revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:12-15 and is used in conjunction with other terms to denote sacred places. Some scholars suggest it derives from a root meaning 'to bring into being.'

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים) 2. Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver)

יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb

יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D

the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy

יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3068 יהוה i.e. יַהְוֶה n. pr. dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw'

from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish

national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.

see HEBREW for 01961

see HEBREW for 03050

see HEBREW for 03069

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — LORD.

Jehovah = "the existing One"

1) the proper name of the one true God

1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of a.do.na (אֲדֹנָי "Lord" H0136)

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — The Lord.

Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — (Jerusalem of) the Lord.

Combined with ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper
HNpt
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
[is] good Yahweh a refuge in a day of trouble and [he is] knowing [those who] take refuge in him
לְמָע֖וֹזle.ma.'oz a refuge H4581 Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
36× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A fortified place or stronghold, like a rock or harbor, providing safety and protection, is what this Hebrew word represents.
Tyndale gloss
security
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מָעוֹז (ma`owz) refers to a place or means of safety and protection, often implying a stronghold or refuge. It can denote both a physical fortified place and a figurative sense of security, such as divine protection. The term is built from the root associated with strength and fortification.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מָעוֹז n.m. place or means of safety, protection

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4581 מָעוֹז place or means of safety, protection

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4581 ma`owz maw-oze'

(also mauwz {maw-ooz'}); or mahoz {maw-oze'} (also ma,uz

{maw-ooz'}; from 5810; a fortified place; figuratively, a

defence:--force, fort(-ress), rock, strength(-en), (X most)

strong (hold).

see HEBREW for 05810

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מָעוֹז (ma.oz) — security.

1) place or means of safety, protection, refuge, stronghold

1a) place of safety, fastness, harbour, stronghold

1b) refuge (of God) (fig.)

1c) human protection (fig.)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
HR/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ref'-uj: A place of resort and safety. The principal words in the Old Testament are machceh (Ps 14:6; 46:1; 62:7,8; Isa 4:6, etc.), and manoc (2Sa 22:3; Ps 59:16, etc.), both applied chiefly to God as a "refuge" for His people. For the King James Version "refuge" in De 33:27, the Revised Version (British and American) has "dwelling-place," and in Ps 9:9, "high tower." Conversely, the Revised Version (British and American) has "refuge" for the King James Version "shelter" in Ps 61:3, and "hope" in

[is] good Yahweh a refuge in a day of trouble and [he is] knowing [those who] take refuge in him
בְּי֣וֹםbe.Yom in a day of H3117 Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
2,306× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word 'yom' refers to a day, which can be a literal 24-hour period or a figurative space of time. It is used in the Bible to describe a wide range of time periods, from a single day to a year or a lifetime. The word 'yom' is used in many different contexts throughout the Bible.
Amplified meaning
time of need
Tyndale gloss
day
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יוֹם (yowm) means 'day' and refers to a division of time, contrasting with night. It can denote a literal 24-hour period, a general time span, or even a year. The term is used in various contexts, including the 'day of Yahweh,' which signifies a time of divine judgment. It also appears in phrases indicating temporal references like today, yesterday, and tomorrow.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יוֹם 2285 n.m. day

day, opp. night

Day as division of time

יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous

Pl. days of anyone

Days

יוֹם = time

Phrases

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3117 יוֹם day . day, opp. night

. Day as division of time

. יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous

. Pl. days of anyone

. Days

. יוֹם = time

. Phrases

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3117 yowm yome

from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm

hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one

sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by

an associated term), (often used adverb):--age, + always, +

chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to)

day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, +

(for) ever(-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as

(... live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually,

presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space,

then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble,

weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole

(+ age), (full) year(-ly), + younger.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יוֹם (yom) — day.

: day/when/time/period

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

1b2a) a working day, a day's journey

1c) days, lifetime (pl.)

1d) time, period (general)

1e) year

1f) temporal references

1f1) today

1f2) yesterday

1f3) tomorrow

יוֹם (yom) — day: old.

