Hebrew word · H247

אָזַר

'ezor-

to gird

'To gird, put on a belt.' The related noun ʾēzôr is a waistcloth or belt. In the form used here it means 'to gird someone else', often figuratively, 'to gird with strength' (Ps 18:32, 39 [Eng. 18:32, 39]; 1 Sam 2:4).

Appears 16 times in 15 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) gird, encompass, equip, clothe

1a) (Qal) to gird, gird on (metaphorical of strength)

1b) (Niphal) be girded

1c)(Piel) hold close, clasp

1d) (Hiphpael) gird oneself (for war)

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 Isaiah 45:5

Range of meaning

'To gird, put on a belt.' The related noun ʾēzôr is a waistcloth or belt. In the form used here it means 'to gird someone else', often figuratively, 'to gird with strength' (Ps 18:32, 39 [Eng. 18:32, 39]; 1 Sam 2:4). Girding the loins means getting ready for strenuous action: tucking the robe into the belt to run, fight or work (Job 38:3; Jer 1:17; 1 Kgs 18:46).

Against the English

KJV 'I girded thee' and YLT 'I gird thee' keep the picture. BSB 'equip you for battle' explains it. WEB 'strengthen you' (like the Greek Septuagint and NIV) keeps the sense but loses the image, and with it the link to 45:1.

How it drifted

'Gird' is archaic in modern English, so translators turn it into its meaning. This is reasonable, but the reader loses the clothing image that ties the verses together.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 18:32, 39 (Yahweh girds the king with strength for battle); Ps 65:6; 93:1 (Yahweh girded with strength); Isa 11:5 (righteousness as the Davidic king's belt). Across the ancient Near East the belt is a mark of royal and military power. The opposite image, ungirding, means helplessness: Isa 5:27 ('not a belt is loosened'), and Isa 45:1, where Yahweh will 'loosen the loins of kings'.

From the study of Isaiah 8:9

Range of meaning

"Gird, bind around." In this reflexive form it means "gird oneself": cinch the belt, tuck the long robe into it so the legs are free, and fasten on the sword. It is the standard picture of getting ready for battle or hard action (Ps 18:32, 39; Ps 93:1; 1 Kgs 20:11).

Against the English

KJV, YLT: "gird yourselves" is accurate but archaic. BSB: "prepare for battle". WEB: "dress for battle". The modern renderings give the sense but lose the physical picture of strapping on a belt.

How it drifted

"Gird" has dropped out of everyday English, so readers of the KJV may not realise it means arming for war.

Used elsewhere in the period

1 Kgs 20:11: "Let not him who girds on [his armour] boast like him who takes it off". It is the same picture of bravado before a battle has been decided. Ps 93:1: the LORD "has girded himself with strength."

From the study of Psalm 18:39

Range of meaning

To gird, belt, bind around. Used of fastening a belt or waist-cloth and of tucking up long garments so one can run, work or fight. Figuratively, to equip someone with a quality, as if it were a belt (strength, joy, Psalm 30:11; 65:6; 93:1).

Against the English

KJV, NASB and YLT keep 'girded/girdest', which holds the image but is archaic. BSB, WEB and NIV say 'armed' and ESV 'equipped'. These are clearer, but 'armed' changes the picture from belting to handing over weapons.

How it drifted

'Gird' has fallen out of everyday English, so translators replace it with a general word for equipping. The meaning stays close, but the clothing image is lost.

Used elsewhere in the period

'Gird up your loins like a man' (Job 38:3; 40:7) is the call to get ready for a contest. In 1 Samuel 2:4, 'the stumbling are girded with strength' uses the same pairing with חַיִל. The LXX renders it περιζώννυμι ('belt around'). Ancient Near Eastern reliefs show warriors with broad belts holding their weapons.

Where it appears

1 Samuel · 1

  1. 1 Samuel 2:4 אָ֥זְרוּ they gird on

    The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble are equipped with strength.

