Original Word: קָצַב
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: qatsab
Pronunciation: kah-tsab'
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-tsab')
KJV: cut down, shorn
NASB: cut off, shorn
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to clip
2. (generally) chop

cut down, shorn

A primitive root; to clip, or (generally) chop -- cut down, shorn.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to cut off, shear
NASB Translation
cut off (1), shorn (1).

[קָצַב] verb cut off, shear (?) (Late Hebrew קָצַב decide, determine,

Pi`el chop meat; Palmyrene קצבא butcher, so Syriac , Jewish-Aramaic קַצָּכָא, and Arabic as loan-word Frä²⁵⁸; Arabic also is cut off a branch); —

Qal Imperfect3masculine singular וַיִקְצָכעֵץֿ 2 Kings 6:6 he cut off a stick; Passive participle feminine plural עֵדֶר הַקְּצוּבוֺת Songs 4:2 a flock of (sheep) that are shorn (?).

Overview

The verb קָצַב appears only twice in the Old Testament, yet its settings—one historical and one poetic—invite reflection on divine intervention, pastoral care, and the refining work of God among His people.

Contexts of Usage

1. 2 Kings 6:6 – A Prophet, a Stick, and the Floating Iron

When the borrowed axe head sinks in the Jordan, Elisha “cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float” (2 Kings 6:6). The act of cutting the wood is narrated in the same breath as the ensuing miracle, linking a very ordinary motion with an extraordinary result. The scene highlights:
• Human participation in the miraculous: a simple cut precedes God’s display of power.
• Covenant care for what is borrowed: the loss would have placed the servant under debt; God’s intervention preserves integrity and communal well-being.
• Foreshadowing of redemption: wood placed into water brings up what was lost, evoking later Scriptural motifs where a wooden cross secures what humanity has forfeited.

2. Song of Solomon 4:2 – The Groom’s Praise of a Shepherded Bride

“Your teeth are like a flock of sheep coming up from the washing, each bearing twins, and none has lost her young” (Song of Solomon 4:2). The sheep are newly shorn—properly tended and free from the burden of excess wool. The cut fleece becomes an image of:
• Cleansed beauty: the bride’s mouth speaks purity and life.
• Pastoral attentiveness: shearing implies careful handling, reflecting the Groom’s nurturing oversight.
• Unity and completeness: “none has lost her young” points to wholeness within the covenant community.

Historical and Cultural Background

Cutting wood for tools or fuel and shearing sheep for wool were staples of ancient Israel’s agrarian life. The axe head lost in the Jordan stresses the rarity and value of iron implements in the ninth century BC, while shorn sheep depict a routine yet significant moment in the pastoral calendar. Both scenes showcase daily labors through which God communicates spiritual truth.

Symbolic Dimensions

• Removal for restoration: whether trimming fleece or separating a branch, the action represents lifting hindrances so life and usefulness can emerge.
• Shepherd imagery: the One who shears also guards, washes, and numbers His flock (Psalm 23:1; John 10:14).
• Redemptive reversal: the submerged iron points to humanity weighed down by sin; the upward movement anticipates resurrection power (Ephesians 2:4-6).

Theological Insights

• God works through ordinary obedience. Elisha’s servant only reported a loss; the prophet’s small gesture became the conduit of deliverance.
• Sanctification involves cutting away. The bride’s shorn imagery parallels the call to “lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1).
• Integrity in community matters. Recovering a borrowed tool and presenting a blemish-free bride both underline covenant faithfulness.

Ministry Application

• Encourage believers to offer simple, practical acts—cutting a “stick”—as openings for God’s power.
• Model pastoral care that tends, cleanses, and unburdens the flock, ensuring none suffer loss.
• Teach that sanctification may feel like trimming, yet it reveals beauty and equips for service.

Canonical Harmony

The wood that raises the iron recalls Moses’ tree that sweetened bitter waters (Exodus 15:25) and points forward to the cross that conquers death. The shorn flock anticipates the Church presented “holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:27). Thus, though קָצַב appears only twice, its tapestry threads through Scripture, attesting to a God who cuts away bondage to unveil freedom, purity, and restored purpose.

הַקְּצוּב֔וֹת הקצובות וַיִּקְצָב־ ויקצב־ hakketzuVot haq·qə·ṣū·ḇō·wṯ haqqəṣūḇōwṯ vaiyiktzov way·yiq·ṣāḇ- wayyiqṣāḇ-Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts