Original Word: גָּרַז
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: garaz
Pronunciation: gah-RAHZ
Phonetic Spelling: (gaw-raz')
KJV: cut off
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to cut off

cut off

A primitive root; to cut off -- cut off.

[גָּרַז] verb cut, cut off (Arabic cut, cut off, exterminate) —

Niph`al Perfect נִגְרַזְתִּי Psalm 31:23 = destroyed out of Yahweh's sight.

Root Meaning and Literary Imagery

גָּרַז paints the picture of a swift, decisive severing—an axe struck, a cord snapped, a branch lopped from its trunk. Though it appears only once, the verb’s concrete imagery gives vivid voice to the soul that suddenly senses itself disconnected from life and favor.

Immediate Scriptural Usage: Psalm 31:22

David confesses, “In my alarm I said, ‘I am cut off from before Your eyes.’ But You heard my plea for mercy when I called to You for help” (Psalm 31:22). The psalmist feels abruptly removed from the covenant gaze of Yahweh, yet discovers that perceived separation is not actual abandonment. The cry of distress is immediately met by divine attention. גָּרַז thus becomes a poetic pivot: from despairing isolation to renewed assurance.

The Broader Biblical Motif of Being ‘Cut Off’

1. Covenant Sanctions: Repeated warnings in the Torah announce that persistent rebellion will cause one to be “cut off from his people” (Leviticus 20:3; Exodus 12:15), highlighting the gravity of sin and the holiness of the community.
2. Prophetic Judgment: Isaiah 9:14 pictures the Lord “cutting off head and tail,” signifying national downfall.
3. Messianic Fulfillment: Isaiah 53:8 declares the Servant will be “cut off from the land of the living,” a prophecy realized in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:23–24).
4. Redemptive Reversal: Where sin severs, grace grafts. Romans 11:17–24 explains how Gentile believers, once “cut off,” are grafted in by faith.

Historical and Cultural Backdrop

Ancient Near Eastern treaties routinely threatened expulsion or execution—literal cutting off—for disloyalty. Psalm 31 emerges from that milieu: betrayal, siege, and social ostracism (Psalm 31:11–13) converge to make David’s sense of severance plausible. Yet the psalm also reflects Israel’s unique covenantal confidence: Yahweh hears from His sanctuary, overruling human verdicts of exclusion.

Theological Reflections

• Human Perception vs. Divine Reality: Feelings of disconnection do not negate God’s attentive presence (Psalm 139:7–12).
• Severance as Judgment and Salvation: The same metaphor warns the unrepentant (Luke 13:27) and explains the atonement—Christ was “cut off” so believers might be reconciled (Ephesians 2:13).
• Assurance of Unbreakable Union: For those in Christ, no created thing “will be able to separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:39).

Ministry and Pastoral Application

1. Validating Affliction: Like David, saints may honestly voice feelings of being “cut off.” Lament is a scriptural discipline, not unbelief.
2. Redirecting the Gaze: Prayer shifts focus from the severed circumstance to the God who restores.
3. Proclaiming Hope: The gospel answers every cry of isolation with the promise of Emmanuel—God with us.
4. Community Care: The church embodies the opposite of גָּרַז by pursuing the lonely, reinstating the repentant, and reconciling the estranged (2 Corinthians 2:7–8).

Intertestamental and New Testament Echoes

Jewish intertestamental writings link being “cut off” with eschatological doom, a backdrop for John 15:6 where fruitless branches are “thrown away.” Yet the same chapter offers abiding union for those who remain in the True Vine. Hebrews 13:5 amplifies Psalm 31’s reversal: “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”

Doctrinal Implications

• Perseverance: Genuine believers may feel severed yet are securely held (John 10:28).
• Church Discipline: Temporary exclusion aims at ultimate restoration, mirroring the redemptive arc from גָּרַז to reunion (Matthew 18:15–17; 2 Corinthians 2:6–8).
• Eschatology: Final judgment confirms eternal separation for the impenitent, underscoring the urgency of reconciliation (Revelation 22:15).

Summary

Though גָּרַז surfaces only once, its sharpened edge slices through Scripture’s fabric, illustrating judgment, lament, atonement, and restoration. The word names a dread every heart knows—being irretrievably cut off—while Scripture answers that dread with the steadfast mercy of the One who hears, rescues, and binds believers to Himself forever.

נִגְרַזְתִּי֮ נגרזתי niḡ·raz·tî nigrazTi niḡraztîInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts