עָצָה (a.tsah)
a.tsah
to shut
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb atzah means to close or shut something off. It appears only once in the entire Old Testament, found in Proverbs 5:22. In this specific context, it describes how a person’s own sins can act as barriers that keep them from seeking help or finding escape.
While the word simply denotes the physical act of closing, its theological weight comes from what is being shut. Here, it suggests that sin creates a closed system, isolating the individual rather than opening a path to freedom. The image is one of confinement, where the consequences of wrongdoing effectively lock the door from the inside.
Translators typically render this as "shut up" or "closed in," emphasizing the entrapment. This single usage highlights a sobering reality: moral failure can restrict a person’s options and cut off avenues for rescue, leaving them confined by their own actions.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word atzah appears only once in Scripture, tucked into Proverbs 5:22. It describes a person whose sins shut them up, cutting off their path to escape or help. This is not about physical walls but the quiet confinement of a conscience hardened by repeated wrong choices. Sin does not just break rules; it isolates the sinner from the very rescue they need.
When we face temptation, we might feel trapped by our own habits or pride. The Bible reminds us that these barriers are self-imposed. God’s door remains open, but our actions can lock it from the inside. This truth is sobering, yet it offers hope: because the lock is internal, the key to freedom is also within reach through repentance and grace.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [one who] shuts1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- עֹצֶ֣ה1×