H1438 H1438
To hew down, cut off, chop (Qal/Piel active); to be cut down, be cut off (Niphal passive)
The verb גָּדַע describes the violent severing or felling of something — whether trees, idol poles, horns, or metaphorically an arm or a nation's strength. In its active stems (Qal and Piel), it appears in the Deuteronomic commands to 'cut down' Asherah poles (Deut 7:5, 12:3) and in Zechariah's symbolic act of cutting his shepherd's staff in two (Zech 11:10, 14). The Niphal passive carries overtones of divine judgment: Babylon's mighty one is 'cut down' from heaven (Isa 14:12), and Moab's horn is 'cut off' (Jer 48:25). Spanish 'cortado/cortaré' and French 'couper/abattus' consistently reflect the imagery of forceful severing.
2. be cut down, be cut off — The Niphal passive sense: to be cut down, be hewn off, be destroyed — typically as an image of divine judgment upon the proud or powerful. Isaiah 9:10 declares that sycamores 'have been cut down' but will be replaced with cedars; Isaiah 14:12 asks how Babylon's king 'has been cut down' to the ground — one of the Bible's most dramatic fall-from-heaven images. Jeremiah 48:25 announces that Moab's horn 'is cut off,' and Jer 50:23 laments that the 'hammer of the whole earth' is 'cut down.' The passive forms in Spanish ('fue-cortada/fueron-cortados') and French ('seront-abattus') reinforce the sense of a power greater than the victim executing the judgment. Judges 21:6 uses it of a tribe 'cut off' from Israel, extending the image from physical destruction to communal severance. 8×
AR["قُطِعَ","قُطِعْتَ","وَ-تُقْطَعَ","وَ-تُقْطَعُ","وَتُقْطَعُ"]·ben["আর-কাটা-হয়","এবং-কাটা-হবে","ও-কেটে-যাবে","কাটা-হয়েছে","কেটে-গেছে","কেটে-ফেলা-হয়েছে","তুমি-কেটে-নামিয়েছ"]·DE["[גדעו]","[ונגדעה]","[ונגדעו]","[נגדע]","[נגדעה]","[נגדעת]","abgeschnitten"]·EN["and-it-will-be-cut-down","and-shall-be-cut-down","and-shall-be-cut-off","are-cut-down","cut-off","is-cut-off","it-is-cut-down","you-are-cut-down"]·FR["couper","et-couper","et-ils-seront-abattus","retranché"]·heb["גודעו","ו-נגדעה","ו-נגדעו","ו-נגדעוּ","נגדע","נגדעה","נגדעת"]·HI["और-काट-दिए-जाएँगे","और-काटी-जाएगी","और-काटे-जाएंगे","कट-गए","कट-गया","काटा-गया"]·ID["dan-akan-dipotong","dan-akan-patah","dan-ditebang","dipenggal","ditebang","engkau-ditebang","telah-dipatahkan","telah-ditebang"]·IT["e-tagliare","tagliare","tagliò"]·jav["dipun-tigas","dipunpugut","dipuntugel","lan-dipun-tugel","lan-dipuntigas","sampun-dipuntegor","sampun-katugel"]·KO["그리고-잘릴-것이다","그리고-찍히고","그리고-찍히리라","깨졌느냐","너가-찍혀졌도다","잘릸다","찍혔으나","쳨다"]·PT["Foi-cortado","e-sejam-cortados","e-será-cortada","e-serão-cortados","foi-cortado","foram-cortados","foste-cortado"]·RU["Отсечён","и-будут-отсечены","и-сломится","и-срублены-были","низвержен-ты","отсечено","разбит","срублены"]·ES["cortado","fue-cortada","fueron-cortados","fuiste-cortado","ha-sido-cortado","y-sean-cortados","y-será-cortada","y-serán-cortados"]·SW["Imekatwa","Limekatwa","imekatwa","na-kitakatwa","na-zikatwe","na-zitakatwa","umekatwa"]·TR["kesildi","kesildiler","kesildin","ve-kesilecek","ve-kesilmesinin"]·urd["اور-کاٹی-جائے-گی","اور-کاٹے-جائیں-گے","و-کٹے-جائیں","کاٹا-گیا","کاٹا-گیا-تُو","کاٹے-گئے"]
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
