A verb meaning to tear away or snatch by force. Unlike simple theft (ganab, H1589), gazal implies violent seizure β ripping something from someone's grasp. It is used of oppressive rulers, unjust judges, and predatory individuals who exploit the vulnerable.
The prophets wielded this word like a weapon against Israel's corrupt leadership. Ezekiel 22:29 charges the people of the land with practicing gazal β robbery and oppression of the poor. Micah 2:2 condemns those who covet fields and seize (gazal) them. The theological weight: God considers violent economic exploitation as serious as idolatry. When leaders rob the poor, they rob God Himself. This concept anticipates Jesus's cleansing of the Temple β overturning the tables of those who had turned worship into exploitation.