Lexical Summary
qatsats: To cut off, to cut down, to cut asunder
Original Word:קָצַץ
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:qatsats
Pronunciation:kah-tsats'
Phonetic Spelling:(kaw-tsats')
KJV: cut (asunder, in pieces, in sunder, off), X utmost
NASB:cut off, cut, clip, cut in pieces, cut in two, cuts the in two, pieces
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to chop off (literally or figuratively)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cut asunder, in pieces, in sunder, off, utmost
A primitive root; to chop off (literally or figuratively) -- cut (asunder, in pieces, in sunder, off), X utmost.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitioncut off
NASB Translationclip (1), cut (4), cut in pieces (1), cut in two (1), cut off (6), cuts the in two (1), pieces (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (Late Hebrew
id., also
end; Assyrian
‡aƒâƒu,
hew off, cut off,
‡iƒƒatu,
boundary stone, Belser
BAS ii. 120, 139, compare Hilpr
Assyriaca i. 12; Arabic
cut, clip, cut off; Aramaic ,
cut off, ,
end);-
Perfect2masculine singular consecutiveDeuteronomy 25:12 (accusative );Participle pass plural constructJeremiah 9:25;Jeremiah 25:23;Jeremiah 49:32 (see ).
Perfect3masculine singularPsalm 129:4, consecutiveExodus 39:3;Psalm 46:10,2 Kings 18:16;Imperfect2 Kings 16:17 +, etc.;-cut orhew off, thumbs, toes,Judges 1:6, hands and feet2 Samuel 4:12;cut in two, spear ()Psalm 46:10, threadsExodus 39:3 (P), cordsPsalm 129:4 (figurative);cut in pieces, vessels (of gold)2 Kings 24:13; 2Chronicles 28:24; bases ()2 Kings 16:17 (so Kit Benz, transposing ), doors2 Kings 18:16 (both, for the sake of metal sheathing).
Participle pluralJudges 1:7hewn off (asJudges 1:6 above).
Topical Lexicon
Semantic range and imageryThe verb קָצַץ always carries the concrete notion of severing—removing something by decisive cutting. Whether the object is gold, human limbs, weapons, or pagan hair-locks, the action is vivid and often final, conveying ideas of judgment, liberation, desecration, or skilled workmanship.
Penal amputation as retributive justice
•Deuteronomy 25:12 sets out a rare but stern civil penalty: “you must cut off her hand. Show her no pity.” The removal of the offending member upholds communal honor and restrains further wrongdoing.
•Judges 1:6–7 records the humiliation of Adoni-bezek—his thumbs and big toes are cut off, matching the cruelty he had inflicted on conquered kings. The narrative affirms “measure for measure” justice.
•2 Samuel 4:12 extends the same imagery when the assassins of Ish-bosheth suffer severed hands and feet, emphasizing David’s zeal to purge bloodguilt from the kingdom. These scenes underscore a principle that sin bears tangible consequences and that legitimate authority must vindicate righteousness.
Craftsmanship and priestly garments
Exodus 39:3 depicts holy skill, not violence: “They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut them into threads.” Here קָצַץ serves the beauty of worship, reminding readers that sanctified work may involve precise cutting for glory rather than for harm.
Temple desecration and political expediency
Kings and Chronicles employ the root to describe three successive acts of faithless compromise:
• Ahaz “cut off the frames of the stands” (2 Kings 16:17) and later “gathered the utensils of the house of God, cut them into pieces” (2 Chronicles 28:24).
• Hezekiah, under duress, “stripped the gold” (2 Kings 18:16).
• Nebuchadnezzar “cut in pieces all the gold articles that Solomon...had made” (2 Kings 24:13).
Each step illustrates how political fear and idolatry literally and spiritually dismantle what was dedicated to the LORD. The verb exposes the cost of covenant infidelity—when leaders “cut up” God’s house, they cut off their own security.
Divine intervention in warfare
Psalm 46:9 celebrates the heavenly warrior: “He breaks the bow and shatters the spear.” קָצַץ here proclaims that God Himself severs the instruments of human violence, bringing an enforced peace that no coalition can resist.
Liberation from oppression
Psalm 129:4 personalizes the theme: “The LORD is righteous; He has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.” What men employ to bind, God severs to redeem. The verb thus becomes a gospel picture of deliverance from the snares of sin and hostility.
Idolatrous hair customs
Jeremiah indicts desert tribes and apostate Israel for “cut[ting] the corners of their hair” (Jeremiah 9:26; 25:23; 49:32)—a ritual self-mutilation linked to pagan identity. Divine judgment will “scatter to the winds all those who cut the corners of their hair,” proving that any external mark of idolatry invites the severing judgment of the true God.
Prophetic and eschatological overtones
Every instance of קָצַץ points forward to a day when God will decisively separate (Matthew 25:32) the righteous from the wicked. The cutting of temple gold foreshadows a greater temple not made with hands; the cutting of weapons anticipates the ultimate disarmament under Messiah’s reign; the cutting off of sin-bearing hands prefigures Christ’s own hands pierced for transgressors.
Practical ministry reflections
1. Discernment: Ministries must be willing to “cut off” practices that compromise holiness, just as Scripture records God’s people removing defilement.
2. Mercy and Justice: The severity found in Deuteronomy and Judges warns against trivializing sin, whilePsalm 129 calls believers to trust God for liberation rather than taking vengeance.
3. Worship Integrity:Exodus 39 encourages excellence in service; careless “cutting” of resources for expedience, as in Ahaz’s day, still endangers the witness of the church.
4. Hope: When oppression binds, the same Lord who “cuts cords” still acts. Pastors can hold outPsalm 129:4 as assurance that no bondage is beyond His severing power.
Forms and Transliterations
וְקִצֵּ֣ץ וְקַצֹּתָ֖ה וַֽיְקַצְּצ֔וּ וַֽיְקַצְּצ֤וּ וַיְקַצֵּ֞ץ וַיְקַצֵּץ֙ וַיְקַצֵּץ֩ ויקצץ ויקצצו וקצץ וקצתה מְקֻצָּצִ֗ים מקצצים קְצוּצֵ֣י קְצוּצֵ֥י קִ֝צֵּ֗ץ קִצַּ֨ץ קצוצי קצץ ketzuTzei kitzTzatz kitzTzetz mə·quṣ·ṣā·ṣîm mekutztzaTzim məquṣṣāṣîm qə·ṣū·ṣê qəṣūṣê qiṣ·ṣaṣ qiṣ·ṣêṣ qiṣṣaṣ qiṣṣêṣ vaykatzTzetz vaykatztzeTzu vekatztzoTah vekitzTzetz way·qaṣ·ṣə·ṣū way·qaṣ·ṣêṣ wayqaṣṣêṣ wayqaṣṣəṣū wə·qaṣ·ṣō·ṯāh wə·qiṣ·ṣêṣ wəqaṣṣōṯāh wəqiṣṣêṣ
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
