What does אַכְזָרִי (akzari) mean in the Bible?
אַכְזָרִי (akzari): Describes cruelty marked by relentless severity and mercilessness, often of oppressive rulers or divine judgment
Hebrew · H394
אַכְזָרִי
Terrible
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אַכְזָרִיH394
Pronunciationakzari
What does אַכְזָרִי (akzari) mean in the Bible?
אַכְזָרִי (akzari): Describes cruelty marked by relentless severity and mercilessness, often of oppressive rulers or divine judgment
Full entry for אַכְזָרִי (H394) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H394?
The BSB source-word alignment has 8 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include cruel (3), a cruel (1), are only cruelty (1), but a cruel man (1), of someone cruel (1).
Where does אַכְזָרִי (akzari) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Proverbs 5:9. Its strongest book concentrations include Proverbs (4), Jeremiah (3), Isaiah (1).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itcruel3×Isaiah 13:9, Jeremiah 6:23, Jeremiah 50:42
a cruel1×Proverbs 17:11
are only cruelty1×Proverbs 12:10
but a cruel man1×Proverbs 11:17
of someone cruel1×Jeremiah 30:14
to one who is cruel1×Proverbs 5:9
Show sample aligned rows
Proverbs 5:9לְאַכְזָרִֽי׃toto one who is cruelPreposition-l | Adjective - masculine singularProverbs 11:17אַכְזָרִֽי׃tobut a cruel manAdjective - masculine singularProverbs 12:10אַכְזָרִֽי׃toare only crueltyAdjective - masculine singularProverbs 17:11אַ֝כְזָרִ֗יtoa cruelAdjective - masculine singularIsaiah 13:9אַכְזָרִ֥יtocruelAdjective - masculine singularJeremiah 6:23אַכְזָרִ֥יtocruelAdjective - masculine singularJeremiah 30:14אַכְזָרִ֔יtoof someone cruelAdjective - masculine singularJeremiah 50:42אַכְזָרִ֥יtocruelAdjective - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowProverbs 5:9
Aligned rows8
Books represented3
Proverbs4Isaiah1Jeremiah3
Source forms
אַכְזָרִ֥י3x’aḵ·zā·rîIsaiah 13:9, Jeremiah 6:23, Jeremiah 50:42
אַכְזָרִֽי׃2x’aḵ·zā·rîProverbs 11:17, Proverbs 12:10
אַ֝כְזָרִ֗י1x’aḵ·zā·rîProverbs 17:11
אַכְזָרִ֔י1x’aḵ·zā·rîJeremiah 30:14
לְאַכְזָרִֽי׃1xlə·’aḵ·zā·rîProverbs 5:9
Parsing patterns
Adjective - masculine singular7xProverbs 11:17, Proverbs 12:10, Proverbs 17:11, Isaiah 13:9
Preposition-l | Adjective - masculine singular1xProverbs 5:9
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Describes cruelty marked by relentless severity and mercilessness, often of oppressive rulers or divine judgment
Source Gloss
terrible
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Describes cruelty marked by relentless severity and mercilessness, often of oppressive rulers or divine judgment
terrible BDB: cruel Usage: cruel (one).
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
Harsh or severe in judgment.
harsh, cruel, or merciless
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 8 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
אַכְזָרִי is built from this root:
אַכְזָרH393
Why This Word Matters
Cruelty reflects a hardened heart that opposes God's character.Isaiah 13:9-16
The term emphasizes the unrelenting nature of divine wrath against persistent evil.Proverbs 11:17
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.