Lexical Summary tsemer: Wool Original Word: צֶמֶר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance woolen From an unused root probably meaning to be shaggy; wool -- wool(-len). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition wool NASB Translation wool (16). Brown-Driver-Briggs צֶ֫מֶר noun masculineEzekiel 44:17 wool; — absolute ׳צ Isaiah 1:18, צָ֑מֶר; Leviticus 13:48; construct צֶ֫מֶר Ezekiel 27:18 (see below); suffix צַמְרִי Hosea 2:7; Hosea 2:11; — wool (usually with ( ם) מִּשְׁתִּי flax, linen): in natural state ׳גִּזַּת הַצּ Judges 6:37, ׳אֵילִים צ 2 Kings 3:4 (but construction difficult, and ׳צ perhaps gloss); Hosea 2:7; Hosea 2:11 (as gift of value); white Isaiah 1:18 (simile; "" שֶׁלֶג), simile of snow Psalm 147:6 (from white flakes); white (?) wool as merchandise Ezekiel 27:18 (צָ֑חַר ׳צ, but on text see צַ֫חַר), Proverbs 31:12; prey of moth Isaiah 51:8 (simile); made up into garments Deuteronomy 22:11,׳בֶּנֶד צ Leviticus 13:47,59 compare Leviticus 13:48; Leviticus 13:52; בֶּגֶד omitted Ezekiel 34:3; Ezekiel 44:17. Topical Lexicon Physical Substance and Everyday Use צֶמֶר denotes the fleece of sheep, valued in the ancient Near East for its warmth, durability, and ease of dyeing. In Israel’s agrarian society it was a principal textile, spun and woven by households (Proverbs 31:13) and collected as royal tribute (2 Kings 3:4). Its prevalence made it an obvious point of reference for legal, commercial, poetic, and prophetic language. Levitical Regulations: Purity and Contamination Leviticus devotes an entire subsection of the skin-disease laws to woolen garments. “If any fabric is contaminated with mildew—any wool or linen garment” (Leviticus 13:47), the priest was to isolate, inspect, and, if necessary, burn it (13:52, 59). Wool thus became a tangible witness that holiness was to extend beyond the body to the belongings of God’s people. Even clothing could transmit impurity, underscoring the totalizing reach of sin and the need of priestly mediation. Separation from Mixture Deuteronomy 22:11 commands, “Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.” The prohibition mirrors seed and animal-breeding laws in the same chapter. By forbidding mixture in the most ordinary layer of life—one’s clothing—Yahweh trained Israel to prize distinction between holy and common. This theological backdrop throws New Testament teaching on the believer’s new identity into sharper relief (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Signs and Confirmations: Gideon’s Fleece Gideon sought reassurance about his calling by placing “a fleece of wool on the threshing floor” (Judges 6:37). The soaked-then-dry fleece authenticated divine direction but also exposed Gideon’s hesitancy. The narrative cautions that while God may stoop to our weakness, faith ought to rest in revealed promise rather than repeated signs. Economic and Commercial Significance • Royal revenue: King Mesha of Moab “paid the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams” (2 Kings 3:4). Wool functioned as currency, tariff, and commodity, tying Israel’s pastoral vocation to the wider economy of the Mediterranean world. Prophetic Imagery: Purity, Judgment, and Restoration Isaiah frames redemption in textile hues: “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18). The dyed wool of human guilt is reversed to unblemished whiteness by divine grace. Conversely, the decadence of the wicked will perish: “The moth will devour them like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool” (Isaiah 51:8). Hosea pictures covenant infidelity through agricultural bounty: Gomer boasts, “My lovers give me my wool” (Hosea 2:5), yet the Lord declares, “I will take back My wool and My linen” (2:9). The withdrawal of wool signals both judgment and the loving discipline that leads to restoration (2:14-23). Shepherd-King Accountability False shepherds “eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fatlings, but do not feed the flock” (Ezekiel 34:3). Leaders who exploit God’s people for gain will face stern reckoning, while Messiah, the true Shepherd, lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). Priestly Attire: Linen, Not Wool When ministering in the inner court, priests must wear linen garments so that they “do not bring on themselves anything that causes sweat” (Ezekiel 44:17). Wool’s heat-retaining property, helpful in the field, became a liability in the sanctuary. Worship is to be marked by reverent rest, not fleshly exertion. Poetic Praise “He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes” (Psalm 147:16). The psalmist likens wool’s soft, thick covering to a blanket of snow, highlighting God’s gentle yet comprehensive sovereignty over creation. Foreshadowing Christ John’s vision of the glorified Son of Man: “The hair of His head was white like wool, as white as snow” (Revelation 1:14). The whiteness evokes both Daniel’s Ancient of Days and Isaiah’s promise of sins washed whiter than wool, locating the ultimate fulfillment of purity imagery in Jesus Christ. Ministry Applications 1. Holiness in the Ordinary: Everyday items such as clothing can reflect covenant faithfulness. Wool—in law, narrative, commerce, and poetry—threads together divine purity, human vocation, and redemptive hope, pointing ultimately to the Lamb whose righteousness clothes all who trust in Him. Forms and Transliterations בַּצֶּ֙מֶר֙ בצמר הַצֶּ֖מֶר הַצֶּ֣מֶר הַצֶּ֣מֶר ׀ הצמר וְכַצֶּ֖מֶר וְלַצָּ֑מֶר וְצֶ֥מֶר וכצמר ולצמר וצמר כַּצֶּ֥מֶר כַּצָּ֑מֶר כצמר צֶ֔מֶר צֶ֣מֶר צֶ֥מֶר צַמְרִ֣י צָֽמֶר׃ צמר צמר׃ צמרי baṣ·ṣe·mer baṣṣemer batzTzemer haṣ·ṣe·mer haṣṣemer hatzTzemer kaṣ·ṣā·mer kaṣ·ṣe·mer kaṣṣāmer kaṣṣemer katzTzamer katzTzemer ṣā·mer ṣam·rî ṣāmer ṣamrî ṣe·mer ṣemer Tzamer tzamRi Tzemer vechatzTzemer velatzTzamer veTzemer wə·ḵaṣ·ṣe·mer wə·laṣ·ṣā·mer wə·ṣe·mer wəḵaṣṣemer wəlaṣṣāmer wəṣemerLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 13:47 HEB: צָרָ֑עַת בְּבֶ֣גֶד צֶ֔מֶר א֖וֹ בְּבֶ֥גֶד NAS: of leprosy in it, whether it is a wool garment KJV: of leprosy is in, [whether it be] a woollen garment, INT: of leprosy garment wool or garment Leviticus 13:48 Leviticus 13:52 Leviticus 13:59 Deuteronomy 22:11 Judges 6:37 2 Kings 3:4 Psalm 147:16 Proverbs 31:13 Isaiah 1:18 Isaiah 51:8 Ezekiel 27:18 Ezekiel 34:3 Ezekiel 44:17 Hosea 2:5 Hosea 2:9 16 Occurrences |
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