Word Study for H6109 (עׇצְמָה)

ʻotsmâh /ots-maw'/ Ask about this word

Rootfeminine of עֹצֶם

Meaningpowerfulness; by extension, numerousness

KJV usageabundance, strength.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʻotsmâh — 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 ʻotsmâh, represented by H6109, denotes powerfulness and, by extension, numerousness, abundance, or strength. It appears only 3 times across 3 unique verses, yet its applications are significant, highlighting contrasts between divine enablement and human or corrupt power.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In its biblical appearances, H6109 is used to describe different forms of might. In Isaiah, it refers to God's empowerment of the weak, stating that to those with no might He "increaseth strength" Isaiah 40:29. The term is also used negatively in a prophecy against Babylon, where judgment will come for the "great abundance" of its enchantments Isaiah 47:9. Finally, in Nahum, it describes the formidable might of nations, where Ethiopia and Egypt were the personified strength of Nineveh Nahum 3:9.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the concept of strength and power:

H3581 kôach: This word for power or strength appears in the same verse as H6109, describing what God "giveth to the faint" before He increases their strength Isaiah 40:29. It signifies vigor and capacity.
H202 ʼôwn: Meaning might or strength, this term is used in contrast to God's provision in Isaiah 40:29, which describes those who have "no might" as the recipients of divine strength.
H7235 râbâh: A verb meaning to increase or multiply, it is used to show the action God takes, as he "increaseth" H7235 strength H6109 for the weary Isaiah 40:29.
H5833 ʻezrâh: This term for aid or help is used in Nahum 3:9, distinguishing the supporting role of allies from the core strength H6109 provided by Ethiopia and Egypt.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H6109 is found in its contrasting applications.

Source of True Strength: The clearest theological point is that God is the ultimate source of power. He provides strength not to the mighty, but specifically to the faint and powerless, demonstrating that His power is made perfect in weakness Isaiah 40:29.
Critique of Worldly Power: The word is used to describe the impressive military strength of powerful nations Nahum 3:9. However, this context serves as a reminder that such worldly power is finite and ultimately insufficient without divine backing.
Power as a Corrupting Force: The use of H6109 to mean "abundance" in Isaiah 47:9 warns that great power or numerousness can be corrupting. Babylon's "great abundance of thine enchantments" is a direct cause for its sudden downfall.

Summary

In summary, ʻotsmâh H6109 is a nuanced word that encompasses both strength and abundance. Though rare, its usage provides a powerful lesson by contrasting the genuine, restorative strength that God provides with the transient power of nations and the corrupting abundance of evil. It shows that the value of any power is defined by its source.

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 noun across 3 occurrences, inflected in 2 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.

עָצְמָה
עָצְמַת

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 3 verses across 2 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Isaiah (2 verses); never once in the other 37.

Isaiah

Nahum

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.