מָזוֹר (ma.zor)
ma.zor
wound
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun mazor refers to a physical wound, specifically one that requires medical attention such as having its contents pressed out. In the Old Testament, it appears only twice, both times in prophetic literature where it carries significant emotional weight.
While the word denotes a literal injury, its usage in Hosea 5:13 and Jeremiah 46:11 highlights a figurative dimension. The prophets describe the political and spiritual crises facing Israel and Judah as deep wounds inflicted by foreign powers or internal strife. These are not minor scrapes but serious injuries that demand healing.
Translators typically render mazor as "wound" or "injury," preserving the sense of bodily harm to convey the severity of the nation's suffering. The term underscores the vulnerability of God’s people and the urgent need for restoration, whether through divine intervention or prudent leadership.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word mazor describes a deep injury that demands real care, often implying that the wound needs to be pressed or treated to heal. It appears only twice in the Old Testament, both times pointing to crises that are too serious for human solutions alone. When the prophets use this term, they are not talking about minor scrapes but about injuries that leave a nation vulnerable and in need of restoration.
In Hosea 5:13, Israel and Judah recognize their sickness and wound, yet they turn to Assyria for help instead of seeking God’s healing. This moment reminds us that our deepest hurts often lead us to look for relief in places that cannot truly restore us. The word highlights our shared human experience of pain and the longing for wholeness.
Jeremiah 30:13 echoes this reality, noting that without divine intervention, there is no one to plead a cause or provide healing medicines. These verses invite us to acknowledge our brokenness honestly while trusting in the One who offers true restoration. It is a call to turn toward God, who alone can bind up what is broken and bring peace to our deepest struggles.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- wound/ his1×
- to/ a sore1×
- [the] wound1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מָזֽוֹר\׃1×
- מְזֹר֔/וֹ1×
- לְ/מָז֑וֹר1×
Key Verses
-
Hosea 5:13
“When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to King Jareb: but he is not able to heal you, neither will he cure you of your wound.
This verse uses mazor to describe Judah's spiritual crisis, showing how the nation sought political alliances rather than divine healing.
-
Jeremiah 30:13
There is no one to plead your cause, that you may be bound up. You have no healing medicines.
Here the absence of healing medicines underscores the need for God's direct intervention when human resources fail.