חָזַק
to strengthen
also: prevail, harden, be strong, become strong fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Hiphil
- The causative active stem (“he caused / brought about”). Here: ‘make strong’
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘intrans. be or grow strong’
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem. Here: ‘make strong’
- Hithpael
- The reflexive or reciprocal stem (the subject acts on itself). Here: ‘strengthen oneself 2 S 3’
Form
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Cohortative
- A first-person volitional form expressing wish or resolve (“let me / let us write”).
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
3 verses where H2388 appears in the Hiphil stem in the Book of 1 Kings. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
1 Kings
- 1 Kings 1:50 וַֽ/יַּחֲזֵ֖ק conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms Adonijah feared because of Solomon; and he arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
- 1 Kings 2:28 וַֽ/יַּחֲזֵ֖ק conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms The news came to Joab; for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he didn't turn after Absalom. Joab fled to the Tent of Yahweh, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
- 1 Kings 9:9 וַֽ/יַּחֲזִ֨קוּ֙ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp and they shall answer, Because they forsook Yahweh their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshiped them, and served them: therefore has Yahweh brought all this evil on them.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
חזק (châzaq) is a Hebrew verb most often rendered “to strengthen.” Older and newer Bibles part ways — “repaired” in the King James Version, “strengthened” (unfoldingWord Literal Text) in modern versions. See the renderings breakdown. It turns up in 266 verses across 28 books, a common footprint. Scripture first uses it in Genesis 19:16. Across 4 stems, its meaning turns on the binyan (Qal, Piel). For the data behind this summary, explore the sense tree and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H2388 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 266
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 266 distinct verses.
- 28 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 28 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #169
- by frequency
- Top 250 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 169 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 266 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- 2 Chronicles 38 verses 14%
- Nehemiah 34 verses 13%
- Isaiah 20 verses 8%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 266 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 122 verses · 46%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 112 verses · 42%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 32 verses · 12%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Repaired 38×, Be strong 17×, Strengthened 10×
- American Standard Version: Repaired 36×, Be strong 15×, Strengthened 10×
- Berean Standard Bible: Be strong 28×, Made repairs 22×, Repaired 10×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Strengthened 45×, Be strong 30×, And 23×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H2388 across 288 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 126 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 2 further occurrences.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H2388 across 288 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 134 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H2388 across 289 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 139 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 2 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H2388 across 328 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 115 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
50 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Hithpael (reflexive or reciprocal).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 50 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Qal
- Pf. ח׳ Gn 41:57 + 4 times; חָזָק֑ 2 Ch 26:15; sf. חֲזָקוֹ 2 Ch 28:20, etc.; Impf. יֶחֱזַק 2 Ch 28:7 (Baer) + 2 times; וַיֶּחֱזַק Gn 41:56 +; יֶחֶזְקוּ 2 S 10:11 + 2 times; יֶחְזְקוּ Is 28:22; Imv. חֲזַק Dt 12:23 +; חִזְקוּ Dt 31:6 +; Inf. cstr. לְחָזְקָה 2 K 12:13; sf. לְחָזְקָהּ Ez 30:21; Pt. חָזֵק Ex 19:19 2 S 3:1, etc.;— e.g. Genesis 41:57
- I. intrans. be or grow strong:—
- 1.
