### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew root `{{H5781}}` (ʻûwq) is a primitive root, suggesting a foundational and direct meaning. Its core semantic range encompasses two primary aspects: "to pack" and "to be pressed."
1. **"To pack"**: This denotes an active process of compressing, fitting things tightly together, or filling a space to its capacity. It implies a sense of constraint or limitation imposed by the act of packing.
2. **"To be pressed"**: This describes the passive state of experiencing pressure, being constrained, constricted, or afflicted. This can be physical, but more commonly in biblical usage, it extends metaphorically to emotional, spiritual, or circumstantial distress.
When appearing in the Hiphil stem, as it does in its few biblical occurrences, `{{H5781}}` takes on a causative meaning: "to cause to pack," "to cause to be pressed," or "to cause distress/constraint." This grammatical form highlights an agent or force that brings about the state of being pressed or constrained.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
`{{H5781}}` is a relatively rare root, appearing only a few times in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Hiphil stem. Its limited occurrences, however, offer profound insights into its usage:
1. **[[Job 32:18]]**: "For I am full of words; the spirit within me constrains me." Here, Elihu speaks of an overwhelming internal compulsion, a spiritual pressure that compels him to speak. The Hiphil form indicates that the "spirit" (רוּחַ, ruach) is the agent causing this internal pressing or constraint. This is not a negative affliction but a divinely-inspired urgency, a powerful internal burden that demands expression. It highlights a sense of being "packed full" with words and truth, to the point of needing release.
2. **[[Psalm 69:17]]**: "Hear me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant, for I am in distress; make haste to answer me." In this psalm of lament, the psalmist cries out from a state of profound distress. The Hiphil form here describes the psalmist *being caused* to be distressed, or experiencing an intense constriction of circumstances. The context is one of deep suffering, where the individual feels overwhelmed and pressed in on all sides, leading to an urgent plea for God's mercy and deliverance. This usage emphasizes the experience of affliction and the desperate turning to God for relief from the pressure.
These two contexts reveal the dual nature of `{{H5781}}` in the Hiphil: an internal, divinely-driven compulsion (Job) and an external, oppressive distress (Psalm).
### Related Words & Concepts
The semantic field of `{{H5781}}` overlaps with several other Hebrew words and concepts related to narrowness, distress, and constraint:
* `{{H6862}}` (tsarar): This root is very closely related, meaning "to bind," "to tie up," "to be narrow," or "to be in distress." It is frequently used to describe adversaries or times of trouble.
* `{{H6869}}` (tsarah): A common noun derived from tsarar, meaning "distress," "trouble," or "affliction." It often refers to a situation of great difficulty or tribulation.
* `{{H4689}}` (matsowq): A noun meaning "distress" or "straits," often denoting a tight, constricted place or situation.
* `{{H6693}}` (tsuq): Another root, sometimes considered a variant or cognate, also meaning "to press" or "to be straitened."
These related terms collectively paint a picture of the human experience of being confined, oppressed, or afflicted. The concept of being "pressed" or "constricted" stands in stark contrast to biblical themes of spaciousness, freedom, and rest that God provides.
### Theological Significance
The rare occurrences of `{{H5781}}` carry significant theological weight:
1. **Divine Compulsion and Revelation**: In [[Job 32:18]], `{{H5781}}` illustrates how God can work through individuals by creating an internal, irresistible pressure to speak truth or fulfill a divine purpose. This points to the concept of divine inspiration, where the Spirit of God "constrains" or "compels" a person to deliver a message or act in accordance with God's will. It highlights the sovereign work of God in stirring up and equipping His servants.
2. **The Reality of Human Suffering and Divine Deliverance**: In [[Psalm 69:17]], `{{H5781}}` vividly portrays the depth of human distress and affliction. It acknowledges the legitimate experience of feeling overwhelmed and "pressed" by life's difficulties. The psalmist's immediate response to this distress is to turn to God's "steadfast love" and "abundant mercy." This underscores a fundamental theological truth: in moments of extreme pressure, God is the ultimate refuge and source of deliverance. The "pressing" experience drives the believer to deeper dependence on God, who alone can bring relief and lead out of "straits" into "a broad place" (e.g., [[Psalm 18:19]]).
3. **Contrast of Constraint and Freedom**: The very nature of `{{H5781}}` (constraint, pressure) implicitly highlights the contrasting biblical themes of divine liberation, expansion, and rest. While humans may experience being "pressed," God is consistently depicted as the one who "widens" (רוּחַ, rachav), "makes a way," and provides "rest" (nuach) from all troubles. The pressure described by `{{H5781}}` serves to magnify the greatness of God's power to deliver and bring forth spaciousness.
### Summary
`{{H5781}}` (ʻûwq) is a potent, albeit rare, Hebrew root meaning "to pack" or "to be pressed." In its Hiphil form, it signifies "to cause to be pressed" or "to constrain." Its biblical occurrences reveal two key facets of its meaning: an internal, divinely-inspired compulsion to speak truth, as seen in [[Job 32:18]], and the experience of intense external or internal distress, as depicted in [[Psalm 69:17]]. Semantically linked to other words denoting narrowness and affliction (e.g., `{{H6862}}` tsarar, `{{H6869}}` tsarah), `{{H5781}}` powerfully articulates the human condition of being under pressure. Theologically, it illuminates the dynamics of divine inspiration and the profound human experience of suffering, both of which serve to drive individuals into deeper reliance upon God's sovereign power, mercy, and ultimate deliverance from all forms of constraint.
TRV