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אַכְזָרִי

𐤀𐤊𐤆𐤓𐤉

ʼakzârîy

H394 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root אכזר to be cruel, act harshly, lack compassion

Definition

Describes one who is harsh, pitiless, or merciless; a person, act, or sentiment that displays an absence of compassion or empathy. As an adjective, it characterizes actions or people as ruthless or cruel, lacking kindness or consideration for others. The term can refer both to an individual's character and to specific behaviors or conditions deemed severe and unfeeling.

Semantic Range

cruel, merciless, pitiless, ruthless, harsh, severe, showing no compassion, characterized by absence of mercy, unkind; an individual who acts in such a manner

Root / Etymology

From the root אֹכְזָר (akzār), meaning 'cruel' or 'harsh,' itself possibly formed from a contraction or elongation of the root אכזר, which is of uncertain etymology but relates to harshness and opposition to compassion. There is no clear and attested root in triliteral Hebrew for אכזר; it is possibly a later formation in the Hebrew language, as the root does not appear in earlier Semitic parallels.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible, with its primary usage in prophetic and poetic texts (e.g., Proverbs 12:10, Isaiah 13:9, Jeremiah 6:23), often to emphasize the severity of an action, calamity, nation, or individual. The term does not carry technical religious or cultic connotation but rather signals a general and emphatic lack of mercy or harshness usually in a social or military context. In early Israelite texts, cruelty or the absence of kindness is often contrasted with righteousness and justice. In later periods, such as postexilic and later Jewish literature, the concept remains tied closely to oppressive actions, whether enacted by humans or metaphorically attributed to divine judgment. Unlike the more common רַע (ra‘, 'evil'), אַכְזָרִי specifically connotes mercilessness or harsh cruelty rather than general evil or harm. English translations ('cruel,' 'ruthless,' 'merciless') capture most of the semantic range but occasionally fail to convey the severity implied by the term in its original contexts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from אַכְזָר; terrible; cruel (one).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אכזר (ʾ-k-z-r) — cruelty, harshness, lack of compassion

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H393 אַכְזָר cruel one
H395 אַכְזְרִיּוּת cruelty of

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H394-01 אַכְזָרִ֥י akhezari HAamsa cruel merciless 7
H394-02 לְ/אַכְזָרִֽי leakhezari HR/Aamsa to the cruel to a cruel one 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H394-01 Isaiah 13:9 אַכְזָרִ֥י akhezari HAamsa cruel merciless
H394-01 Jeremiah 6:23 אַכְזָרִ֥י akhezari HAamsa cruel merciless
H394-01 Jeremiah 30:14 אַכְזָרִ֔י akhezari HAamsa cruel merciless
H394-01 Jeremiah 50:42 אַכְזָרִ֥י akhezari HAamsa cruel merciless
H394-02 Proverbs 5:9 לְ/אַכְזָרִֽי leakhezari HR/Aamsa to the cruel to a cruel one
H394-01 Proverbs 11:17 אַכְזָרִֽי akhezari HAamsa cruel merciless
H394-01 Proverbs 12:10 אַכְזָרִֽי akhezari HAamsa cruel merciless
H394-01 Proverbs 17:11 אַ֝כְזָרִ֗י akhezari HAamsa cruel merciless
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