גָּזַר
to cut off
‘to cut off’ is one of 8 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”). Here: ‘be cut off’
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘divide’
Form
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
State
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
7 distinct verses where H1504 appears in the Qal stem, across 6 books. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
1 Kings 2 verses
- 1 Kings 3:25 גִּזְר֛וּ Qal impv 2mp The king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
- 1 Kings 3:26 גְּזֹֽרוּ Qal impv 2mp Then spoke the woman whose the living child was to the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no way kill it. But the other said, It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide it.
2 Kings 1 verse
Job 1 verse
Psalms 1 verse
Isaiah 1 verse
Habakkuk 1 verse
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
At its core, גזר (gâzar) means “to cut off.” Scripture first uses it in 1 Kings 3:25. Spanning 13 verses in 10 books, it ranks among the uncommon words of the Hebrew Bible. The verb spans 2 stems, from Qal to Niphal. From the same root come גזר, גזר and גזרה. Dig into 13-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H1504 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 13
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 13 distinct verses.
- 10 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 10 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #2,001
- by frequency
- Top 2500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 2,001 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 13 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 13 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 7 verses · 54%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 6 verses · 46%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: He was cut off 2×
- American Standard Version: He was cut off 2×
- Berean Standard Bible: Are cut off 2×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Divide 2×, He was cut off 2×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H1504 across 13 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 11 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H1504 across 13 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 11 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H1504 across 13 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 11 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H1504 across 16 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 12 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
11 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each.
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 11 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Qal
- Pf. גָּזַר Hb 3:17; Impf. וַיִּגְזֹר Is 9:19; 2 ms. תִּגְזַר Jb 22:28; וַיִּגְזְרוּ 2 K 6:4; Pt. act. גֹּזֵר ψ 136:13;— e.g. Habakkuk 3:17
- 1. divide, cut in two, sq. acc. 1 K 3:25 (ג׳ לִשְׁנָ֑יִם) cf. v 26 (obj. not expressed). e.g. 1 Kings 3:25
- 2. divide the Red Sea (acc.) ψ 136:13 sq. לִגְזָרִים. e.g. Psalms 136:13
- 3. cut down הָעֵצִים 2 K 6:4. e.g. 2 Kings 6:4
- 4. cut off (piece of meat to eat, but obj. not expr. ‖ אכל) Is 9:19. e.g. Isaiah 9:19
- 5. cut off, i.e. destroy, exterminate Hb 3:17 (c. acc.; indef. subj.), sq. מִן loc. e.g. Habakkuk 3:17
- 6. decree (Aramaism, cf. Biblical Aramaic) Jb 22:28 c. acc. e.g. Job 22:28
Niphal
- Pf. נִגְזַר 2 Ch 26:21; Est 2:1, נִגְזָ֑רְתִּי La 3:54, נִגֳז֑רוּ ψ 88:6, נִגְזַרְנוּ Ez 37:11; Is 53:8;— e.g. 2 Chronicles 26:21
- 1. be cut off, separated, excluded from (מִן) temple 2 Ch 26:21, from (מִן) Yahweh’s hand ψ 88:6 (of the slain), from (מִן) the land of the living Is 53:8 (of the suffering servant of י׳). e.g. 2 Chronicles 26:21
- 2. be cut off = destroyed La 3:54; Ez 37:11. e.g. Lamentations 3:54
- 3. be decreed, Est 2:1 sq. עַל against (cf. Qal 6). e.g. Esther 2:1
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
vb. cut, divide (Arabic جَزَرَ, NH גָּזַר cut, determine, circumcise; Ethiopic ገዘረ Aramaic גְּזַר, ܓܙܰܪ )—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
גָּזַר
- v. גזז; cmp. גדר)
- 1. to cut; v. גּוֹזֵר.
- 2. to cut off, to guard; v. גִּיזְרָה a. גְּזֵרָה;—trnsf. to institute a precautionary measure (גְּזֵרָה); to enact a prohibition, to decree (mostly in a restrictive sense). Sabb. I, 4 ושמנה … גָּזְרוּ בו ביום they issued eighteen enactments on that day. Ib. 14ᵇ ג׳ טומאה על וכ׳ declared metal vessels (of gentiles) unclean (even when broken and remolten, v. ib. 16ᵇ). Ib. 17ᵇ גזרו על פתן משום וכ׳ they prohibited their (the gentiles’) bread in order to prevent the use of their oil &c. Ib. 30ᵃ מלך בו"ד גּוֹזֵר גזירה a mortal king issues a decree. Ber. 61ᵇ גָּזְרָה מלכות הרשעה שמד על ישראל שלא וכ׳ Ms. M. (v. Rabb. D. S. a. l. note) the wicked (Roman) government decreed religious persecution over Israel, that they should not study the Law &c. R. Hash. 18ᵇ גזרו תענית they ordered a public fast. Ib. II, 9 גּוֹזְרַנִי עליך וכ׳ I order thee to come to me &c. Yoma 67ᵇ (ref. to גזרה, Lev. XVI, 22) אני ה׳ גְּזַרְתִּיו וכ׳ I, the Lord, have ordained it; a. v. fr. e.g. Leviticus 16:22
- to be decreed, ordained. R. Hash. 17ᵇ נִגְזְרָה גזירה it has been decreed. Ber. 58ᵇ; a. fr.
- 1. to be cut to pieces. Yoma l. c. (ref. to גזרה, Lev. l. c.) דבר המִתְגַּזֵּר where an object thrown down is shattered to pieces. [
- 2. to be cut off, be steep. Ib. Ms. 2 מקום המתג׳ a steep place.]
