Original Word: חָזָק
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: chazaq
Pronunciation: khaw-zawk'
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-zawk')
KJV: harder, hottest, + impudent, loud, mighty, sore, stiff(-hearted), strong(-er)
NASB: mighty, strong, severe, hard, fiercest, harder, loud
Word Origin: [from H2388 (חָזַק - strong)]

1. strong (usu. in a bad sense, hard, bold, violent)

harder, hottest, impudent, loud, mighty, sore, stiff-hearted, stronger

From chazaq; strong (usu. In a bad sense, hard, bold, violent) -- harder, hottest, + impudent, loud, mighty, sore, stiff(-hearted), strong(-er).

see HEBREW chazaq

Word Origin
from chazaq
Definition
strong, stout, mighty
NASB Translation
compulsion* (3), fiercest (1), hard (2), harder (1), loud (1), might (1), mighty (20), obstinate* (1), powerful (1), severe (3), stalwart (1), strong (19), stubborn* (1), who is strong (1), who was stronger (1).

חָזָק adjective strong, stout, mighty; — ׳ח Exodus 10:19 18t.; feminine חֲזָקָה Exodus 3:19 31t. + Ezekiel 3:14 (Co for ᵑ0 verb 3feminine singular); plural חֲזָקִים Judges 18:25 2t.; construct חִזְקֵי Ezekiel 2:4 (strike out Co. see below) Ezekiel 3:7; —

1 strong:

a. of men, rarely predicate Numbers 13:18 (opposed to רָפֶה), Numbers 13:31 (comparative with מִן), Joshua 14:11; Joshua 17:18 (all J E), Judges 18:26 (comparative with מִן); also of גֹּאֲלָם Jeremiah 50:34; Proverbs 23:11; of hand of ׳י Joshua 4:24 (D), so Ezekiel 3:14 ᵐ5 Co (see above and חָזַק Qal 3); compare of Tyre הָֽיְתָה חֲזָקָה בַּיָּם Ezekiel 26:17 (strike out B Co).

b. usually attributive; of ram of Pharaoh Ezekiel 30:22 (opposed to נִשְׁבָּ֑רֶת); especially of hand of ׳י in delivering Israel from Egypt, Exodus 3:19 (gloss ? see Di), Exodus 6:1 (twice in verse); Exodus 13:9 (all J), Deuteronomy 6:21; Deuteronomy 7:8; Deuteronomy 9:26; Daniel 9:15; in wonders done by agency of Moses Deuteronomy 34:12; also בְּכֹחַ גָּדוֺל וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה Exodus 31:11(JE), compare Nehemiah 1:10, but oftener ביד חזקה וּבִזְרוֺעַ נְטוּיָה Deuteronomy 4:34; Deuteronomy 5:15; Deuteronomy 7:19; Deuteronomy 11:2; Deuteronomy 26:6; Jeremiah 32:21; Psalm 136:12; of control of enemies and deliverance from exile Ezekiel 20:33,34; more Generally Deuteronomy 3:24 ("" גָּדְלְךָ), 1 Kings 8:42 2Chronicles 6:32; of ׳יs opposition to Zedekiah Jeremiah 21:5; once of Edom, opposed to Israel בעם כבד וביד חזקה Numbers 20:20 (JE).

c. of sword of ׳י Isaiah 27:1 ("" הַקָּשָׁה וְהַגְּדוֺלָה), of wind Exodus 10:19 (J), 1 Kings 19:11; sound of trumpet (= loud) Exodus 19:16 (E).

d severe, sharp, hot, of war 1 Samuel 14:52 (predicate), battle 2 Samuel 11:15, sickness 1 Kings 17:17 (predicate), famine 1 Kings 18:2.

e. firm, hard, of face, פנים Ezekiel 3:8, forehead, מֵצַח Ezekiel 3:8; adamant, simile of forehead Ezekiel 3:9 (comparative, with מִן); of sky Job 37:18 (predicate) in plural construct לֵב ׳ח Ezekiel 2:4 hard of heart ("" קְשֵׁי פָנִים) but omitted by B Co, מֵֿצַח׳ח Ezekiel 3:7 hard (= impudent) of forehead ("" קְשֵׁילֵֿב).

2 as substantive, a strong one, of ׳י (בְּחָזָק, as, in the character of, a strong one) Isaiah 40:10; of ׳יs agent Isaiah 28:2 ("" אַמִּץ); see also וְחָזָק לאֹ יְאַמֵּץ כֹחוֺ Amos 2:14; with מִן compare= one too strong for Jeremiah 31:11; Psalm 35:10. In Ezekiel 34:16 ᵑ0 uses ׳הח in bad sense ("" הִשְּׁמֵנָה), ᵐ5 Co, with different text, in good sense (see VB).

Overview of Usage

The adjective חָזָק appears roughly fifty-six times across the Hebrew Scriptures. It describes what is firm, forceful, mighty, intense, loud, or severe. It can modify the hand of the Lord, the power of nations, the force of nature, the weight of calamity, the hardness of materials, and even the depth of human emotion. The term therefore bridges the concrete and the figurative, reminding the reader that strength—whether physical, moral, or spiritual—ultimately derives from and is measured against the character of God.

