Lexical Summary
atsam: To be strong, mighty, numerous, powerful
Original Word: עָצַם
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: `atsam
Pronunciation: ä·tsam'
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-tsam')
KJV: break the bones, close, be great, be increased, be (wax) mighty(-ier), be more, shut, be(-come, make) strong(-er)
Word Origin: [a primitive root]
1. to bind fast, i.e. close (the eyes)
2. intransitively, to be (causatively, make) powerful or numerous
3. denominatively (from H6106) to crunch the bones
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
break the bones, close, be great, be increased, be more, shut, become,
A primitive root; to bind fast, i.e. Close (the eyes); intransitively, to be (causatively, make) powerful or numerous; denominatively (from etsem) to crunch the bones -- break the bones, close, be great, be increased, be (wax) mighty(-ier), be more, shut, be(-come, make) strong(-er).
see HEBREW etsem
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. [, compare Lag
BN 31],
(Late Hebrew Nithp. contend strenuously, and in derivatives; Phoenician in mighty deeds, bones; Arabic 👁 Image
be great in bone, or anything, 👁 Image
, bones; Ethiopic 👁 Image
: id.; Aramaic , 👁 Image
thigh): —
Perfect3masculine singular consecutive Daniel 8:24; Daniel 11:23; 2masculine singular Genesis 26:16; 3plural Isaiah 31:1 +, Psalm 38:20; Imperfect3masculine plural Exodus 1:7,20; Infinitive construct Isaiah 47:9; suffix Daniel 8:8; —
be mighty, Genesis 26:16 (J; with compare), Daniel 8:8,24; Daniel 11:23.
be numerous, "" etc., Isaiah 31:1, Isaiah 47:9, Jeremiah 5:6; Jeremiah 30:14,15; Exodus 1:7 (P), Exodus 1:20 (J), Psalm 38:20; Psalm 69:5; with compare Jeremiah 15:8; Psalm 40:6; Psalm 40:13; alone Psalm 139:17.
make strong, Imperfect3masculine singular: suffix Psalm 105:24 + compare
II. [] (Late Hebrew Hiph`il; possibly connection with Syriac 👁 Image
= id., Arabic 👁 Image
, IV (on 👁 Image
= 👁 Image
see NöZMG xxxii (1878), 406); Late Hebrew close eyes of dead; compare BaES 5f.); —
Participle Isaiah 33:15 shutteth his eyes from seeing
Imperfect3masculine singular Isaiah 29:10 he hath tightly shut your eyes (compare I. ).
Topical Lexicon
Overview of ConceptThe Hebrew verb עָצַם depicts a movement from ordinary to exceptional magnitude—whether in numbers, power, intensity, or even the physical act of closing or crushing. In Scripture it serves as a narrative marker of God-given increase, human arrogance, moral restraint, or judicial severity.
Narrative Foundations: Covenant Increase and Threatened Neighbors
• Genesis 26:16 records Abimelech’s expulsion of Isaac because he had “become much too powerful”, signalling the first fulfillment of the promise that Abraham’s line would grow formidable among the nations.
• Exodus 1:7, 20 shows Israel’s astonishing population surge in Egypt—an expansion so “exceedingly mighty” that it provoked Pharaoh’s oppression yet set the stage for the exodus.
These early uses present עָצַם as a blessing flowing from covenant faithfulness and as the catalyst for conflict that drives redemptive history forward.
Poetic Reflection: Vast Blessings, Overwhelming Troubles
Psalmic writers employ the verb both positively and negatively:
• Celebration of divine benevolence—“Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done” (Psalm 40:5); “How precious to me are Your thoughts… how vast is their sum!” (Psalm 139:17).
• Lament over relentless opposition—“Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs of my head” (Psalm 69:4); “Evils without number surround me” (Psalm 40:12).
The term intensifies the worshipper’s sense of scale: God’s mercies are immeasurable; so, at times, are the believer’s adversities. In pastoral use this balance guards against both triumphalism and despair.
Prophetic Literature: Strength Misplaced, Sin Multiplied, Vision Shut
1. False Reliance
Isaiah 31:1 rebukes Judah for trusting in Egypt’s “great strength” rather than the LORD. עָצַם exposes the folly of substituting human might for divine help.
