גָּזַל gâzal — to pluck off

pronounced gaw-zal' · Strong's H1497 · 30 occurrences in the Hebrew Bible · 2 stems: Qal (Pa'al), Niph'al

Translated in the KJV as catch, consume, exercise, pluck, rob, spoil, take away (by force, violence), tear.

a primitive root; to pluck off; specifically to flay, strip or rob.

gâzal in each stem

Qal (Pa'al) 29×

Simple · active — the plain action; the subject does it

Perfect (qatal) 10Imperfect (yiqtol) 5Participle (passive) 5Wayyiqtol 3Participle (active) 3Jussive 1Infinitive construct 1Sequential perfect (weqatal) 1

גָּזְל֖וּ Gen 21:25 Perfect (qatal), 3rd person common plural

And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away. (KJV)

תִּגְזֹ֥ל Gen 31:31 Imperfect (yiqtol), 2nd person masculine singular

And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me. (KJV)

גָּזָ֗ל Lev 5:23 Perfect (qatal), 3rd person masculine singular

Niph'al 1×

Simple · passive — the plain action; the subject has it done to them

Sequential perfect (weqatal) 1

וְֽנִגְזְלָ֥ה Prov 4:16 Sequential perfect (weqatal), 3rd person feminine singular

For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. (KJV)

What the stems mean

A Hebrew verb is its root letters set into a pattern. The pattern — the binyan — is the grammar's way of saying three things at once: whether the action is simple, intensive or causative, and whether its subject is active, passive or reflexive. That is why one Hebrew word can need six English ones. All seven binyanim, explained ›

Open in Hebrew Explorer with Verb Anatomy on →

In the app, tap any Hebrew verb while reading: its root, stem and form are named, the letters of the word itself are coloured to show which is which, and the stem's meaning is put in plain English. gâzal in the lexicon ›

Morphology from OpenScriptures MorphHB (CC BY 4.0); definitions from Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (public domain); text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex.

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