Original Word: עֹצֶם
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: `otsem
Pronunciation: o-tsem'
Phonetic Spelling: (o'-tsem)
KJV: might, strong, substance
NASB: frame, might, strength
Word Origin: [from H6105 (עָצַם - To be strong)]

1. power
2. (hence) body

might, strong, substance

From atsam; power; hence, body -- might, strong, substance.

see HEBREW atsam

Word Origin
from atsom
Definition
might, bones
NASB Translation
frame (1), might (1), strength (1).

עֹ֫צֶם noun [masculine] might, bones; —

1 might, construct יָדִי ׳י Deuteronomy 8:17, יָָֽדְךָ ׳י Job 30:21; suffixעָצְמָהֿ Nahum 3:9 (Ges^{§ 93e}); + רוּחז ׳בְּי Isaiah 11:15 (Thes and others; for ᵑ0 ׳בַּעְיָם ר).

2 bones (collective): suffix עָצְמִי Psalm 139:15 = my frame.

Semantic Nuance and Imagery

עֹצֶם carries an inner‐core emphasis. Whether rendered “strength,” “might,” or “frame,” it points to the hidden structure that makes outward action possible. The word paints a picture of bones that give shape, or of latent force that empowers deeds—something unseen yet indispensable.

Occurrences in Canonical Context

1. Deuteronomy 8:17 warns Israel against attributing wealth to “the power and strength of my hands.” Here עֹצֶם is paired with “power,” underscoring that even the invisible reservoir of ability resident within a person is God‐given.
2. Job 30:21 laments, “With the strength of Your hand You persecute me.” Job acknowledges that God’s own inner might drives the calamities that befall him; the same reservoir that blesses can also discipline.
3. Psalm 139:15 celebrates God’s intimate knowledge of one’s “frame” while being “woven together in the depths of the earth.” עֹצֶם links the prenatal skeleton to divine craftsmanship, highlighting personal formation as an act of covenantal care.

Historical and Cultural Backdrop

In the ancient Near East, bones symbolized both life‐force and continuity. Ancestral bones were cherished, and oaths were sworn by one’s “strength.” Israel’s Scriptures harness that cultural imagery but refocus it: true inner potency is neither self‐generated nor autonomous; it originates in the covenant Lord who fashions dust into living beings (Genesis 2:7) and raises dry bones to life (Ezekiel 37:1-14).

Theological Themes

1. Divine Source of Human Capability

Deuteronomy 8 places עֹצֶם at the heart of the call to humility. To forget God’s ownership of one’s hidden abilities is the seed of idolatry.
2. God’s Sovereign Use of Power

Job’s lament shows that the same unseen might that sustains can also chasten, driving the sufferer to deeper trust (Job 42:5-6).
3. Sanctity of Human Life

Psalm 139 grounds the pro-life ethic in God’s personal involvement with every skeletal “frame” from conception onward.

Practical Ministry Application

• Stewardship over Self‐Reliance: Believers called to leadership or entrepreneurship should echo Moses’ warning, attributing success to the Lord rather than to innate resourcefulness (see 1 Corinthians 4:7).
• Comfort amid Suffering: Pastoral care can draw on Job 30:21 to affirm both God’s control and His ultimate compassion, pointing sufferers to the cross where divine might is displayed through weakness (2 Corinthians 13:4).
• Pro-Life Advocacy and Discipleship: Psalm 139:15 equips the church to defend unborn life and foster a view of the body as a temple entrusted to divine ownership (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Christological Horizon

Jesus Christ embodies perfect עֹצֶם. Though possessing intrinsic power (Colossians 1:17), He relinquished visible glory, taking on frail flesh and bone (John 1:14). His resurrection validates that true inner strength is inseparable from obedience to the Father (Hebrews 5:8-9). Believers, joined to Him, are “strengthened with power in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16), fulfilling the Old Testament trajectory of עֹצֶם by locating enduring might in union with the risen Lord.

Eschatological Outlook

The climactic vision of dry bones rising (Ezekiel 37) anticipates the final redemption when God’s Spirit infuses immortal vigor into His people. The hidden “frame” presently sustained by grace will be openly glorified at the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:42-44), completing the biblical arc that begins with עֹצֶם as unseen strength in the womb and ends with incorruptible might in the new creation.

Summary

עֹצֶם invites believers to see every pulse of strength—physical, moral, or spiritual—as God’s workmanship. Acknowledging this truth guards against pride, fortifies hope in affliction, and fuels worship of the Creator who alone fashions and sustains the hidden foundations of life.

בְּעֹ֖צֶם בעצם וְעֹ֣צֶם ועצם עָצְמִ֗י עצמי ‘ā·ṣə·mî ‘āṣəmî atzeMi bə‘ōṣem bə·‘ō·ṣem beOtzem veOtzem wə‘ōṣem wə·‘ō·ṣemInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts