Hebrew word · H2392

חֹ֫זֶק

chozek

strngth

Strength, might, force. It is a rare noun from the root ḥzq, 'be strong, grip firmly'.

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

What it means

strength

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 Haggai 2:22

Range of meaning

Strength, might, force. It is a rare noun from the root ḥzq, 'be strong, grip firmly'.

Against the English

'Strength' (KJV, WEB) and 'power' (BSB) are both fine. What gets lost is the Exodus association of the word.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exodus 13:3, 14, 16: 'by strength of hand (beḥozeq yad) YHWH brought you out'. Amos 6:13: 'have we not by our own strength taken horns for ourselves?', where the word marks proud self-reliance.

From the study of Exodus 13:14

Range of meaning

Ḥozeq means 'strength, force, firmness.' Yad means 'hand,' and by common extension 'power, control, agency.' Together they mean 'by force of hand,' power that overcomes resistance. The root ḥ-z-q covers being strong, firm, hard, and seizing hold.

Against the English

KJV/WEB/YLT 'by strength of hand' keep the Hebrew form. BSB and NIV 'with a mighty hand,' ESV 'by a strong hand' and NASB 'with a powerful hand' smooth it into an adjective. That is accurate in meaning, but it blurs the fact that this chapter uses two related phrases: bechozeq yad (vv. 3, 14, 16) and beyad chazaqah (v. 9; cf. 3:19; 6:1).

Used elsewhere in the period

'Strong hand' (often with 'outstretched arm') is the standard formula for the Exodus in Deuteronomy (4:34; 5:15; 6:21; 26:8) and the Psalms (136:12). Egyptian royal inscriptions regularly praise Pharaoh's 'strong arm' (ḫpš). J. K. Hoffmeier has argued that Israel's phrase deliberately sets Yahweh's arm against Pharaoh's. The link is widely accepted, though how deliberate it was is debated.

From the study of Exodus 13:3

Range of meaning

Chozeq: strength, force (rare; here and Exod 13:14, 16; Amos 6:13; Hag 2:22). Yad: hand, and by extension power, control, custody, agency. The commoner version of the phrase is yad chazaqah, 'strong hand' (Exod 3:19; 6:1; 13:9; Deut 26:8).

Against the English

KJV/WEB/YLT keep 'by strength of hand'. BSB adds 'His' ('the strength of His hand'), which is correct in sense. Some modern versions say 'mighty hand', which smooths the noun 'strength' into an adjective.

Used elsewhere in the period

Egyptian royal language praised Pharaoh as 'strong of arm' and pictured him smiting enemies with raised arm. J. K. Hoffmeier has argued that the Exodus language of God's 'strong hand' and 'outstretched arm' deliberately takes over this pharaonic imagery. Inside Exodus, Pharaoh will let Israel go only 'by a strong hand' (3:19; 6:1).

Where it appears

Exodus · 3

  1. Exodus 13:3 בְּחֹ֣זֶק with strength of

    So Moses told the people, “Remember this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; for the LORD brought you out of it by the strength of His hand. And nothing leavened shall be eaten.

    Here: A rare noun for raw strength or force. Put first in the clause for emphasis: it was by strength that the rescue happened.

  2. Exodus 13:14 בְּחֹ֣זֶק with strength of

    In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

    Here: 'By strength of.' The noun comes from the root ḥ-z-q ('be strong, firm, hard'). The same root is used for Pharaoh's 'hardened' (literally 'strengthened') heart throughout the plague story.

  3. Exodus 13:16 בְּחֹ֣זֶק with strength of

    So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”

Amos · 1

  1. Amos 6:13 בְחָזְקֵ֔נוּ by own strength our

    you who rejoice in Lo-debar and say, ‘Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?’

Haggai · 1

  1. Haggai 2:22 חֹ֖זֶק [the] strength of

    I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn chariots and their riders; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.

    Here: A rare word for force or might. In Exodus 13 it appears in 'by strength of hand YHWH brought you out of Egypt'. Here the might belongs to the nations, and God is the one who breaks it.

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