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עֻזָּא

𐤏𐤆𐤀

Uza

H5798 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עזּ to be strong, to be mighty, to prevail

Definition

A personal name, 'Uzzah' or 'Uzza', borne by several individuals in the Hebrew Bible, best understood as meaning 'Strength' or 'Mighty One', derived from the noun for 'strength, might, power.' The use is primarily as a proper name and does not function as a common noun in biblical texts.

Semantic Range

personal name meaning 'strength' or 'might', name borne by several Israelites, conveys quality of strength; not used as a common noun in biblical text

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root עז ('ʿ-z-z'), meaning 'to be strong, mighty.' The form עֻזָּא (Uzzah/Uzza) uses the feminine noun pattern, possibly as a diminutive, hypocoristic, or to denote possession ('[my] strength').

Historical & Contextual Notes

The name עֻזָּא (Uzzah/Uzza) appears as the personal name of multiple individuals in the Hebrew Bible, most notably the man who died while steadied the Ark of the Covenant (2 Samuel 6:6-8; 1 Chronicles 13:9-11). The name is grammatically feminine (ending -ָא), but is borne by males, reflecting a pattern sometimes found in personal names. This form is distinct from the direct common noun עֹז (ʿoz, 'strength') and from other related names such as עֻזִּי (Uzzi, 'my strength'). In the ancient Israelite context, personal names derived from attributes—like 'strength'—may express a wish, characteristic, or relationship to the deity (i.e., 'God is my strength', though no theophoric element is present here). English translations have sometimes rendered עֻזָּא as 'Uzzah' or 'Uzza,' and, in some cases, have used 'Uzzah' for individuals of non-Israelite identity based on the name's use in later periods as well (e.g., Nehemiah 3:29, possibly for a non-Israelite), but within the biblical text, the bearers are primarily identified as Israelites. The grammatical gender of the name does not indicate the sex of its bearer, highlighting the complexity of gendered forms in Hebrew names. Later English tradition occasionally conflates this name with other similar forms, but the distinction should be preserved.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or עֻזָּה; feminine of עֹז; strength; Uzza or Uzzah, the name of five Israelites; Uzza, Uzzah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עזז (ʿ-z-z) — strength, might, power, prevailing

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4581 מָעוֹז in a stronghold of
H4590 מַעַזְיָה to Yah-is-Refuge
H5794 עַז strong
H5795 עֵז in the goats
H5797 עֹז my strength

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5798-03 עֻזָּ֜א uza HNp Uzza Strength 7
H5798-01 בְּ/עֻזָּ֔א beuza HR/Np against Uzza in Strength 2
H5798-02 בְּ/עֻזָּ֔ה beuzah HR/Np against Uzzah in Strength 2
H5798-05 וְ/עֻזָּ֣א veuza HC/Np and Uzzah and Strength 2
H5798-04 עֻזָּ֥ה uzah HNp Uzzah her strength 1

Occurrences in Scripture

14 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5798-05 2 Samuel 6:3 וְ/עֻזָּ֣א veuza HC/Np and Uzzah and Strength
H5798-03 2 Samuel 6:6 עֻזָּ֜א uza HNp Uzzah Strength
H5798-02 2 Samuel 6:7 בְּ/עֻזָּ֔ה beuzah HR/Np against Uzzah in Strength
H5798-02 2 Samuel 6:8 בְּ/עֻזָּ֑ה beuzah HR/Np against Uzzah in Strength
H5798-03 2 Kings 21:18 עֻזָּ֑א uza HNp of Uzza Strength
H5798-03 2 Kings 21:26 עֻזָּ֑א uza HNp of Uzza Strength
H5798-03 Ezra 2:49 עֻזָּ֥א uza HNp Uzza Strength
H5798-03 Nehemiah 7:51 עֻזָּ֖א uza HNp Uzza Strength
H5798-04 1 Chronicles 6:14 עֻזָּ֥ה uzah HNp Uzzah her strength
H5798-03 1 Chronicles 8:7 עֻזָּ֖א uza HNp Uzza Strength
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