2 Samuel · 1

  1. 2 Samuel 22:40 וַתַּזְרֵ֥נִי and you have girded me

    You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.

2 Kings · 1

  1. 2 Kings 1:8 אָז֣וּר [was] girded

    “He was a hairy man,” they answered, “with a leather belt around his waist.” “It was Elijah the Tishbite,” said the king.

Job · 3

  1. Job 30:18 יַֽאַזְרֵֽנִי׃ he girds about me

    With great force He grasps my garment; He seizes me by the collar of my tunic.

  2. Job 38:3 אֱזָר־ gird up

    Now brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall inform Me.

  3. Job 40:7 אֱזָר־ gird up

    “Now brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall inform Me.

Psalms · 5

  1. Psalm 18:32 הַמְאַזְּרֵ֣נִי [is] the [one who] has girded me

    It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.

    Here: An intensive-stem participle with article and 'me': 'the one who girds me'. The picture is fastening a belt or tying up a robe to get ready for battle or hard work. Because it is a participle it describes what God characteristically does, not only a single past act.

  2. Psalm 18:39 וַתְּאַזְּרֵ֣נִי and you girded me

    You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.

    Here: 'And you belted me.' The picture is a warrior cinching his belt, with the long tunic tucked up and the sword-belt fastened, ready to move and fight. God does the fastening. The verb form tells the story in the past, as one event in a series of events.

  3. Psalm 30:11 וַֽתְּאַזְּרֵ֥נִי and you girded me

    You turned my mourning into dancing; You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

    Here: "And you belted me": the same place on the body where the sackcloth had been tied now gets a new belt. Girding is also the picture of getting ready for action (compare 'girded me with strength,' Ps 18:32, 39).

  4. Psalm 65:6 נֶ֝אְזָ֗ר [who] is girded

    You formed the mountains by Your power, having girded Yourself with might.

    Here: 'Girded' is a passive or reflexive form: belted, or having belted himself. It is the picture of a warrior hitching up his long robe and strapping on his belt before a fight. That sets up verse 7, where God silences the roaring seas and nations.

  5. Psalm 93:1 הִתְאַזָּ֑ר he has girded himself

    The LORD reigns! He is robed in majesty; the LORD has clothed and armed Himself with strength. The world indeed is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

    Here: 'He has belted himself.' People tied a belt or sash around the waist and tucked their long robe into it to get ready for hard action or battle. God is pictured both dressed as a king and ready to fight.

Isaiah · 4

  1. Isaiah 8:9 הִתְאַזְּר֣וּ הִֽתְאַזְּר֖וּ gird yourselves

    Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered!

    Here: "Gird yourselves!" It means to cinch your belt, tuck up your robe and strap on your weapon: get ready for battle. The verb form points to doing this to oneself, arming oneself.

  2. Isaiah 45:5 אֲאַזֶּרְךָ֖ I will gird you

    I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle, though you have not known Me,

    Here: 'I will gird you': tying the belt that gathers up a long robe and holds a sword, so a man is ready to fight or act. Yahweh dresses Cyrus for war, while in 45:1 he 'loosens the loins of kings', taking off his enemies' belts and leaving them helpless.

  3. Isaiah 50:11 מְאַזְּרֵ֣י [who] gird on

    Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who array yourselves with firebrands, walk in the light of your fire and of the firebrands you have lit! This is what you will receive from My hand: You will lie down in a place of torment.

    Here: 'Girding on' or 'equipping yourselves with'. It is the language of a warrior strapping on gear or strength (Ps 18:32, 39). This makes the firebrands sound like weapons, not just lamps. Some scholars emend the word to 'who light' (see textual notes).

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 1:17 תֶּאְזֹ֣ר you will gird

    Get yourself ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them, or I will terrify you before them.

    Here: An imperfect verb used as a command: 'you are to gird.' It means hitching up the long robe and binding it with a belt so the legs are free to run, fight or work.

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