Hebrew word · H5807

עֱזוּז

ve'ezuz

strength

Strength, might, overwhelming force. It is rare, found only in Ps 78:4, Ps 145:6 and here.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. · Updated October 25, 2026

What it means

strength, fierceness, might

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: Strength, might, overwhelming force. It is rare, found only in Ps 78:4, Ps 145:6 and here.
Against the English: KJV/WEB 'strength of battle', ESV 'might', BSB/NASB 'fierceness', NIV 'violence'. All are fair. 'Strength' alone can sound neutral, where the Hebrew means force that crushes.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the Psalms it praises God's mighty deeds ('the might of your awesome acts', Ps 145:6). Here the same might is turned against his own people.

Range of meaning: Strength, might, violent force. It comes from the root ʿazaz, 'to be strong, to prevail.' This longer form is rare and emphatic. It stresses force that overwhelms and cannot be resisted, more than strength simply possessed.
Against the English: English 'power' or 'might' is accurate but neutral. The Hebrew carries a feeling of fierceness, the kind of force that wins battles.
Used elsewhere in the period: It appears only three times in the Hebrew Bible. Psalm 78:4 has 'telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his might (ʿezuzo) and his wonders,' a close parallel about passing God's deeds down the generations. In Isaiah 42:25 it is 'the fury of battle' that God poured out on Israel. Lexicons (BDB, HALOT) give 'strength, might, fierceness.'

Range of meaning: A rare word, from the root azaz ("to be strong"): strength, might, violence, fierceness. It is often warlike.
Against the English: "Strength" and "might" are accurate but can sound like a calm attribute. Ezuz carries the force of action: power that breaks resistance.
Used elsewhere in the period: Isa 42:25: God poured on Israel "the fierceness [ezuz] of battle." Ps 145:6: "the might [ezuz] of your awesome deeds" in a passage about one generation telling the next. A related form appears in Ps 24:8: "YHWH, strong [izzuz] and mighty, mighty in battle." The Greek Septuagint renders it dynasteia, "acts of power, dominion."

Psalms · 2

Psalm 78:4 וֶעֱזוּז֥וֹ and might his

We will not hide them from their children but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might and the wonders He has performed.

Here: "And his might." This is a rare word for forceful, often warlike power. It is the power shown when Egypt was struck and the sea split, not strength as a quiet attribute.
Psalm 145:6 וֶעֱז֣וּז and [the] might of

They will proclaim the power of Your awesome deeds, and I will declare Your greatness.

Here: 'And' plus a rare word for overwhelming, even fierce, strength. It begins with the Hebrew letter vav, so it fills the vav slot in this alphabet poem. The might belongs to the deeds that come next: the force they showed when God did them.

Isaiah · 1

Isaiah 42:25 וֶעֱז֖וּז and [the] fierceness of

So He poured out on them His furious anger and the fierceness of battle. It enveloped them in flames, but they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.

Here: A rare word for overwhelming strength or force, from the root ʿzz, 'be strong'. Joined to 'battle', it means the full violence of war.

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