2. Spiritual Blindness
Isaiah 29:10—“He has closed your eyes—the prophets”—links the verb with judicial hardening. Isaiah 33:15 recasts the image ethically: the righteous “shuts his eyes against contemplating evil,” modeling deliberate holiness.
3. Multiplied Iniquity
Jeremiah clusters the verb with national guilt: “their transgressions are many” (Jeremiah 5:6); “your sins innumerable” (Jeremiah 30:14-15). The same term that celebrated Israel’s numeric growth now exposes her moral overgrowth.
4. Crushing Judgment
Jeremiah 50:17 pictures Babylon “crushing” Israel’s bones, showing the verb’s capacity to describe devastating power.
5. Apocalyptic Magnitude
Daniel 8:8; 8:24; 11:23 use עָצַם to chart the ascent of Gentile rulers whose strength is impressive yet transient, reinforcing that no empire outgrows the sovereignty of God.
Theological Threads
• Covenant Fidelity: God magnifies His people to keep His promises (Genesis, Exodus, Psalm 105:24).
• Sovereign Restraint: The same God can “shut” prophetic eyes or limit nations, asserting ultimate control over perception and power.
• Moral Choice: The righteous may voluntarily “shut” their eyes to evil (Isaiah 33:15), illustrating sanctified self-discipline.
• Escalation Principle: Whether blessing, sin, or judgment, עָצַם signals an intensification that calls for spiritual response—gratitude for grace, repentance for guilt, humility amid greatness.
Ministry Implications
1. Encouragement of Growth: Congregations can appeal to Exodus 1:7 as evidence that God delights to enlarge His people despite hostile environments.
2. Warning against Pride: Leaders growing “strong” (Genesis 26:16; Daniel 8:8) must remember that human increase invites scrutiny and, without dependence on God, eventual reversal.
3. Cultivation of Holy Vision: Isaiah 33:15 supports disciplines that “shut the eyes” to evil imagery, a valuable principle in an age of pervasive media.
4. Confrontation of Multiplied Sin: Jeremiah’s usage equips preachers to name collective guilt that has become “innumerable” and to call for national repentance.
5. Assurance of Divine Oversight: Daniel’s prophecies remind the church that even when worldly powers grow exceedingly great, their dominion remains derivative and temporary.
Summary
עָצַם is a versatile verb that magnifies the narrative moment—whether amplifying a blessing, an enemy force, a moral failure, or a prophetic judgment. Throughout the Old Testament it underscores the consistent biblical truth that genuine strength and increase proceed from the LORD, are accountable to Him, and are ultimately directed toward His redemptive purposes.
Forms and Transliterations
וְעָצַ֖ם וְעָצַ֤ם וְעֹצֵ֥ם וַ֝יַּֽעֲצִמֵהוּ וַיְעַצֵּ֖ם וַיַּֽעַצְמ֖וּ וּכְעָצְמ֗וֹ ויעצם ויעצמהו ויעצמו וכעצמו ועצם עִצְּמ֔וֹ עָ֝צְמ֗וּ עָ֝צְמוּ עָֽצְמוּ֙ עָֽצְמוּ־ עָצְמ֖וּ עָצְמ֣וּ עָצְמ֥וּ עָצֵ֑מוּ עָצַֽמְתָּ־ עצמו עצמו־ עצמת־ ‘ā·ṣam·tā- ‘ā·ṣê·mū ‘ā·ṣə·mū ‘ā·ṣə·mū- ‘āṣamtā- ‘āṣêmū ‘āṣəmū ‘āṣəmū- ‘iṣ·ṣə·mōw ‘iṣṣəmōw atzamta aTzemu itztzeMo ū·ḵə·‘ā·ṣə·mōw ucheatzeMo ūḵə‘āṣəmōw Vaiyaatzimehu vaiyaatzMu vayatzTzem veaTzam veoTzem way‘aṣṣêm way·‘aṣ·ṣêm way·ya·‘ă·ṣi·mê·hū way·ya·‘aṣ·mū wayya‘ăṣimêhū wayya‘aṣmū wə‘āṣam wə‘ōṣêm wə·‘ā·ṣam wə·‘ō·ṣêm
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
