H5797 H5797
Strength, might, power — whether physical fortitude, divine majesty, or the fierce energy of authority and praise.
One of the most celebrated nouns in the Hebrew Bible's vocabulary of power, appearing 92 times and concentrated especially in the Psalms (44 occurrences). It describes the raw strength of God that shakes the wilderness (Ps 29:1), the mighty power before which Israel sings (Exod 15:2, 'The LORD is my strength and my song'), and the festive energy of worship — David danced before the ark 'with all his might' (2 Sam 6:14). Arabic عِزّ, Korean 힘, and Swahili nguvu all converge on the same core: formidable, awe-inspiring power. The word also appears in compound expressions like 'tower of strength' (Judg 9:51, Prov 18:10), where it becomes architectural metaphor for divine protection.
Senses
1. strength, might, power — The dominant sense: strength, might, power in its full range — divine omnipotence ('give unto the LORD glory and strength,' 1 Chr 16:28), royal authority ('the king shall joy in thy strength,' Ps 21:1), physical vigor (2 Sam 6:14), and national force. Arabic عِزّ (honor-through-power) and Korean 힘/능력 converge on this sense. The Psalms use it more than any other book, often in parallelism with כָּבוֹד (glory) and תִּפְאֶרֶת (splendor). 88×
AR["القُوَّةَ","الْقُوَّةُ","الْقُوَّةِ","عِزَّةً","عِزَّةٌ","عِزّْاً","قُوَّةً","قُوَّةٌ","قُوَّةٌ-","قُوَّةٍ"]·ben["শক্তি","শক্তি।","শক্তির","শক্তিশালী"]·DE["Kraft","Staerke","Stärke","Stärke-","mit-Stärke","stark"]·EN["confidence","is-strength-","strength","with-strength"]·FR["force","puissance"]·heb["עוז","עוז-"]·HI["दृढ़","दृढ़़","बल-","बल-का","बल-की","बलवान","शक्ति","शक्ति-की","शक्ति-है","सामर्थ्य"]·ID["kekuatan","kuasa","yang-kuat"]·IT["forza"]·jav["kakiyatan","kakiyatan-","kakuwatan","kekiyatan","pangwaos"]·KO["강한","견고한","능력-을","힘","힘-과","힘-으로","힘-을","힘-의","힘-이","힘-이시라","힘을","힘이"]·PT["com-força","de-força","força","é-força"]·RU["в-силу","крепкие","сила","сила-","силой","силу","силы","сильной"]·ES["de-fuerza","está-la-fuerza","fortaleza","fuerte","fuerza","poder"]·SW["imara","nguvu","wenye-nguvu","yenye-nguvu"]·TR["guc","güclü","gücü","gücün","güç","güç-","güçle","güçlü"]·urd["طاقت","طاقت-کا","طاقت-کی","قدرت","قوت","قوت-ہے","قُوَّت","مضبوط"]
1 Sam 2:10, 2 Sam 6:14, 1 Chr 13:8, 1 Chr 16:27, 1 Chr 16:28, 2 Chr 30:21, Job 12:16, Job 41:22, Ps 8:2, Ps 28:7, Ps 28:8, Ps 29:1 (+38 more)
2. sense 2 — Strength as a concrete architectural or protective attribute: a 'tower of strength' (מִגְדַּל עֹז, Judg 9:51) or a 'strong refuge' (מַחֲסִי עֹז, Ps 71:7). Here the abstract quality is materialized into fortification imagery — the name of the LORD is a strong tower (Prov 18:10). This usage bridges physical structure and metaphorical security. 2×
AR["حَصِين","عِزٍّ"]·ben["শক্তিশালী","শক্তিশালীর।"]·DE["Staerke","Stärke"]·EN["of-strength","strength"]·FR["force"]·heb["עוז"]·HI["दृढ़","मज़बूत"]·ID["kuat","yang-kuat"]·IT["forza"]·jav["kiyat"]·KO["강한"]·PT["de-força","força"]·RU["крепкая","сильное"]·ES["fuerza"]·SW["lenye-nguvu","nguvu"]·TR["güçlü"]·urd["قوت-کی","مضبوط"]
3. sense 3 — A contextual use in Jeremiah 51:53 where the word appears in proximity to Babylon's fortified height. Some translations (French Gaza, German Gaza) reflect a possible confusion with the place name עַזָּה (Gaza), but the Hebrew text describes Babylon's 'strength' — her high fortification — as the target of divine judgment. The multilingual divergence here is itself instructive. 1×
AR["حِصْنِهَا"]·ben["তার-শক্তির"]·DE["Gaza"]·EN["her-strength"]·FR["Gaza"]·heb["עוזה"]·HI["अपनी-ताकत-की"]·ID["kekuatannya"]·IT["Gaza"]·jav["bètèng-ipun"]·KO["힘의-그녀의"]·PT["sua-força"]·RU["крепости-своей"]·ES["su-fortaleza"]·SW["ngome-yake"]·TR["kalesinin"]·urd["اُس-کی-طاقت-کی"]
4. sense 4 — The boldness or force of a person's countenance or manner, as in Ecclesiastes 8:1: 'the boldness (עֹז) of his face shall be changed.' Here strength is transferred from physical or military might to the fierce confidence visible in a person's expression. Spanish dureza ('hardness') and French force both capture this specialized nuance of forcefulness in bearing. 1×
AR["وَقَسَاوَةُ"]·ben["এবং-কঠিনতা"]·DE["und-Kraft"]·EN["and-strength-of"]·FR["et-force"]·heb["ו-עוז"]·HI["और-कठोरता"]·ID["dan-kekuatan"]·IT["e-forza"]·jav["lan-kakiyatan"]·KO["그리고-힘"]·PT["e-força-de"]·RU["и-дерзость"]·ES["y-dureza-de"]·SW["na-ugumu-wa"]·TR["ve-guc"]·urd["اور-سختی"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† עֹז and (rarely) עוֹז n.m. strength, might;—abs. ע׳ Ju 9:51 +, עוֹז ψ 84:6 +, עָז־ Is 26:1, once עָ֑ז Gn 49:3; cstr. עֹז Mi 5:3 +, עָז־ ψ 28:8; sf. עָזִּי Ex 15:2 + 2 times, עֻזִּי ψ 28:7 +; עָזְּךָ 21:2 + 2 times, עֻזְּךָ 66:3 +; sf. 1 pl. עוּזֵנוּ 81:2; 3 mpl. עֻזָּמוֹ 89:18 etc.;—strength, might (usually poet., 44 times ψψ): 1. material and physical, מִגְדַּל־עֹז Ju 9:51, and fig. (of י׳), ψ…