Esur (אֵסוּר) refers to a physical bond, fetter, or the state of imprisonment. It derives from the root asar (אָסַר, to bind, imprison). The word appears in Judges 15:14 describing the ropes binding Samson, and in Ecclesiastes 7:26 describing the chains of the seductive woman. It can refer both to literal and figurative bondage.
The imagery of bonds and freedom runs through Scripture as a profound theological motif. God repeatedly breaks the bonds of His people — Israel's Egyptian slavery, Samson's ropes, the prisoner's chains. Isaiah prophesied a Servant who would "free captives from prison and release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness" (Isaiah 42:7), fulfilled in Christ who proclaimed "release to the captives" (Luke 4:18). Conversely, sin is described as a bondage from which only God can deliver.