- a. of physical strength of hands Ju 7:11 2 S 2:7; 16:21 Ez 22:14 Zc 8:9, 13 (on Ez 3:14 v. infr.); of arm, sq. inf. Ez 30:21; used of recovery from illness Is 39:1; sq. מִן compar. over-power 1 S 17:50 (c. בְּ instr.), 2 S 13:14. e.g. Judges 7:11
- b. of people, army Dt 11:8 Jos 17:13 (JE), = Ju 1:28, Ezr 9:12; sq. מִן compar. be stronger than, too strong for, prevail against 2 S 10:11(×2) = 1 Ch 19:12(×2) 1 K 20:23, 25; id., sq. acc. 1 K 16:22, cf. of י׳ as prevailing over man Je 20:7 (‖ יָכֹל); sq. על 2 Ch 8:3; 27:5. e.g. Deuteronomy 11:8
- c. of royal power וְדָוִד הֹלֵךְ וְחָזֵק 2 S 3:1 (opp. הֹלְכִים וְדַלִּים); cf. 2 Ch 26:15 (‖ חֶזְקָה v 16), Dn 11:5a. e.g. 2 Samuel 3:1
- d. prevail over, upon, of word of king 2 S 24:4 (sq. אֶל־) = 1 Ch 21:4 (sq. עַל). e.g. 2 Samuel 24:4
- e. of bonds Is 28:22. e.g. Isaiah 28:22
- f. of sound of trumpet הוֹלֵךְ וְחָזֵק מְאֹד Ex 19:19 (E, cf. חָזָק v 16) it grew much louder and louder. e.g. Exodus 19:19
- 2. be firm, fast:—
- a. lit. be caught fast, of Absalom’s head 2 S 18:9 (sq. בְּ). e.g. 2 Samuel 18:9
- b. be firm, secure, of a kingdom 2 K 14:5 (+ בְּיָדוֹ) = 2 Ch 25:3 (+ עָלָיו). Oftener e.g. 2 Kings 14:5
- c. be firm = courageous, confident, especially Imv., usually ‖ אמץ (q.v.), Dt 31:6, 7, 23 Jos 1:6, 7, 9, 18; 10:25; 23:6 (all D), 2 S 10:12; 13:28 1 K 2:2 1 Ch 19:13 (‖ התחזק), 22:13; 28:10, 20 2 Ch 15:7; 19:11; 32:7 Ezr 10:4 ψ 27:14; 31:25 Is 35:4; 41:6 Hg 2:4(×3) Dn 10:19(×2); sq. לַמִּלְחָמָה 2 Ch 25:8. e.g. Deuteronomy 31:6
- d. hold firmly to, devote oneself to, sq. בְּ 2 Ch 31:4. e.g. 2 Chronicles 31:4
- e. sq. Inf. be firm not to eat blood, i.e. firmly refrain from it Dt 12:23, cf. 1 Ch 28:7. e.g. Deuteronomy 12:23
- 3. press, be urgent, sq. עַל + Inf. Ex 12:33 (E); sq. עַל of hand of י׳ in prophetic ecstasy Ez 3:14 (𝔊 Co read חֲזָקָה, adj., v. חָזָק). e.g. Exodus 12:33
- 4. in bad sense:
- a. grow stout, rigid, hard, with idea of perversity, of Pharaoh’s heart Ex 7:13, 22; 8:15 (all P), 9:35 (R); cf. חזקו עָלַי דבריכם Mal 3:13. e.g. Exodus 7:13
- b. be severe, grievous, of battle 2 K 3:26; of famine Gn 41:56, 57 (E), 47:20 (J; sq. על), 2 K 25:3 = Je 52:6. e.g. 2 Kings 3:26
- 1.
