ab.bir denotes mighty persons or powerful animals, while a few uses remain indistinct in the paraphrase.

The occurrences chiefly designate powerful persons in scenes of strength, downfall, or moral distance; they also describe powerful animals, especially horses and bovine animals. A small remainder occurs in clauses where the APB paraphrase does not make the term’s specific contribution clear.

1. Mighty persons · dominant

   Plural forms occur of people characterized by strength or prominence: in Isaiah 46:12 the APB renders an address to those “mighty of heart,” while Jeremiah 46:15 depicts the mighty ones as prostrated because the LORD thrust them down. Job 24:22 and Lamentations 1:15 likewise place the plural form among powerful people whom another force removes or rejects.

   Isaiah 46:12Jeremiah 46:15Job 24:22Lamentations 1:15Isaiah 10:13Job 34:20
2. Powerful animals · common

   The term occurs in animal settings: Isaiah 34:7 places plural forms beside wild oxen and bullocks, and Psalm 50:13 places them in the question about eating flesh and drinking goats’ blood. In Jeremiah 47:3, Jeremiah 8:16, and Judges 5:22, plural construct forms are associated with hoofbeats, snorting, neighing, or steeds.

   Isaiah 34:7Jeremiah 47:3Jeremiah 8:16Judges 5:22Psalm 50:13Jeremiah 50:11
3. Mighty ones in unclear constructions · occasional

   Psalm 78:25 uses a plural absolute form in the clause the APB renders “Man ate the bread of the mighty ones,” without identifying the referent. In 1 Samuel 21:8, a masculine singular construct form is present, but the APB’s request for a spear or sword does not isolate its contribution.

   Psalm 78:251 Samuel 21:8

In the Anselm Paraphrase: The APB variously presents the relevant clauses with “mighty,” “mighty ones,” “strong ones,” and animal language such as “mighty steeds.” Because it is a whole-verse paraphrase rather than a word-aligned translation, some occurrences—notably 1 Samuel 21:8 and Psalm 78:25—do not clearly isolate the term’s English rendering.