קָרַע63 H7167
To tear or rend, especially garments in grief or anger; also to be torn (Nifal) or to cut open, split apart.
Qara is the verb of visceral, dramatic tearing — and in the Hebrew Bible, tearing one's garments is never merely a wardrobe malfunction. It is the embodied language of grief, horror, and outrage. When Jacob hears of Joseph's death, he 'tears his garments' (Gen 37:29); when the high priest hears what he considers blasphemy, he does the same (Matt 26:65 cites this practice). The act was so culturally central that Joel 2:13 could command 'tear your hearts and not your garments' — a metaphor that only works because the physical act was universal and understood. Across languages the word maps consistently: Spanish rasgar, French déchirer, German zerreissen, Arabic mazzaqa — all dedicated tearing verbs rather than generic 'breaking' words, confirming that qara occupies a specific semantic niche of fabric-ripping, emotionally charged destruction.
Senses
1. tear, rend (garments) — The primary active sense: to tear or rend, overwhelmingly of garments as an expression of grief, mourning, anger, or religious horror — 47 of 63 occurrences. This is the great biblical gesture of lament: Jacob tears his garment at the news of Joseph (Gen 37:29, 34), Joshua and Caleb tear theirs at Israel's rebellion (Num 14:6), David tears his at Saul's death (2 Sam 1:11), and Josiah tears his at hearing the forgotten Torah (2 Kgs 22:11). The idiom qara begadav ('he tore his garments') is nearly formulaic. Spanish rasgar, French déchirer, and German zerreissen all select dedicated fabric-tearing vocabulary. The verb also extends to tearing kingdoms (1 Kgs 11:11-12) and curtains (Eccl 3:7), where the metaphorical force derives from the garment-rending prototype. 47×
AR["شَقَّ","فَ-مَزَّقَ","فَأَمْزِقُهَا","فَشَقَّ","فَشَقَّتْ","فَمَزَّقَ","مَزَّقَ","وَ-شَقَّ","وَ-مَزَّقَ","وَأَمْزِقُ","وَمَزَّقَ"]·ben["আর-আমি-ছিঁড়ে-ফেলব","আর-ছিঁড়ল","আর-ছিঁড়লেন","এবং-চিরল","এবং-চিরলেন","এবং-ছিঁড়ল","এবং-ছিঁড়লেন","এবং-ছিঁড়ে-ফেলল","এবং-ছিঁড়েছেন","ও-চিরলেন","ও-তিনি-ছিঁড়লেন","ও-সে-চিরল","ছিঁড়েছেন"]·DE["[ויקרע]","[וקרעתי]","[ותקרע]","riss","und-er-riss","und-riss","und-sie-riss","und-zerriss"]·EN["and-I-shall-tear","and-he-tore","and-she-tore","and-tore","tore"]·FR["[ויקרע]","[ותקרע]","déchira","et-déchira","et-déchirer","et-elle-déchira","et-il-déchira","et-ויקרע"]·heb["ו-יקרע","ו-קרע","ו-קרעתי","ו-תקרע","קרע"]·HI["और-उसने-फाड़े","और-फअद","और-फाड़-दिया","और-फाड़ा","और-फाड़े","और-मैं-फाड़ूँगा","फअद-है","वय्यिक्रअ"]·ID["Dan-Aku-akan-merobek","Dan-merobeklah","Telah-merobek","dan-Aku-akan-merobek","dan-dia-mengoyakkan","dan-ia-merobek","dan-mengoyak","dan-mengoyakkan","dan-mengoyanglah","dan-merobek","dan-merobekah","dia-mengoyakkan","ia-mengoyak","ia-mengoyakkan"]·IT["[ויקרע]","[וקרעתי]","[ותקרע]","e-egli-strappò","e-ella-strappò","e-stracciare","e-strappò","strappò"]·jav["Lan-Kawula-nyuwil","Lan-Yakub-nyuwek","lan-Kawula-nyuwil","lan-nyuwek","lan-nyuwèk","lan-nyuwék","lan-piyambakipun-nyuwek","lan-piyambakipun-nyuwèk","sampun-nyuwek"]·KO["그가-찢었다","그리고-그가-찢었다","그리고-내가-찢으리라","그리고-찢었다","그리고-찢으셨다","찢었다"]·PT["E-rasgou","e-rasgarei","e-rasgou","rasgou","¶ E-rasgou"]·RU["И-разорвал","и-оторвал","и-разодрал","и-разорвал","и-разорвала","и-разорву","оторвал","разорвал"]·ES["Ha-rasgado","Y-rasgó","Y-romperé","y-rasgó","y-romperé"]·SW["Na-nitachana","akararua","alirarua","amerarua","na-akararua","na-nitazichana","wayiּkra"]·TR["Ve-yırttı","uçuranlar","ve-yirtti","ve-yırtacağım","ve-yırttı","yirtti","yırttı"]·urd["اور-پھاڑا","اور-پھاڑوں-گا","اور-پھاڑے","اور-چاک-کیے","تو-پھاڑے","تو-چیرا","پھاڑ-لیا-ہے"]