- II. transit. only לֹא חֲזָקוֹ 2 Ch 28:20 strengthened him not, but text very dub. (‖ וַיָּצַר לוֹ). e.g. 2 Chronicles 28:20
Piel
- Pf. חִזַּק ψ 147:13 +, etc.; Impf. וַיְחַזֵּק Ex 9:12 + 10 times, etc.; Imv. חַזֵּק Ne 6:9 + 2 times; fs. חַזְּקִי Na 3:14; חַזֵּ֑קִי Is 54:2 etc.; Inf. cstr. חַזֵּק 2 K 12:9 + 12 times; Pt. מְחַזֵּק Ex 14:17; מְחַזְּקִים 2 K 12:9;— e.g. Psalms 147:13
- 1. make strong (physically):
- a. sq. acc. pers. Ju 16:28; sq. על 3:12; sq. מָתְנַיִם Na 2:2 (‖ אַמֵּץ כֹּחַ; of personif. people). e.g. Judges 16:28
- b. = restore to strength Dn 10:18, 19; to health Ez 34:4, 16; c. לְ give strength to 1 Ch 29:12; so, sq. זְרוֹעֹתָם, Ho 7:15 Ez 30:24 (and v 25 Co, v. Hiph.) e.g. Daniel 10:18
- c. sq. acc. rei Is 41:7 Je 10:4 (both c. בְּ instr.; of manufacture of idols); of strengthening tent-pegs, in metaph. Is 54:4, cf. 33:23; sq. bars of gates ψ 147:13; often of making strong, fortifying a town, etc. Na 3:14 2 Ch 11:11, 12; 26:9; 32:5; = repair (wall, obj. not expr.) Ne 3:19 v. Hiph.; c. acc. of temple 2 K 12:6, 7, 15; 22:6 2 Ch 24:5, 12; 29:3; 34:8, cf. v 10 (‖ לִבְדּוֹק); sq. לְבית י׳ 1 Ch 26:27; obj. breaches (acc.) 2 K 12:8, 9, 13; 22:5. e.g. Isaiah 41:7
- d. of establishing kingdom 2 Ch 11:17. e.g. 2 Chronicles 11:17
- 2. strengthen the hands (acc.) of any one, i.e. sustain, encourage (opp. רִפָּה) Ju 9:24 Je 23:14 Ez 13:22 Is 35:3 Jb 4:3 Ezr 6:22 Ne 2:18; 6:9 2 Ch 29:34; וַיְח׳ ידו בֵּאלהים 1 S 23:16; sq. בְּ Ezr 1:6 (+ בְּ instr.) e.g. Judges 9:24
- 3. make strong = bold, encourage, c. acc. Dt 1:38; 3:28 2 S 15:5 Is 41:7; c. acc. pers. + לַעֲבֹדַת בֵּית י׳ 2 Ch 35:2. e.g. Deuteronomy 1:38
- 4. make firm:—
- a. c. 2 acc. וְאַבְנֵֽטְךָ אֲחַזְּקֶנּוּ Is 22:21 and with thy sash (of office) will I make him firm, i.e. bind it firmly about him (‖ הלבישׁ). e.g. 2 Chronicles 35:2
- b. make firm or fixed, = definitely adopt דָּבָר רָע יח׳־לָמוֹ ψ 64:6. e.g. Psalms 64:6
- 5. make rigid, hard, i.e. perverse, obstinate, harden (the heart of any one) Ex 4:21; 10:20, 27 (all E), 9:12; 11:10; 14:4, 8, 17 (all P), Jos 11:20 (D); v. also ח׳ פניהם מִסֶּלַע Je 5:3†. e.g. Exodus 4:21
Hiphil
- Pf. הֶחֱזִיק Ju 7:8 +; 3 fs. הֶחֱזִ֫יקָה Je 49:24 +; sf. הֶחֱזִקָ֑תְנִי Je 8:21; הֶחֱזַ֫קְתִּי Ne 5:16 + 3 times; וְהַחֲזַקְתִּ֫י Ez 30:25, etc.; Impf. יַחֲזִיק Jb 8:15 + 2 times; 1 s. וְאַחְזֵק Is 42:6; יַחֲזִיקוּ Je 6:23 + 2 times; יַחֲזִקוּ Dn 11:32, etc.; Imv. הַחֲזֵק 2 S 11:25 + 2 times, etc.; Inf. cstr. הַחֲזִיק 2 K 15:19 Is 64:6; sf. הֶחֱזִיקִי Je 31:32 (הַח׳ Cod. Petrop. v. RS JPh. xvi, 1888, 73); Pt. מַחֲזִיק Ex 9:2 + 9 times; sf. מַחֲזִקָהּ Dn 11:6; fs. מַחֲזֶקֶת Ne 4:11; pl. מַחֲזִיקִים Ne 4:10 + 5 times; cstr. מַחֲזִיקֵי Ez 27:9, 27;— e.g. Judges 7:8
- 1.
