Hebrew word · H193
אוּל
'ulam
strength
This sense is uncertain and occurs only here. Most lexicons (BDB, HALOT) give 'body' or 'belly', mainly on the strength of cognates in related languages.
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
1) prominence
1a) body, belly (contemptuous)
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
This sense is uncertain and occurs only here. Most lexicons (BDB, HALOT) give 'body' or 'belly', mainly on the strength of cognates in related languages. A similar-looking word in 2 Kings 24:15 ('the leading men of the land', where the written text and the marginal reading differ) has led some to think of 'might, prominence'.
- Against the English
KJV, WEB and YLT have 'strength' or 'might'. BSB, NIV, NASB, ESV and NRSV have 'body/bodies'. The meaning of the whole clause depends on this choice: 'their strength is firm' versus 'their bodies are fat'.
- Used elsewhere in the period
There are no clear parallels inside the Hebrew Bible. The Septuagint's 'firmness in their scourge' shows that ancient translators were already unsure.
Where it appears
Psalms · 1
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Psalm 73:4 אוּלָֽם׃ body their
They have no struggle in their death; their bodies are well-fed.
Here: This sense occurs only here, and its meaning is uncertain. Most modern lexicons take it as 'body' or 'belly', so their bodies are well-padded. Older translators (KJV) took it as 'strength', perhaps linking it to words for might.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.