: old/(full/many)[days]

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

1b2a) a working day, a day's journey

1c) days, lifetime (pl.)

1d) time, period (general)

1e) year

1f) temporal references

1f1) today

1f2) yesterday

1f3) tomorrow

יוֹם (yom) — day: year.

: year[of_days]

1) day, time, year

1a) day (as opposed to night)

1b) day (24 hour period)

1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1

1b2) as a division of time

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
HR/Ncmsc
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…

[is] good Yahweh a refuge in a day of trouble and [he is] knowing [those who] take refuge in him
צָרָ֑הtza.Rah trouble H6869 Noun common · feminine singular absolute
73× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A vexer is someone who causes trouble or distress, like a rival wife, used in the Bible to describe relationships or situations that cause anguish or affliction, as seen in the book of Genesis.
Tyndale gloss
dearth
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word צָרָה (*tsarah*) is built from the root meaning tightness or trouble. It covers a range of meanings including dearth, distress, and adversary, as well as specifically referring to a rival wife. The entries note its use in contexts of adversity and anguish, with a specific reference to 1 Samuel 1:6.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בַּצָּרָה n.f. dearth, destitution

base

צָרָה 72 n.f. id. [r.dz.ac] straits, distress

base

[צָרָה] n.f. vexer, rival-wife;—sf. 1 S 1:6.

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6869a בַּצָּרָה dearth, destitution H6869b צָרָה id. [6862b] H6869c צָרָה vexer, rival-wife

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6869 tsarah tsaw-raw'

feminine of 6862; tightness (i.e. figuratively, trouble);

transitively, a female rival:--adversary, adversity,

affliction, anguish, distress, tribulation, trouble.

see HEBREW for 06862

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בַּצָּרָה (bats.tsa.rah) — dearth.

death, destitution

צָרָה (tsa.rah) — distress.

straits, distress, trouble

צָרָה (tsa.rah) — vexer.

vexer, rival wife

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absolute
HNcfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Nave's Topical Bible

→ BORROWING Mt 6:25-34; Mr 5:35,36; Joh 14:1; 16:6,7; Php 4:6; 1Pe 5:7

See AFFLICTION

See SUFFERING

→ INSTANCES OF

Israelites at the Red Sea Ex 14:10-12

About water Ex 15:23-25; 17:2,3; Nu 20:1-13

Food Ex 16:2,3; Nu 11:4-33

When Moses waited upon the mountain Ex 32:1

[is] good Yahweh a refuge in a day of trouble and [he is] knowing [those who] take refuge in him
וְיֹדֵ֖עַve.yo.De.a' and [he is] knowing H3045 Conjunction · verb qal participle (active) masculine singular
945× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for to know means to ascertain by seeing, and is used in many senses, including to learn, perceive, and recognize, as seen in various KJV translations.
Tyndale gloss
to know
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָדַע (yada`) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to know,' encompassing a wide range of senses including perception, recognition, and experience. It can refer to knowing someone intimately or being skilled in a task. The word has various forms, indicating actions such as making known or being made known. Lexicons note its use in both literal and figurative contexts, but there is no significant disagreement among them.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָדַע 943 vb. know

Qal

know, learn to know

perceive

perceive and see; find out and discern

discriminate, distinguish

know by experience

recognize, admit, acknowledge, confess

consider

not know = not expect

know a person, be acquainted with

know a person carnally, of sexual intercourse

know how, to do a thing, be able to do it

be skilful in

abs. have knowledge, be wise

Niph.

be made known, be or become known, of things

make oneself known of pers.

be perceived

be instructed

Pi. cause to know

Pu. known

Hiph. make known, declare

Hoph. made known

Hithp. make oneself known

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3045 יָדַע know .. . know, learn to know

. perceive

. perceive and see; find out and discern

. discriminate, distinguish

. know by experience

. recognize, admit, acknowledge, confess

. consider

. not know = not expect

. know a person, be acquainted with

. know a person carnally, of sexual intercourse

. . know how, to do a thing, be able to do it

. be skilful in

. abs. have knowledge, be wise

. . be made known, be or become known, of things

. make oneself known of pers.

