H6991 H6991
to slay, kill; poetic/late term for taking life, used of human violence and divine judgment
This verb means to slay or kill, appearing in poetic and late biblical texts. Job 13:15 expresses defiant faith: 'Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.' Job 24:14 describes the murderer who rises to kill the poor. Psalm 139:19 petitions God: 'If only you would slay the wicked!' The term is more elevated or literary than the common 'harag,' used in poetry and wisdom literature. The root is shared across Semitic languages (Arabic qatala, Aramaic qetal), indicating ancient common vocabulary for killing.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Three Joban and Psalmic uses present killing in different lights: Job's trust despite mortal threat (13:15), the wicked murderer's predatory violence (24:14), and the psalmist's plea for divine retribution (139:19). The Spanish captures tense distinctions ('me matará', 'mata', 'matarás'), tracking Job's expectation, the murderer's habitual action, and the psalmist's wish. The cross-linguistic agreement on 'kill/slay' confirms the straightforward, if poetic, meaning. This is the vocabulary of death-dealing, whether feared, condemned, or invoked. 3×
AR["تَقْتُلُ", "يَقْتُلُ-", "يَقْتُلُنِي"]·ben["তিনি-আমাকে-হত্যা-করেন", "সে-হত্যা-করে-", "হত্যা-কর"]·DE["[יקטל]", "[יקטלני]", "du-würde-töten"]·EN["he-kills", "he-slays-me", "you-would-kill"]·FR["tuer", "יקטל", "יקטלני-moi"]·heb["יקטול", "יקטלני", "תקטול"]·HI["तू-मारे", "वह-मारता-है", "वह-मुझे-मारेगा"]·ID["Engkau-membunuh", "Ia-membunuhku", "membunuh"]·IT["[תקטל]", "egli-kills", "he-slays-me-mio"]·jav["Panjenengan-mejahi", "mejahi-kawula", "piyambakipun-mejahi-"]·KO["그가-나를-죽이신다", "죽이나니-", "죽이시면"]·PT["mata", "matasses", "me-matará"]·RU["убивает-", "убьёт-меня", "убьёшь"]·ES["mata-", "mataras", "me-matará"]·SW["akiniua", "anaua", "ungemwua"]·TR["öldürsen", "öldürür-", "öldürürse-beni"]·urd["تو-مارے", "مار-ڈالے-گا-مجھے", "مارتا ہے-"]
Related Senses
H4421 1. war, battle, armed conflict (319×)H0341 1. enemy, adversary, foe (284×)H3898a 1. Nifal: to fight, wage war (167×)H2026 1. kill, slay (active) (146×)H2451 1. wisdom, discernment (146×)H5483b 1. horse (the animal) (138×)H0006 1. to perish, be destroyed (105×)H7843 1. Hifil: destroy, annihilate (83×)H2491a 1. slain, fatally pierced (74×)H6862c 1. adversary, enemy, foe (69×)H8045 1. destroy, exterminate (69×)G0615 1. kill, put to death (60×)H6571b 1. horseman, cavalryman (52×)H8077a 1. desolation, waste (abstract state) (52×)G4678 1. of wisdom (51×)G4717 1. crucify, fasten to a cross (46×)H2763a 1. utterly destroy (Hifil active) (44×)G0622 1. perish, be destroyed (intransitive) (41×)H0006 2. to destroy, annihilate (Piel) (38×)H8074 1. be desolate, lie waste (36×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [קָטַל] vb. slay (poet. and late) (Arabic قَتَلَ Ethiopic ቀተለ Sab. קתל HomChrest. 126, all slay (orig. form with ת; changed later, after ק); Aramaic קְטַל, ܩܛܰܠ; Old Aramaic קטל, כטל, קתל);— Qal Impf. c. acc. pers., 3 ms. יִקְטָל־ Jb 24:14; sf., subj. God, יִקְטְלֵנִי 13:15; of God also 2 ms. תִּקְטֹל ψ 139:19.