חִזְּק֤וּ
𐤇𐤆𐤒𐤅
châzaq
they made hard
To be or become strong, firm, or resolute—whether physically, mentally, or spiritually; to strengthen or make firm, to hold fast, to seize or take hold (of), to repair or restore, or to prevail. The word also carries nuances of being courageous, reinforcing, supporting, repairing, or recovering, depending on context. In certain cases, it conveys the idea of overcoming resistance or withstanding.
kaza "to tighten, to make firm, to strengthen" (Lozi) · gũkaga "to tighten, to make firm, to squeeze" (Kikuyu) · ukukaza "to tighten, to make firm, squeeze" (Bemba) +8 moreJeremiah 5:3 · Word #13
Lexicon H2388
| Lemma | חָזַק |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤇𐤆𐤒 |
| Transliteration | châzaq |
| Strong's | H2388 |
| Definition | To be or become strong, firm, or resolute—whether physically, mentally, or spiritually; to strengthen or make firm, to hold fast, to seize or take hold (of), to repair or restore, or to prevail. The word also carries nuances of being courageous, reinforcing, supporting, repairing, or recovering, depending on context. In certain cases, it conveys the idea of overcoming resistance or withstanding. |
Morphology HVpp3cp
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state |
| Binyan | p — Piel — Intensive active |
| Conjugation | p — Perfect — Completed action |
| Person | 3 — 3rd person — Third person ("he/she/they") |
| Gender | c — Common — Common (both genders) |
| Number | p — Plural — Plural |
Common Translation
| Phrase | they made hard |
SIBI-P1 Translation H2388-15
be strong
| Morphological Notes | Verb, Qal stem, imperative, 2nd person masculine plural. |
| Rendering Rationale | Qal imperative 2nd masculine plural calls for a direct command to multiple males to enter or maintain a state of strength or firmness. "Be strong" preserves the core stative sense of the Qal stem without adding causative nuance. |
View full lexicon entry for H2388 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
they hardened
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | Changed from 'be strong' to 'they hardened' for contextual accuracy; חִזְּקוּ with פְנֵיהֶם ('their faces') means 'they made their faces hard', indicating obstinacy rather than strength. P1 mistranslates the verb nuance here. |
Bantu Hebrew
חִזְּק֤וּ (châzaq) — To be or become strong, firm, or resolute—whether physically, mentally, or spiritually; to strengthen or make firm, to hold fast, to seize or take hold (of), to repair or restore, or to prevail. The word also carries nuances of being courageous, reinforcing, supporting, repairing, or recovering, depending on context. In certain cases, it conveys the idea of overcoming resistance or withstanding.