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בָּזַז

𐤁𐤆𐤆

bâzaz

H962 verb

SILEX Entry

Root בזז to plunder, to seize, to take as spoil

Definition

To plunder, seize as spoil, or rob; refers primarily to the act of taking goods, valuables, or resources (especially in the context of war or violence). The core sense involves forcibly stripping another party of possessions, with uses ranging from literal looting in warfare to metaphorical uses of utter deprivation or destruction.

Semantic Range

to plunder, to strip of possessions, to seize as booty or spoil, to rob, to utterly deprive, to loot

Root / Etymology

From the root ב-ז-ז (בָּזַז), meaning fundamentally 'to seize' or 'to plunder.' The verb likely developed from the core idea of taking quickly or forcefully, often under conditions of conflict or chaos. This root gives rise to the noun בָּז (baz, 'spoil, booty'), directly reflecting the outcome of the verb's action.

Historical & Contextual Notes

בָּזַז appears most frequently in narrative, especially in accounts of military action, where victors plunder the possessions of the defeated. In these contexts, it is distinguished from other roots such as שָׁסָה (shasah, 'to plunder, spoil') and גָּזַל (gazal, 'to rob, seize by violence'). The word emphasizes both the act of violent acquisition and the resulting transfer of valuables. During the monarchic and exilic periods, בָּזַז retains its martial overtones but can also refer to broader acts of deprivation or devastation (cf. Isa 10:13, 'I remove the boundaries of nations, I plunder [בזז] their treasures'). English translations typically render it as 'plunder,' 'spoil,' or 'take as booty,' but in some contexts the full sense involves complete devastation or utter loss. The noun derivative בָּז refers to spoil or booty and appears frequently in parallel with other spoils-of-war terminology. Later in the Second Temple period, such martial overtones are often preserved in retellings or prophecies of national calamity.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to plunder; catch, gather, (take) for a prey, rob(-ber), spoil, take (away, spoil), [idiom] utterly.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בזז (b-z-z) — to plunder, to seize, to take as spoil

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H936 בּוּז plunder
H957 בַּז plunder
H961 בִּזָּה her plundered goods

Word Forms

28 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H962-03 בָּזְז֖וּ bazezu HVqp3cp they plundered they plundered 6
H962-21 וַ/יָּבֹ֖זּוּ vayavozu HC/Vqw3mp and plundered and they plundered 5
H962-11 לָ/בֽוֹז lavoz HR/Vqc to plunder to plunder 3
H962-27 יָבֹֽזּוּ yavozu HVqi3mp they plunder they plunder 2
H962-18 וּ/בָֽזְזוּ֙ uvazezu HC/Vqq3cp and-they-will-plunder and they plundered 2
H962-23 וְ/לָ/בֹ֣ז velavoz HC/R/Vqc and to seize and to plunder 2
H962-09 בֹּ֥זּוּ bozu HVqv2mp Plunder! Plunder! 2
H962-08 בֹּזְזִ֥ים bozezim HVqrmpa gathering the spoil the plundering ones 1
H962-19 וּ/בְזָזוּ/ם֙ uvezazum HC/Vqq3cp/Sp3mp and they shall plunder them and they plundered them 1
H962-15 תָּבֹ֣זּוּ tavozu HVqi2mp you shall take as plunder you will plunder 1

Occurrences in Scripture

43 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H962-21 Genesis 34:27 וַ/יָּבֹ֖זּוּ vayavozu HC/Vqw3mp and plundered and they plundered
H962-21 Genesis 34:29 וַ/יָּבֹ֑זּוּ vayavozu HC/Vqw3mp and plundered and they plundered
H962-02 Numbers 31:9 בָּזָֽזוּ bazazu HVqp3cp they plundered they plundered
H962-03 Numbers 31:32 בָּזְז֖וּ bazezu HVqp3cp they had plundered they plundered
H962-03 Numbers 31:53 בָּזְז֖וּ bazezu HVqp3cp had plundered they plundered
H962-01 Deuteronomy 2:35 בָּזַ֣זְנוּ bazazenu HVqp1cp we took as spoil we plundered
H962-04 Deuteronomy 3:7 בַּזּ֥וֹנוּ bazonu HVqp1cp we took as booty we plundered
H962-14 Deuteronomy 20:14 תָּבֹ֣ז tavoz HVqi2ms you shall take as plunder you will plunder
H962-15 Joshua 8:2 תָּבֹ֣זּוּ tavozu HVqi2mp you shall take as plunder you will plunder
H962-03 Joshua 8:27 בָּזְז֥וּ bazezu HVqp3cp they plundered they plundered
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