Lexical Summary
azal: To go, to depart, to disappear, to be exhausted
Original Word:אָזַל
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:azal
Pronunciation:ah-zahl
Phonetic Spelling:(aw-zal')
KJV: fail, gad about, go to and fro (but in Ezek 27
NASB:gone, evaporates, go, goes his way
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to go away
2. (hence) to disappear
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
fail, gad about, go to and fro but in Ezek
A primitive root; to go away, hence, to disappear -- fail, gad about, go to and fro (but in Ezek. 27:19 the word is rendered by many "from Uzal," by others "yarn"), be gone (spent).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto go
NASB Translationevaporates (1), go (1), goes his way (1), gone (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
go (mostly in poetry) (
id., Biblical Aramaic , Syriac
) —
Perfect1 Samuel 9:7; 3feminine singular (poetry)Deuteronomy 32:36;Job 14:11;Imperfect2feminine singular (for )Jeremiah 2:36;ParticipleProverbs 20:14 — go awayProverbs 20:14; go aboutJeremiah 2:36 ;be gone, exhausted, used upDeuteronomy 32:36 (subjectstrength); followed by1 Samuel 9:7 ;Job 14:11
ParticipleEzekiel 27:19 (RVyarn, compare Aramaicspin but) read , see below below, so Hi Sm Co.
(Biblical Hebrew: [rare]); —
Perfect3masculine singularDaniel 2:24 + (Daniel 2:17;Daniel 6:20); 3pluralEzra 4:23; I pluralEzra 5:8;Imperative masculine singular ()Ezra 5:15 (for K§ § 15 e); 38, 1 c)); —go, go off, with locationDaniel 2:17;Daniel 6:19;Daniel 6:20;Ezra 4:23 (+ person),Ezra 5:8;go and sayDaniel 2:24,go (and) putEzra 5:15.
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Range and NuancesThe verb conveys the idea of movement until something is depleted, gone, or has passed beyond reach. In some contexts it pictures a literal departure, in others the exhaustion of strength or resources, and in still others a restless shifting of allegiance.
Patterns of Usage in the Old Testament
1. Exhaustion of Strength –Deuteronomy 32:36 sets the tone for all subsequent uses. Israel’s “strength is gone,” underscoring total dependence upon the covenant LORD for rescue.
2. Loss of Provisions – In1 Samuel 9:7 Saul’s “bread … is gone,” illustrating a moment when human resources fail just before divine guidance is granted through Samuel.
3. Natural Dissipation –Job 14:11 employs the word of water that “disappears” and a river that “becomes parched and dry,” a poetic analogy for the brevity of human life.
4. Departure After Bargaining –Proverbs 20:14 uses it of a buyer who criticizes a product, then “goes away” boasting, exposing the duplicity of fallen human dealings.
5. Fickle Political Alliances –Jeremiah 2:36 castigates Judah for “constantly changing your ways,” rushing from one foreign help to another once Assyria and now Egypt, a moral rather than geographical wandering.
6. Commercial Transit –Ezekiel 27:19 depicts trading caravans “from Uzal,” showing the ordinary flow of international commerce that supported, and would eventually indict, proud Tyre.
Historical Backdrop
From the wilderness period (Deuteronomy) through the monarchy (Samuel, Proverbs), the exile-era prophets (Jeremiah, Ezekiel), and the wisdom literature (Job), the word traces Israel’s long struggle with self-sufficiency. Each setting reinforces that when human strength, provisions, or political strategy “go,” the covenant God remains the only sure refuge.
Theological Emphases
• Human frailty: Whether bread, water, national power, or moral resolve, every finite resource can be exhausted.
• Divine compassion: The LORD acts precisely “when He sees that their strength is gone” (Deuteronomy 32:36).
• Moral accountability: The same verb that signals fading strength also exposes deceitful commerce and unstable alliances, showing that moral collapse accompanies physical or political depletion.
• Sovereign oversight of history: Even bustling trade routes (Ezekiel 27:19) operate under God’s plan; what seems merely economic can become the stage for judgment.
Pastoral and Ministry Applications
• Encourage the weary:Deuteronomy 32:36 offers solid ground for counseling believers who feel spent—God’s help often arrives when strength has run out.
• Call to integrity:Proverbs 20:14 challenges business ethics, urging believers to let their “yes be yes” in every transaction.
• Warn against restless alliances:Jeremiah 2:36 stands as a timeless caution to churches and individuals tempted to replace reliance on God with shifting worldly supports.
• Illustrate mortality in funerals:Job 14:11 provides vivid imagery for messages on the brevity of life and the hope of resurrection.
• Missionary exhortation: The commercial mobility inEzekiel 27:19 reminds the Church that trade routes—and today’s global networks—are providential avenues for the gospel.
Canonical and Christological Connections
The vocabulary of depletion prepares the way for the New Testament declaration that Christ’s power “is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). When human resources azal, grace abounds. Moreover, believers await the kingdom where nothing “passes away” (Revelation 21:4), the ultimate reversal of every earthly azal.
Forms and Transliterations
אָ֣זְלַת אָֽזְלוּ־ אָזַ֣ל אזל אזלו־ אזלת וְאֹזֵ֥ל ואזל מְאוּזָּ֔ל מאוזל תֵּזְלִ֥י תזלי ’ā·zal ’ā·zə·laṯ ’ā·zə·lū- ’āzal ’āzəlaṯ ’āzəlū- aZal Azelat azelu mə’ūzzāl mə·’ūz·zāl meuzZal tê·zə·lî tezeLi têzəlî veoZel wə’ōzêl wə·’ō·zêl
Links
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