Strength in Scripture always ultimately belongs to God — "The LORD is my strength and my song" (Exod 15:2). Human strength is real but derivative and finite; God's strength is eternal, inexhaustible, and sovereign. The great paradox of biblical strength is its reversal: God's power is perfected in human weakness (2 Cor 12:9); the strongest warriors in Scripture — from Moses to Gideon to David — are repeatedly shown insufficient in themselves and dependent on divine power. The great Shema calls Israel to love God with all their strength (Deut 6:5) — total energetic devotion. Paul's command to "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might" (Eph 6:10) frames Christian strength not as self-improvement but as drawing from an inexhaustible divine source.
STRENGTH — The quality of being strong; the power to act, to resist force, to bear weights, or to sustain labor; physical force; ability; constitutional power. In Scripture, the strength of God denotes his omnipotence; the strength of a man, his physical or moral power; strength of faith, confidence and trust; to go in the strength of God, to proceed with the divine assistance.
The modern world defines strength as self-sufficiency — emotional stoicism, physical dominance, financial independence. "Strong" means needing no one, asking for nothing, carrying everything alone. This directly contradicts the biblical model where strength is found in surrender — "when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor 12:10). The Christian man is not the self-made stoic but the one who knows his own limits and draws from God's unlimited reserves. The world's strongest man is an island; the Bible's strongest men are those who cried out "I cannot do this" and found God saying "I know — that's the point."
Proto-Germanic *strangitho → Old English strengþu → "strength" Hebrew: עֹז (oz, H5797) — strength, might, refuge; "The LORD is my strength (oz)" (Ps 28:7) חַיִל (chayil, H2428) — strength, valor, wealth; used of warriors, virtuous women (Prov 31:10) כֹּחַ (koach, H3581) — power, ability; "Not by might (koach) nor by power but by my Spirit" (Zech 4:6) Greek: δύναμις (dynamis, G1411) — inherent power, ability; root of "dynamite" ἰσχύς (ischus, G2479) — strength, vigor, bodily power κράτος (kratos, G2904) — dominion, mighty power; used in doxologies (Jude 25; Rev 1:6) ἐνδυναμόω (endunamoō, G1743) — to empower, strengthen; "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13)
• Isaiah 40:31 — "They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles."
• Philippians 4:13 — "I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
• 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 — "My power is made perfect in weakness…For when I am weak, then I am strong."
• Ephesians 6:10 — "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might."
• Psalm 46:1 — "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
H5797 — oz (עֹז): strength, might, stronghold; used of God as Israel's strength (Ps 28:7, 59:17) and of divine attributes praised in worship.
G1411 — dynamis (δύναμις): inherent power, miraculous ability; the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) and the power of the resurrection (Phil 3:10).
H2428 — chayil (חַיִל): strength, valor; used of Ruth as a woman of valor (Ruth 3:11) and of Israel's army — strength expressed in courageous action.
• "Biblical strength is not the absence of need — it is the presence of God in the midst of need."
• "Samson's physical strength and Samson's character were opposite: his greatest power and his greatest weakness lived in the same body."
• "The Great Commandment calls for strength — loving God with all your strength is not passive; it is the full energetic deployment of your life toward God."