Gen 37:29, Gen 37:34, Gen 44:13, Lev 13:56, Num 14:6, Josh 7:6, Judg 11:35, 1 Sam 15:28, 1 Sam 28:17, 2 Sam 1:11, 2 Sam 3:31, 2 Sam 13:19 (+35 more)
2. torn (stative condition) — Qal passive participle describing the stative condition of being torn — 7 occurrences used attributively or predicatively of garments already in a torn state. The man from the battle who brings news to Eli arrives 'with his clothes torn' (1 Sam 4:12); Hushai comes to David 'with his coat torn' (2 Sam 15:32); the servants of Hezekiah come to Isaiah 'with their clothes torn' (2 Kgs 18:37). German zerrissen and Spanish rasgados both use past participle forms that mirror the Hebrew stative morphology. This is not the dramatic act of tearing but its visible aftermath — the torn garment as a persistent sign of distress. 7×
AR["مَمزوقٌ-","مُمَزَّقو","مُمَزَّقَةٌ","مُمَزَّقِي","وَ-مُمَزَّقُو"]·ben["এবং-ছেঁড়া-","ছেঁড়া"]·DE["[וקרעי]","[קרועי]","zerrissen","zerrissen-von"]·EN["and-torn-of","torn","torn-of","with-torn"]·FR["déchirer","déchiré","déchiré-de","et-déchirer"]·heb["ו-קרועי","קרוע","קרועי","קרועים"]·HI["और-फटे-हुए","फटा-हुआ","फटे-हुए","फाड़े-हुए"]·ID["dan-dikoyak","dengan-pakaian-koyak","dengan-pakaian-yang-dikoyakkan","terkoyak"]·IT["e-stracciare","stracciare","strappato","strappato-di"]·jav["lan-sampun-disuwek","nyuwèk","suwek","suwek-","suwèk"]·KO["그리고-찢어진-","찢겨진-자들로","찢긴","찢어지고","찢어진","찢어진-자들로서"]·PT["e-rasgados-de","rasgada","rasgadas","rasgados-de"]·RU["и-разорванными","разорвана","разорванная","разорванные","разорванные-","с-разорванными"]·ES["rasgada","rasgados","rasgados-de","y-rasgados"]·SW["amepasuka","na-wakiwa-wamerarua","wakiwa-wamerarua","wamerarua","yaliyoraruka","zilizoraruliwa"]·TR["ve-yırtık-","yirtilmis-","yırtık","yırtılmış-"]·urd["اور-پھٹے-ہوئے","پھاڑے-ہوئے","پھٹا-ہوا","پھٹے-ہوئے"]
3. be torn (Nifal passive) — Nifal (passive/reflexive) stem: to be torn or become torn — 5 occurrences where the subject is acted upon rather than acting. The priestly robe 'shall not be torn' (Exod 28:32; 39:23); the altar at Bethel 'was torn apart' (1 Kgs 13:3, 5); Saul grasps Samuel's robe 'and it tore' (1 Sam 15:27). Spanish se rasgará/fue rasgado and German es riss use reflexive and passive constructions that match the Hebrew Nifal precisely. The theological weight falls on the tearing of Samuel's robe, which becomes a prophetic sign that the kingdom has been torn from Saul. 5×
AR["انْشَقَّ","تَنشَقُّ","مُنْشَقٌّ","وَ-انْشَقَّ","يَنْشَقُّ"]·ben["এবং-ছিঁড়ে-গেল","ছিঁড়বে","ফেটে-গেছে","ফেটে-গেল"]·DE["es-soll-sein-zerrissen","sein-zerrissen","und-es-riss","war-zerrissen","zerrissen"]·EN["and-it-tore","be-torn","it-shall-be-torn","torn","was-torn"]·FR["cela---être-déchiré","déchiré","et-cela-déchira","fut-déchiré","être-déchiré"]·heb["ו-נקרע","ייקרע","נקרע"]·HI["और-वोह-फत","फटी","फटे","फटेगी"]·ID["akan-sobek","boleh-robek","dan-ia-terkoyak","terbelah"]·IT["e-esso-strappò","era-strappato","essere-strappato","esso-shall-essere-strappato","strappato"]·jav["badhé-pecah","lan-suwek","pecah","piyambakipun-badhé-suwek.","suwek"]·KO["그리고-찢어졌다","찢어졌다","찢어지다","찢어지리라"]·PT["e-rasgou","foi-rasgado","se-rasgará","será-rasgado"]·RU["будет-разрываться","и-оторвалась","разорвался","разорвётся"]·ES["fue-rasgado","se-rasgará","se-rasgue","será-rasgado","y-se-rasgó"]·SW["ilipauka","itapasuka","liraruke","litararuka","na-ukararuka"]·TR["ve-yırtıldı","yarılacak","yarıldı","yırtılacak","yırtılsın"]·urd["اور-پھٹ-گیا","پھٹا","پھٹے","پھٹے-گا"]