- a. make strong, strengthen Je 51:12. e.g. Jeremiah 51:12
- b. make firm, the kingdom 2 K 15:19 (+ בְּיָדוֹ). e.g. 2 Kings 15:19
- c. display strength (late) 2 Ch 26:8 (‖ וַיֵּלֶךְ שְׁמוֹ עַד וגו׳), Dn 11:32 (‖ וְעָשׂוּ). e.g. 2 Chronicles 26:8
- 2. make severe, of battle 2 S 11:25. e.g. 2 Samuel 11:25
- 3. sq. יד = support Ez 16:49; sq. זְרוֹעוֹת 30:25 (subj. י׳; but Co reads Pi. as v 24)†. e.g. Ezekiel 16:49
- 4. = repair, walls of Jerus., Ne 3:4(×3) + 31 times Ne 3; cf. (in gen.) pt. used substant. מחזיקי בדקך Ez 27:9, 27 of Tyre and her ships (‖ מַלָּחִים, etc.) e.g. Nehemiah 3:4
- 5. prevail, abs. Dn 11:7; sq. עַל Jb 18:9; prevail upon to הח׳ בּוֹ לֶאֱכֹל 2 K 4:8. e.g. Daniel 11:7
- 6. especially take or keep hold of, seize, grasp:
- a. take hold of, seize, catch, sq. בְּ Gn 19:4(J), 21:18(E), Ex 4:4 (J; ‖ אחז), Ju 7:20 1 S 15:27 2 S 1:11 1 K 1:50; 2:28 2 K 2:12; 4:27 Is 4:1 Zc 8:23(×2) Pr 7:13; 26:17, cf. also Ju 19:25, 29 2 Ch 28:15; with violence Dt 22:25; 25:11 1 S 17:35 (perhaps pf. consec. freq., v. Dr), 2 S 2:16; 13:11; sq. לְ 2 S 15:5; fig. take hold in order to lead one (subj. י׳) sq. בְּ Je 31:32, c. acc. Is 41:9, 13; cf. Is 51:18 (בְּ; ‖נֵהֵל); sq. acc. Na 3:14 take hold of the brick-mould, Je 6:23 = 50:42, Zc 14:13 (with violence), ψ 35:2 Ne 4:10, 11, seize the kingdom Dn 11:21; in metaph. Mi 4:9 (הֶחֱזִיקֵךְ חִיל), Je 6:24; 8:21; 49:24 (v. Gie), 50:43; of pious laying hold of י׳, sq. בְּ Is 64:6, cf. 27:5; 56:2, 4, 6; of other gods 1 K 9:9 = 2 Ch 7:22; laying hold of wisdom Pr 3:18, cf. 4:13 Jb 2:3, 9; 27:6 Je 8:5. e.g. Genesis 19:4
- b. have or keep hold of, sq. בְּ Ju 16:26 2 S 3:29 Je 50:33 Ne 4:15. e.g. Judges 16:26
- c. hold up, sq. בְּ, fig. = sustain, support Lv 25:35; of י׳ holding his servants Is 42:6; 45:1, cf. Jb 8:20; v. also pt. used substantively Dn 11:1 (‖ מָעוֹז), v 6 (‖ מֵבִיא, יֹלֵד); of Ne. holding fast to (בְּ) his work Ne 5:16; cf. of wicked, holding to his house Jb 8:15; cleave or cling to (על) one’s brethren Ne 10:30. hence e.g. Leviticus 25:35
- d. keep, retain, sq. בְּ Ex 9:2 (J), Ju 7:8; 19:4; so Ez 7:13 Sm Co (MT Hithp.); sq. anger (acc.) Mi 7:18. e.g. Exodus 9:2
- e. hence also hold, contain, sq. acc. 2 Ch 4:5. e.g. 2 Chronicles 4:5
Hithpael