. be perceived

. be instructed

. cause to know

. known

. make known, declare

. made known

. make oneself known

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3045 yada` yaw-dah'

a primitive root; to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing);

used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally,

euphemistically and inferentially (including observation,

care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation,

punishment, etc.) (as follow):--acknowledge, acquaintance(-ted

with), advise, answer, appoint, assuredly, be aware,

(un-)awares, can(-not), certainly, comprehend, consider, X

could they, cunning, declare, be diligent, (can, cause to)

discern, discover, endued with, familiar friend, famous, feel,

can have, be (ig-)norant, instruct, kinsfolk, kinsman, (cause

to let, make) know, (come to give, have, take) knowledge, have

(knowledge), (be, make, make to be, make self) known, + be

learned, + lie by man, mark, perceive, privy to, X

prognosticator, regard, have respect, skilful, shew, can (man

of) skill, be sure, of a surety, teach, (can) tell,

Read the full entry →
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָדַע (ya.da) — to know.

1) to know

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to know

1a1a) to know, learn to know

1a1b) to perceive

1a1c) to perceive and see, find out and discern

1a1d) to discriminate, distinguish

1a1e) to know by experience

1a1f) to recognise, admit, acknowledge, confess

1a1g) to consider

1a2) to know, be acquainted with

1a3) to know (a person carnally)

1a4) to know how, be skilful in

1a5) to have knowledge, be wise

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be made known, be or become known, be revealed

1b2) to make oneself known

1b3) to be perceived

1b4) to be instructed

1c) (Piel) to cause to know

1d) (Poal) to cause to know

1e) (Pual)

1e1) to be known

1e2) known, one known, acquaintance (participle)

1f) (Hiphil) to make known, declare

1g) (Hophal) to be made known

1h) (Hithpael) to make oneself known, reveal oneself

Aramaic equivalent: ye.da (יְדַע "to know" H3046)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal — Conjunction · verb qal participle (active) masculine singular
HC/Vqrmsa
[is] good Yahweh a refuge in a day of trouble and [he is] knowing [those who] take refuge in him
חֹ֥סֵיCho.sei [those who] take refuge H2620 Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine plural common
37× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To seek refuge means to flee to a safe place for protection, and it can also mean to trust in God. In the Bible, it appears in Psalms and Proverbs, where people put their hope in God. This concept is important in the Old Testament.
Tyndale gloss
to seek refuge
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

חָסָה (chacah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to seek refuge or flee for protection, often used in a figurative sense to express trust or hope in God. It is primarily found in poetic contexts, emphasizing the act of confiding in divine protection.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חָסָה vb. (mostly poet. and fig.) seek refuge

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2620 חָסָה (mostly poet. and fig.) seek refuge

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2620 chacah khaw-saw'

a primitive root; to flee for protection (compare 982);

figuratively, to confide in:--have hope, make refuge, (put)

trust.

see HEBREW for 0982

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חָסָה (cha.sah) — to seek refuge.

1) (Qal) to seek refuge, flee for protection

1a) to put trust in (God), confide or hope in (God) (fig.)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal — Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine plural common
HVqrmpc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ref'-uj: A place of resort and safety. The principal words in the Old Testament are machceh (Ps 14:6; 46:1; 62:7,8; Isa 4:6, etc.), and manoc (2Sa 22:3; Ps 59:16, etc.), both applied chiefly to God as a "refuge" for His people. For the King James Version "refuge" in De 33:27, the Revised Version (British and American) has "dwelling-place," and in Ps 9:9, "high tower." Conversely, the Revised Version (British and American) has "refuge" for the King James Version "shelter" in Ps 61:3, and "hope" in

[is] good Yahweh a refuge in a day of trouble and [he is] knowing [those who] take refuge in him
בֽוֹ׃vo in him H9033 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

וֹ (o) — him.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 3rd person masculine singular

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Sp3ms — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp3ms
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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