Lexical Definition

‎עִיר‎ ʻîyr (eer) excitement ^H:N-M
or (in the plural) עָר ʻâr (awr); or עָיַר ʻâyar (aw-yar'); (Judges 10:4), from ‎עוּר‎

Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.

• a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)

1) excitement, anguish
1a) of terror
2) city, town (a place of waking, guarded)
2a) city, town

See Greek: ἄγγελος · γῆ · κώμη · μητρόπολις · μητρόπολις · πόλις · τρόμος

Brown-Driver-Briggs

I. ‎עִיר‎ noun [masculine] excitement; — of terror, ‎וּבֶהָלוֺת‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ Jer 15:9 of rage (si vera lectio), ‎לֹא אָבוֺא בְּעִיר‎ Hos 11:9, but St proposes ‎לְבָעֵר‎ compare We Oort Now GASm. — ‎בָּעִיר‎ Ps 73:20 see ‎עור‎ Hiph`il — II, III. ‎עִיר‎ see below

II. ‎עִיר‎₁₀₉₂ noun feminine^{Gen 10:12} (Albr^{ZAW xvi.40 f.}) city, town (√ unknown; Late Hebrew id.;? Phoenician ‎ער‎ Lzb³⁴⁵; Sabean ‎ער‎ fortified height (compare 3) Prä^{ZMG xxvi (1872), 437}, ‎ערן‎, ‎עהרן‎ city CIS^{iv. pp. 94, 95, 173}); — ‎׳‎‎ע‎ absolute Gen 4:17 +, construct Gen 24:10 +; ‎הָעִ֫ירָה‎ 1Kgs 14:12 + 7t.; suffix ‎עִירִי‎ 2Sam 19:38* + 2 t., etc.; plural ‎עָרִים‎ Isa 6:11 +, ‎עֲיָרִים‎ Judg 10:4 (text error, or word-play, compare GFM); construct ‎עָרֵי‎ Gen 10:29 +; suffix ‎עָרַי‎ Zech 1:17, ‎עָרֵיכֶם‎ Isa 1:7 +, etc.; —

