H5310a H5310a
Shatter, dash to pieces, break violently; in Piel, to smash enemies or objects; passively, to be broken or scattered
A forceful verb of violent destruction, depicting the act of smashing something so thoroughly that it splinters apart. The Piel intensive form dominates, with God himself as the frequent subject — dashing nations like pottery (Ps 2:9, Jer 51:20-23) or, in the harrowing Psalm 137:9, infants against the rock. Spanish 'destrozar/despedazar' and German 'zerschmettern' capture the ferocity well. Rarer uses extend to dispersal and scattering (Dan 12:7), where the shattering becomes metaphorical: not breaking a vessel but breaking apart a people.
Senses
1. Piel: shatter to pieces — The Piel intensive: to violently smash or dash something to pieces, used overwhelmingly of God or a divine agent destroying enemies, nations, or idols. The iron-rod shattering of Psalm 2:9 and the war-club imagery of Jeremiah 51:20-23 are paradigmatic — Spanish 'destrozar' and German 'zerschmettern' both convey the total, violent nature of the destruction. Psalm 137:9 extends this to the most disturbing image in the Psalter, dashing infants against stone. 13×
AR["تُحَطِّمُهُمْ", "وَ-أُحَطِّمُهُمْ", "وَأُحَطِّمُ", "وَيُحَطِّمُ", "يُحَطِّمُونَهَا"]·ben["আর-আমি-ভাঙব", "এবং-আছাড়ে-মারবে", "এবং-চূর্ণ-করব", "ও-ছিন্ন-করব-তাদের", "তারা-ভেঙে-ফেলবে", "তুমি-তাদের-চূর্ণ-করবে"]·DE["du-soll-shatter-ihnen", "und-dashes", "und-zerschmettern", "zerschmettern"]·EN["and-I-will-shatter", "and-I-will-shatter-them", "and-dashes", "they-shall-smash", "you-shall-shatter-them"]·FR["briser", "et-briser"]·heb["ו-ניפץ", "ו-ניפצתי", "ו-ניפצתים", "ינפצו", "תנפצם"]·HI["और-पटकूंगा-उन्हें", "और-पटकेगा", "और-मैं-तोड़ूँगा", "तू-उन्हें-चकनाचूर-करेगा", "तोड़-डालेंगे"]·ID["Engkau-akan-memecahkan-mereka", "dan-Aku-akan-menghancurkan", "dan-Aku-akan-menghancurkan-mereka", "dan-menghantamkan", "mereka-akan-pecahkan"]·IT["e-frantumare", "e-spezzo'", "frantumare", "spezzo'"]·jav["Lan-Ingsun-badhé-ngremuk", "Panjenengan-pecah", "lan-kalawan-kowé-Ingsun-remuk", "lan-ngremuk", "sami-mecah"]·KO["그리고-내가-부딪리라", "그리고-내가-부수리라-너로", "그리고-메어치는-자", "부수겠다-그들이", "토기장이-의"]·PT["E-despedaçarei", "E-despedaçá-los-ei", "despedaçarão", "e-despedaçar", "e-despedaçarei", "os-despedaçarás"]·RU["И-сокрушу", "и-разобью-их", "и-разобьёт", "и-сокрушу", "разобьют", "разобьёшь-их"]·ES["Y-los-destrozaré", "los-despedazarás", "romperán", "y-estrelle", "y-quebrantaré"]·SW["Na-nitamponda", "Na-nitawaponda", "na-kuwaponda", "na-nitamponda", "na-nitaponda", "na-nitawaponda", "na-nitawavunja", "utawaponda", "wataivunja"]·TR["kıracaklar", "paramparça-edeceksin-onları", "ve-parçalayacağım", "ve-çarpacak-olan"]·urd["اور-میں-ٹکڑے-کروں-گا", "اور-ٹکڑے-ٹکڑے-کر-دوں-گا-اُنہیں", "اور-پٹخے", "تُو-چکنا-چور-کر-دے-گا-اُنہیں", "وہ-ٹکڑے-ٹکڑے-کریں-گے"]
2. Passive: be shattered, broken — The passive: to be shattered, broken, already in a state of destruction. Jeremiah 22:28 asks whether Coniah is a 'despised, broken vessel' (נָפוּץ), and Isaiah 27:9 describes altar stones 'smashed to pieces' (מְנֻפָּצוֹת). Spanish 'quebrado' and 'desmenuzadas' capture the resultant state rather than the act of breaking. 2×
