Word Study for H6115 (עֹצֶר) | Strong's Concordance

ʻôtser /o'-tser/ Ask about this word

Meaningclosure; also constraint

KJV usageoppression

Idioms & phrasesidiom barren · idiom prison.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʻôtser — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word ʻôtser, represented by H6115, describes a state of closure or constraint. It appears 3 times across 3 unique verses in the Bible. This term conveys a range of related ideas, including physical confinement as a prison, societal hardship as oppression, and a state of biological closure, meaning barren.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical occurrences, H6115 is used in three distinct contexts. In a prophetic sense, it describes the suffering of the servant who was "taken from prison and from judgment" Isaiah 53:8. In the Psalms, it depicts the consequence of turning from God, where people are "minished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow" Psalms 107:39. Finally, in the wisdom literature, it is used idiomatically to describe one of the four things that are never satisfied: "the barren womb" Proverbs 30:16, highlighting a sense of natural closure.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the meaning of H6115 within its specific contexts:

H7451 raʻ (affliction): Paired with oppression in Psalms 107:39, this word describes the bad, grievous, or hurtful circumstances that accompany the state of being constrained.
H3015 yâgôwn (sorrow): This term appears alongside oppression and affliction, signifying the deep grief and sorrow that result from such hardship Psalms 107:39.
H7356 racham (womb): In Proverbs 30:16, ʻôtser directly modifies this word to form the phrase "barren womb," illustrating the concept of closure in a biological sense.
H4941 mishpâṭ (judgment): This word is used in parallel with ʻôtser in Isaiah 53:8, linking the idea of imprisonment to a formal, judicial sentence or decree.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H6115 is seen in its portrayal of severe constraint and its consequences.

A Condition of Suffering: Whether through unjust prison Isaiah 53:8 or societal oppression Psalms 107:39, ʻôtser consistently points to a state of profound hardship that brings affliction and sorrow.
Unfulfillment and Lack: The concept of closure extends beyond suffering to a state of unfulfillment. The "barren womb" Proverbs 30:16 represents a natural state of being shut up, unable to produce life.
Judicial and Prophetic Significance: The term is connected to divine and human judgment. In Isaiah, a figure is taken from prison as part of a redemptive act for the "transgression of my people" Isaiah 53:8, while in Psalms, oppression is a state from which people are brought low.

Summary

In summary, H6115 is a potent term for different forms of constraint. Though it appears only three times, it effectively illustrates how a single root concept of "closure" can apply to the legal system through prison, to societal dynamics through oppression, and to the natural world through barrenness. It serves as a powerful descriptor for conditions of restriction, suffering, and unfulfillment.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 3 occurrences, inflected in 2 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

עֹצֶר
עֹצֶר

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 3 verses across 3 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah (1 verse each); never once in the other 36.

Psalms

Proverbs

Isaiah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.