Magor (מָגוֹר) has two distinct meanings: (1) fear or terror — the dread that surrounds enemies of God (Jeremiah 20:3) — and (2) sojourning or place of dwelling as a stranger (Genesis 17:8). These may derive from two different roots. The 'terror' usage is most memorable in Jeremiah 20:3, where the prophet renames Pashhur Magor-Missabib — 'Terror on Every Side.'
Jeremiah's use of magor is one of the most dramatic in the Hebrew Bible. He gives the priest Pashhur a new name: Magor-Missabib ('terror all around') — meaning his life would become a source of dread rather than authority. This is prophetic irony at its sharpest. The second meaning of magor — 'sojourning' — connects to Abraham's covenant in Genesis 17:8, where God promises the land of Canaan as an 'everlasting possession' even while Abraham is still a stranger (ger) there. Both meanings circle around vulnerability: the believer lives as a stranger in this world, but God's enemies live in terror.