H5810 — עָזַז (ʻazaz)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H5810
Original: עָזַז
Transliteration: ʻazaz
Pronunciation: aw-zaz
Part of Speech: Verb (primitive root)
Root: עזז (geminate root; cognate adjective H5794 עַז ʻaz "strong, fierce"; cognate noun H5797 עֹז ʻoz "strength, might"; cognate noun H4581 מָעוֹז mâʻôwz "fortress, stronghold")
Occurrences: 12 unique verses (16 tokens) in OT
Books: 6
First Occurrence: Judg 3:10 — "and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

A primitive root; to be stout (literally or figuratively):—harden, impudent, prevail, strengthen (self), be strong.

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Count	Typical Meaning
Qal	8	be strong, prevail, be strengthened
Hiphil	2	make bold, harden (face)
Qal Infinitive	2	to strengthen (oneself/something)

Tallied from BHSA morphological parser. The Qal dominates (including wayyiqtol, imperfect, imperative, and infinitive construct forms). The Hiphil is restricted to Proverbs and carries a negative connotation (bold-faced audacity).

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
prevailed / prevail	3	25.0%
strengthened / strengthen	3	25.0%
strengthened himself	1	8.3%
strengtheneth	1	8.3%
be strengthened	1	8.3%
strong is	1	8.3%
hardeneth	1	8.3%
with an impudent	1	8.3%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Psalms	4	0.16
Proverbs	3	0.33
Judges	2	0.32
Ecclesiastes	1	0.45
Isaiah	1	0.08
Daniel	1	0.28

Concentrated in wisdom and narrative literature. No Pentateuch occurrences. Absent from all prophetic books except Isaiah (1x) and Daniel (1x).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Military / Political Prevailing¶

Describes one party overpowering another in conflict — a hand or force being too strong to resist. - Judg 3:10 — "his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim" (Othniel after the Spirit of the LORD came upon him) - Judg 6:2 — "the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel" (oppressive domination) - Dan 11:12 — "he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it" (military victory without lasting power)

2. Divine Strength / Appeal for God's Power¶

Prayers and declarations concerning God's inherent might or requests that God exercise power. - Psa 9:19 — "Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail" (prayer that human power not triumph over God) - Psa 68:28 — "Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us" (imperative petition for divine empowerment) - Psa 89:13 — "Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand" (declaration of God's sovereign strength)

3. Wisdom and Moral Strengthening¶

Wisdom or righteousness as a source of genuine power and capacity. - Prov 8:28 — "when he strengthened the fountains of the deep" (God's creative power establishing natural order) - Ecc 7:19 — "Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men" (wisdom as superior to brute force)

4. Negative Boldness / Self-Hardening¶

The Hiphil stem used for brazen audacity or stubborn self-reliance — always negative. - Prov 7:13 — "with an impudent face said unto him" (the adulteress; literally "she hardened her face") - Prov 21:29 — "A wicked man hardeneth his face" (obstinate defiance) - Psa 52:7 — "strengthened himself in his wickedness" (Doeg trusting in evil rather than God) - Isa 30:2 — "to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh" (Israel seeking foreign military aid instead of trusting God)

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
פָּנִים (pânîym)	H6440	4x (33%)	"harden the face" / "impudent face" — the face as site of bold defiance or strength
יָד (yâd)	H3027	3x (25%)	"the hand prevailed" — hand as instrument of military power
מָעוֹז (mâʻôwz)	H4581	2x (17%)	"strengthen in the stronghold" — cognate pairing, root-play
רוּם (rûwm)	H7311	2x (17%)	"strong and high" — paired attributes of God's power
שָׁפַט (shâphaṭ)	H8199	2x (17%)	"judged... and prevailed" — judicial authority backed by strength
אֱלֹהִים (ʼĕlôhîym)	H430	2x (17%)	God as source or object of strengthening

Word Family / Cognates¶

H5794 עַז (ʻaz) — adjective "strong, fierce, bold" (24v) — H5794-az.md
H5797 עֹז (ʻoz) — masculine noun "strength, might, power" (91v)
H5807 עֱזוּז (ʻĕzûwz) — masculine noun "might, fierceness"
H4581 מָעוֹז (mâʻôwz) — masculine noun "fortress, stronghold, refuge" (35v) — H4581-maowz.md
H5799 עֲזָאזֵל (ʻăzâʼzêl) — Azazel (debated etymology; possibly from this root)

Synonyms¶

H553 אָמַץ (ʼâmats) — to be strong, courageous; often paired with chazaq in exhortation formulae
H1369 גְּבוּרָה (gĕbûwrâh) — might, strength (noun); emphasizes heroic/warrior power
H7311 רוּם (rûwm) — to be high, exalted; overlaps in divine-strength contexts

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
גָּבַר (gâbar)	H1396	"prevailed" (7v vs 2v)	gabar = warrior-prevailing, overcoming an opponent; azaz = being inherently strong/stout
חָזַק (châzaq)	H2388	"strengthened" (6v vs 3v)	chazaq = grasp firmly, seize, repair; azaz = innate stoutness, becoming strong
יָכֹל (yâkôl)	H3201	"prevailed" (2v vs 2v)	yakol = ability/capacity to do something; azaz = power/force dominating

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occurrences	PMI	Notes
κραταιόω (krataioō) G2901	3	6.69	"to strengthen, make strong" — primary equivalent
πρόσωπον (prosōpon) G4383	3	2.54	"face" — reflects the pânîym collocation, not a direct semantic match
χείρ (cheir) G5495	3	2.01	"hand" — reflects the yâd collocation

The LXX primarily renders ʻazaz with κραταιόω (krataioō), a verb meaning "to strengthen, empower." The low co-occurrence count (3) and small total corpus (12v) make cross-testament tracing unreliable.