שָׁחַט84 H7819a
To slaughter, kill (an animal); primarily ritual sacrifice; in Nifal, to be slaughtered; also of violent killing of persons.
Shachat is the Hebrew Bible's technical term for the act of slaughtering an animal, overwhelmingly in the context of Levitical sacrifice. The verb appears with almost formulaic regularity in the ritual instructions of Leviticus and Numbers — 'and he shall slaughter it on the north side of the altar' (Lev 1:11) — where it denotes the specific moment of killing the animal, distinct from the subsequent acts of sprinkling blood, flaying, and burning. Arabic sahata ('to slay') may be a borrowing from Hebrew, and Akkadian shahatu ('to flay') points to an original meaning closer to 'beating' or 'stripping,' which evolved into the specialized slaughter sense. Outside the cult, the verb appears in darker contexts: the slaughter of prisoners (Jer 39:6; 2 Kgs 25:7) and the horrifying metaphor of child sacrifice (Ezek 16:21; 23:39).
Senses
1. slaughter an animal (Qal active) — Qal active: to slaughter an animal, typically in a ritual or sacrificial context — the dominant sense at 72 occurrences, concentrated in Leviticus, Numbers, and Exodus. This covers the Passover lamb (Exod 12:21), burnt offerings (Lev 1:5, 11), peace offerings (Lev 3:2, 8), sin offerings (Lev 4:24, 29), and the slaughter of animals for food after military victory (1 Sam 14:32). Spanish degollar ('to slit the throat'), German schlachten, and Korean 잡다 consistently render the sacrificial act. The verb specifies the killing stroke itself — the moment the knife meets the throat — within a larger ritual sequence of presenting, laying on hands, slaughtering, sprinkling, and burning. 72×
AR["فَـ-ذَبَحُوا","وَ-ذَبَحُوا","وَ-يَذْبَحُ","وَ-يَذْبَحُهَا","وَ-يُذْبَحُ"]·ben["আর-জবাই-করল","এবং-বধ-করবে","এবং-বধ-করুক","এবং-সে-বধ-করুক","এবং-হত্যা-করবে","ও-জবাই-করল"]·DE["und-er-soll-slaughter","und-lass-slaughter","und-schlachten","und-schlachteten","und-slaughter","und-soll-slaughter"]·EN["and-he-shall-slaughter","and-let-slaughter","and-shall-slaughter","and-slaughter","and-slaughtered","and-they-slaughtered"]·FR["et-devra-slaughter","et-il-devra-slaughter","et-laisse-slaughter","et-slaughter","et-slaughtered","et-égorger"]·heb["ו-שחט"]·HI["और-उनहोने-वधह-किये","और-जबह-किया","और-मारा जाएगा","और-मारेगा","और-वध-करे","और-वह-वध-करे"]·ID["Dan-ia-akan-menyembelih","Dan-menyembelih","dan-hendaklah-menyembelih","dan-menyembelih","dan-mereka-menyembelih"]·IT["e-dovra-scannare","e-egli-dovra-scannare","e-lascia-scannare","e-scannare","e-sgozzare","e-slaughtered"]·jav["Lan-nyembelih","Lan-nyembelèh","lan-nyembelih","lan-nyembelèh","lan-piyambakipun-sami-nyembelih"]·KO["그리고-그-가-잡으라","그리고-그-가-잡을지니라","그리고-잡았다","그리고-잡으리라","그리고-잡을-것이다"]·PT["E-abateram","E-degolará","e-abateram","e-degolará"]·RU["и-заколет","и-зарезали"]·ES["Y-degollaron","Y-degollará","y-degollaron","y-degollará"]·SW["Na-atachinja","Na-atamchinja","Na-wakachinja","na-achinje","na-atachinja","na-atamchinja","na-wakachinja"]·TR["Ve-kestiler","ve-boğazlayacak","ve-kesecek","ve-kesilecek","ve-kestiler"]·urd["اور-ذبح-کرے","اور-ذبح-کرےگا","اور-ذبح-کیا"]
Gen 37:31, Exod 12:21, Exod 29:11, Exod 29:16, Exod 29:20, Lev 1:5, Lev 1:11, Lev 3:8, Lev 3:13, Lev 4:4, Lev 4:15, Lev 4:24 (+38 more)
2. be slaughtered (Nifal passive) — Nifal passive: to be slaughtered — 3 occurrences where the animal is the grammatical subject receiving the action. In Lev 6:25 the sin offering 'is to be slaughtered' (tishshachet) in the same place as the burnt offering, and Num 11:22 raises the rhetorical question whether all the flocks could 'be slaughtered' to feed Israel. Spanish se degollara and Korean 잡히다 both use passive constructions, confirming the stem distinction. This form establishes procedural rules about where and how the slaughter must occur. 3×
AR["تُذْبَحُ","يُذْبَحُ"]·ben["জবাই-হবে","বধ-করা-হবে","বধ-করা-হয়"]·DE["ist-slaughtered","soll-sein-slaughtered"]·EN["is-slaughtered","shall-be-slaughtered"]·FR["devra-être-slaughtered","est-slaughtered"]·heb["שחט","תישחט"]·HI["जबाह-किया-जाए","वध-की-जाए"]·ID["akan-disembelih","disembelih"]·IT["dovra-essere-scanno","e-scanno"]·jav["dipunsembelèh","piyambakipun-dipun-sembelih"]·KO["잡으라","잡을-것인가"]·PT["será-abatida","será-abatido"]·RU["закалывается","зарежут"]·ES["se-degolla","se-degollará","se-degollarán"]·SW["inachinjwa","itachinjwa","watachinjwa"]·TR["kesilecek"]·urd["ذبح-کئے-جائیں","ذبح-کی-جائے","ذبح-کی-جاتی-ہے"]