1. cut down, hew off — The Qal and Piel active sense: to cut down, hew off, or chop in pieces. The subject wields destructive force against trees, cultic objects, or metaphorical targets. Deuteronomy commands Israel to 'cut down' the Asherim of the nations (Deut 7:5, 12:3), and faithful kings like Asa and Hezekiah carry this out (2 Chr 14:3, 31:1, 34:4, 7). Zechariah 'cut in two' his staffs named Favor and Union (Zech 11:10, 14). The metaphorical extension appears in 1 Sam 2:31, where God threatens to 'hew off' the arm of Eli's house, and Lam 2:3, where God 'cut off' every horn of Israel. English 'cut-down/cut-off,' Spanish 'cortado/cortaré,' and French conjugations all point to deliberate, forceful action. 14×
AR["أقْطَعُ","أَقْطَعُ","تَقْطَعُونَ","تُقَطِّعُونَ","قَطَعَ","مَقْطُوعُونَ","وَ-أَقْطَعُ","وَ-قَطَعُوا","وَ-قَطَعْتُ","وَ-قَطَعْتُهَا","وَقَطَعَ"]·ben["আমি-কেটে-ফেলব","আর-কেটে-ফেললেন","এবং-আমি-ভাঙলাম","এবং-কাটব","ও-কেটে-ফেলল","কেটে-ফেললেন","কেটে-ফেলা-হচ্ছে","কেটে-ফেলেছেন","তিনি-কেটে-দিলেন","তোমরা-কেটে-ফেলবে"]·DE["[אגדע]","[גדועים]","[גדע]","[ואגדע]","[ויגדע]","[ויגדעו]","du-soll-schnitt-hinab","er-abgeschnitten-hinab","ich-wird-abgeschnitten-weg","und-ich-wird-schnitt-ab"]·EN["He-cut-down","He-cut-off","I-will-cut-in-two","I-will-cut-off","and-I-cut","and-I-will-cut-off","and-cut-down","and-they-cut-down","cut-down","he-cut-down","you-shall-cut-down"]·FR["[גדע]","[ויגדע]","[ויגדעו]","couper","et-j'ai-brisé","et-je-fera-coupa-au-loin","tu-devra-couper-en-bas"]·heb["אגדע","גדועים","גדע","גידע","ו-אגדע","ו-גדעתי","ו-יגדע","ו-יגדעו","תגדעון"]·HI["अगद्देअ","उसने-काटा","और-काटा","और-काटूँगा","और-मैंने-तोड़ा","काट-डाला","काट-डालूंगा","काटे-जाएंगे","काटोगे","काटोगे-तुम"]·ID["Aku-akan-potong","Ia-memotong","Ia-potong","akan-aku-potong","dan-Aku-akan-memotong","dan-Aku-mematahkan","dan-menebang","ditebang","kamu-tebang","tebanglah"]·IT["[גדע]","[ויגדע]","[ויגדעו]","e-io-vorrà-tagliò-via","e-spezzai","tagliare","taglio'","tu-dovra-tagliare-giu"]·jav["Ingsun-badhé-nyèmpal","Panjenengan-nugel","dipun-tugel","dipunsempal","dipuntegor","kawula-badhé-medhot","kedah-panjenengan-tugel","lan-Aku-badhe-nugel","lan-nebang","lan-nukaki","lan-nyuwèk-kula","panjenengan-negor"]·KO["그-가-잘랐네","그가-찍었다","그리고-끊을것이다","그리고-내가-부러뜨렸다","그리고-찍어냈다","그리고-쳐-냈다","꺾으셨도다","껍으리이다","끊으리라","찍으라","찍으리라-너희는","찍혀지고"]·PT["Cortou","E-cortei","cortados","cortarei","cortareis","cortou","despedaçou","e-cortaram","e-cortarei","e-cortei","e-cortou"]·RU["Отсёк","и-отсеку","и-сломал","и-сломал-я","и-срубил","и-срубили","разобью","рубите","сокрушу","срубил","срубите","срублены"]·ES["Ha-cortado","Y-corté","cortaré","cortaréis","cortó","talados","y-cortaron","y-cortaré","y-cortó","y-lo-corté"]·SW["Amekata","alikata","giּdaּ","giּdeּa","kateni","na-akakata","na-nikaivunja","na-nitaikata","nitakata","nitazikata","wanakatwa","waygadּwּ","yakataeni"]·TR["Kesti","kesecegim","keseceksiniz","kesilmis","kesti","kıracağım","parçaladı","ve-keseceğim","ve-kesti","ve-kestiler","ve-kırdım"]·urd["اور-توڑ-دیا","اور-میں-نے-توڑا","اور-کاٹ-دوں-گا","اور-کاٹ-ڈالے","اور-کاٹے","میں-کاٹ-دوں-گا","کاٹ-دوں-گا","کاٹ-دیا","کاٹ-ڈالا","کاٹ-ڈالو","کاٹ-ڈالے","کاٹے-جائیں-گے"]
Deut 7:5, Deut 12:3, 1 Sam 2:31, 2 Chr 14:3, 2 Chr 31:1, 2 Chr 34:4, 2 Chr 34:7, Ps 75:10, Ps 107:16, Isa 10:33, Isa 45:2, Lam 2:3 (+2 more)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† גָּדַע vb. hew, hew down or off (NH id. (rare), Aramaic גְּדַע Ithp.; Arabic جَدَعَ cut off hand or other member, mutilate)— Qal Pf. גָּדַע La 2:3; וְגָדַעְתִּ֫י 1 S 2:31; Impf. וָאֶגְדַּע Zc 11:10, 14; Pt. pass. גְּדוּעָה Is 15:2 (so many edd. but) Baer גְּרוּעָה; cf. infr., גְּדֻעִים Is 10:33;—hew, cut in two, a staff Zc 11:10, 14; metaph. hew off, an arm 1 S 2:31; horns La 2:3; hew down,…