Paul uses this agricultural metaphor exclusively in Romans 11 to describe the severance of unfaithful Israel from the olive tree of God's covenant people. The verb captures both the violence and finality of breaking off living branches—not a gentle pruning but a forceful removal. Some natural branches 'were broken off' to make room for wild olive shoots (11:17), creating space for Gentile inclusion. Paul warns against arrogance by noting that God broke off the natural branches due to unbelief (11:19-20), establishing the principle that connection depends on faith, not ethnic privilege.