The Hebrew verb masar means to hand over, deliver, or commit something to another's care or authority. It carries the sense of entrusting or transmitting responsibility — passing something from one person to another with intent and purpose. The word appears in contexts of both positive stewardship (committing into care) and negative judgment (being handed over to enemies).
The concept of masar — handing over — stands behind the entire biblical theology of tradition and transmission. The faith was handed over from generation to generation, from Moses to Joshua to the elders (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Yet the same word appears when God hands over the disobedient to their enemies as judgment. This dual meaning reveals a profound truth: what we receive from God we must faithfully transmit, or we risk being handed over ourselves. The New Testament concept of paradosis (tradition, that which is handed down) has its roots in this Hebrew concept.