The Hebrew noun geburah denotes might, strength, and powerful deeds. It appears about 62 times in the Old Testament and is used for both human strength (heroic warriors, kings) and divine omnipotence — the saving power by which God delivers His people.
Geburah is one of the central words in the Hebrew vocabulary of divine power. The Psalms frequently celebrate God's geburah: 'Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor' (1 Chronicles 29:11). Psalm 66 calls worshipers to 'say to God, How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you' (v. 3). The great deeds of the Exodus — the plagues, the parting of the sea, the drowning of Pharaoh's army — are the definitive expressions of God's geburah. Israel was commanded to remember and retell these mighty acts to every generation. In later Jewish liturgy, the second blessing of the Amidah prayer is called Gevurot (powers) and praises God for raising the dead — the ultimate act of divine might. Isaiah 11:2 lists geburah as one of the seven-fold gifts of the Spirit to the Messiah: 'The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might.'