H5794 — עַז (ʻaz)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H5794
Original: עַז
Transliteration: ʻaz
Pronunciation: az
Part of Speech: Adjective
Root: H5810 עָזַז (ʻâzaz) — to be strong, prevail
Occurrences: 24 in OT
Books: 14
First Occurrence: Gen 49:3 — "Reuben, thou [art] my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength…"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From H5810; strong, vehement, harsh:—fierce, greedy, mighty, power, roughly, strong.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
strong	10	41.7%
fierce	2	8.3%
mighty	2	8.3%
of fierce	2	8.3%
greedy	1	4.2%
of power	1	4.2%
roughly	1	4.2%
stronger	1	4.2%
the mighty	1	4.2%
the strong	1	4.2%
and out of the strong	1	4.2%
of the strong	1	4.2%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Amos	1	0.7
Isaiah	5	0.4
Proverbs	3	0.3
Daniel	1	0.3
Judges	2	0.3
Numbers	2	0.2
Nehemiah	1	0.2
Genesis	2	0.1
Exodus	1	0.1
2 Samuel	1	0.1
Psalms	2	0.1
Deuteronomy	1	0.1
Ezekiel	1	0.1
Song of Songs	1	—

Distributed across prophetic, wisdom, and narrative literature — no genre dominates. Highest density in Amos and Isaiah, where ferocious nations and divine acts against them are prominent themes.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Fierce Disposition — Anger, Cruelty of People and Nations¶

Used of individuals or nations characterized by dangerous vehemence, especially when they show no mercy.

Gen 49:7 — "Cursed [be] their anger, for [it was] fierce (ʻaz); and their wrath, for it was cruel"
Deut 28:50 — "A nation of fierce (ʻaz) countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old"
Isa 19:4 — "a fierce (ʻaz) king shall rule over them, saith the Lord"
Dan 8:23 — "a king of fierce (ʻaz) countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up"

2. Strong People, City, or Fortification¶

Used positively or neutrally of formidable peoples, strongholds, or communities — their power rather than cruelty.

Num 13:28 — "the people [be] strong (ʻaz) that dwell in the land, and the cities [are] walled, [and] very great"
Isa 25:3 — "the strong (ʻaz) people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee"
Isa 26:1 — "We have a strong (ʻaz) city; salvation will [God] appoint for walls"
Amos 5:9 — "That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong (ʻaz), so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress"

3. The Strong One as Opponent¶

Used as a substantive ("the strong one") for an enemy whose power exceeds the speaker's, from whom only divine help saves.

2 Sam 22:18 — "He delivered me from my strong (ʻaz) enemy… for they were too strong for me"
Ezek 7:24 — "I will bring the worst of the heathen… I will also make the pomp of the strong (ʻaz) to cease"
Amos 5:9 — "the spoiled shall come against the fortress [of the strong]"

4. Strong Natural Forces (Wind, Waters)¶

Applied to elemental forces — wind and sea — to convey irresistible physical power.

Exo 14:21 — "the LORD caused the sea to go [back] by a strong (ʻaz) east wind all that night"
Isa 43:16 — "Thus saith the LORD… which maketh a path in the mighty (ʻaz) waters"
Neh 9:11 — "thou didst divide the sea before them… and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps"

5. Samson's Riddle — Substantive "The Strong One"¶

In the Samson narrative ʻaz appears twice as the noun of the riddle, functioning as a concrete designation.

Judg 14:14 — "Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong (ʻaz) came forth sweetness"
Judg 14:18 — "What [is] stronger (ʻaz) than a lion? And they said unto him, What is sweeter than honey?"

6. Harsh or Greedy Behavior¶

Describes conduct or appetite characterized by aggressive, unsparing intensity — "harsh," "roughly," "greedy."

Prov 18:23 — "The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly (ʻaz)"
Prov 21:14 — "a reward in the bosom strong (ʻaz) wrath" — a gift can pacify even fierce anger
Isa 56:11 — "Yea, [they are] greedy (ʻaz) dogs [which] can never have enough"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occ	Typical Pattern
פָּנִים (pânîym)	H6440	3x	"fierce countenance" — ʻaz + pânîym
עַם (ʻam)	H5971	3x	"the strong/fierce people"
גּוֹי (gôwy)	H1471	3x	fierce or strong nation
עִיר (ʻîyr)	H5892	3x	"a strong city"
חִידָה (chîydâh)	H2420	3x	Samson's riddle — "the strong one"
יָם (yâm)	H3220	3x	strong/mighty waters/sea
מַיִם (mayim)	H4325	3x	"mighty waters" (parallel to yam)
אָמַץ (ʼâmats)	H553	2x	strengthen / be strong — reinforcing cluster
אַף (ʼaph)	H639	2x	fierce anger

Word Family / Cognates¶

H5810 עָזַז (ʻâzaz) — root verb: to be strong, prevail, defy
H5797 עֹז (ʻôz) — derived noun: strength, might, refuge (what one possesses; ʻaz describes what one is)
H5807 עֱזוּז (ʻĕzûwz) — noun: strength, power (poetic, rare)
H5808 עִזּוּז (ʻizzûwz) — adjective: strong, powerful (hapax, Ps 24:8)

Synonyms¶

H4013 מִבְצָר (mivtsâr) — fortification/stronghold vocabulary returned by search_relationships.py, reflecting the "strong/fortified" edge of ʻaz.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for H5794.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared KJV Translation	Key Difference
חָזָק (châzâq)	H2389	"strong," "mighty"	Emphasizes hardness, grip, and boldness (can be used of diseases, hands, grip); ʻaz emphasizes vehemence and fierceness
עֹז (ʻôz)	H5797	"strong," "strength"	Same root as ʻaz but a noun — describes the quality possessed; ʻaz is the adjective describing the quality itself
גִּבּוֹר (gibbôwr)	H1368	"mighty"	Heroic warrior strength and valor; ʻaz connotes ferocity and harshness more than honor
חַיִל (chayil)	H2428	"strong," "strength"	Military force, valor, or wealth (army); ʻaz is a purely qualitative descriptor of fierce intensity

Semantic Domains¶

UBS / Relationship Domains¶

[002001001059] Strong — search_relationships.py places ʻaz in the core strength field with neighbors such as H47 and H202-H204.
[002001002004] Cruel — a harshness field matching uses like "fierce countenance" and "roughly," with neighbors such as H393-H395, H5797, H6531, and H7186.
[002001003012] Intense — a vehement/intense field, reflecting forceful or aggressive intensity rather than mere physical size.
[001002009003] Fortifications — a stronghold/city field, explaining why the tool surfaced H4013 as a near-neighbor.

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
ἰσχυρός (ischyrós)	G2478	4	5.20	Strong, forceful — closest LXX equivalent
ἰσχύς (ischýs)	G2479	5	4.41	Strength, force — used when ʻaz functions more as a noun
θάλασσα (thálassa)	G2281	3	3.27	Sea — contextual, when ʻaz modifies sea/waters
ὕδωρ (hudōr)	G5204	3	2.62	Water — contextual pairing

No dominant LXX equivalent (co-occ < 20 for all); the LXX translators used the most contextually fitting Greek word rather than a fixed equivalent.