H1631 H1631
Axe; a tool for chopping wood, used in felling trees and in construction work.
A straightforward term for an axe or chopping tool, appearing in contexts of woodcutting, siege warfare, and temple construction. In Deuteronomy 19:5 the axe-head flies off its handle during tree-felling, illustrating accidental harm. Isaiah 10:15 employs it in a memorable rhetorical question—can the axe boast against the one who swings it?—challenging Assyria's arrogance before God. The multilingual glosses uniformly render it as 'axe' (Spanish hacha, French and German axe), confirming a single concrete sense with no semantic drift.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A chopping tool, specifically an axe used for felling trees and hewing timber. All four occurrences point to a standard woodcutting implement: an axe-head that slips off (Deut 19:5), a siege tool forbidden against fruit trees (Deut 20:19), the conspicuous absence of axe-noise during temple construction (1 Kgs 6:7), and the personified axe of Assyria (Isa 10:15). Translations across languages consistently give 'axe' without variation. 4×
AR["الْفَأْسُ", "بِالْفَأْسِ", "فَأْسًا", "وَ-فُؤُوسٌ"]·ben["-কুড়াল", "এবং-কুঠার", "কুঠার", "কুঠারে"]·DE["[הגרזן]", "axe", "mit-der-axe", "und-der-axe"]·EN["and-the-axe", "axe", "the-axe", "with-the-axe"]·FR["[הגרזן]", "avec-le-axe", "axe", "et-le-axe"]·heb["ב-גרזן", "גרזן", "ה-גרזן", "ו-ה-גרזן"]·HI["और-कुल्हाड़ी", "कुल्हाड़ी", "में-कुल्हाड़ी"]·ID["-kapak", "dan-kapak", "dengan-kapak", "kapak"]·IT["[הגרזן]", "axe", "con-il-axe", "e-il-axe"]·jav["kanthi-wadung", "lan-wadung", "wadung"]·KO["그리고-도끼와", "도끼가", "도끼를", "에-도끼"]·PT["com-o-machado", "e-o-machado", "machado", "o-machado"]·RU["и-топоры", "с-топором", "топор", "топором"]·ES["con-el-hacha", "el-hacha", "hacha", "y-el-hacha"]·SW["kwa-shoka", "na-shoka", "shoka"]·TR["balta", "baltayla", "ve-balta"]·urd["اور-کلہاڑی", "کلہاڑی", "کلہاڑی-سے"]
Related Senses
H2719 1. sword, weapon of war (410×)H4196 1. altar (place of sacrifice) (403×)H7393 1. chariot, chariotry (117×)H7198 1. bow (weapon) (72×)H7979 1. table (71×)H7782 1. ram's horn trumpet (69×)H4294 2. staff, rod, scepter (63×)H4043 1. shield, defensive weapon (60×)H0646 1. ephod (priestly garment) (49×)H8504 1. blue (violet-blue yarn/fabric) (49×)H2595 1. spear, lance (48×)H2671 1. arrow, projectile weapon (46×)H4818 1. chariot, war-chariot (44×)H3658 1. lyre, harp (stringed instrument) (42×)H1537 1. Gilgal (place name) (41×)H0713 1. purple (fabric/dye) (38×)H0905 3. poles, staves (37×)H7392 1. Qal participle: rider, charioteer (37×)H4501 1. cultic lampstand (menorah) (36×)H0212 1. wheel (35×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† גַּרְזֶן n.m. Is 10:15 axe (pick, pick-axe, 3 times in SI; on format. cf. Sta294 a Ges§ 85, xi. 54)—Dt 19:5; 20:19 Is 10:15 1 K 6:7 (Co conj. also Ez 31:11).