4. cut open, split apart — A distinct sense of cutting open or splitting apart a physical object — 3 occurrences where the action is not garment-rending in grief but purposeful cutting or opening. Jehoiakim cuts open windows in his palace (Jer 22:14); he cuts the prophetic scroll with a scribe's knife and burns it (Jer 36:23); Jeroboam tears the kingdom apart from the house of David (2 Kgs 17:21). Spanish rasgar still serves, but the accompanying context words — 'windows,' 'knife,' 'kingdom' — shift the frame from mourning gesture to deliberate division. French déchirer and German zerreissen apply equally, confirming that the physical action is the same but the social context and intention differ markedly from sense 1. 3×
AR["شَقَّ","وَ-يَشُقُّ","يَقْطَعُهَا"]·ben["ও-সে-কাটে-দেয়","ছিঁড়ে-নিয়েছিল","তিনি-ছিঁড়তেন-তা"]·DE["[וקרע]","[יקרעה]","er-riss"]·EN["and-he-cuts","he-cut-it","he-tore"]·FR["déchirer","et-déchirer","il-déchira"]·heb["ו-קרע","יקרעה","קרע"]·HI["और-काटता-है","फाड़ा","वह-काटता-था-उसे"]·ID["dan-melubangi","dirobek","ia-menyobek"]·IT["e-stracciare","egli-strappò","stracciare"]·jav["lan-mbikak","nyuwek","piyambakipun-nyuwak-piyambakipun"]·KO["그가-찢었다-그것을","그리고-그가-뚫으리라","찢으셨다"]·PT["e-abre","rasgava-a","rasgou"]·RU["и-вырубит","оторвал","отрезал-его"]·ES["lo-rasgaba","rasgó","y-abre"]·SW["aliigawanya","alikata","na-kufungua"]·TR["koparıldı","ve-açan","yırtıyordu-onu"]·urd["اور-بنائے","پھاڑا","کاٹتا-تھا-اُسے"]
5. sense 5 — A single occurrence at Jeremiah 4:30 where the verb is used in an unusual figurative sense. The prophet addresses personified Jerusalem: 'though you enlarge your eyes with paint' — but the Hebrew literally reads 'though you tear [open] your eyes,' using qara for the cosmetic act of widening the eyes. Spanish agrandes ('you enlarge') and English 'you enlarge' both interpret the tearing metaphor as widening or opening. This stands apart from all other senses: it is neither grief-rending nor physical splitting but a vivid bodily metaphor for cosmetic self-presentation, possibly with overtones of the garish and desperate. 1×
AR["تُوَسِّعِينَ"]·ben["বড়-করবে"]·DE["[תקרעי]"]·EN["you-enlarge"]·FR["déchirer"]·heb["תקרעי"]·HI["फाड़ेगी-तू"]·ID["kamu-merias"]·IT["stracciare"]·jav["panjenengan-ngèlapi"]·KO["찢고-너는"]·PT["alargas"]·RU["расширяешь"]·ES["agrandes"]·SW["unapaka"]·TR["boyarsan"]·urd["بڑی-کرے-گی"]
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×)H4421 1. war, battle, armed conflict (319×)H0341 1. enemy, adversary, foe (284×)H0899b 1. garment, article of clothing (216×)H3898a 1. Nifal: to fight, wage war (167×)H6213a 2. make, construct, fabricate (148×)H2026 1. kill, slay (active) (146×)H2451 1. wisdom, discernment (146×)H5483b 1. horse (the animal) (138×)H0006 1. to perish, be destroyed (105×)H3772 1. cut a covenant / make a pact (97×)H5060 1. touch physically (Qal) (96×)H3615 1. complete a task (Piel) (85×)H7843 1. Hifil: destroy, annihilate (83×)H3772 2. cut off / destroy (Hifil causative) (81×)H3920 1. capture, seize (Qal) (76×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
קָרַע63 vb. tear (NH id.; Arabic قَرَعَ strike head, bell, etc., beat drum, box ear, gnash teeth (Frey Dozy); also impugn, censure);— Qal Pf. 3 ms. ק׳ 1 S 15:28 +, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. וַיִּקְרַע Gn 37:29 +; 1 s. sf. אֶקְרָעֶנָּה 1 K 11:12, etc.; Imv. mpl. קִרְעוּ 2 S 3:31 Jo 2:13; Inf. abs. קָרֹעַ 1 K 11:11; cstr. לִקְרוֹעַ Ec 3:7, sf. קָרְעִי Ezr 9:5; Pt. act. קֹרֵעַ 1 K 11:31; pass. קָרוּעַ 2 S…