The Hebrew chezqah is an abstract noun meaning strength or force. It appears in Ezekiel 3:14 where the prophet is taken by the Spirit with a strong (chezqah) hand upon him. The word captures overpowering compulsion β the irresistible divine force that impels a prophet to speak. It also appears in historical narrative to describe the strength of military sieges.
The chezqah of the divine hand on the prophet is a recurring motif in Ezekiel (3:14; 8:1; 37:1; 40:1). The prophet does not go voluntarily or by his own initiative β the hand of God comes with force and relocates him, whether physically or in vision. This is the theology of prophetic compulsion: 'The Sovereign LORD has spoken β who can but prophesy?' (Amos 3:8). The prophet is not a volunteer speaker but a vessel under the chezqah of the divine hand.