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…