Bible Word Study
יָצֻר
yâtsur · structure, i.e. limb or part
יָצֻר
structure, i.e. limb or part
Definition
The Hebrew noun יָצֻר (yâtsur) refers to a 'structure' or 'fabricated part,' specifically a limb or member of the body. It is used in Job 17:7 to describe how Job's eyes have grown dim from grief and 'all my members are like a shadow.' The word carries the sense of something shaped or formed, derived from its root meaning 'to form' or 'to fashion.' While its single biblical occurrence focuses on a bodily part, the underlying concept connects to anything that is constructed or framed.
Biblical Usage
This word appears only once in the Old Testament, in the poetic book of Job (Job 17:7). In this context, it is used metaphorically to express the physical and emotional decay of the sufferer, stating that all his 'members' (limbs or bodily parts) are weakened and insubstantial. Its usage is singular and vivid, emphasizing the totality of bodily affliction within a lament.
Etymology
יָצֻר (yâtsur) is the passive participle of the root verb יָצַר (yāṣar, H3335), meaning 'to form,' 'to fashion,' or 'to shape,' as a potter shapes clay (e.g., Genesis 2:7). As a participle used as a noun, it literally means 'a thing formed' or 'a fashioned part.' This root is central to biblical descriptions of God as the divine potter or creator (e.g., Isaiah 64:8).
Semantic Range
Though used only once, this word connects to the profound biblical theme of God as the master craftsman who forms humanity (Genesis 2:7). Understanding it as 'a fashioned part' deepens the reading of Job 17:7, contrasting human frailty and suffering with the divine artistry of creation. It subtly reminds the reader that even in decay, a person remains a 'formed' being of God. In the ancient Near East, the metaphor of a potter shaping clay was a common image for creation. The concept of bodily 'members' as individually 'fashioned' parts aligns with this artisan worldview, where the human body was seen as a carefully assembled structure. This differs from a modern, biological understanding of anatomy. אֵבֶר (ʾēḇer, H6108) — A more common term for 'limb' or 'member,' often used in literal physical contexts (e.g., Exodus 29:17). בָּשָׂר (bāśār, H1320) — 'Flesh,' referring to the physical body or substance as a whole, not specifically to individual fashioned parts.
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]