Distress

"distress; straits." The 70 appearances of sarâ occur in all periods of biblical literature, although most occurrences are in poetry (poetical, prophetical, and wisdom literature). Sarâ means "straits" or "distress" in a psychological or spiritual sense, which is its meaning in Gen 42:21 (the first occurrence): "We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear…."

"distress." This word also occurs mostly in poetry. In Prov 24:10, sar means "scarcity" or the "distress" caused by scarcity. The emphasis of the noun is sometimes on the feeling of "dismay" arising from a distressful situation (Job 7:11). In this usage the word sar represents a psychological or spiritual status. In Isa 5:30, the word describes conditions that cause distress: "… If one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow…" (cf. Isa 30:20). This nuance appears to be the most frequent use represented by sar.

"to wrap, tie up, be narrow, be distressed, be in pangs of birth." This verb, which appears in the Old Testament 54 times, has cognates in Aramaic, Syriac, Akkadian, and Arabic. In Judg 11:7, the word carries the meaning of "to be in distress."

"narrow." Sar describes a space as "narrow" and easily blocked by a single person (Num 22:26).