Original Word: בִּזז
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: bazaz
Pronunciation: bah-ZAHZ
Phonetic Spelling: (baw-zaz')
KJV: catch, gather, (take) for a prey, rob(-ber), spoil, take (away, spoil), X utterly
NASB: plunder, plundered, seize, looted, take, took, prey
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to plunder

catch, gather, take for a prey, robber, spoil, take away, spoil, utterly

A primitive root; to plunder -- catch, gather, (take) for a prey, rob(-ber), spoil, take (away, spoil), X utterly.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to spoil, plunder
NASB Translation
booty (1), completely despoiled (1), despoiled (1), looted (3), pillage (1), plunder (11), plunder of those who plundered (1), plundered (6), plunderers (1), prey (2), seize (4), seize the plunder (1), seize their as plunder (1), take (3), take as booty (1), take spoil (1), taken booty (1), taking (1), took (3), took as our booty (1), took as their plunder (1).

בָּזַז verb spoil, plunder (Arabic , Aramaic ; Amharic perhaps Ethiopic rescue Prä^{BAS i. 33}) —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular וּבָזַז (consecutive) Ezekiel 29:19; 3plural בָּֽזְַזוּ Numbers 31:53 7t.; בָּזָ֑זוּ Numbers 31:9; suffix וּבְזָזוּם consecutive Jeremiah 20:5; 1plural בָּזַזְנוּ Deuteronomy 2:35; בַּזּוֺנוּ Deuteronomy 3:7; Imperfect2masculine singular תָּבֹז Deuteronomy 20:14, plural יָ֫בֹזּוּ Isaiah 10:2 2t.; וַיָּ֫בֹזּוּ Genesis 34:27 4t.; suffix יְבָזּוּם Zephaniah 2:9; 2masculine plural תָּבֹ֫זוּ Joshua 8:2; 1plural cohortative נָבֹ֫זָה 1 Samuel 14:36 (compare Ges^{§ 67} R. 11); Imperative בֹּ֫זּוּ Nahum 2:10 (twice in verse); Infinitive construct בֹּז Isaiah 10:6 3t.; בּוֺז Esther 3:13; Esther 8:11; Participle active plural ˜בְֹּזַזִים Isaiah 42:24; 2Chronicles 20:25; suffix ˜בְֹּזַזַיִךְ Jeremiah 30:16, ˜בְֹּזַזֵינוּ Isaiah 17:14, ˜בְֹּזַזֵיהֶם Ezekiel 39:10; passive בָּזוּז Isaiah 42:22; — spoil = take as spoil, with accusative of thing Numbers 31:9; Deuteronomy 2:35 (with לְ & reflexive suffix) Jeremiah 20:5; Ezekiel 26:12; Nahum 2:10; Psalm 109:11; oftener with accusative of congnate meaning with verb, בַּז Numbers 31:32; Isaiah 10:6 ("" שָׁלַל שָׁלָל, as often) Isaiah 33:23; Ezekiel 29:19; Ezekiel 38:12,13; בִּזָּה2Chronicles 25:13; שָׁלָל Deuteronomy 3:7; Deuteronomy 20:14 (both followed by לְ with reflexive suffix) 2 Chronicles 20:25 (twice in verse); 2Chronicles 28:8; Esther 3:13; Esther 8:11; בהמה & שׁלל Joshua 8:2,27; Joshua 11:14 (all followed by לְ with reflexive suffix); object person carried off (compare בַּז) Genesis 34:29 (ᵑ0, but compare Ol); plunder, despoil, with accusative of person robbed Isaiah 10:2; Isaiah 11:14; Isaiah 17:14 (שׁסה) Isaiah 42:22 ("" id.) Zephaniah 2:9; Jeremiah 30:16; Ezekiel 39:10 (twice in verse); with בָּהֶם (person) 1 Samuel 14:36; with accusative of place plundered Genesis 34:27; 2 Kings 7:16; 2Chron 14:13; absolute Numbers 31:53; Isaiah 42:24.

Niph`al Perfect וְנָבֹ֫זוּ consecutive Amos 3:11; Imperfect2masculine singular תִּבּוֺז Isaiah 24:3; Infinitive absolute הִבּוֺז Isaiah 24:3 — be spoiled, plundered, subject ארמנות Amos 3:11; הארץ Isaiah 24:3; הִבּוֺז תִּבּוֺז ("" הִבּוֺק תִּבּוֺק).

