H4277 H4277
Shatter, crush completely; Jael's decisive blow that destroyed Sisera's head
This violent verb appears in Judges 5:26, describing Jael's killing of Sisera in Deborah's victory song: 'she shattered his head.' The term suggests complete crushing or annihilation, going beyond simple striking to convey utter destruction. The Song of Deborah uses multiple violent verbs to describe Jael's deed, with this one emphasizing the thoroughness of Sisera's head's destruction. The word appears nowhere else in Scripture, adding to its stark, final quality. The rare verb matches the decisive brutality of the moment.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Complete annihilation or crushing, used only in Deborah's song to describe Jael's fatal blow to Sisera. The verb goes beyond striking or hitting to convey total destruction of the head. Its uniqueness in Scripture matches the song's celebratory violence—this was no ordinary death but a crushing victory. The term's rarity and intensity capture the decisive, brutal moment when Israel's enemy was utterly destroyed by a woman's hand. 1×
AR["سَحَقَتْ"]·ben["চূর্ণ-করল"]·DE["sie-shattered"]·EN["she-shattered"]·FR["elle-shattered"]·heb["מחקה"]·HI["कुचला-उसने"]·ID["menghancurkan"]·IT["ella-shattered"]·jav["ngremuk"]·KO["치구었다"]·PT["esmagou"]·RU["разбила"]·ES["aplastó"]·SW["alivunja"]·TR["parçaladı"]·urd["پھوڑ-ڈالا"]
Related Senses
H7965 1. peace, absence of conflict (198×)H3467 1. save, deliver, rescue (Hifil active) (156×)H5127 1. flee, run away (Qal) (144×)G1515 1. peace, well-being, harmony (93×)H8002 1. peace offering(s) (87×)G4982 1. save spiritually, grant salvation (79×)H3444 1. salvation, deliverance (67×)H4422 1. Nifal: escape, flee (63×)H1272 1. flee, run away (Qal) (58×)H6869b 1. distress, trouble (57×)G4991 1. of salvation (46×)G2347 1. tribulation, affliction, distress (45×)H0983 1. security, safety, confidence (42×)H6031b 1. Piel: afflict, oppress (42×)H6040 1. affliction, misery, suffering (36×)H3468 1. salvation, deliverance (33×)G5343 1. flee, run away (28×)H3467 2. savior, deliverer (Hifil participle substantive) (28×)H8668 1. salvation, deliverance (27×)H8252 1. be quiet, be at rest (26×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [מָחַק] vb. utterly destroy, annihilate (cf. GFM) (NH id., wipe or rub off, erase; Aramaic מְחַק id.; Arabic مَحَقَ utterly destroy, annihilate);—only 3 fs.: מָֽחֲקָה רֹאשׁוֹ Ju 5:26 (‖ הָלַם, מָחַץ, חָלַף).