Lexical Summary gazaz: To shear, cut off Original Word: גַּזָז Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cut off, poll, shave, shearer A primitive root (akin to guwz); to cut off; specifically to shear a flock or shave the hair; figuratively to destroy an enemy -- cut off (down), poll, shave, ((sheep-)) shear(-er). see HEBREW guwz NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to shear NASB Translation cut off (3), cut off your hair (1), shaved (1), shear (3), shearers (3), shearing (2), sheepshearers (2), sheepshearers* (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [גָּזַז] verb shear (Late Hebrew id., Aramaic גְּזָז  , Arabic  , Assyrian derivatives) — Qal Imperfect וַיָּ֫גָו Job 1:20; 2masculine singular תָּגֹז Deuteronomy 15:19; Imperative2feminine singular גָּזִּ֫י Jeremiah 7:29, גֹּ֫זִּי Micah 1:16; Infinitive construct גְּזֹו Genesis 31:19 (E) 1 Samuel 25:2, גֹּז Genesis 38:13 (J); Participle גֹּזֵז 1 Samuel 25:4; plural גֹּזְַזִים 1 Samuel 25:7 2t.; construct גֹּזַזֵי Genesis 38:12; suffix גֹּזְַזָי֑ 1 Samuel 25:11, גֹּזְַזֶיהָ Isaiah 53:7; — shear sheep (object צאֹן) Genesis 31:19; Genesis 38:13; Deuteronomy 15:19; 1 Samuel 25:2,4; compare Participle shearer (with צאן) Genesis 38:12, also גֹּזְַזֶיהָ (i.e. רָחֵל) Isaiah 53:7; absolute = sheep-shearer, 1 Samuel 25:7,11; 2 Samuel 13:23,24; object man's head (ראשׁוֺ) Job 1:20; of a woman's (figurative of Israel) Micah 1:16 (no object; "" קרחי), (figurative of Jerusalem) Jeremiah 7:29 (object נֵזֶר q. v.) Niph`al נָגוֺ֫זּוּ be cut off (= destroyed) of Assyrians Nahum 1:12. Topical Lexicon Overview The Hebrew verb גַּזָּז (Strong’s 1494) depicts the act of shearing—whether removing wool from sheep or cutting hair from the head. Across fifteen Old Testament occurrences it ranges from a routine agricultural chore to a theological metaphor for consecration, humiliation, judgment, and messianic submission. Agricultural and Economic Significance Sheep shearing was a pivotal moment in an ancient herder’s calendar, marking both income and hard-earned celebration. Genesis portrays Laban (Genesis 31:19) and Judah (Genesis 38:12–13) leaving home for extended shearing trips, testimony to the labor-intensive nature of the task. In the Judean highlands of 1 Samuel 25:2, a “very wealthy man in Maon, whose business was in Carmel,” kept three thousand sheep precisely because the revenue from annual shearing underwrote his prosperity. In such passages גַּזָּז underlines the economic backbone of pastoral life. Sheep Shearing as a Social and Festive Occasion Because shearing coincided with the influx of fresh resources—meat, oil, wine, and new wool—the season became synonymous with hospitality and feasting. David’s courteous request to Nabal, “Now I hear that you are shearers” (1 Samuel 25:7), assumes generous sharing with travelers and protectors. Conversely, Nabal’s refusal exposes a hard heart; divine judgment swiftly follows. Absalom weaponizes the same festive atmosphere, inviting the king’s sons to a shearing banquet in order to murder Amnon (2 Samuel 13:23–24). גַּזָּז therefore frames narratives in which generosity or treachery is unmasked when people gather for celebration. Restrictions and Sacred Dedication Deuteronomy 15:19 prohibits shearing the firstborn of the flock: “You are not to … shear the firstborn of your sheep.” The wool that would normally enrich the shepherd is withheld, underscoring the inviolate nature of what belongs to the LORD. גַּזָּז here becomes a boundary marker—delineating what may be used for personal gain and what must remain wholly devoted. Metaphor of Humiliation and Mourning When directed at human hair, גַּזָּז often signals grief or shame. Job, devastated by loss, “tore his robe and shaved his head” (Job 1:20), a visible confession of helplessness before God. The prophets deploy the same verb with covenantal urgency: “Cut off your hair and throw it away!” (Jeremiah 7:29) and “Shave your head in mourning” (Micah 1:16). The shaved scalp, stripped as surely as a fleece, dramatizes the nation’s exposed guilt and invites repentance. Messianic Foreshadowing Isaiah 53:7 anchors גַּזָּז in redemptive prophecy: “like a sheep silent before her shearers, so He did not open His mouth.” The Servant’s willing silence under the shears magnifies the contrast between human violence and divine meekness. The verb that once chronicled routine wool-harvest now illumines the depths of Christ’s submission, providing a living illustration later echoed in Acts 8:32–35 when Philip explains the passage to the Ethiopian official. Judgment and “Cutting Off” Imagery Nahum warns Nineveh, “Though they are strong and numerous, they will be cut down and passed away” (Nahum 1:12). The same hand that gently shears can also sever; the word therefore bridges pastoral normalcy and eschatological reckoning. The imagery reminds every generation that persistent rebellion invites decisive divine action. Practical Ministry Reflections 1. Stewardship: Like the unsheared firstborn, certain resources belong wholly to God; leaders guard against appropriating what is consecrated. Key References Genesis 31:19; Genesis 38:12–13 1 Samuel 25:2, 1 Samuel 25:4, 1 Samuel 25:7, 1 Samuel 25:11 Forms and Transliterations בִּגְזֹ֥ז בגזז גָּזִּ֤י גֹּֽזֲזֵ֤י גֹֽזְזִים֙ גֹזְזִ֖ים גֹזְזֶ֖יהָ גֹזֵ֥ז גזז גזזי גזזיה גזזים גזי וַיָּ֖גָז וָגֹ֔זִּי וגזי ויגז לְגֹֽזְזָ֑י לִגְזֹ֖ז לָגֹ֥ז לגז לגזז לגזזי נָגֹ֖זּוּ נגזו תָגֹ֖ז תגז biḡ·zōz bigZoz biḡzōz gāz·zî gazZi gāzzî gō·ză·zê ḡō·zə·ze·hā ḡō·zə·zîm ḡō·zêz gōzăzê gozaZei goZez ḡōzêz ḡōzəzehā gozeZeiha gozeZim ḡōzəzîm lā·ḡōz laGoz lāḡōz lə·ḡō·zə·zāy legozeZai ləḡōzəzāy liḡ·zōz ligZoz liḡzōz nā·ḡōz·zū naGozzu nāḡōzzū ṯā·ḡōz taGoz ṯāḡōz vaGozzi vaiYagoz wā·ḡōz·zî wāḡōzzî way·yā·ḡāz wayyāḡāzLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 31:19 HEB: וְלָבָ֣ן הָלַ֔ךְ לִגְזֹ֖ז אֶת־ צֹאנ֑וֹ NAS: had gone to shear his flock, KJV: went to shear his sheep: INT: Laban had gone to shear his flock stole Genesis 38:12 Genesis 38:13 Deuteronomy 15:19 1 Samuel 25:2 1 Samuel 25:4 1 Samuel 25:7 1 Samuel 25:11 2 Samuel 13:23 2 Samuel 13:24 Job 1:20 Isaiah 53:7 Jeremiah 7:29 Micah 1:16 Nahum 1:12 15 Occurrences |
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