מבצר

Derived from בָּצַר (batsár, “to make inaccessible; to fortify”).

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /mivˈt͡saʁ/

מִבְצָר • (mivtsár) m (plural indefinite מִבְצָרִים, singular construct מִבְצַר־, plural construct מִבְצְרֵי־) [pattern: מִקְטָל]

1. (Biblical Hebrew) fortification, defensive wall
   • Tanach, Numbers 13:19b, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וּמָה הֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר־הוּא יוֹשֵׁב בָּהֵנָּה הַבְּמַחֲנִים אִם בְּמִבְצָרִים׃

     And what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds;

   • Tanach, 2 Samuel 3:19, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וְהִכִּיתֶם כׇּל־עִיר מִבְצָר וְכׇל־עִיר מִבְחוֹר וְכׇל־עֵץ טוֹב תַּפִּילוּ וְכׇל־מַעְיְנֵי־מַיִם תִּסְתֹּמוּ וְכֹל הַחֶלְקָה הַטּוֹבָה תַּכְאִבוּ בָּאֲבָנִים׃

     And ye shall smite every fortified city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all fountains of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.

   1. (metonymic) fortified town, stronghold
      • Tanach, Hosea 10:14a, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

        וְקָאם שָׁאוֹן בְּעַמֶּךָ וְכׇל־מִבְצָרֶיךָ יוּשַּׁד כְּשֹׁד שַׁלְמַן בֵּית אַרְבֵאל בְּיוֹם מִלְחָמָה

        Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy hosts, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battle;

   2. (figuratively) someone difficult to injure or kill
      • Tanach, Jeremiah 6:27, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

        בָּחוֹן נְתַתִּיךָ בְעַמִּי מִבְצָר וְתֵדַע וּבָחַנְתָּ אֶת־דַּרְכָּם׃

        I have made thee a tower and a fortress [it is impossible to harm the prophet] among My people; that thou mayest know and try their way.

2. (Modern Israeli Hebrew) citadel

• עִיר מִבְצָר (ír mivtsár, “fortified city”)

• H4013 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Klein, Ernest (1987) “מִבְצָר”, in A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎^[1], Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 313a