An Army of One

“I love You, O Lord, my strength.” Psalm 18:1 (English version) NASB 

Strength – The Hebrew word, hezqa, means “strength.” There is no argument about this nor is it unusual. But David often does something with words that make them different, and in this verse, he uses the root hezeq, the only place in Scripture where the noun appears in the masculine form. That makes sense, of course, because David is speaking about YHVH. But in the four other occurrences it is in the feminine form. Hebrew speakers would have noticed. We don’t.

David’s alteration is deliberate. But it raises an interesting question. Why is the usual form of this noun feminine? Could it be that “strength” in the Hebraic worldview is first an attribute of a woman, and secondarily that of a man? Could it be that the worldview that begins with the ‘ezer kenegdo and her unique covenantal relationship to YHVH[1] is the primary understanding of what it means to be strong? Could it be that compassion and mercy, the first two attributes declared by YHVH Himself in the encounter with Moses,[2] are the real characteristics of strength? Is it possible that all of our masculine emphasis on power is aimed in the wrong direction?

David’s alteration in the usual gender of the word arrests our reading. Once again we are forced to consider something unusual. First he uses the wrong verb for “love.” Now he prods us to reconsider our ideas about strength. Of course, YHVH is treated as masculine so the gender change fits the sentence. But the Hebrew reader would notice this difference and raise the question. What is real power?

I have often claimed that the theme of the ‘ezer kenegdo is found throughout Scripture. YHVH’s deliberate action demonstrated in the formation of the woman as the last of His creative efforts, with intentional connections to covenant, guidance, protection and intuitive spirituality, are fundamental to understanding the necessity of shared experience in the relationship between a husband and wife. Since Genesis 2 provides the very bottom line for transparency in human relationships, power in the human arena must be defined in terms of this story, not the story of Genesis 1. Genesis 1 is the story of a different kind of power, the power of hezeq, the masculine power of YHVH, a power that does not find expression in Genesis 2. We make a serious mistake to assume that the masculine power of Genesis 1 can be used by human beings. Our vision of power must come from the story of the ‘ezer kenegdo. Perhaps David is subtly reminding us that we aren’t God or even gods. We are creatures whose power depends entirely on cooperation, not decree.

Does David’s novelty help you adjust your assumptions?

Topical Index: power, strength, hezeq, hezqa, Psalm 18:1, Genesis 2:18-23, Exodus 34:6

[1] Cf. Genesis 2:18-23

[2] Exodus 34:6