- (especially Ch) Pf. הִתְחַזַּק 2 Ch 13:7 + 3 times, etc.; Impf. וַיִּתְחַזֵּק Gn 48:2 + 7 times; וַיִּתְחַזַּק 2 Ch 21:4; 32:5; יִתְחַזָּ֑קוּ Ez 7:13 (but Sm Co read Hiph.), etc.; Imv. הִתְחַזַּק 1 K 20:22; הִתְחַזְּקוּ 1 S 4:9; Inf. cstr. לְהִתְחַזֵּק 2 Ch 13:8; 16:9; Pt. מִתְחַזֵּק 2 S 3:6 Dn 10:21; pl. מִתְחַזְּקִים 1 Ch 11:10;— e.g. 2 Chronicles 13:7
- 1. strengthen oneself 2 S 3:6 1 K 20:22 2 Ch 1:1; 12:13; 13:21; 21:4; 23:1; 25:11; 27:6; sq. עַל against 2 Ch 17:1; gain strength Ezr 7:28 Dn 10:19, cf. הִתְח׳ ביהוה 1 S 30:6; fig. = take courage 2 Ch 15:8. e.g. 2 Samuel 3:6
- 2. put forth strength, use one’s strength Gn 48:2 (i.e. he exerted himself, he sat up by a great effort), Nu 13:20 Ju 20:22 1 S 4:9 2 S 10:12 1 Ch 19:13 2 Ch 32:5. e.g. Genesis 48:2
- 3. sq. לִפְנֵי withstand 2 Ch 13:7, 8. e.g. 2 Chronicles 13:7
- 4. sq. עִם hold strongly with 1 Ch 11:10 Dn 10:21, cf. of י׳, להתח׳ עִם לְבָבָם שָׁלֵם אֵלָיו 2 Ch 16:9.—For יִתְחַזָּ֑קוּ Ez 7:13 read Hiph., v. Sm Co Da. e.g. 1 Chronicles 11:10
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
vb. be or grow firm, strong, strengthen (NH id.; Aramaic ܚܙܰܩ, חֲזַק bind on or about, gird on, cf. Arabic حَزَقَ bind, squeeze)—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
חָזַק
- [to squeeze together,] (neut. verb) to be thick, solid; to be strong. Y. Ber. I, 2ᶜ bot. (ref. to Gen. I, 6) יֶחֱזַק הרקיע וכ׳ let the expanse become solidified, let it coagulate, congeal; Gen. R. s. 4; (Yalk. ib. 5 יתחזק, Hithpa.). e.g. Genesis 1:6
- to join, repair, tighten, strengthen. Snh. 94ᵃ (expl. חזקיה) שחי׳ את ישראל וכ׳ (Ms. M. שהחזיק, Hif.) he joined Israel to their Father &c. Ib. שחִזְּקוֹ יה the Lord strengthened him. Pes. 45ᵃ שעשוי לחַזֵּק Ms. M. where the dough in the cracks is put in for repairing the trough. Sabb. 146ᵇ (העשוי) לחַ׳ when the hole was filled up for making the vessel sound, opp. לשמר to prevent evaporation; a. fr.—Part. pass. מְחוּזָּק, pl. מְחוּזָּקִים. Sifré Num. 1 אין מְחַזְּקִים אלא המח׳ (ed. תמוחז׳) only the strong-minded it is worth while to strengthen (encourage).
- 1. same, v. supra.— same, v. supra.—ה׳ טובה ל־ to attach merit to, to account as merit, to be grateful. Ab. II, 8 אל תַּחֲזִיק ט׳ לעצמך do not claim credit for it (be not proud). Yoma 86ᵇ אלא שמַחֲזִיק לו ט׳ but He even gives him credit (for his sins when he repents). Men. 53ᵃ הַחֲזֵק לי וכ׳ give me credit for making Thee known &c. Keth. 68ᵃ, a. e. בואו ונַחֲזִיק וכ׳ let us be thankful to the fraudulent poor &c.; a. fr.
- 2. (with יד) to strengthen, to encourage, abet. Gitt. V, 9 לפי שאין מַחֲזִיקִין וכ׳ because we must not encourage (by favors) those who do wrong. Ib. ומחזיקין ידי עכו"ם וכ׳ we may encourage (greet with תחזקנה ידיכם, Zech. VIII, 9) gentiles at agricultural work in the Sabbatical year; a. fr. e.g. Zechariah 8:9
- 3. to hold, contain. Ib. 57ᵃ אין עורו מחזיק וכ׳ its skin (once flayed) can not again cover its entire body (it shrinks). Ib. (in Chald. dict.) אפי׳ שתין … לא מ׳ it would not have room even for sixty myriads of reeds. Par. VII, 8 בשביל שתַּחֲזִיק וכ׳ in order that it (the reservoir) might hold more water. Ukts. III, 12 לא מצא … מחזיק וכ׳ the Lord found no vessel so fit to contain all blessings as peace; Deut. R. s. 5 end; a. fr.
- 4. (with ב) to take a hold of, seize, take possession. Ḥull. 4ᵃ, a. e. כל מצוה שהֶחֱזִיקוּ וכ׳ whatever Jewish law the Samaritans have adopted &c., v. דִּקְדֵּק. B. Mets. I, 4 וה׳ בה and took a hold of it. B. Bath. III, 3 במַחֲזִיק when one is in possession (basing his claim on possession). Ib. המַ׳ בנכסי הגר he who takes possession of the estate of a convert (who has no heirs in law). Ib. 2 ויַחֲזִיק שנה that he may be in possession for one year, v. אִסְפַּמְיָא; a. fr.; v. חֲזָקָה.—Y. Ḥag. I, 76ᶜ, a. e. שלא הֶחֱזִיקוּ בשכר וכ׳ they did not cling to the duty of maintaining teachers &c.
- 5. (v. חֲזָקָה) to presume, to be under a certain impression, to be convinced. Y. Kidd. IV, 66ᵇ היו מַחֲזִיקִין בו שהוא בנו וכ׳ if people were under the impression that a certain person was their neighbor’s son, but in his dying hour he declared &c. Ib. היו מ׳ אותו שהוא וכ׳ if people took him to be a relation of his; a. e.—Ḥag. 19ᵃ, v. infra.
- (denom. of חֲזָקָה) to be presumed, be held for, be known for. Gitt. 14ᵃ בשה׳ כפרן when the man is known to be a liar. Shebu. 34ᵇ, a. fr. ה׳ כפרן (in such a case) he is considered a confirmed liar.—Y. Kidd. l. c. bot. הוּחְזְקוּ if they were generally assumed (to be husband and wife); a. fr.—Ḥag. 19ᵃ הטובל לחולין וה׳ לחולין if one takes an immersion for the purpose of being enabled to partake of ordinary food and is considered (by himself) to have immersed for that purpose. Ib. טבל ולא ה׳ if he did immerse but did not have a certain purpose in view. Ib. עודיהו … ה׳ לדבר קל מחזיק עצמו וכ׳ as long as he has one foot yet in the water, when he had had in view a minor purpose for his bath, he may still change it for a higher purpose. Ib. אם לא ה׳ מחזיק if he had had no particular object in view, he may on coming out define the object for which he has bathed.—Part. מוּחֲזָק
- 1. held in possession, adhered to. Bekh. VIII, 9 ולא בראוי כבמ׳ nor does he take a double share of what is coming due to the estate as he does of what is held in possession; B. Bath. 55ᵃ; a. fr.—Sabb. 130ᵃ עדיין היא מוּחֲזֶקֶת בידם it is still strongly adhered to, opp. מרופה, v. רָפָה.
- 2. being known, approved. Sifra K’dosh. Par. 3, ch. V במ׳ לך when he is known to thee (to be a proselyte); a. e.
- 3. being sure, convinced, knowing from experience. Keth. 25ᵇ מוּחֲזַקְנִי בזה וכ׳ (= מ׳ אני) I know this man to be a priest; a. e.—Sifré Num. 1, v. supra.
