Lexical Summary
kathath: To crush, to break, to beat down, to shatter
Original Word: כָּתַת
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: kathath
Pronunciation: kah-THATH
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-thath')
KJV: beat (down, to pieces), break in pieces, crushed, destroy, discomfit, smite, stamp
NASB: crushed, beat, hammer, battered, beat them down, broke in pieces, broken in pieces
Word Origin: [a primitive root]
1. to bruise or violently strike
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
beat down, to pieces, break in pieces, crushed, destroy, discomfit, smite, stamp
A primitive root; to bruise or violently strike -- beat (down, to pieces), break in pieces, crushed, destroy, discomfit, smite, stamp.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto beat, crush by beating
NASB Translationbattered (1), beat (2), beat them down (1), broke in pieces (1), broken in pieces (1), crush (1), crushed (4), defeated (1), hammer (2), shattered (1), smashed (1), strike (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (Late Hebrew
id.; Aramaic ); —
Perfect1singular Psalm 89:24; Imperfect1singular Deuteronomy 9:21; Imperative masculine plural Joel 4:10; Passive participle Isaiah 30:14; Leviticus 22:24; —
beat or crush fine, of a potter's vessel Isaiah 30:14, the golden calf Deuteronomy 9:21 (+ ); a sacrificial vicitim Leviticus 22:24 (i.e. its testicles; + ); figurative of enemies Psalm 89:24.
beat, hammer (ploughshares into swords, compare ) Joel 4:10.
Perfect3masculine singular 2 Kings 18:4; 2Chronicles 34:7; 3 masculine plural consecutive Isaiah 2:4 2t.; — as
beat or crush fine 2 Kings 18:4; 2Chronicles 34:7 (of images); figurative of devastating the land Zechariah 11:6.
beat, hammer (swords into ploughshares, compare ) Isaiah 2:4 = Micah 4:3.
Perfect3masculine plural 2Chronicles 15:6 and they were beaten in pieces, one nation against another.
Imperfect3masculine plural Deuteronomy 1:44 beat in pieces an enemy, suffix Numbers 14:45.
Imperfect3masculine singular Isaiah 24:12 and to ruins is the gate crushed; 3 masculine plural Micah 1:7 (of idol-images); figurative of warriors Jeremiah 46:5; of frail man Job 4:20.
Topical Lexicon
Imagery and Semantic Rangeכָּתַת paints the picture of violent pressure applied until the object is splintered, pulverized, or completely broken down. Whether applied to wood, metal, stone, flesh, or entire peoples, the verb always stresses finality—nothing remains intact once the action is complete.
Cultic Purity and the Sanctuary (Leviticus 22:24)
In the sacrificial code the word guards the perfection of what is offered to the LORD: “You are not to present to the LORD an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut” (Leviticus 22:24). A maimed gift belittles the holiness of God and foreshadows the New Testament insistence that believers present their bodies “a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1). Physical wholeness in the animal sanctuary anticipates spiritual wholeness in the living temple of the Church.
Idol Demolition and Covenant Renewal
1. Deuteronomy 9:21—Moses not only burns the golden calf but “crushed it and ground it to powder.” Pulverizing eliminates the possibility of reconstruction, modeling full repentance rather than half-measures.
2. 2 Kings 18:4—Hezekiah “broke into pieces the bronze serpent,” refusing to allow a good object to become an idol.
3. 2 Chronicles 34:7—Josiah “reduced the idols to powder,” extending reform beyond Judah’s borders.
4. Micah 1:7—The prophet foresees all images “smashed,” a warning that unrepentant worship will be reduced to dust.
In each scene כָּתַת defends exclusive devotion to Yahweh. Genuine revival does not merely store idols out of sight; it beats them to unrecognizable fragments.
Military Defeat and Divine Judgment
Numbers 14:45; Deuteronomy 1:44; 2 Chronicles 15:6; Jeremiah 46:5; Zechariah 11:6—all employ כָּתַת for the routing of armies. The verb proclaims that no human strength can withstand the covenant LORD when He arises to judge: “I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him” (Psalm 89:23). The crushing of nations becomes both warning and comfort: a warning to the proud, comfort to the faithful awaiting deliverance.
Human Frailty (Job 4:20; Isaiah 24:12; Isaiah 30:14)
Job laments that mortals “are broken in pieces; unnoticed, they perish forever” (Job 4:20). Isaiah compares rebellious Judah to a shattered jar whose shards are too small to carry a coal. Quoting such texts drives home the transience of earthly glory and the necessity of refuge in the eternal God.
Eschatological Transformation and Reversal
Two prophetic pairs use כָּתַת to describe the coming kingdom:
• Isaiah 2:4 / Micah 4:3—“They will beat their swords into plowshares.”
• Joel 3:10—“Beat your plowshares into swords.”
The same action word governs opposite directions, hinging on the moral posture of the nations. Under Messiah’s reign instruments of war will be crushed and refashioned for harvest; before His reign rebellious peoples will reverse the process. כָּתַת thus carries eschatological weight: history marches toward either peace or judgment, depending on response to divine sovereignty.
Messianic and Christological Echoes
Although the Hebrew verb itself does not appear in Isaiah 53, the Servant who is “crushed for our iniquities” embodies the principle behind כָּתַת—complete destruction of the old to establish the new. At the cross every idol, every enemy, and even death itself are beaten down. The final fulfillment awaits Revelation 19–22 when the King of kings “strikes down the nations” and ushers in everlasting peace.
Pastoral and Discipleship Applications
• Repentance: Spiritual renewal requires a Hezekiah-like thoroughness—idols must be crushed, not curated.
• Humility: Awareness of human frailty (Job 4:20) cultivates dependence on God.
• Hope: The same God who crushes evil will ultimately crush Satan under the Church’s feet (Romans 16:20), securing an unshakable kingdom of peace.
Summary
כָּתַת threads through Scripture as the Divine hammer—shattering impurity, idolatry, and rebellion, yet simultaneously forging tools of righteousness and heralding a future where war itself is broken beyond repair. The word calls every generation to decisive action: crush the false, submit to the True, and anticipate the day when the Prince of Peace beats the last sword into a plowshare.
Forms and Transliterations
וְכִתְּת֨וּ וְכִתְּתוּ֙ וְכִתַּת֩ וְכַתּוֹתִ֣י וְכָתוּת֙ וְכֻתְּת֥וּ וַֽיַּכְּת֖וּם וַֽיַּכְּת֥וּ וָאֶכֹּ֨ת ואכת ויכתו ויכתום וכתות וכתותי וכתת וכתתו יֻכַּ֑תּוּ יֻכַּ֔תּוּ יֻכַּ֗תּוּ יֻכַּת־ יכת־ יכתו כִּתַּ֣ת כָּת֖וּת כֹּ֤תּוּ כתו כתות כתת kā·ṯūṯ kaTut kāṯūṯ kit·taṯ kitTat kittaṯ kōt·tū Kottu kōttū vaekKot vaiyakkeTu vaiyakkeTum vechattoTi vechaTut vechitTat vechitteTu vechutteTu wā’ekkōṯ wā·’ek·kōṯ way·yak·kə·ṯū way·yak·kə·ṯūm wayyakkəṯū wayyakkəṯūm wə·ḵā·ṯūṯ wə·ḵat·tō·w·ṯî wə·ḵit·taṯ wə·ḵit·tə·ṯū wə·ḵut·tə·ṯū wəḵattōwṯî wəḵāṯūṯ wəḵittaṯ wəḵittəṯū wəḵuttəṯū yuk·kaṯ- yuk·kat·tū yukkat yukkaṯ- yukKattu yukkattū
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