Lexical Summary
ezrah or ezrath: Help, assistance, aid
Original Word:עֶזְרָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:`ezrah
Pronunciation:ez-rah or ez-rath
Phonetic Spelling:(ez-raw')
KJV: help(-ed, -er)
NASB:help, assistance, helpers, support
Word Origin:[feminine ofH5828 (עֵזֶר - help)]
1. aid
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
helped,
Or mezrath (Psa. 60:11; Psa. 60:13; Psa. 108:12; Psa. 108:13) {ez-rawth'}; feminine ofezer; aid -- help(-ed, -er).
see HEBREW'obdan
see HEBREW'obdan
see HEBREWezer
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfem. of
ezerDefinitionhelp, helper, assistance
NASB Translationassistance (2), help (22), helpers (1), support (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. , ,
; — absoluteIsaiah 10:3 +,Psalm 60:13;Psalm 108:13 (Ges§ 80g),Psalm 63:8 2t.; constructIsaiah 31:2 +; suffixPsalm 22:20 +, etc.; —
help, succourIsaiah 10:3;Isaiah 20:6 (+ ),Isaiah 31:1;Jeremiah 37:7;Lamentations 4:17;Job 6:13; 2Chronicles 28:21;Isaiah 31:2help from, etc.;Judges 5:23 (twice in verse)help of (for) ; fromPsalm 22:20;Psalm 38:23;Psalm 40:14 ("" ),Psalm 70:2 (""id.),Psalm 71:12 +Psalm 60:13 ("" ) =Psalm 108:13.
help, one who helps (compare 1 ):
collectiveJob 31:21when I saw my help (assistance, support) in the gate; (see I. )Nahum 3:9.
ofPsalm 27:9;Psalm 40:18 (+ ),Psalm 46:2 ("" , )Psalm 44:27;Psalm 63:8;Psalm 94:17;Psalm 35:2.
Topical Lexicon
Overviewעֶזְרָה (ezrah) is a poetic noun for “help” that appears about twenty-six times in the Old Testament. In every setting it highlights the decisive intervention of God—or the futility of seeking aid elsewhere—thereby underscoring His covenant faithfulness and sovereign protection.
In the Blessing of Moses (Deuteronomy 33)
• Judah’s security: “With Your hands contend for him, and be a help against his foes” (Deuteronomy 33:7).
• Israel’s confidence: “There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your help” (Deuteronomy 33:26).
These verses frame Israel’s future by rooting military success, national preservation and rest in Yahweh’s personal involvement. The imagery of God “riding” emphasizes both transcendence and immediacy.
Songs of Deliverance and Royal Psalms
•Psalm 20:2 places divine help at the heart of liturgical intercession: “May He send you help from the sanctuary.”
•Psalm 89:19 celebrates covenant leadership: “I have bestowed help on one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people,” foreshadowing the messianic King.
•Psalm 146:5 personalizes confidence for every believer: “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God.”
Here עֶזְרָה is never abstract; it is mediated through the Davidic promise and the worshiping community, inviting trust in every generation.
Pilgrim Assurance (Psalm 121)
The twice-repeated term anchors the traveler’s faith: “My help comes from the LORD, Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2). The pairing of transcendent creation power with intimate covenant care demonstrates that no earthly geography—whether mountains, valleys, or distant roads—falls outside the range of God’s protective help.
Warnings against Misplaced Confidence (Isaiah–Jeremiah)
Isaiah 31:1 rebukes Judah for seeking Egyptian cavalry: “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help.”Jeremiah 37:7 records the same historical futility: “The army of Pharaoh…came to help you, but it will return to Egypt.” By using עֶזְרָה for pagan alliances, the prophets sharpen a contrast: human politics promise help but deliver shame (Isaiah 30:5).
Exilic and Apocalyptic Perspective
•Ezekiel 12:14 predicts that even the royal court’s “helpers” will be scattered, highlighting the collapse of every human support.
•Daniel 11:34 looks ahead to the Maccabean struggle: “When they fall, they will receive a little help,” a reminder that divine purposes often progress through seemingly insignificant assistance before final vindication.
Covenant Lawsuit in Hosea
Hosea 13:9 exposes Israel’s self-destruction: “You are destroyed, O Israel, because you are against Me, against your help.” The stark wording turns the term into a courtroom charge: rejecting Yahweh is rejecting the only source of life.
Theological Synthesis
1. God Himself is the ultimate help; He does not merely provide it.
2. Divine help is both national and personal, military and pastoral.
3. Seeking alternative help is tantamount to covenant infidelity and ends in judgment.
4. Messianic hope is grounded in Yahweh’s gift of help to His anointed, finding ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, whose name (Yeshua, “Yahweh is salvation”) embodies the theme.
Practical Ministry Implications
• Intercession: Biblical prayer confidently petitions God for specific help grounded in His revealed character (Psalm 20:2).
• Pastoral care: Encourage believers that the same God who rides the heavens (Deuteronomy 33:26) meets individual needs (Psalm 121).
• Discernment: Warn against modern “Egypts”—political, economic, or philosophical systems that tempt the church to substitute human strategies for divine aid.
• Mission: The reality that “our help is in the name of the LORD” (Psalm 124:8, using the cognate form) fuels evangelism, offering a weary world the only reliable refuge.
In every context, עֶזְרָה calls the people of God to exclusive, expectant trust in the One whose help never fails.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּעֶזְרָתִֽי׃ בְּעֶזְרָתֵֽךְ׃ בעזרתי׃ בעזרתך׃ לְעֶזְרַ֣ת לְעֶזְרַ֥ת לְעֶזְרָ֔ה לְעֶזְרָ֖ה לְעֶזְרָ֥תִי לְעֶזְרָתִ֑י לעזרה לעזרת לעזרתי עֶזְרַ֖ת עֶזְרָ֣ת עֶזְרָ֣תָה עֶזְרָ֥ה עֶזְרָתִ֣י עֶזְרָתִ֥י עֶזְרָתִֽי׃ עֶזְרָתֵ֖נוּ עזרה עזרת עזרתה עזרתי עזרתי׃ עזרתנו ‘ez·rā·ṯāh ‘ez·rā·ṯê·nū ‘ez·rā·ṯî ‘ez·rāh ‘ez·raṯ ‘ez·rāṯ ‘ezrāh ‘ezraṯ ‘ezrāṯ ‘ezrāṯāh ‘ezrāṯênū ‘ezrāṯî bə‘ezrāṯêḵ bə‘ezrāṯî bə·‘ez·rā·ṯêḵ bə·‘ez·rā·ṯî beezraTech beezraTi ezRah ezRat ezRatah ezraTenu ezraTi lə‘ezrāh lə‘ezraṯ lə‘ezrāṯî lə·‘ez·rā·ṯî lə·‘ez·rāh lə·‘ez·raṯ leezRah leezRat leezRati
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