6736. tsir
Lexical Summary
tsir: Messenger, envoy, hinge, pain

Original Word: צִיר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: tsiyr
Pronunciation: tseer
Phonetic Spelling: (tseer)
KJV: beauty, idol
NASB: form, idols
Word Origin: [the same as H6735 (צִּיר - Messenger)]

1. a form (of beauty
2. as if pressed out, i.e. carved)
3. (hence) an (idolatrous) image

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
beauty, idol

The same as tsiyr; a form (of beauty; as if pressed out, i.e. Carved); hence, an (idolatrous) image -- beauty, idol.

see HEBREW tsiyr

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from tsur
Definition
an image
NASB Translation
form (1), idols (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. [צִיר] noun masculine image; — plural צִירִים Isaiah 45:16 = idols; singular suffix צירם Psalm 49:5 Kt their form (see צוּרָה). above

V. צור (√of following; "" III. צרר; compare SI3; SI6 צר, rock, Aramaic טוּרָא, hill, so Palmyrene plural טוריא).

Topical Lexicon
Definition and Semantic Range

צִיר (tsiyr) denotes a visible “form” or “image” that has been fashioned by human hands. The term therefore oscillates between neutral description (the outward frame of a person) and negative appraisal (an idol deliberately sculpted as a false god).

Biblical Occurrences

Psalm 49:14 places צִיר within the sober reflection on mortality: “Their form will decay in Sheol…”. The word captures the transitory shell of the wicked—impressive in life, yet powerless to resist corruption.

Isaiah 45:16 applies the same noun to the idol trade: the “makers of images” who will be “ashamed and confounded” when the uniqueness of the LORD is revealed. Here צִיר exposes idolatry as a futile enterprise whose products cannot save their craftsmen.

Theological Themes

1. Fragility of Human Glory. Psalm 49 contrasts earthly pomp with eternal realities. The צִיר of the rich collapses under death’s shepherding, underscoring that dignity apart from God is merely cosmetic (compare Job 4:19; Ecclesiastes 3:19).
2. Futility of Man-Made Gods. Isaiah 45 showcases יְהוָה as the sole Creator. Any rival “form” fabricated from wood or metal is relegated to shame when the Creator summons the nations (see also Psalm 115:4-8; Jeremiah 10:14-16).
3. Creator versus Creature. The same Hebrew root that can speak of artistic shaping (Genesis 2:7; Isaiah 43:7) is hijacked when humans attempt to replace their Maker with self-fashioned replicas. Scripture therefore distinguishes between legitimate craftsmanship under divine mandate (Exodus 31:2-5) and illegitimate image-making that usurps worship (Exodus 32:4).

Historical Background

In the Ancient Near East, elite tombs often displayed effigies of the deceased, while temples housed cult statues believed to mediate divine presence. Israel’s neighbors trusted such images for protection and status. The prophets, however, interpreted these practices as spiritual blindness: artisans had inverted the order of Genesis by turning the created material into a creator substitute (Isaiah 44:9-20).

Ministry Significance

• Preaching Psalm 49 invites hearers to evaluate where they place their security. Contemporary “forms”—whether wealth, reputation, or digital personas—perish as surely as the grave claimed ancient noblemen.
• Teaching Isaiah 45 equips believers to confront modern idolatry. The shame promised to “makers of images” warns against any cultural product that vies for the allegiance owed to Christ alone (1 John 5:21).
• Pastoral counseling can draw on the contrast between the decaying צִיר of the wicked and the promised resurrection body of the righteous (Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44), urging hope beyond outward appearance.

Cross-References

Genesis 1:26; Exodus 20:4; Deuteronomy 4:15-19; Psalm 73:20; Isaiah 40:18-20; Romans 1:23.

Forms and Transliterations
וְ֭צוּרָם וצורם צִירִֽים׃ צירים׃ ṣî·rîm ṣîrîm tziRim Vetzurom wə·ṣū·rām wəṣūrām
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Psalm 49:14
HEB: [וְצִירָם כ] (וְ֭צוּרָם ק) לְבַלּ֥וֹת
NAS: over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol
INT: and the upright the morning beauty to consume Sheol

Isaiah 45:16
HEB: בַכְּלִמָּ֔ה חָרָשֵׁ֖י צִירִֽים׃
NAS: of them; The manufacturers of idols will go
KJV: together [that are] makers of idols.
INT: humiliation the manufacturers of idols

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6736
2 Occurrences


ṣî·rîm — 1 Occ.
wə·ṣū·rām — 1 Occ.

6735c
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