Word Study for H235 (אָזַל) | Strong's Concordance

ʼâzal /aw-zal'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto go away, hence, to disappear

KJV usagefail, gad about, go to and fro (but in Ezekiel 27:19 the word is rendered by many 'from Uzal, ' by others 'yarn'), be gone (spent).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʼâzal — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word ʼâzal, represented by H235, is a primitive root signifying to go away or disappear. Appearing only 6 times in 6 unique verses, its usage is specific yet illustrative, covering concepts such as to fail, to be gone or spent, and to gad about or go to and fro.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

Biblically, H235 describes various forms of cessation or movement. It illustrates the depletion of physical resources, as when Saul notes that "the bread is spent" 1 Samuel 9:7. The term is also used to depict the finality of natural processes, where "the waters fail from the sea" Job 14:11, or the loss of strength, when the LORD sees that Israel's "power is gone" Deuteronomy 32:36. In a different context, it describes aimless or commercial movement, such as Israel being questioned for "gaddest thou about" to change its way Jeremiah 2:36 and Javan "going to and fro" in the markets of Tyre Ezekiel 27:19. Finally, it can simply mean to be gone, as in the case of a buyer who, "when he is gone his way, then he boasteth" Proverbs 20:14.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words clarify the contexts in which H235 appears:

H3001 yâbêsh (to dry up): This word is used alongside H235 to intensify the idea of depletion. In Job 14:11, as the waters H235 fail, the flood also "drieth up" H3001.
H5800 ʻâzab (to forsake, leave): This term often complements H235 by describing what remains after something is gone. When Israel's power is H235 gone, it is also noted that there is none shut up or "left" H5800 Deuteronomy 32:36.
H1870 derek (a road, way, course of life): This word provides the path for the action of H235. In Jeremiah 2:36, Israel is criticized for gadding H235 about in order to change its "way" H1870, highlighting a spiritual wandering from its proper course.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H235 lies in its portrayal of failure, wandering, and divine observation.

The Consequence of Depletion: The word often signifies a state of complete exhaustion that prompts divine action. God repents on behalf of His servants when He sees their power is entirely "gone" H235, demonstrating that human extremity can be a point of divine intervention Deuteronomy 32:36. Similarly, a lack of bread that is "spent" H235 poses a direct obstacle to Saul's journey 1 Samuel 9:7.
Faithless Wandering: In Jeremiah, "gaddest thou about" H235 is not neutral movement but a metaphor for spiritual unfaithfulness. It describes Israel's restless pursuit of foreign alliances instead of trusting in God, a "way" that leads to shame Jeremiah 2:36.
The Frailty of Existence: The comparison of life to waters that "fail" H235 from the sea in Job 14:11 uses the term to underscore the transient and finite nature of human existence and the physical world.

Summary

In summary, H235 is a versatile term that conveys a sense of finality and movement. Though rare, it effectively illustrates concepts ranging from the literal depletion of provisions to the metaphorical failure of strength and the spiritual emptiness of aimless wandering. It captures a state of being spent, lost, or having disappeared, marking a critical point of lack or transition in the biblical narrative.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb and a noun across 6 occurrences, inflected in 6 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

תֵּזְלִי
אוּזָּל
אֹזֵל
אָזְלוּ
אָזְלַת
אָזַל

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 6 verses across 6 of the 39 books. 6 books tie for most frequent (1 verse each); never once in the other 33.

Deuteronomy

1 Samuel

Job

Proverbs

Jeremiah

Ezekiel

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.