### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **tsav**, represented by `{{H6673}}`, is defined as an **injunction**, **commandment**, or **precept**. It appears **9 times** across **3 unique verses**, making its usage highly specific within the biblical text. Unlike broader terms for law, `{{H6673}}` is used to denote a particular type of instruction, often in a repetitive or formulaic manner.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In its primary context, `{{H6673}}` is used to illustrate a message of judgment. In the book of Isaiah, the word is repeated in a mocking chant: "**precept** upon **precept**, **precept** upon **precept**" [[Isaiah 28:10]]. This repetition is not presented as a positive method of learning but as the very form the word of the Lord took for a disobedient people, leading them to "fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken" [[Isaiah 28:13]]. Similarly, in Hosea, Ephraim is described as "oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the **commandment**" [[Hosea 5:11]], linking the adherence to a specific **precept** directly with a negative outcome.
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words help clarify the unique role of `{{H6673}}`:
* `{{H6957}}` **qav** (a cord... a rule; also a rim, a musical string or accord; line): This word appears in direct parallel with **tsav** in the phrase "**precept** upon **precept**; **line** upon **line**" [[Isaiah 28:10]]. It signifies a standard or measure, and elsewhere is used when the Lord lays "**judgment**... to the **line**" [[Isaiah 28:17]].
* `{{H1697}}` **dâbâr** (a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing): The repetitive **precepts** of Isaiah 28 are identified as what the "**word** of the LORD was unto them" [[Isaiah 28:13]]. This shows how God's divine message can become a source of stumbling when received by a hardened heart.
* `{{H4941}}` **mishpâṭ** (properly, a verdict... a sentence or formal decree... justice): Ephraim's suffering is explicitly tied to this term, as he is "broken in **judgment**" for following the **commandment** [[Hosea 5:11]]. This connects the following of a specific **tsav** to the execution of a divine verdict.
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H6673}}` is pointed and severe, highlighting the danger of misapplied or rejected instruction.
* **A Command as Stumbling Block:** In Isaiah, `tsav` is not a life-giving instruction but a distorted, simplistic formula. The word of the Lord, presented as "**precept** upon **precept**," becomes the instrument by which the people are snared and broken [[Isaiah 28:13]].
* **Judgment Through Misplaced Obedience:** The word is directly associated with divine judgment. Ephraim's oppression is a result of willingly following "the **commandment**" [[Hosea 5:11]], suggesting that obedience to a human or corrupt injunction invites a negative sentence from God.
* **Repetitive Instruction as Rebuke:** The term's usage in a mocking, repetitive chant indicates a form of divine rebuke. It critiques a superficial understanding of God's law, where adherence to simplistic rules replaces a genuine relationship with Him.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H6673}}` is not a general term for God's holy law but a very specific word used to describe an **injunction** or **precept** within a context of judgment. It appears exclusively in passages that describe the negative consequences of either rejecting God's word or following a flawed command. Through its limited but powerful usage, **tsav** illustrates how a **commandment** itself can become a tool for judgment and a stumbling block for the disobedient.
TRV