1. city, town, abode of men Gen 4:17 (J) and often; ‎גְּדֹלָה‎ Gen 10:12 (J), +, or ‎קְטַנָּה‎ Eccl 9:14 (compare Gen 19:20); especially
a. fortified: ‎עָרִים בְּצֻרוֺת‎ 2Sam 20:6 +, etc., see ‎בָּצַר‎, ‎מִבְצָר‎; ‎עִיר מִבְצַרצֹֿר‎ Josh 19:29 (P) fortified city (of) Tyre, ‎מָצוֺר‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ Ps 31:22* +, etc., see ‎מָצוֺר‎, ‎מְצוּרָה‎ below ‎צוּר‎ (Mic 7:12 see ‎מָצוֺר‎); ‎עָזלָֿנוּ‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ Isa 26:1, ‎עָרֵי מָעוּזּוֺ‎ Isa 17:9 ‎דְּלָתַיִם וּבְרִיחַ‎ ‎׳‎‎ְ‎ 1Sam 23:7 ‎חוֺמָה‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ Lev 25:29, compare vLev 25:30 (P), 1Kgs 4:13 on Hos 10:14 see I. ‎עַם‎ 2 b (1Sam 9:14 read ‎הַשֵּׁעַר‎ ᵐ5 We Dr and others).
b. opposed to ‎כֹּפֶר הַפְּרָזִי‎ 1Sam 6:18, ‎׳‎‎עָרֵי הַפּ‎ Deut 3:5, ‎הַפְּרָזוֺת‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ Esth 9:19 distinguished from dependencies ‎חֲצֵרִים‎ Josh 13:23 + often P.
c. ‎עָרֶיה‎ are dependent towns Josh 13:17 (P), Jer 19:15.
d. ‎עָרֵי הַמַּמְלָכָה‎ Josh 10:2 (JE) royal cities (i.e. with a king, compare Tel Amarna al šarri), so singular 1Sam 27:5, opposed to ‎הַשָּׁדֶה‎ ‎עָרֵי‎ v1Sam 27:5 rural towns; ‎הַמְּלוּכָה‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ 2Sam 12:26 (but read ‎הַמַּיִם‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ We Bu Kit Löhr HPS, see 2 below).
e. ‎עֶרֵי מִסְכְּנוֺת‎ Exod 1:11 storage-cities, so 1Kgs 9:19 = 2Chr 8:6; 2Chr 8:4; 2Chr 17:12 for ‎נַפְתָּלִי‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ ‎׳‎‎מ‎ 2Chr 16:4 read probably ‎׳‎‎כִּנְרוֺת עֵלוֿגו‎ (as 1Kgs 15:20 Be Kit Buhl); compare ‎הֶרֶכֶב‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ 1Kgs 9:19; 1Kgs 10:26 = 2Chr 8:6; 2Chr 9:25; 2Chr 1:14 ‎הַפָּרָשִׁים‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ 1Kgs 9:19 = 2Chr 8:6. feminine ‎(הַ)מִקְלָט‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ (P) asylum-cities Num 35:11; Num 35:13; Num 35:14; Josh 20:2, compare Num 35:25; Num 35:26; Num 35:27; Num 35:28; Num 35:32, ‎לְמִקְלָט‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ vNum 35:12 ‎מִקְלַט הָרֹצֵחַ‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ Josh 21:13 + 4t. 21.
g. ‎(הָ)אֱלֹהִים‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ = Jerusalem: Ps 46:5*; Ps 87:3, compare Ps 48:2*; Ps 48:9* ‎׳‎‎י‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ Isa 60:14; Ps 101:8 ‎צְבָאוֺת‎ ‎׳‎‎י‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ Ps 48:9*.
h. city = inhabitants 1Sam 4:13; 1Sam 5:12; Isa 22:2; Ruth 1:19, so 2Sam 20:22 (reading ‎הָעִיר‎ for ᵑ0 ‎הָעָם‎) ᵐ5 We Dr and others (compare also following).
i. combinations are: ‎רֹכְלִים‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ Ezek 17:4 city of merchants; ‎מוֺשָׁב‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ Ps 107:4; Ps 107:7; Ps 107:36 city for dwelling; especially of character or condition: ‎הַצֶּדֶק‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ Isa 1:26, ‎׳‎‎ע‎ ‎הָאֱמֶת‎ Zech 8:3 ‎הַקּדֶשׁ‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ Isa 48:2; Isa 52:1; Neh 11:1; Neh 11:18, compare Dan 9:24, all of Jerusalem; ‎עָרֵי קָדְשֶׁ֑ךָ‎ Jer 5:17 of Judaean cities; of foreign cities, ‎תְּהִלָּךְ‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ Jer 49:25, ‎׳‎‎הָע‎ ‎הַהֻלָּלה‎Ezek 26:17, ‎הָעַלִּיזָה‎ ‎׳‎‎הָע‎ Zeph 2:15 of Jerusalem also ‎הַיּוֺנָה‎ ‎׳‎‎הָע‎ Zeph 3:1 oppressive city, ‎(הַ)דָּמִים‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ bloody city Ezek 22:2; Ezek 24:6; Ezek 24:9 and (of Nineveh) Nah 3:1.

2. of fortress in a city especially ‎עִיר דָּוִד‎ 2Sam 5:7; 2Sam 5:9; 2Sam 6:10 + often (see ‎דָּוִד‎); ‎כֵית הַבָּ֑עַל‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ 2Kgs 10:25 (crpt; Klo proposes ‎דְּבִיר‎ for ‎׳‎‎ע‎, compare Kmp Benz Kit); ‎הַמַּיִם‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ 2Sam 12:27 (so read also v2Sam 12:26, see 1 d).

3. apparently fortified place, of any size, ‎עִיר מִבְצָר בְּכָלעָֿרֵיהֶם מִמִּגְּדַּל נוֺצְרִים עַדֿ‎ 2Kgs 17:9 =2Kgs 18:8 compare Num 13:9 (P; but on compare of ver. see Di); perhaps also ‎עֲמָלֵק‎ ‎׳‎‎ע‎ 1Sam 15:5 (HPS). — Hos 7:4 see ‎עור‎ Hiph`il

‎עִיר הַהֶרֶס‎ see ‎הֶרֶס‎.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References