כָּרַת
𐤊𐤓𐤕
kârath
H3772 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To cut, sever, or divide something, typically with a sharp instrument; frequently used in both literal and metaphorical contexts. It carries the sense of physically cutting as well as bringing something to an end; in legal or ritual expressions, it refers to the formal undertaking of a covenant, signifying the act of making or ratifying a solemn agreement, often through a ritual act of cutting (such as animals sacrificed and divided as part of covenant ceremonies).
Semantic Range
to cut, cut off, sever, fell (trees), exterminate, destroy, bring to an end, make (a covenant, treaty, alliance), to be excluded or banished, to free or set apart, conclude or formalize a relationship
Root / Etymology
Root כר״ת. The root meaning is 'to cut, sever.' The verb כָּרַת in its basic sense means 'to cut' or 'to cut off.' The extended sense, especially in legal or ritual contexts, arises from the practice of ratifying covenants through ceremonies involving the cutting of animals, with parties passing between the pieces, hence 'to make a covenant.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
כָּרַת appears frequently in narrative, legal, and prophetic texts. In literal usage, it describes cutting down trees (Deut 19:5; Isa 10:34), severing body parts (Exod 4:25), or destroying enemies (Josh 9:23; Hos 8:4). Its special idiomatic use in covenant-making (Gen 15:18; Jer 34:18) reflects ancient Near Eastern treaty rituals, where 'cutting a covenant' alluded to sacrificial ceremonies. The phrase 'to cut a covenant' became the standard biblical idiom for forming an alliance or treaty, unlike the English 'make a covenant,' obscuring the original imagery. Over time, כָּרַת broadened to mean 'bring to an end' or 'remove,' and in some contexts, 'exterminate' or 'destroy.' In post-exilic and later periods, the root retained legal and metaphorical senses but also developed meanings tied to severing relationships or consequences for covenant violation. English translations sometimes narrowly render the idiom, losing the physical act behind the metaphor. Related roots: גָדַע ('to hew' or 'cut down'), חָרָם ('ban, devote to destruction'), which sometimes overlap but with different emphases.
Translation Consistency
Most natural and frequent rendering across contexts (literal severing, cutting off, felling, destroying, and the idiom ‘cut a covenant’). ‘Cut’ appears far more often than alternatives and allows natural English extensions (be cut off, cut a covenant, cut down) while keeping consistent base wording for all forms.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to cut (off, down or asunder); by implication, to destroy or consume; specifically, to covenant (i.e. make an alliance or bargain, originally by cutting flesh and passing between the pieces); be chewed, be con-(feder-) ate, covenant, cut (down, off), destroy, fail, feller, be freed, hew (down), make a league (covenant), [idiom] lose, perish, [idiom] utterly, [idiom] want.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
כרת (k-r-t) — to cut, sever, divide, conclude (a covenant)
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H3735 | כָּרָא | she pierced herself in grief |
| H3747 | כְּרִית | Kerith, the Cut-Ravine |
| H3748 | כְּרִיתוּת | marital cutting-off |
| H3773 | כָּרֻתָה | hewn timbers |
| H3774 | כְּרֵתִי | the Kerethite guardsman |
Word Forms
92 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3772-68 |
וְ/הִכְרַתִּ֥י | vehikherati | HC/Vhq1cs |
and I will cut off | and I will cut off | and I will cut off | 30 |
H3772-89 |
יִכָּרֵ֧ת | yikaret | HVNi3ms |
be cut off | he will be cut off | he will be cut off | 23 |
H3772-65 |
וַ/יִּכְרֹ֥ת | vayikherot | HC/Vqw3ms |
and made | and he cut | and he cut | 21 |
H3772-82 |
וְ/נִכְרְתָ֛ה | venikheretah | HC/VNq3fs |
shall be cut off | and she shall be cut off | and she shall be cut off | 18 |
H3772-17 |
כָּרַ֧ת | karat | HVqp3ms |
made | he cut off | he cut | 17 |
H3772-34 |
לְ/הַכְרִית֙ | lehakherit | HR/Vhc |
to cut off | to cause to cut off | to cause to cut off | 12 |
H3772-19 |
כָּרַ֧תִּי | karati | HVqp1cs |
I have cut | I cut | I cut | 11 |
H3772-63 |
וַ/יִּכְרְת֥וּ | vayikheretu | HC/Vqw3mp |
and they cut off | and they cut off | and they cut off | 8 |
H3772-52 |
תִכְרֹ֥ת | tikherot | HVqi2ms |
you make | you will cut | you will cut | 7 |
H3772-41 |
נִכְרַ֖ת | nikherat | HVNp3ms |
cut off | was cut off | was cut off | 5 |
Occurrences in Scripture
290 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3772-89 |
Genesis 9:11 | יִכָּרֵ֧ת | yikaret | HVNi3ms |
be cut off | he will be cut off | it will be cut off |
H3772-17 |
Genesis 15:18 | כָּרַ֧ת | karat | HVqp3ms |
made | he cut off | he cut |
H3772-82 |
Genesis 17:14 | וְ/נִכְרְתָ֛ה | venikheretah | HC/VNq3fs |
shall be cut off | and she shall be cut off | and it shall be cut off |
H3772-63 |
Genesis 21:27 | וַ/יִּכְרְת֥וּ | vayikheretu | HC/Vqw3mp |
made | and they cut off | and they cut a covenant |
H3772-63 |
Genesis 21:32 | וַ/יִּכְרְת֥וּ | vayikheretu | HC/Vqw3mp |
they made | and they cut off | and they cut |
H3772-82 |
Genesis 26:28 | וְ/נִכְרְתָ֥ה | venikheretah | HC/Vqh1cp |
and let us make | and she shall be cut off | and let us make |
H3772-44 |
Genesis 31:44 | נִכְרְתָ֥ה | nikheretah | HVqh1cp |
let us make | let us cut | let us cut |
H3772-50 |
Genesis 41:36 | תִכָּרֵ֥ת | tikaret | HVNi3fs |
be cut off | she will be cut off | it will not be cut off |
H3772-60 |
Exodus 4:25 | וַ/תִּכְרֹת֙ | vatikherot | HC/Vqw3fs |
and cut off | and she cut | and she cut |
H3772-34 |
Exodus 8:5 | לְ/הַכְרִית֙ | lehakherit | HR/Vhc |
to destroy | to cause to cut off | to cause to cut off |