H4581 — מָעוֹז (mâʻôwz)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H4581
Original: מָעוֹז
Transliteration: mâʻôwz
Pronunciation: maw-oze
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: from עוז — to be strong; cognate with H5797 עֹז (oz) and H5794 עַז (az)
Occurrences: 35 unique verses (40 tokens) in 11 books
First Occurrence: Judg 6:26 — "build an altar...upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place (mâʻôwz)"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From עוז; a fortified place; figuratively, a defence:—force, fort(-ress), rock, strength(-en), (most) strong (hold).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
strength (various phrases)	~17	~49%
fortress / fort / stronghold / strong hold	~8	~23%
most strong / strong	~3	~9%
force / forces	~2	~6%
rock	1	3%
other / mixed phrases	~4	~11%

The script records 27 distinct phrase-level translations; the word's meaning spans from abstract strength to physical fortification.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Nahum	2	4.3
Daniel	7	2.0
Joel	1	1.4
Isaiah	9	0.7
Psalms	9	0.4
Judges	1	0.2
Nehemiah	1	0.2
Ezekiel	2	0.2
2 Samuel	1	0.1
Proverbs	1	0.1
Jeremiah	1	0.1

Pattern: Highest density in Nahum (oracle against Nineveh) and Daniel (apocalyptic political imagery). Isaiah has the most raw occurrences (9), concentrated in oracles against Tyre (ch. 23) and Egypt (ch. 30). All nine Psalm occurrences apply exclusively to God — the psalmists never use mâʻôwz of earthly powers. Daniel's seven occurrences are almost entirely literal military fortifications, reflecting the prophetic-political genre.

Semantic Categories¶

1. God as Personal Refuge¶

Ps 27:1 — "the LORD is the strength (mâʻôwz) of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
Ps 43:2 — "thou art the God of my strength (mâʻôwz): why dost thou cast me off?"
2 Sam 22:33 — "God is my strength (mâʻôwz) and power: and he maketh my way perfect"
Jer 16:19 — "O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction"

2. Refuge for the Poor and Needy¶

Isa 25:4 — "thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat" (mâʻôwz used twice)
Nah 1:7 — "The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him"
Ps 37:39 — "the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble"

3. National/Political Power¶

Isa 23:4 — "the sea hath spoken, even the strength (mâʻôwz) of the sea" (of Sidon's maritime dominance)
Isa 30:2–3 — "to strengthen themselves in the strength (mâʻôwz) of Pharaoh...the strength of Pharaoh be your shame"
Ezek 24:25 — "when I take from them their strength (mâʻôwz), the joy of their glory"
Ezek 30:15 — "I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength (mâʻôwz) of Egypt"

4. Military Fortification (Literal)¶

Dan 11:7 — "which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress (mâʻôwz)"
Dan 11:19 — "he shall turn his face toward the fort (mâʻôwz) of his own land"
Dan 11:31 — "they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength (mâʻôwz), and shall take away the daily sacrifice"
Dan 11:38 — "in his estate shall he honour the God of forces (mâʻôwz)"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occ	Typical Pattern
יְהֹוָה (YHWH)	H3068	10x (29%)	"The LORD is my/their strength (mâʻôwz)"
אֱלֹהִים (Elohim)	H430	4x (11%)	"God of my strength"; "God of forces"
צָרָה (tsarah)	H6869	3x (9%)	"a strong hold in the day of trouble (tsarah)"
חָזַק (chazaq)	H2388	3x (9%)	"strengthen themselves in the strength (mâʻôwz) of..."
צֵל (tsel)	H6738	3x (9%)	"a strength...a shadow from the heat" (Isa 25:4 — shelter imagery)
חַיִל (chayil)	H2428	3x (9%)	"a multitude of great forces (mâʻôwz)" — military context

Word Family / Cognates¶

H5810 עָזַז (azaz) — root verb: to be strong, powerful
H5797 עֹז (oz) — noun: strength, might (abstract quality, not fortified place)
H5794 עַז (az) — adjective: strong, fierce, bold ← H5794-az.md

Synonyms¶

No close synonyms returned by search_relationships.py for H4581.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms returned by search_relationships.py for H4581.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
עֹז (oz)	H5797	both → "strength", "my strength"	oz = abstract quality of strength or power; mâʻôwz = a fortified place of refuge (noun of place, prefix מ)
כֹּחַ (koach)	H3581	both → "strength"	koach = inherent physical capacity or vitality; mâʻôwz = defensive stronghold, place of safety
צוּר (tsur)	H6697	both → "my strength", "rock"	tsur = a cliff or rock (literal or metaphor for God); mâʻôwz = a fortified, defended position

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
001002009003	Fortifications	`search_relationships.py` places mâʻôwz in the fortifications field, matching its literal fortress / stronghold usage in Daniel and other military contexts.
002001002003	Confident	The same tool also groups it with confidence/refuge language, fitting Psalms and Nahum where the LORD is a mâʻôwz for those who trust him.
001002008001020	Weapons	A secondary military domain reflects the word's overlap with defensive force and war-making power in national-strength contexts.

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
ἰσχύς (ischys)	G2479	9	4.59	strength, might — primary equivalent
ὀχύρωμα (ochyrōma)	G3794	3	5.88	fortification, stronghold — highest PMI; literal sense
βοηθός (boēthos)	G998	3	5.34	helper, succorer — refuge/divine-help sense
δύναμις (dynamis)	G1411	3	2.44	power, force — national/military use

No single LXX equivalent dominates (max co-occ = 9, below threshold for cross-testament trace). The LXX translators selected words based on context: ochyrōma for physical fortresses, boēthos for divine refuge, ischys/dynamis for national strength.