עַז

Genesis 49:3 עָֽז׃ power

Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power.

Here: 'Power.' Here it works as a noun meaning force or might, probably the power to command. The word can also mean 'fierce' or 'harsh' (Deuteronomy 28:50), which is probably how the Greek translators came to read the line negatively.

Genesis 49:7 עָ֔ז fierce

Cursed be their anger, for it is strong, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

Exodus 14:21 עַזָּה֙ strong

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided,

Here: 'Strong, fierce, violent.' This is not a breeze but a gale. The adjective is feminine because rûaḥ is usually a feminine noun.

Numbers 13:28 עַ֣ז [is] strong

Nevertheless, the people living in the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified. We even saw the descendants of Anak there.

Numbers 21:24 עַ֔ז [was] strong

And Israel put him to the sword and took possession of his land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok—but only up to the border of the Ammonites, because it was fortified.

Here: Strong, hard, formidable. Applied to a border it suggests a well-defended frontier, hard to break through. The ancient Greek translation read a place name here instead (see textual notes).

Deuteronomy 28:50 עַ֣ז fierce of

a ruthless nation with no respect for the old and no pity for the young.

Judges 14:14 וּמֵעַ֖ז and from a strong [one]

So he said to them: “Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet.” For three days they were unable to explain the riddle.

Judges 14:18 עַ֖ז [is] strong

Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson: “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” So he said to them: “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!”

2 Samuel 22:18 עָ֑ז mighty

He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.

Nehemiah 9:11 עַזִּֽים׃ mighty

You divided the sea before them, and they crossed through it on dry ground. You hurled their pursuers into the depths like a stone into raging waters.

Here: Waters with force behind them. The same waters that stood back for Israel now act with full power against the pursuers. The phrase matches Isaiah 43:16, "a path in mighty waters."

Psalm 18:17 עָ֑ז strong

He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.

Psalm 59:3 עַזִ֑ים fierce [people]

See how they lie in wait for me. Fierce men conspire against me for no transgression or sin of my own, O LORD.

Here: 'Strong ones': men who are powerful, violent and ruthless. It is the subject of both verbs, delayed to the end of the line for emphasis. It stresses how unequal the fight is.

Proverbs 18:23 עַזּֽוֹת׃ strong [words]

The poor man pleads for mercy, but the rich man answers harshly.

Proverbs 21:14 עַזָּֽה׃ strong

A gift in secret soothes anger, and a covert bribe pacifies great wrath.

Proverbs 30:25 עָ֑ז strong

The ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;

Song of Songs 8:6 עַזָּ֤ה [is] strong

Set me as a seal over your heart, as a seal upon your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as unrelenting as Sheol. Its sparks are fiery flames, the fiercest blaze of all.

Here: 'Strong' stands first for emphasis. It is feminine to match 'love'. The word means fierce, overpowering strength, as of a fortified city or an unstoppable force, not mere sturdiness.

Isaiah 19:4 עַז֙ strong

I will deliver the Egyptians into the hands of a harsh master, and a fierce king will rule over them,” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.

Isaiah 25:3 עָ֑ז strong

Therefore, a strong people will honor You. The cities of ruthless nations will revere You.

Here: Not merely 'strong' in a neutral sense. Elsewhere it describes a 'fierce' king who rules Egypt harshly (Isa 19:4) and a nation 'fierce of face' that shows no pity (Deut 28:50). This is a formidable and hard power. It also echoes the 'stronghold' (māʿôz) God becomes for the poor in verse 4.

Isaiah 26:1 עָז־ strength

In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; salvation is established as its walls and ramparts.

Here: Here a noun, "strength": literally "a city of strength", that is, a stronghold. In Israel's songs the word is often used of God's own might (Exod 15:2; Ps 46:1).

Isaiah 43:16 עַזִּ֖ים mighty

Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the surging waters,

Here: 'Strong' waters: powerful and deadly, the waters that drowned Egypt. The same wording appears in Neh 9:11. Its root *ʿzz* comes back in v.17's *ʿizzuz*, 'the mighty' army, so strong waters and strong warriors are both overcome.

Isaiah 56:11 עַזֵּי־ [are] mighty of

Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain:

Here: Strong in the sense of fierce or unrestrained. Joined to the next word it means 'fierce of appetite', with a hint of the brazen and shameless (compare 'fierce of face' in Deut 28:50).

Ezekiel 7:24 עַזִּ֔ים mighty [ones]

So I will bring the most wicked of nations to take possession of their houses. I will end the pride of the mighty, and their holy places will be profaned.

Daniel 8:23 עַז־ strong

In the latter part of their reign, when the rebellion has reached its full measure, an insolent king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne.

Here: 'Strong/hard of …'. Joined to 'face', it makes an idiom for a brazen, shameless face, not simply a frightening one.

Amos 5:9 עָ֑ז [the] strong

He flashes destruction on the strong, so that fury comes upon the stronghold.

Here: 'The strong.' The adjective is used as a noun: the powerful person or the strong place. It pairs with 'fortress' in the second half, so it covers both military strength and the people who trust in it.