'Strong' in the Bible

The strong man will become tinder,And his work a spark.So both will burn togetherAnd there will be none to quench them.

Woe (judgment is coming) to those who rise early in the morning to pursue intoxicating drink,Who stay up late in the night till wine inflames them!

Now therefore, listen carefully, the Lord is about to bring on them the waters of the [Euphrates] River, strong and abundant—The king of Assyria and all his glory;And it will rise over all its channels and canals and go far beyond its banks.

For in this way the Lord spoke to me with His strong hand [upon me] and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people [behaving as they do], saying,

In that day the strong cities of Aram and Israel will be like deserted places in the forest,Or like branches which they abandoned before the children of Israel;And the land will be a desolation.

Which sends ambassadors by the sea,Even in vessels of papyrus on the surface of the waters.Go, swift messengers, to a nation [of people] tall and smooth (clean shaven),To a people feared far and wide,A powerful and oppressive nationWhose land the rivers divide.

At that time a gift of homage will be brought to the Lord of hostsFrom a people tall and smooth (clean shaven),From a people feared far and wide,A powerful and oppressive nation,Whose land the rivers divide—To the place [of worship] of the name of the Lord of hosts, to Mount Zion [in Jerusalem].

‘Listen carefully, the Lord is about to hurl you away violently, O man;And He is about to grasp you firmly

They do not drink wine with a song;Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.

Therefore a strong people will honor You;Cities of terrible and violent nations will fear You.

In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:“We have a strong city;He sets up salvation as walls and ramparts.

In that day the Lord will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpentWith His fierce and great and mighty sword [rescuing Israel from her enemy],Even Leviathan the twisted serpent;And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.

Listen carefully, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent [the Assyrian];Like a tempest of hail, a disastrous storm,Like a tempest of mighty overflowing waters,He has cast it down to the earth with His hand.

But even these reel with wine and stagger from strong drink:The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink;They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink;They reel while seeing visions,They stagger when pronouncing judgment.

Now do not carry on as scoffers,Or the bands which bind you will be made stronger;For I have heard from the Lord God of hosts [a decree]Of decisive destruction on all the earth.

Stop and take some time and wonder [at this prophecy],Blind yourselves and be blinded [at its fulfillment by your spiritual incompetence].They are drunk, but not from wine;They stagger, but not from strong drink.

Woe (judgment is coming) to those who go down to Egypt for help,Who rely on horsesAnd trust in chariots because they are many,And in horsemen because they are very strong,But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek and consult the Lord!

Say to those with an anxious and panic-stricken heart,“Be strong, fear not!Indeed, your God will come with vengeance [for the ungodly];The retribution of God will come,But He will save you.”

Lift up your eyes on highAnd see who has created these heavenly bodies,The One who brings out their host by number,He calls them all by name;Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,Not one is missing.

“Present your case [for idols made by men’s hands],” says the Lord.“Produce your evidence [of divinity],”Says the king of Jacob.

The ironsmith shapes iron and uses a chisel and works it over the coals. He forms the [idol’s] core with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He also becomes hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and grows tired.

He cuts cedars for himself, and takes a cypress or an oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a fir, and the rain nourishes it.

“Declare and present your defense of idols;Indeed, let them consult together.Who announced this [rise of Cyrus and his conquests] long before it happened?Who declared it long ago?Was it not I, the Lord?And there is no other God besides Me,A [consistently and uncompromisingly] just and righteous God and a Savior;There is none except Me.

“Come,” [they say,] “let us get wine, and let us fill ourselves with strong drink;And tomorrow will be like today, very great indeed.”

“And the Lord will continually guide you,And satisfy your soul in scorched and dry places,And give strength to your bones;And you will be like a watered garden,And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

“The smallest one will become a thousand (a clan),And the least one a mighty nation.I, the Lord, will quicken it in its [appointed] time.”

To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following:To give them a turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning],The oil of joy instead of mourning,The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God],The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.