גְּזַר
- 1. to cut, split. Targ. Ps. LXXIV, 13 (h. text פרר). Targ. Y. Lev. XXV, 3 sq. (h. text זמר); a. e.—B. Kam. 81ᵇ גזרתינהו לשקך וכ׳ ed. (Ar. גַּזְרִית, Ms. R. גַּזְרִי, Ms. F. אַגְזַרְתִּינְהוּ Af.) I should have split thy shoulder with the iron weapon (i.e. should have excommunicated thee).—ג׳ קיימא to make a covenant (h. כָּרַת בְּרִית). Targ. Gen. XV, 18; a. fr.
- 2. to circumcise, have one’s self circumcised. Targ. Gen. XVII, 10; 11; a. fr.—Targ. Y. Lev. XIX, 23 ג׳ גזרא (h. text ערל ערלה, v. עָרְלָה).—Part. pass. גְּזִיר, pl. גְּזִירִין. Targ. Y. Gen. XVII, 13. Targ. Josh. V, 5; a. e.—Macc. 11ᵃ (prov.) שכם נסיב ומבגאי גזיר (Gen. R. s. 80 ומגבאי קטע) Shechem wants to marry (Dinah), and Mabgai (his subject) must submit to circumcision. Gen. R. l. c. גְּזוֹר be thou circumcised. Y. Kidd. III, 64ᵈ bot. מהו מִיגְזוֹר וכ׳ how about circumcising … on the Sabbath? Y. Sabb. XIX, 16ᵈ bot. הוה ליה עובדא למיגזור וכ׳ had a case, when he was to have his son … circumcised (on a Sabbath). Y. Meg. I, 72ᵇ bot. אזל וג׳ he (Antoninus) went and had himself circumcised; (Y. Snh. X, 29ᶜ וגייר גרמיה); Koh. R. to IX, 10 הוה גזיר was circumcised; a. fr.
- 3. to decree; to enact a prohibition as a precautionary measure, to prohibit, guard. Targ. Job XXII, 28; a. e. Targ. Is. XXI, 17 גְזִיר כן it is so decreed.—Ab. Zar. 36ᵃ ואתי אינהו וגָזוּר וכ׳ and they came and forbade (gentile bread &c.) even in the field. Sabb. 14ᵃ גַּזְרֵי ביה … טומאה declared him unclean.—Ib. 53ᵇ ולא גַזְרִינָן דילמא וכ׳ and we do not prohibit it (from fear) lest he may &c. Ab. Zar. 38ᵇ גזרינן הא אטו הא we may forbid one thing in order to ward off from another thing; a. v. fr. V. גְּזֵרָה.
- 1. to be cut off. Targ. Job XVIII, 14; a. e.—Ms. מתגייר׳; h. text יתמלל׳. Targ. Ps. LVIII, 8 (Var. מתגורר׳).
- 2. to be decreed. Targ. Koh. VIII, 4; a. e.
גָּזָר
- , constr. (גזר) גְּזַר decree, גְּזַר דִּין sentence, legal decision, divine dispensation. Keth. 8ᵇ אפי׳ נחתם לו ג׳ ד׳ של וכ׳ even if a divine decree granting seventy years of happiness were sealed to him; Sabb. 33ᵃ. Lev. R. s. 26 בלי שטר ובלי ג׳ ד׳ without a note of indebtedness and without a judicial verdict. Ib. כמה גזר דין, corr. גִּזְרֵי דינין.—Y. Snh. III, 21ᵈ top עבדון ליה ג׳ ד׳ the court passes sentence over him; a. fr.—Pl. גִּזְרֵי דינין, גִּיזְ׳. Lev. R. l. c. Y. M. Kat. III, 82ᵃ bot. (expl. גזירות ב"ד, Mish. ib. III, 3) אילו גי׳ ד׳ that means judicial verdicts.
גֶּזֶר
- (גזר) piece (of wood), log, club. Y. Shebi. IX, 39ᵃ top; Y. Shek. VI, end, 50ᵇ מביא גי׳ אחד he may offer one log; (Bab. ed. Var. גזיר).—Pl. גְּזָרִין, גִּיזְרִין, גְּזִירִין. Tam. II, 3. Yoma II, 5 גְּזִירֵי עצים; Y. Shebi. l. c.; Y. Shek. l. c. גיזירי (corr. acc.); Bab. ed. גזרי. Tosef. Kel. B. Kam. I, 6 פצעין את מוחו בגזי׳ they split his scull with clubs; Snh. IX, 6 בגזי׳ Mish.; ib. 82ᵇ בגיז׳; Taan. 18ᵇ בגיז׳; (Sifra Emor Par. 8, ch. IX בבקעיות, v. בְּקַעַת); Koh. R. to III, 17 בגזי׳; a. e.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 12 distinct written forms H1504 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H1504, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
- גזר gᵉzar H1505 to determine
- גזר gezer H1506 part
- גזרה gᵉzêrâh H1509 separation
- מגזרה magzêrâh H4037 axe
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 5 — not the complete family. They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 12 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 13 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- 1 Kings 3:25
- 2 Kings 6:4
- 2 Chronicles 26:21
- Esther 2:1
- Job 22:28
- Psalms 88:5
- Isaiah 9:20
- Lamentations 3:54
- Ezekiel 37:11
- Habakkuk 3:17
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
