קְרַץ H7170
piece, fragment; used in phrase meaning 'slander' (lit. eat pieces/flesh of)
This Aramaic noun means 'piece' or 'fragment' but appears only in the idiomatic phrase 'eat his pieces/flesh,' meaning to slander or accuse maliciously. In Daniel 3:8 and 6:24, the phrase describes hostile accusation against the Jews at the royal court. The expression parallels similar idioms in Akkadian and Arabic where 'eating someone's flesh' means slandering them. This vivid metaphor portrays malicious speech as consuming another's reputation, tearing them apart piece by piece before authorities.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The glosses reveal the idiomatic nature: Spanish 'calumniosamente' (slanderously), French 'calomnie' (slander), rather than literal 'pieces.' Both Daniel passages show the same courtier dynamics—jealous officials bringing accusations against faithful Jews (the companions in chapter 3, Daniel in chapter 6). The 'eating pieces' image effectively captures how slander devours and destroys reputations through malicious reporting to those in power. 2×
AR["عَلَى"]·ben["অপবাদ-তাদের", "নিন্দা"]·DE["[קרצוהי]", "[קרציהון]"]·EN["[dir.obj]-him", "them"]·FR["calomnie"]·heb["קרצוהי", "קרצם"]·HI["उनके-विरुद्ध", "चुगली"]·ID["-Daniel", "dengan-jahat"]·IT["[קרצוהי]", "[קרציהון]"]·jav["awonipun", "pitnah"]·KO["유다사람들을-그들의", "참소-를"]·PT["acusações-deles", "maliciosamente"]·RU["клеветнически", "обвинениями-его"]·ES["a-los-judíos", "calumniosamente"]·SW["mashtaka-yake", "mashtaka-yao"]·TR["aleyhlerine-onların", "iftira-attı-"]·urd["ان-کی-چغلی", "چغلی"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
[קְרַץ] n. [m.] piece (𝔗; v. BH קרץ);—pl. sf. קַרְצ֫וֹהִי Dn 6:25, -צֵיהוֹן 3:8, both in phr. אֲכַ֫לוּ ק׳, i.e. accuse maliciously (so 𝔗 Syriac PS 3756 (cf. Old Aramaic אמר כרצי פ׳ Lzb 299 SAC 66 Cooke 205 f.; כרץ also Mand.), prob. borrowed from Assyrian karṣe akâlu, malign, slander (often; also TelAm.); cf. also uḳtarrizu Ḫamm Law 161; further Arabic أَكَلَ لَحْمَهُ id., and kindred phr.; Ethiopic በሊዐ: ሥጋ: Di 489).