AR["الْمُحَطَّمُ", "مُحَطَّمَةٍ"]·ben["চূর্ণ-করা", "ভগ্ন"]·DE["zerschmettern"]·EN["broken", "not"]·FR["briser"]·heb["מנופצות", "נפוץ"]·HI["चूर-चूर", "टूटी-हुई"]·ID["yang-dihancurkan", "yang-dipecahkan"]·IT["frantumare"]·jav["ingkang-diremuk", "kabuwang"]·KO["깨어진", "부수어진"]·PT["esmagadas", "quebrado"]·RU["разбитые", "разбитый"]·ES["desmenuzadas", "quebrado"]·SW["iliyovunjwa", "yaliyovunjwa"]·TR["parcalanmis", "parçalanmış"]·urd["ٹوٹا-ہوا", "پھوڑے-ہوئے"]
3. Piel: scatter, disperse — To scatter or disperse, extending the shattering metaphor from physical objects to people or groups. In Daniel 12:7, the 'shattering of the holy people's power' (נַפֵּץ יַד) is not literal breakage but the dispersal and disempowerment of a nation. Spanish 'dispersar' distinguishes this scattering sense from the concrete smashing of sense 1. 2×
AR["تَفْرِيقِ", "وَ-أُفَرِّقُهَا"]·ben["ও-আমি", "ছিন্ন-করা"]·DE["und-ich-soll-brich-ihnen-hinauf", "zerschmettern"]·EN["and-I-shall-break-them-up", "shattering-of"]·FR["briser", "et-je-devra-brise-eux-en-haut"]·heb["ו-ניפצתי-ם", "נפץ"]·HI["और-खोलूंगा-उन्हें", "तोड़ने-का"]·ID["dan-aku-akan-memecahkannya", "menghancurkan"]·IT["e-io-dovrà-rompi-loro-su", "frantumare"]·jav["lan-kula-badhè-nguculaken", "nyebar"]·KO["그리고-내가-풀어놓으리라-그것들을", "흩뜨림의"]·PT["despedaçar", "e-desfazer-ei-as"]·RU["и-разобью-их", "сокрушение"]·ES["dispersar", "y-los-desataré"]·SW["kuvunja", "na-wewe"]·TR["dağıtmanın", "ve-dağıtacağım-onları"]·urd["اور-توڑوںگا", "بکھیرنا"]
4. Qal: shatter, break — The basic Qal stem: to shatter or break without the intensive force of the Piel. In Judges 7:19, Gideon's three hundred shatter their jars (וַיִּנְפְּצוּ הַכַּדִּים) as a military signal — a single decisive act of breaking rather than sustained violent destruction. The infinitive absolute construction emphasizes the sudden, coordinated nature of the action. 1×
AR["وَ-كَسَرُوا"]·ben["এবং-ভাঙা"]·DE["und-shattered"]·EN["and-shattered"]·FR["et-shattered"]·heb["ו-נפוץ"]·HI["और-तोड़े"]·ID["dan-memecahkan"]·IT["e-shattered"]·jav["lan-nyuwil"]·KO["그리고-깨뜨렸다"]·PT["e-quebraram"]·RU["и-разбили"]·ES["y-romper"]·SW["na-wakavunja"]·TR["de-testileri"]·urd["اور-توڑے"]
Related Senses
G0846 1. third-person pronoun reference (5552×)H???? 1. (4670×)H6213a 1. do, perform, act (2383×)G4160 1. do, act, perform (473×)H5221 1. Hifil: to strike in battle, smite enemies (362×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H6213a 2. make, construct, fabricate (148×)H3772 1. cut a covenant / make a pact (97×)H5060 1. touch physically (Qal) (96×)H3615 1. complete a task (Piel) (85×)H3772 2. cut off / destroy (Hifil causative) (81×)H3920 1. capture, seize (Qal) (76×)H???? 12. (76×)H3772 3. be cut off / be eliminated (Niphal) (74×)H6213a 3. be done, be made (Niphal) (73×)G4160 2. make, construct, create (62×)H3847 1. Qal: put on, wear (60×)H8210 1. pour out (liquid/libation) (59×)G2440 1. garment or clothing (general) (54×)H4191 4. kill / put to death (Hifil causative) (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. [נָפַץ] vb. shatter (NH id., dash, beat; Assyrian napâṣu, shatter, destroy DlHWB 475; 𝔗 נְפַע Pa. shatter, but also נְפַץ Pa., id., Syriac ܢܦܰܨ shake, break, so Mand., NöM 240, and ZMG xxxii (1878), 406);— Qal Inf. abs. וְנָפוֹץ c. acc. Ju 7:19 and a shattering (= and shattered) the jars; Pt. pass. עֶצֶב נִבְזֶה נָפוּץ Je 22:28 (fig.) a vessel to be despised (and) shattered (cf. Ew Gie…