Hebrew word · H235

אָזַל

'azal

be gone

Azal means 'to go away, run out, be used up'. It is used of bread gone from a bag (1 Sam 9:7) and water disappearing (Job 14:11). Yad means 'hand', and in Hebrew it stands for power, control and the ability to act.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to go, to go away, to go about

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go away

1a2) to go about

1a3) to be used up, be exhausted, be gone, evaporated

1b) (Pual) to go to and fro

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

From the study of Deuteronomy 32:36

Range of meaning

Azal means 'to go away, run out, be used up'. It is used of bread gone from a bag (1 Sam 9:7) and water disappearing (Job 14:11). Yad means 'hand', and in Hebrew it stands for power, control and the ability to act.

Against the English

KJV and WEB have 'power is gone'. BSB and NASB have 'strength is gone'. YLT keeps the sense of movement: 'the going away of power'. All are accurate, though none keeps the picture of the hand.

Used elsewhere in the period

'Hand' meaning power is common across ancient Near Eastern languages, for example the Akkadian qātu. Compare Josh 8:20, literally 'they had no hands to flee', meaning no power to flee.

From the study of Jeremiah 2:36

Range of meaning

As pointed in the Hebrew text, the root is 'azal, 'to go away, go off, be used up' (e.g. bread 'is gone', 1 Sam 9:7; water 'disappears', Job 14:11). From this comes 'go about, roam' here. The alternative root zalal means 'to be light, worthless; to treat as cheap' (cf. Lam 1:11, 'I have become despised'; Jer 15:19, 'the worthless').

Against the English

KJV 'gaddest thou about', WEB/NIV/ESV/NASB 'go about (so much)', BSB 'how impulsive you are', YLT 'thou art very vile' (following the zalal reading). NRSV combines both readings with something like 'how lightly you gad about'.

How it drifted

No real drift. The English versions differ because they follow different readings of the same consonants. KJV's 'gad about' now sounds like idle socialising, but in 1611 it meant restless wandering, which suits the text.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint has 'you despised greatly' (Greek kataphroneō) and the Vulgate has 'how vile you have become' (vilis). Both reflect the zalal reading. Medieval Jewish tradition and most Protestant versions follow the Masoretic pointing ('go about'). BDB sends the reader to zalal as the probable reading, and HALOT also discusses repointing.

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 32:36 אָ֣זְלַת it has been used up

    For the LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees that their strength is gone and no one remains, slave or free.

    Here: 'Has run out', like bread gone from a sack (1 Sam 9:7). Their power is not just weak but used up.

1 Samuel · 1

  1. 1 Samuel 9:7 אָזַ֣ל it has been used up

    “If we do go,” Saul replied, “what can we give the man? For the bread in our packs is gone, and there is no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?”

Job · 1

  1. Job 14:11 אָֽזְלוּ־ they disappear

    As water disappears from the sea and a river becomes parched and dry,

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 20:14 וְאֹזֵ֥ל and [he is] going away

    “Worthless, worthless!” says the buyer, but on the way out, he gloats.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 2:36 תֵּזְלִ֥י do you treat lightly

    How impulsive you are, constantly changing your ways! You will be disappointed by Egypt just as you were by Assyria.

    Here: Addressed to a woman (Judah/Jerusalem pictured as a wife). As the vowels stand, it means 'you go about, roam'. Many scholars read the same letters from zalal, 'you treat lightly, cheapen'. Either way it describes restless, careless movement from one partner to another; see the study below.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.