The Strong Hand of the Lord

The most formative use links חָזָק with the outstretched “hand” of Yahweh that delivered Israel from Egypt.
• Exodus 6:1: “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. For by a strong hand he will let them go, and by a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
• Exodus 13:3: “Remember this day… for by a strong hand the LORD brought you out of it.”
• Deuteronomy 7:19 and Nehemiah 1:10 echo the same motif, binding together God’s redemptive power in history with the people’s present hope. The phrase functions liturgically (Psalm 136:12) and catechetically (Deuteronomy 4:34), grounding Israel’s faith in an objective act of divine might.

Human and National Strength

חָזָק frequently measures the prowess of peoples and armies.
• Numbers 13:28: “The people living in the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified.”
• Amos 5:9: “He flashes destruction on the strong, so that fury comes upon the fortress.”

By attributing the same adjective to both God and human forces, Scripture relativizes earthly power: what seems formidable by human standards is effortlessly overthrown by the Lord (Isaiah 8:7; Jeremiah 37:10).

Nature, Calamity, and Severity

The word also intensifies natural phenomena and crises.
• Genesis 47:13: “The famine was very severe.”
• Exodus 10:14: “Never before had there been such a severe swarm of locusts.”
• 1 Samuel 14:52: “The war against the Philistines was fierce all the days of Saul.”

Such passages remind readers that creation’s harshest extremes lie under divine sovereignty; the same Lord who sends “strong” judgments can also still them (Psalm 29:4).

Fortresses, Materials, and Objects

Describing inanimate solidity, חָזָק highlights durability and security, whether literal or illusory.
• Ezekiel 26:12 speaks of “strong” walls reduced to rubble.
• Job 41:22 portrays Leviathan: “Strength resides in his neck.”

The contrast between seemingly impregnable structures and their eventual demise under God’s decree reinforces the biblical theme that no earthly refuge is ultimate (Proverbs 18:10).

Emotions, Voices, and Influences

Intensity of feeling and expression can also be חָזָק.
• Exodus 11:6 records “a great cry” in Egypt.
• Genesis 41:56 notes that the famine “grew severe,” pressing Joseph’s brothers toward reconciliation.

The adjective therefore captures how God uses overwhelming circumstances to expose hearts and accomplish redemptive purposes.

Prophetic and Messianic Resonance

Prophets employ חָזָק both to denounce pride and to forecast deliverance.
• Ezekiel 3:8-9 contrasts Israel’s hard resistance with the Lord making His prophet “as strong as bronze.”
• In Isaiah 40:26 God is “strong in power,” a text echoed in New Testament doxology (Revelation 19:6).

These threads converge in the Messiah, whose meekness does not negate but perfects divine strength (cf. Luke 11:22 drawing on the “strong man” motif).

Ministry and Devotional Insights

1. Dependence: Because the Lord alone is truly חָזָק, believers are urged to trade self-reliance for humble trust (Psalm 28:7-8).
2. Courage: Recognition of God’s might emboldens service. The hand that once shattered Egypt still upholds the church’s mission (Acts 11:21).
3. Worship: The repeated celebration of the “strong hand” invites corporate remembrance of past deliverance as fuel for present praise.
4. Warning: Human strength wrongly exalted invites divine opposition; therefore leaders and nations must hold power with trembling stewardship (Daniel 4:30-31).

Selected Key References

Exodus 6:1; Exodus 13:3; Numbers 13:28; Deuteronomy 4:34; Deuteronomy 7:19; Judges 14:14; 1 Samuel 14:52; 2 Kings 24:15; Nehemiah 1:10; Job 41:22; Psalm 136:12; Isaiah 8:7; Isaiah 40:26; Jeremiah 37:10; Ezekiel 3:8-9; Amos 5:9.

בְּחָזָ֣ק בחזק הֶחָזָ֥ק הַֽחֲזָקָ֔ה הַחֲזָקָ֑ה הַחֲזָקָ֔ה הַחֲזָקָ֖ה הַחֲזָקָ֛ה הַחֲזָקָֽה׃ הַחֲזָקָה֙ החזק החזקה החזקה׃ וְהַֽחֲזָקָ֗ה וְחִזְקֵי־ וְחָזָ֖ק וְחָזָ֞ק והחזקה וחזק וחזקי־ חֲ֝זָקִ֗ים חֲ֭זָקָה חֲזָקִ֖ים חֲזָקִ֥ים חֲזָקָ֑ה חֲזָקָ֔ה חֲזָקָ֖ה חֲזָקָ֖ה֙ חֲזָקָ֜ה חֲזָקָ֣ה חֲזָקָ֤ה חֲזָקָֽה׃ חֲזָקָה֙ חִזְקֵי־ חָזָ֑ק חָזָ֖ק חָזָ֗ק חָזָ֣ק חָזָ֤ק חָזָ֥ק חזק חזקה חזקה׃ חזקי־ חזקים מֵחָזָ֣ק מחזק bə·ḥā·zāq bechaZak bəḥāzāq chaZak chazaKah chazaKim chizkei ha·ḥă·zā·qāh ḥă·zā·qāh ḥă·zā·qîm ḥā·zāq hachazaKah haḥăzāqāh ḥāzāq ḥăzāqāh ḥăzāqîm he·ḥā·zāq hechaZak heḥāzāq ḥiz·qê- ḥizqê- mê·ḥā·zāq mechaZak mêḥāzāq vechaZak vechizkei vehachazaKah wə·ha·ḥă·zā·qāh wə·ḥā·zāq wə·ḥiz·qê- wəhaḥăzāqāh wəḥāzāq wəḥizqê-Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts