Lexical Summary
bazaz: To plunder, to spoil, to seize
Original Word:בִּזז
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:bazaz
Pronunciation:bah-ZAHZ
Phonetic Spelling:(baw-zaz')
KJV: catch, gather, (take) for a prey, rob(-ber), spoil, take (away, spoil), X utterly
NASB:plunder, plundered, seize, looted, take, took, prey
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to plunder
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
catch, gather, take for a prey, robber, spoil, take away, spoil, utterly
A primitive root; to plunder -- catch, gather, (take) for a prey, rob(-ber), spoil, take (away, spoil), X utterly.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto spoil, plunder
NASB Translationbooty (1), completely despoiled (1), despoiled (1), looted (3), pillage (1), plunder (11), plunder of those who plundered (1), plundered (6), plunderers (1), prey (2), seize (4), seize the plunder (1), seize their as plunder (1), take (3), take as booty (1), take spoil (1), taken booty (1), taking (1), took (3), took as our booty (1), took as their plunder (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Arabic
, Aramaic
; Amharic
perhaps Ethiopic
rescue Prä
BAS i. 33) —
Perfect3masculine singular (consecutive)Ezekiel 29:19; 3pluralNumbers 31:53 7t.;Numbers 31:9; suffix consecutiveJeremiah 20:5; 1pluralDeuteronomy 2:35;Deuteronomy 3:7;Imperfect2masculine singularDeuteronomy 20:14, pluralIsaiah 10:2 2t.;Genesis 34:27 4t.; suffixZephaniah 2:9; 2masculine pluralJoshua 8:2; 1plural cohortative1 Samuel 14:36 (compare Ges§ 67 R. 11);ImperativeNahum 2:10 (twice in verse);Infinitive constructIsaiah 10:6 3t.;Esther 3:13;Esther 8:11;Participle active pluralIsaiah 42:24; 2Chronicles 20:25; suffixJeremiah 30:16,Isaiah 17:14,Ezekiel 39:10; passiveIsaiah 42:22; —spoil = take as spoil, with accusative of thingNumbers 31:9;Deuteronomy 2:35 (with & reflexive suffix)Jeremiah 20:5;Ezekiel 26:12;Nahum 2:10;Psalm 109:11; oftener with accusative of congnate meaning with verb,Numbers 31:32;Isaiah 10:6 ("" , as often)Isaiah 33:23;Ezekiel 29:19;Ezekiel 38:12,13; 2Chronicles 25:13;Deuteronomy 3:7;Deuteronomy 20:14 (both followed by with reflexive suffix) 2 Chronicles 20:25 (twice in verse); 2Chronicles 28:8;Esther 3:13;Esther 8:11; &Joshua 8:2,27;Joshua 11:14 (all followed by with reflexive suffix); object person carried off (compare )Genesis 34:29 (, but compare Ol);plunder, despoil, with accusative of person robbedIsaiah 10:2;Isaiah 11:14;Isaiah 17:14 ()Isaiah 42:22 (""id.)Zephaniah 2:9;Jeremiah 30:16;Ezekiel 39:10 (twice in verse); with (person)1 Samuel 14:36; with accusative of place plunderedGenesis 34:27;2 Kings 7:16; 2Chron 14:13;absoluteNumbers 31:53;Isaiah 42:24.
Perfect consecutiveAmos 3:11;Imperfect2masculine singularIsaiah 24:3;Infinitive absoluteIsaiah 24:3 —be spoiled, plundered, subjectAmos 3:11;Isaiah 24:3; ("" ).
Perfect consecutiveJeremiah 50:37 —be taken as spoil, subject .
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Scopeבִּזז portrays the forcible transfer of goods, livestock, or people from a defeated party to a victorious one. The verb regularly appears in military settings, but also describes the providential reversal of wealth when the Lord vindicates His covenant people or judges their sin.
Pentateuchal Foundations: Deliverance and Transfer of Wealth
•Genesis 34:27 records the earliest use: “The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and plundered the city because their sister had been defiled.” The action is retributive yet reveals the danger of personal revenge untethered from divine command.
•Exodus 3:22 anticipates Israel’s liberation: the Hebrew women would “plunder the Egyptians.” The fulfillment comes inExodus 12:36: “So they plundered the Egyptians.” Here בִּזז is explicitly tied to the Lord’s faithfulness; the wealth of Egypt becomes compensation for centuries of oppression and a provision for tabernacle worship.
Conquest and Early Monarchy: Holy War and Covenant Boundaries
•Deuteronomy 2:35;Joshua 7:21 (implicit), and1 Samuel 14:36 show Israel instructed or permitted to plunder pagan enemies. The practice is never autonomous; it operates under divine sanction, reinforcing that victory and spoil belong to the Lord (1 Samuel 30:23).
• Achan’s sin (Joshua 7) indirectly warns that unauthorized “plunder” brings corporate judgment. The narrative distinguishes between legitimate spoils (Deuteronomy 20:14) and banned items devoted to destruction.
Monarchical History: From Triumph to Vulnerability
• David rescues the families of Ziklag and “plundered the Amalekites” (1 Samuel 30:16, 19–20). The recovered goods become a means of generosity toward Judah’s elders, illustrating stewardship over spoils.
• Conversely,2 Chronicles 14:14; 20:25 show Judah collecting vast spoil after miraculous victories, whereas2 Chronicles 25:13; 28:14 depict Judah herself being plundered when covenant infidelity invites foreign aggression. The verb therefore becomes a theological barometer: obedience yields gain; disobedience invites loss.
Prophetic Oracles: Judgment, Lament, and Future Reversal
• Prophets employ בִּזז to indict nations and Israel alike.
–Jeremiah 30:16: “All who devour you will be devoured… all who plunder you will be plundered.”
–Zephaniah 1:13 laments that Jerusalem’s “wealth will become plunder.”
–Zechariah 14:1–2 foretells a day “your spoil will be divided in your midst,” yet the same book promises ultimate deliverance (Zechariah 2:9).
These texts fuse moral accountability with eschatological hope: the Lord turns the tables on oppressors while purifying His people.
Canonical Patterns and Theological Themes
1. Divine Ownership of Wealth: Spoils change hands at God’s decree (Exodus 12:36;1 Samuel 30:23).
2. Covenant Ethics: Legitimate plunder occurs only within divinely set limits; violation (Achan) or greed (Isaiah 10:6, implicit) incurs wrath.
3. Retribution and Restoration: Nations that ravage Zion will themselves be ravaged (Jeremiah 50:10–11;Nahum 3:1).
4. Typological Anticipation: The earthly motif of plundering prefigures Christ’s victory over spiritual powers—“having disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them” (Colossians 2:15), demonstrating the ultimate transfer of dominion.
Ministry and Pastoral Application
• Stewardship: Like Israel using Egyptian gold for the tabernacle, believers are to consecrate material resources gained through God-given victories for His service.
• Justice and Compassion: David’s equitable distribution of spoil (1 Samuel 30:24) models generosity and unity within the body.
• Spiritual Warfare: The verb underlines the reality that battles—physical or spiritual—result in tangible outcomes; faithfulness secures blessing, compromise forfeits it.
• Hope amid Loss: When the church or individual saints experience “plundering” (Hebrews 10:34), prophetic assurances assure final reversal and restoration.
Representative Occurrences (non-exhaustive)
Genesis 34:27;Exodus 3:22; 12:36;Deuteronomy 2:35;Joshua 8:2;1 Samuel 14:36; 23:1; 30:16–22;2 Chronicles 14:14; 20:25;Jeremiah 30:16; 49:32;Zephaniah 1:13;Zechariah 14:1.
Across roughly forty-three passages, בִּזז underscores that the Lord governs every transfer of wealth and power, rewarding obedience, judging sin, and guaranteeing ultimate vindication for His people.
Forms and Transliterations
בַּזּ֥וֹנוּ בָּ֥זְזוּ בָּז֣וּז בָּזְז֖וּ בָּזְז֣וּ בָּזְז֥וּ בָּזַ֣זְנוּ בָּזָֽזוּ׃ בֹּ֣זְזֵיהֶ֔ם בֹּ֣זּוּ בֹּ֥זּוּ בֹּזְזִ֥ים בֹּזְזַ֖יִךְ בזו בזוז בזונו בזזו בזזו׃ בזזיהם בזזיך בזזים בזזנו הֲלָבֹ֥ז הלבז וְֽנָבֹ֥זָה וְהִבּ֣וֹז ׀ וְיָבֹ֖זּוּ וְלָבֹ֣ז וְנָבֹ֖זּוּ וַיָּבֹ֑זּוּ וַיָּבֹ֕זּוּ וַיָּבֹ֖זּוּ וַיָּבֹ֙זּוּ֙ וּבְזָזוּם֙ וּבָֽזְזוּ֙ וּבָזַ֣ז וּבֻזָּֽזוּ׃ ובזז ובזזו ובזזו׃ ובזזום והבוז ויבזו ולבז ונבזה ונבזו יְבָזּ֔וּם יָבֹ֣זּוּ יָבֹֽזּוּ׃ יבזו יבזו׃ יבזום לְבֹזְזִ֖ים לְבֹזְזֵֽינוּ׃ לָבֹ֣ז לָבֽוֹז׃ לבוז׃ לבז לבזזים לבזזינו׃ תִּבּ֑וֹז תָּבֹ֣ז תָּבֹ֣זּוּ תבוז תבז תבזו bā·zā·zū bā·zaz·nū bā·zə·zū bā·zūz baz·zō·w·nū baZaznu bāzaznū baZazu bāzāzū bazeZu bāzəzū baZuz bāzūz bazZonu bazzōwnū bō·zə·za·yiḵ bō·zə·zê·hem bō·zə·zîm bōz·zū bozeZayich bōzəzayiḵ bōzəzêhem bozezeiHem bozeZim bōzəzîm Bozzu bōzzū hă·lā·ḇōz hălāḇōz halaVoz lā·ḇō·wz lā·ḇōz lāḇōwz lāḇōz laVoz lə·ḇō·zə·zê·nū lə·ḇō·zə·zîm ləḇōzəzênū ləḇōzəzîm levozeZeinu levozeZim tā·ḇōz tā·ḇōz·zū tāḇōz tāḇōzzū taVoz taVozzu tib·bō·wz tibbōwz tibBoz ū·ḇā·zaz ū·ḇā·zə·zū ū·ḇə·zā·zūm ū·ḇuz·zā·zū ūḇāzaz ūḇāzəzū ūḇəzāzūm ūḇuzzāzū uvaZaz uvazeZu uvezaZum uvuzZazu vaiyaVozzu vehibBoz velaVoz venaVozah venaVozzu veyaVozzu way·yā·ḇōz·zū wayyāḇōzzū wə·hib·bō·wz wə·lā·ḇōz wə·nā·ḇō·zāh wə·nā·ḇōz·zū wə·yā·ḇōz·zū wəhibbōwz wəlāḇōz wənāḇōzāh wənāḇōzzū wəyāḇōzzū yā·ḇōz·zū yāḇōzzū yaVozzu yə·ḇāz·zūm yəḇāzzūm yevazZum
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