Original Word: כָּסַח
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: kacach
Pronunciation: kah-sakh
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-sakh')
KJV: cut down (up)
NASB: cut, cut down
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to cut off

cut down up

A primitive root; to cut off -- cut down (up).

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to cut off or away
NASB Translation
cut (1), cut down (1).

[כָּסַח] verb cut off or away, a plant (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic כְּסַח, (for Hebrew זָמַר); Arabic sweep off, away, destroy, do away with; compare Sabean כסח overpower, conquer, Hom^{ZMG 1892, 532}) — only

Qal Passive participle, feminine singular כְּסוּחָה Psalm 80:17, cut away, of Israel under figure of vine; masculine plural קוֺצִים כְּסוּחִים Isaiah 33:12 thorns cut away, figurative of peoples destroyed by divine judgment.

Root Sense and Imagery

The verb conveys the decisive act of felling or lopping off vegetation. The picture is agricultural and immediate: a vine hacked down, or thorny undergrowth cleared away for burning. Scripture employs the term figuratively to describe the sudden termination of what has overgrown its rightful bounds—whether a nation, a prideful people, or unfruitful covenant members.

Occurrences in Scripture

Psalm 80:16 and Isaiah 33:12 stand as the only two attestations in the canonical Old Testament, yet they frame a complete theology of divine pruning. In Psalm 80:16 the afflicted nation is likened to a once-cherished vine:

“Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire; at the rebuke of Your countenance they perish.”

Isaiah 33:12 turns the imagery toward the hostile nations conspiring against Zion:

“The peoples will be burned to ashes, like thornbushes cut down and set ablaze.”

Contextual Themes

1. Covenant Accountability: Psalm 80 laments Israel’s barrenness under divine discipline, highlighting that election never abolishes responsibility.
2. Retributive Justice on the Nations: Isaiah depicts foreign oppressors as combustible brushwood, affirming that no empire stands immune to the Judge of all the earth.
3. Fire as Purification and Destruction: In both texts cutting down is inseparable from burning. The axe falls, then the flames consume—an emblem of complete judgment.

Divine Judgment Manifested

The action is not arbitrary anger but moral oversight. The One who planted (Psalm 80:8) has authority to prune or uproot (Psalm 80:16). Likewise, He who “will arise” (Isaiah 33:10) will dispose of rebellious peoples as easily as a farmer clears thorns. Judgment is pictured as swift, thorough, and deserved.

Covenant Implications

The agricultural metaphor echoes Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, where covenantal blessing is described as agricultural abundance and curse as barrenness or fiery devastation. When the vine is cut down, Israel is experiencing the covenant curses; when the thorns are felled, the hostile nations meet the same standard of holiness.

Intertextual Echoes

• Judges 9:15, 20 – burning of bramble; a backdrop for Isaiah’s thorn imagery.
• Isaiah 5:1-7 – vineyard song forecasting later cutting down.
• Ezekiel 15 – vine wood fit only for fire anticipates Psalm 80’s lament.
• Malachi 4:1 – “all the arrogant… will be stubble.”

The New Testament continues the metaphor: “Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:10); “He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit.” (John 15:2).

Christological Fulfilment

Jesus identifies Himself as “the true vine” (John 15:1), absorbing the curse pledged against the unfruitful vineyard (Isaiah 5:5-6) and offering a new, fruitful life to those grafted into Him (Romans 11:17). His cross endures the fiery judgment on behalf of both Israel and the nations, while His resurrection inaugurates a garden of flourishing righteousness (Revelation 22:1-2).

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Preaching Repentance: The image warns congregations against complacency. Spiritual sterility invites pruning; repentance restores vitality.
2. Church Discipline: As caretakers of God’s vineyard, elders must sometimes exercise corrective action (1 Corinthians 5:6-7) to protect the body from decay.
3. Missions and Justice: Isaiah 33:12 assures believers that oppressive systems will not endure: evangelistic labor and advocacy for the oppressed align with God’s agenda of ultimate pruning.
4. Personal Holiness: The believer submits to the Father’s pruning hand, trusting that cutting back diseased habits yields greater fruitfulness (Hebrews 12:11).

Homiletical Considerations

A sermon on Psalm 80:16 may move from Israel’s lament to Christ the Vine, inviting hearers to abide and bear fruit. A message on Isaiah 33:12 might explore the certainty of divine vengeance, bringing comfort to sufferers and urgency to gospel proclamation. Both texts can unite under the theme “Cut Down or Cultivated?”

Devotional Reflection

Meditating on these verses fosters reverent fear and hopeful expectancy. The same God who disciplines His people also revives them (Psalm 80:18-19). The axe that fells wickedness clears the ground for new planting. Every painful pruning is directed by the vinedresser’s loving wisdom (John 15:2).

Key Related Passages

Genesis 2:15; Leviticus 26:33-35; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 12:10-13; Matthew 3:10; John 15:1-8; Romans 11:17-24; Hebrews 6:7-8; Revelation 14:18-20.

כְּסוּחִ֖ים כְּסוּחָ֑ה כסוחה כסוחים kə·sū·ḥāh kə·sū·ḥîm kesuChah kesuChim kəsūḥāh kəsūḥîmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts