וַ/יִּתְחַזֵּ֞ק

𐤅/𐤉𐤕𐤇𐤆𐤒

vayitechazeq

and he strengthened himself

a primitive root; to fasten upon; hence, to seize, be strong (figuratively, courageous, causatively strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify), obstinate; to bind, restrain, conquer; aid, amend, [idiom] calker, catch, cleave, confirm, be constant, constrain, continue, be of good (take) courage(-ous, -ly), encourage (self), be established, fasten, force, fortify, make hard, harden, help, (lay) hold (fast), lean, maintain, play the man, mend, become (wax) mighty, prevail, be recovered, repair, retain, seize, be (wax) sore, strengthen (self), be stout, be (make, shew, wax) strong(-er), be sure, take (hold), be urgent, behave self valiantly, withstand.

H2388

2 Chronicles 12:13 · Word #1

Lexicon H2388

Lemmaחָזַק
Lemma (Paleo)𐤇𐤆𐤒
Transliterationchâzaq
Strong'sH2388
In-contextand he strengthened himself

Morphology HC/Vtw3ms All morphology codes

Part of Speech V — Verb — An action or state
Binyan t — Hithpael — Intensive reflexive
Conjugation w — Sequential Imperfect — Imperfect with waw-consecutive, narrating past events
Person 3 — 3rd person — Third person ("he/she/they")
Gender m — Masculine — Masculine
Number s — Singular — Singular

SIBI-P1 H2388-71

and he made himself strong

Rootחזק (ḥ-z-q)
Core Meaningsstrength, firmness, fastening, holding fast, prevailing
Semantic Rangeto strengthen oneself, take courage, fortify oneself, prevail, hold firmly, become resolute, recover strength, persist stubbornly
Conceptual SignificanceThis verb often marks moments of resolve, courage, or divine strengthening in biblical narrative. Whether describing human resolve or divinely influenced hardening, it underscores the biblical theme that strength—moral, physical, or spiritual—arises through an act of firm resolve or empowerment.
Morphological NotesHitpael (reflexive) wayyiqtol form, 3rd masculine singular; waw-consecutive imperfect indicating sequential past narrative action.
Rendering RationaleThe root חזק conveys the idea of strength, firmness, and holding fast. In the Hitpael stem (reflexive), the verb expresses the subject acting upon himself—"making himself strong." The waw-consecutive imperfect (3rd masculine singular) carries the narrative past sense, hence "and he made himself strong."

AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

Words from Root חזק (strength, firmness, fastening, holding fast, prevailing)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H2388-01 achazeq I will make strong
H2388-02 achazeqenu I will firmly strengthen him
H2389-01 bechazaq in firm strength

Word Usage (290 occurrences of H2388)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Genesis 19:16 וַ/יַּחֲזִ֨קוּ vayachaziqu and the men seized
Genesis 21:18 וְ/הַחֲזִ֥יקִי vehachaziqi and hold
Genesis 41:56 וַ/יֶּחֱזַ֥ק vayechezaq was severe