3. sense 3 — Qal passive participle: the slaughtered one, the animal that has been slain — 2 occurrences at Lev 14:6 and 14:51 in the purification ritual for skin disease, where the living bird is dipped in the blood of 'the bird that was slaughtered' (ha-shechutah). Spanish el degollado and German das Geschlachtete both substantivize the passive participle. The form refers back to a completed slaughter, treating the slain animal as a characterized entity whose blood serves a ritual purpose. 2×
AR["الْمَذْبُوحِ"]·ben["সেই-বধকৃত"]·DE["der-slaughtered"]·EN["the-slaughtered"]·FR["le-slaughtered"]·heb["ה-שחט"]·HI["मारे गए"]·ID["yang-disembelih"]·IT["il-scanno"]·jav["ingkang-dipunsembelèh"]·KO["잡은"]·PT["a-degolada"]·RU["заколотой"]·ES["el-degollado"]·SW["aliyechinjwa"]·TR["kesilen"]·urd["ذبح-کیے-ہوئے"]
4. one who slaughters (active participle) — Qal active participle: one who slaughters, the slaughterer — 2 occurrences in Isaiah's prophetic denunciations. In Isa 66:3 'the one slaughtering an ox is like one striking a man,' where the participial form identifies the agent who performs the act. In Isa 57:5 the accusation targets those 'slaughtering children in the valleys' — a horrifying reference to child sacrifice. Spanish el que sacrifica and Korean 잡는 자 both select agentive constructions, marking the performer of the act rather than the act itself. 2×
AR["ذَابِحُ","ذَابِحِي"]·ben["-যারা-জবাই-করে","যে-বধ-করে"]·DE["schlachten"]·EN["one-slaughtering","slaughtering"]·FR["égorger"]·heb["שוחט","שוחטי"]·HI["बलि-देनेवाले","मारने-वाला"]·ID["Yang-menyembelih","yang-menyembelih"]·IT["scannare"]·jav["Ingkang-nyembeleh","ingkang-nyembeleh"]·KO["죽이는-자가","죽이는-자들이니"]·PT["Que-mata","os-que-matam"]·RU["заколающие","заколающий"]·ES["El-que-sacrifica","los-que-deguellan"]·SW["anayemchinja","wanaowachinja"]·TR["bogazlayanlarin-","kesen"]·urd["ذبح-کرنے-والا","ذبح-کرنے-والے"]
5. sense 5 — Extended metaphorical use: a tongue or speech that 'slaughters' — 1 occurrence at Jer 9:8 (9:7 in some versioning), where the tongue is described as a 'slaughtering arrow' or a deadly instrument. The multilingual evidence is sparse (Spanish matadora, 'killer'), but the metaphorical transfer from physical butchery to verbal destruction is striking. This moves shachat from the ritual domain into the prophetic vocabulary of deception and violence, connecting the physical brutality of the slaughterhouse to the destructive power of deceitful speech. 1×
AR["مَسْنُونٌ"]·DE["schlachten"]·EN["[Q]"]·FR["égorger"]·heb["שוחט"]·HI["तेज़"]·ID["[yang-membunuh]"]·IT["scannare"]·jav["ingkang-mateni"]·KO["[죽이는]"]·PT["[Q]"]·RU["[убийственная]"]·ES["[matadora]"]·TR["[keskin]"]·urd["[ذبح-کرنے-والا]"]
Related Senses
H3548 1. priest, cultic officiant (750×)G5547 1. Christ, Messiah, Anointed One (540×)H4421 1. war, battle, armed conflict (319×)H5030 1. Prophet, divine spokesperson (317×)H5930a 1. burnt offering (sacrifice) (286×)H0341 1. enemy, adversary, foe (284×)H3881 1. Levites (priestly class) (283×)H3898a 1. Nifal: to fight, wage war (167×)G4396 1. prophet, spokesperson of God (146×)H2026 1. kill, slay (active) (146×)H2451 1. wisdom, discernment (146×)H5483b 1. horse (the animal) (138×)H6944 1. sanctuary, holy place (129×)G0749 1. high priest, chief priest (123×)H6944 2. holiness, sacredness (abstract quality) (123×)H2076 1. Qal: offer sacrifice (cultic) (116×)H0006 1. to perish, be destroyed (105×)G5330 1. Pharisee (99×)G0040 1. the Holy One, Holy Spirit (98×)H2931 1. ritually or morally unclean (88×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
שָׁחַט84 vb. slaughter, beat (orig. beat, flay? cf. Assyrian šaḫâṭu, flay, take off dress; Arabic سَحَطَ slay (but ح = ḫ; is this loan-word in Arabic?); NH = BH, especially in ritual);— Qal Pf. 3 ms. שׁ׳ Je 39:6 +, sf. וּשְׁחָטוֹ consec. Lv 3:2, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יִשְׁחַט Lv 4:24 +, 2 fs. וַתִּשְׁחֲטִי Ez 16:21, 3 mpl. sf. וַיִּשְׁחָט֫וּהוּ Ju 12:6; Imv. mpl. שַׁחֲטוּ Ex 12:21; 2 Ch 35:6; Inf.…