צׇרְעָה (tsor.ah)
tsor.ah
Zorah
N:N--LQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 10 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N--L
Word Overview
The name Tzora denotes a specific town in the territory of the tribe of Dan. Its meaning is "hornet," an image that likely reflects the region’s rugged, insect-filled landscape or perhaps served as a metaphor for the community's resilience against surrounding threats.
Scripture highlights this location primarily through its association with Samson and his father Manoah. Judges records Tzora as the place where the angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife, marking the beginning of Samson’s life as a Nazirite (Judges 13:25). Later narratives confirm it as their home base, situated near the valley between Zorah and Eshtaol.
The town appears in various lists of restored settlements after the Babylonian exile. Nehemiah mentions it among the communities that rebuilt their walls and returned to their ancestral lands (Nehemiah 11:29). Joshua also includes Tzora in the detailed inheritance allotments for Dan, establishing its early significance in the tribal boundaries.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
Zorah appears in Scripture not as a bustling capital, but as a quiet home base for ordinary families facing extraordinary calling. It is the place where Manoah and his wife lived, an unremarkable setting for one of the most dramatic divine interventions in the Old Testament. This reminds us that God often begins His work in the mundane details of daily life, in the towns and rooms we know best.
The name itself means hornet, a small insect known for its persistence and sting. In the ancient context, this likely reflected the rugged landscape or the community's resilient spirit against surrounding threats. For believers today, it suggests that faithfulness does not require grand stages; it requires staying put in your assigned place while God moves.
Whether you are waiting for a breakthrough or rebuilding after exile, Zorah stands as a testament to faithful habitation. It shows that being rooted in your community and trusting God’s timing is itself a profound act of spiritual warfare. Your ordinary life can be the very ground where divine purpose takes shape.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 10 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Zorah5×
- from/ Zorah3×
- and/ in/ Zorah1×
- and/ Zorah1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- צָרְעָה֙2×
- צָרְעָ֖ה2×
- צָרְעָ֥ה1×
- מִ/צָּרְעָ֣ה1×
- מִ/צָּרְעָ֛ה1×
- מִ/צָּרְעָ֖ה1×
- וּ/בְ/צָרְעָ֖ה1×
- וְ/צָרְעָ֖ה1×
Key Verses
-
Judges 13:2
There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and childless.
This verse identifies Zorah as the hometown of Manoah, grounding the narrative of Samson’s miraculous birth in a specific, real-world location.
-
Judges 13:25
Yahweh’s Spirit began to move him in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Here, the Spirit begins to move Samson between Zorah and Eshtaol, marking the town as the launchpad for his Nazirite mission.
-
Judges 18:2
The children of Dan sent five men of their family from their whole number, men of valor, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it. They said to them, “Go, explore the land!” They came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.
The Danites send spies from Zorah, showing how the town served as a strategic starting point for tribal expansion and exploration.
-
Nehemiah 11:29
in En Rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth,
Zorah is listed among those who returned from exile, highlighting its enduring significance as a settled community in post-exilic Judah.