Bible Encyclopedias
Cut; Cutting

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

(כּרת , kārath , גּדע , gādha‛ , כּחד , kāḥadh , נתח , nāthaḥ ; ἀποκόπτω , apokóptō , ἐκκόπτω , ekkóptō ): Many Hebrew words are translated "cut." Of these kārath , "to cut down, out, off," is the most frequent. As "cut off" it is used in the sense of laying or destroying (Genesis 9:11; Deuteronomy 12:29; 1 Kings 11:16; Psalm 101:8 , etc.), also for cutting off transgressors from the community of Yahweh, which meant probably separation, or exclusion, rather than death or destruction (Genesis 17:14; Exodus 12:15 , Exodus 12:19 ). Other words are dāmam , "to be silent," "cease" Jeremiah 25:37 the King James Version; Jeremiah 48:2 ); cāmath "to destroy" (Psalm 54:5 the King James Version; Psalm 94:23 , etc.); gādhadh , "to cut, one's self," is used of the cutting of one's flesh before heathen gods and in mourning for the dead, which was forbidden to the Israelites, (Deuteronomy 14:1; 1 Kings 18:28; Jeremiah 16:6; Jeremiah 41:5; Jeremiah 47:5 ); sereṭ , sāreṭeth , "incision," are also used of those "cuttings of the flesh" (Leviticus 19:28; compare Leviticus 21:5 ). See CUTTINGS IN THE FLESH . The cutting of the hair of head and beard in mourning for the dead is referred to in Isaiah 15:2; "Every, beard is cut off" (gādha‛ ), and Jeremiah 7:29 , gazaz , "Cut off thy hair (the Revised Version, margin "thy crown"), O J erusalem" (compare Isaiah 22:12; Jeremiah 16:6; Ezekiel 7:18; Amos 8:10 ). This early and widespread practice was also forbidden to the Israelites as being unworthy of them in their relation to Yahweh (Leviticus 19:27; Deuteronomy 14:1 ).

Ḥărōsheth , "carving," "engraving," is used for the cutting of stones (Exodus 31:5; Exodus 35:33 ).

In the New Testament we have apokoptō "to cut away" (Mark 9:43 , Mark 9:15; Galatians 5:12 the King James Version; see CONCISION ); diaprı́ō , "to saw through" (Acts 5:33 , "they were cut to the heart"); dichotoméō , "to cut in two" (Matthew 24:51 ); suntémnō , "to cut together" (Romans 9:28 ), "finishing it and cutting it short," i.e; "making it conclusive and brief."

Among the changes of the Revised Version (British and American) are "brought to silence" for "cut down" (Jeremiah 25:37 ), also for "cut off" (Jeremiah 49:26; Jeremiah 50:30 ); "sore wounded" for "cut in pieces" (Zechariah 12:3 ); for "cut off," "pass through" (Job 11:10 ), "gone" (Psalm 90:10 ); "rolled up" (Isaiah 38:12 ); "cut off" for "destroy" (Psalm 18:40; Psalm 69:4; Psalm 118:10 , Psalm 118:11 , Psalm 118:12 ); for "cut them in the head" (Amos 9:1 ), "break them in pieces on the head of"; for "in the cutting off of my days" (Isaiah 38:10; Hebrew demı̄ , "silence," "rest"), "noontide," margin "Or, tranquillity" (Gesenius, Delitzsch, etc., "in the quiet of my days"); instead of, "I would that they were even cut off which trouble you" (Galatians 5:12 ), the English Revised Version has "cut themselves off," margin "mutilate themselves," the American Standard Revised Version "go beyond circumcision," margin, Greek: "mutilate themselves."