Pu`al Perfect וּבֻזָּ֑זוּ consecutive Jeremiah 50:37 — be taken as spoil, subject אוצרת.

Semantic Scope

בִּזז portrays the forcible transfer of goods, livestock, or people from a defeated party to a victorious one. The verb regularly appears in military settings, but also describes the providential reversal of wealth when the Lord vindicates His covenant people or judges their sin.

Pentateuchal Foundations: Deliverance and Transfer of Wealth

• Genesis 34:27 records the earliest use: “The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and plundered the city because their sister had been defiled.” The action is retributive yet reveals the danger of personal revenge untethered from divine command.
• Exodus 3:22 anticipates Israel’s liberation: the Hebrew women would “plunder the Egyptians.” The fulfillment comes in Exodus 12:36: “So they plundered the Egyptians.” Here בִּזז is explicitly tied to the Lord’s faithfulness; the wealth of Egypt becomes compensation for centuries of oppression and a provision for tabernacle worship.

Conquest and Early Monarchy: Holy War and Covenant Boundaries

• Deuteronomy 2:35; Joshua 7:21 (implicit), and 1 Samuel 14:36 show Israel instructed or permitted to plunder pagan enemies. The practice is never autonomous; it operates under divine sanction, reinforcing that victory and spoil belong to the Lord (1 Samuel 30:23).
• Achan’s sin (Joshua 7) indirectly warns that unauthorized “plunder” brings corporate judgment. The narrative distinguishes between legitimate spoils (Deuteronomy 20:14) and banned items devoted to destruction.

Monarchical History: From Triumph to Vulnerability

• David rescues the families of Ziklag and “plundered the Amalekites” (1 Samuel 30:16, 19–20). The recovered goods become a means of generosity toward Judah’s elders, illustrating stewardship over spoils.
• Conversely, 2 Chronicles 14:14; 20:25 show Judah collecting vast spoil after miraculous victories, whereas 2 Chronicles 25:13; 28:14 depict Judah herself being plundered when covenant infidelity invites foreign aggression. The verb therefore becomes a theological barometer: obedience yields gain; disobedience invites loss.

Prophetic Oracles: Judgment, Lament, and Future Reversal

• Prophets employ בִּזז to indict nations and Israel alike.

– Jeremiah 30:16: “All who devour you will be devoured… all who plunder you will be plundered.”

– Zephaniah 1:13 laments that Jerusalem’s “wealth will become plunder.”

– Zechariah 14:1–2 foretells a day “your spoil will be divided in your midst,” yet the same book promises ultimate deliverance (Zechariah 2:9).

These texts fuse moral accountability with eschatological hope: the Lord turns the tables on oppressors while purifying His people.

Canonical Patterns and Theological Themes

1. Divine Ownership of Wealth: Spoils change hands at God’s decree (Exodus 12:36; 1 Samuel 30:23).
2. Covenant Ethics: Legitimate plunder occurs only within divinely set limits; violation (Achan) or greed (Isaiah 10:6, implicit) incurs wrath.
3. Retribution and Restoration: Nations that ravage Zion will themselves be ravaged (Jeremiah 50:10–11; Nahum 3:1).
4. Typological Anticipation: The earthly motif of plundering prefigures Christ’s victory over spiritual powers—“having disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them” (Colossians 2:15), demonstrating the ultimate transfer of dominion.

Ministry and Pastoral Application

• Stewardship: Like Israel using Egyptian gold for the tabernacle, believers are to consecrate material resources gained through God-given victories for His service.
• Justice and Compassion: David’s equitable distribution of spoil (1 Samuel 30:24) models generosity and unity within the body.
• Spiritual Warfare: The verb underlines the reality that battles—physical or spiritual—result in tangible outcomes; faithfulness secures blessing, compromise forfeits it.
• Hope amid Loss: When the church or individual saints experience “plundering” (Hebrews 10:34), prophetic assurances assure final reversal and restoration.

Representative Occurrences (non-exhaustive)

Genesis 34:27; Exodus 3:22; 12:36; Deuteronomy 2:35; Joshua 8:2; 1 Samuel 14:36; 23:1; 30:16–22; 2 Chronicles 14:14; 20:25; Jeremiah 30:16; 49:32; Zephaniah 1:13; Zechariah 14:1.

Across roughly forty-three passages, בִּזז underscores that the Lord governs every transfer of wealth and power, rewarding obedience, judging sin, and guaranteeing ultimate vindication for His people.

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