- 1. to become solid, strong. Yalk. Gen. 5 יִתְחַזֵּק, v. preced.
- 2. to feel encouraged, take courage. Ber. 32ᵃ נ׳ בתפלה became emboldened to pray.
חֲזַק
- 1. same.—Part. pass. חֲזִיק tied up, bandaged. Y. Ber. II, 4ᶜ top דהוה ח׳ רישיה when his head was tied up (with a turban); Pesik. R. s. 22 (not רישין, v. notes in ed. Fr.). Y. Pes. X, 37ᶜ וח׳ רישיה וכ׳ and his head was tied up (or he felt like having a bandage around his head) &c.; Y. Shek. III, 47ᶜ top והוה חזוק (read חזיק); וחזק (corr. acc.).
- 2. to take possession. B. Bath. 52ᵇ, sq. חֲזַק וקני take possession and acquire; a. fr.
- to fasten.—Lev. R. s. 21 [read] חַזֵּק כפתוי tighten his muzzle, v. כֵּיפְתָא.—Part. pass. מְחַזַּק. Targ. Y. Gen. L, 1.
- as preced. Hif.;
- 1. (with טיבו &c.) to give credit to. Y. Ber. II, 5ᵃ bot. אנא מַחֲזִיק טיבו לראשי וכ׳ I give credit to my head, which bends of itself &c. Bab. Ber. 19ᵃ לאַחֲזוּקֵי ליה וכ׳ that due credit for the preservation of Israel be given to Moses.
- 2. to presume. Shebu. 46ᵇ לאַחֲזוּקֵי אינש בגנבי לא מַחְזְקִינָן we must not put a person in the category of thieves (on the charge of one individual); a. e.
- 3. to adhere to, adopt. Ḥull. 4ᵃ כיון דאַחֲזִיקוּ בהו א׳ בהו since they (the Samaritans) have adopted it, they observe it (also for Israelites). Ib. אַחֲזוּק ולא א׳ וכ׳ as to their observance or non-observance of adopted unwritten customs for Israelites there are differences of opinion; a. fr.
- 4. to take possession, to claim possession. B. Bath. 29ᵇ כי היכי דלא תַחְזְקוּ אהדדי ed. (differ. in Ms. M., v. Rabb. D. S. a. l.) that you might not claim possession against one another. Ib. 36ᵃ האי מאן דא׳ וכ׳ if one claims a field on the ground of possession, if it lies outside &c., v. גּוּדָּא I. Ib. לא מַחְזְקֵי בן ולא מַחְזְקִינָן בהו they have no claim of possession against us (for one might have been afraid to disturb them), and they have no claim against us (for, being wealthy, they might not have cared to drive one out); a. fr.
- 5. to be strong, encouraged. Gitt. 62ᵃ אַחֲזוּקוּ ‘be strong’ (a greeting to field laborers, v. preced.).
- 1. to adhere to. Targ. Prov. IV, 13; a. e.
- 2. to be known, be under the presumption. Targ. Y. Lev. XIX, 33 (v. preced.).—Ḥull. 10ᵇ היכא דלא א׳ where no presumption (of leprosy) has as yet been formed. Snh. 89ᵇ דמִיתְחֲזַק וכ׳ Ms. M. (ed. מוחזק) where one is approved (as a righteous prophet), it is different.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 208 distinct written forms H2388 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 148 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H2388, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
- חזק châzâq H2389 strong
- חזק châzêq H2390 stronger
- חזק chêzeq H2391 strength
- חזק chôzeq H2392 strength
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 8 — not the complete family. 3 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 223 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 266 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 19:16
- Exodus 4:4
- Leviticus 25:35
- Numbers 13:20
- Deuteronomy 1:38
- Joshua 1:6
- Judges 1:28
- 1 Samuel 4:9
- 2 Samuel 1:11
- 1 Kings 1:50
- 2 Kings 2:12
- 1 Chronicles 11:10
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
