Hebrew word · H394

אַכְזָרִי

'akhzari

cruel

Cruel, merciless, fierce. It is a form of ʾakhzar, "cruel" (used of the ostrich that abandons her young and of the fierce Leviathan in Job).

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated November 01, 2026

What it means

cruel

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

Range of meaning: Cruel, merciless, fierce. It is a form of ʾakhzar, "cruel" (used of the ostrich that abandons her young and of the fierce Leviathan in Job).
Against the English: "Cruel" in English can suggest that the messenger is in the wrong. In Hebrew the stress is on harshness and the absence of mercy, and the word can describe deserved judgment (Isa 13:9, the day of the LORD comes "cruel").
Used elsewhere in the period: Prov 5:9 (your years given to "the cruel one"); 11:17 ("the cruel man harms himself"); 12:10 ("the mercies of the wicked are cruel"); Jer 30:14; Isa 13:9. Septuagint here: anelēmōn, "merciless". Vulgate: crudelis.

Range of meaning: Cruel, merciless, ruthless, fierce: someone who shows no pity. A related adjective (akhzar) describes snake venom (Deuteronomy 32:33), a fierce attacker (Job 41:10), and ostriches that neglect their young (Lamentations 4:3).
Against the English: 'Cruel' (most versions) is accurate. YLT's 'fierce' brings out the violent edge.
Used elsewhere in the period: Proverbs 5:9 (giving your years 'to the merciless'); 12:10 ('the compassion of the wicked is cruel'); 17:11 ('a cruel messenger will be sent against him'); Isaiah 13:9; Jeremiah 6:23; 30:14; 50:42.

Range of meaning: Cruel, fierce, merciless. A rarer adjective, related to akhzar ('cruel, fierce', Job 30:21; Lam 4:3). It describes violence without restraint or pity.
Against the English: KJV/WEB/NASB 'a cruel one', BSB 'someone cruel', ESV 'a merciless foe', YLT 'a fierce one'. All are accurate. The point lies in who is being compared.
Used elsewhere in the period: Jer 6:23 and 50:42: the northern invader 'is cruel (akhzari) and has no mercy'. Prov 5:9; 11:17 ('a cruel man harms himself'); 12:10 ('the mercies of the wicked are cruel'); Isa 13:9 ('the day of the LORD comes, cruel').

Proverbs · 4

Proverbs 5:9 לְאַכְזָרִֽי׃ to a cruel [person]

lest you concede your vigor to others, and your years to one who is cruel;

Here: Singular: "to a cruel, merciless one," someone who will show no pity. The verse does not say who this is. It may be the wronged husband, the woman herself, or a creditor or master (see debates). The point is that what the son gives away goes to someone with no mercy.
Proverbs 11:17 אַכְזָרִֽי׃ a cruel [person]

A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.

Here: 'A cruel one.' It is the word for merciless enemies (Jeremiah 6:23) and for animals that abandon their young (Lamentations 4:3, related form). It is the direct opposite of the 'man of ḥesed.'
Proverbs 12:10 אַכְזָרִֽי׃ [is] cruel

A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are only cruelty.

Here: The last word of the verse, where it lands hardest: 'cruel'. It is used elsewhere of merciless enemies and ruthless people (Jer 6:23; Prov 5:9; 11:17). Even what the wicked would call kindness turns out to be cruel.
Proverbs 17:11 אַ֝כְזָרִ֗י cruel

An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

Here: Harsh and without pity. The word is used of enemies and of the day of judgment. The messenger comes with no mercy, to carry out the sentence and not to negotiate.

Isaiah · 1

Isaiah 13:9 אַכְזָרִ֥י a cruel [day]

Behold, the Day of the LORD is coming—cruel, with fury and burning anger—to make the earth a desolation and to destroy the sinners within it.

Here: The word describes the day: it will show no mercy and will not be turned back. Elsewhere it is used of armies that 'are cruel and show no mercy' (Jeremiah 6:23). The point is how relentless the day is, not that anyone enjoys causing pain.

Jeremiah · 3

Jeremiah 6:23 אַכְזָרִ֥י [is] cruel

They grasp the bow and spear; they are cruel and merciless. Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride upon horses, lined up like men in formation against you, O Daughter of Zion.”

Here: Ruthless and unrelenting. Placed first in its clause for emphasis: 'Cruel, that is what he is.'
Jeremiah 30:14 אַכְזָרִ֔י a cruel [one]

All your lovers have forgotten you; they no longer seek you, for I have struck you as an enemy would, with the discipline of someone cruel, because of your great iniquity and your numerous sins.

Here: 'A cruel one.' Jeremiah uses the same word for the invader from the north who 'is cruel and shows no mercy' (6:23; 50:42). God's correction has felt exactly like that enemy's ruthlessness.
Jeremiah 50:42 אַכְזָרִ֥י [will be] cruel

They grasp the bow and spear; they are cruel and merciless. Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride upon horses, lined up like men in formation against you, O Daughter of Babylon.

Here: Merciless and violent, a word used for a ruthless enemy (Jer 6:23; 30:14) and a harsh person (Prov 5:9; 11:17). It stands first in its clause for emphasis: 'cruel, that is what they are.'

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