Bible Word Study
אַסִּיר
ʼAççîyr · Assir, the name of two Israelites
אַסִּיר
Assir, the name of two Israelites
Definition
The proper noun אַסִּיר (Assir) is the name of two or three distinct individuals in the Old Testament. First, Assir was a son of Korah from the tribe of Levi, mentioned in Exodus 6:24 and 1 Chronicles 6:22. Second, Assir appears as a son of Jeconiah (Jehoiachin), the exiled king of Judah, in 1 Chronicles 3:17. A third possible reference in 1 Chronicles 6:23 and 6:37 may refer to a different Levite or could be a textual variant. The name itself means 'prisoner' or 'captive,' which is particularly poignant for Jeconiah's son, born during the Babylonian exile.
Biblical Usage
The name Assir is used exclusively in genealogical lists within the Pentateuch and Chronicles. It appears in the lineage of the Levitical Korahites (Exodus 6:24, 1 Chronicles 6:22-23, 37) and in the royal genealogy of David through the exiled king Jeconiah (1 Chronicles 3:17). Its usage is confined to these historical records, serving to preserve family and tribal identities, especially during the period of the exile.
Etymology
אַסִּיר (Assir) is identical to the common noun אַסִּיר (H616, 'assîr), meaning 'prisoner,' 'captive,' or 'bound one.' It derives from the root אָסַר (ʼāṣar, H631), meaning 'to bind' or 'to tie.' As a proper name, it is a substantive used nominally, a practice common in Hebrew where a descriptive term becomes a personal name.
Semantic Range
While a personal name, Assir carries theological weight through its meaning of 'captive.' For the Levitical line, it may subtly recall God's redemption and calling. Most significantly, for the son of the exiled king Jeconiah (1 Chronicles 3:17), the name 'Prisoner' is a stark, generational marker of Judah's judgment and the consequences of covenant disobedience. Yet, this same royal line—including a son named 'Captive'—is part of the genealogy of the Messiah (Matthew 1:11-12), highlighting God's faithfulness to His promises even in the midst of national captivity and despair. In ancient Israel, names often held descriptive or prophetic significance. Naming a child 'Prisoner' (Assir), particularly for a royal prince born in Babylonian exile (1 Chronicles 3:17), was a powerful and likely sorrowful acknowledgment of the family's and nation's conquered state. It culturally memorialized a specific historical reality directly into a person's identity. אָסִיר (ʼāsîr, H615) — The more common noun for 'prisoner' or 'captive,' from the same root. אָסַר (ʼāṣar, H631) — The root verb meaning 'to bind' or 'imprison.'
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]