κόπτω G2875
To cut, strike; in the middle voice, to mourn by beating the breast in lamentation
The verb κόπτω has a long history in Greek going back to Homer, where it meant to strike or smite. In the New Testament it splits cleanly into two uses: a physical sense of cutting branches (Matt 21:8, Mark 11:8) and a mourning ritual where people beat their breasts in grief. The mourning sense — used in the middle voice — reflects a well-known ancient Near Eastern custom of self-striking as an outward expression of sorrow. Jesus invokes it in Matt 24:30 when all the tribes of the earth 'will mourn,' and Rev 1:7 echoes the same eschatological lamentation.
Senses
1. mourn, beat the breast, lament — To mourn, lament, or beat the breast in grief — the middle-voice mourning sense that dominates NT usage (6 of 8 occurrences). This reflects the ancient practice of striking oneself as an expression of sorrow, attested throughout the Mediterranean world. In Luke 8:52 the crowd was 'mourning' for Jairus's daughter, and in Luke 23:27 women followed Jesus 'mourning' on the way to Golgotha. The eschatological uses in Matt 24:30 and Rev 1:7 depict universal lamentation at the coming of the Son of Man. Spanish distinguishes this sense with 'se lamentaban' and 'se golpeaban' (they were striking themselves), while German uses 'beklagt' and 'trauern' — all grief vocabulary rather than cutting vocabulary. 6×
AR["تَلطِموا", "سَتَنوحُ", "سَيَنوحونَ", "كُنَّ-يَلْطِمْنَ", "لَطَموا"]·ben["কাঁদলে", "বিলাপ-করছিল", "বিলাপ-করবে", "বুক-চাপড়াচ্ছিল"]·DE["beklagt", "trauern"]·EN["mourning", "were-mourning", "will-mourn", "you-lamented"]·FR["se-frapper"]·heb["הִסְפַּדְתֶּם", "הָיוּ־סוֹפְדוֹת", "יִסְפְּדוּ", "סָפְדוּ"]·HI["पीटती-थीं", "पीटते-थे", "पेएतम-मअर", "विलाप-करेंगी", "विलाप-करेंगे"]·ID["akan-meratap", "kamu-berkabung", "meratap", "meratapi"]·IT["kopsontai", "lamentarsi"]·jav["badhé-gegetun", "badhé-sesambat", "nangis", "ngebrak", "panjenengan-sami-nangis."]·KO["가슴을-쳤다", "가슴을-치지", "가슴을-칠-것이다", "애공하고-있었다", "통곡할-것이다"]·PT["lamentar-se-ão", "lamentarão", "lamentavam", "pranteastes"]·RU["били-себя-в-грудь", "будут-рыдать", "восплачут", "восплачутся", "рыдали", "рыдали-вы"]·ES["os-lamentasteis", "se-golpeaban", "se-lamentaban", "se-lamentarán"]·SW["lia.", "wakalia", "wakimwombolezea", "wataomboleza", "yote"]·TR["dövmediniz", "dövünecek", "dövünecekler", "dövünüyorlardı"]·urd["روئے", "ماتم-کر-رہے-تھے", "ماتم-کریں-گے", "پیٹتی-تھیں", "پیٹیں-گے"]
2. cut (branches/vegetation) — To cut, chop, or hack — the active-voice physical sense of severing branches or foliage. Only two NT occurrences preserve this original meaning: Matt 21:8 and Mark 11:8, where crowds 'were cutting' branches from the trees to spread before Jesus during the triumphal entry. The multilingual evidence makes the distinction unmistakable: Spanish shifts from 'se lamentaban' (mourning) to 'cortaban' and 'habiendo cortado' (cutting), and English from 'mourning' to 'cutting/were cutting.' This physical sense is the etymological root of the word, from which the mourning metaphor of self-striking developed. 2×
AR["قَطَعوا", "قَطَعُوهَا"]·ben["কাটল", "কেটে"]·DE["beklagt", "trauern"]·EN["cutting", "were-cutting"]·FR["se-frapper"]·heb["כָּרְתוּ"]·HI["काटकर", "काटते-थे"]·ID["memotong"]·IT["lamentarsi"]·jav["nguèthik", "sami-nugel"]·KO["베어서", "잘랐다"]·PT["cortavam"]·RU["резали", "срезавши"]·ES["cortaban", "habiendo-cortado"]·SW["matawi", "wakikata"]·TR["keserek", "kesiyorlardı"]·urd["کاٹ-کر", "کاٹتے-تھے"]
Related Senses
H3548 1. priest, cultic officiant (750×)G5547 1. Christ, Messiah, Anointed One (540×)H5030 1. Prophet, divine spokesperson (317×)H5930a 1. burnt offering (sacrifice) (286×)H3881 1. Levites (priestly class) (283×)G4396 1. prophet, spokesperson of God (146×)H6944 1. sanctuary, holy place (129×)G0749 1. high priest, chief priest (123×)H6944 2. holiness, sacredness (abstract quality) (123×)G5330 1. Pharisee (99×)G4336 1. pray to God (86×)H6944 3. holy things, sacred offerings (plural) (86×)H3722a 1. make ritual atonement (Piel) (85×)H6912 1. bury (Qal active) (82×)H6419 1. pray (Hitpael) (80×)H6944 4. holiness (with possessive pronoun) (77×)H6942 1. sanctify, consecrate (Piel factitive) (76×)H2930a 1. Qal: be/become unclean (75×)H7819a 1. slaughter an animal (Qal active) (72×)H1486 1. lot (object cast for decisions) (71×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κόπτω, Refs 8th c.BC+: future κόψω Refs 6th c.BC+aorist ἔκοψα, Epic dialect κόψα Refs 8th c.BC+perfect κέκοφα (ἐκ-) Refs 5th c.BC+; Epic dialect participle κεκοπώς Refs 8th c.BC+:—middle, future κόψομαι LXX: aorist ἐκοψάμην Refs 5th c.BC+ —passive, future κεκόψομαι (ἀπο-) LXX+5th c.BC+: aorist ἐκόπην Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect κέκομμαι Refs 4th c.BC+:— cut, strike, __1 smite, ο᾽ ἀμφὶ κάρη κεκοπὼς…