Original Word: קָרַע
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: qara`
Pronunciation: kah-rah
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-rah')
KJV: cut out, rend, X surely, tear
NASB: tore, torn, tear, rend, cut, split apart, enlarge
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to rend, literally or figuratively (revile, paint the eyes, as if enlarging them)

cut out, rend, surely, tear

A primitive root; to rend, literally or figuratively (revile, paint the eyes, as if enlarging them) -- cut out, rend, X surely, tear.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to tear
NASB Translation
cut (2), enlarge (1), rend (3), slandered (1), split apart (2), surely tear (1), tear (7), tear apart (1), tear away (1), tore (26), tore the away (1), torn (16).

קָרַע₆₃ verb tear (Late Hebrew id.; Arabic strike head, bell, etc., beat drum, box ear, gnash teeth (Frey Dozy); also impugn, censure); —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳ק 1 Samuel 15:28 +, etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular זַיִּקְרַע Genesis 37:29 +; 1 singular suffix אֶקְרָעֶנָּה 1 Kings 11:12, etc.; Imperative masculine plural קִרְעוּ 2 Samuel 3:31; Joel 2:13; Infinitive absolute קָרֹעַ 1 Kings 11:11; construct לִקְרוֺעַ Ecclesiastes 3:7, suffix קָרְעִי Ezra 9:5; Participle active קֹרֵעַ 1 Kings 11:31; passive קָרוּעַ 2 Samuel 15:32, etc.; — tear, rend:

1. a. usually (39 t.) of rending garment in (I) sign of grief, distress: בֶּגֶד (29 t.) Genesis 37:29,34; Genesis 44:13; 2 Samuel 13:19 +; לִשְׁנַיִם קְרָעִים ׳ב ׳ק 2 Kings 2:12, ׳לְבַבְכֶם וְאַל ב ׳ק Joel 2:13; participle Pass. ׳בְּגָדָיו ק 2 Samuel 1:2; construct ׳קְרֻעֵי ב torn of garments (pers. with torn garments 2 Samuel 13:31 (but read ׳קָֽרְעוּ ב ᵐ5 ᵑ9 Th We and others), 2 Kings 18:37 = Isaiah 36:22; Jeremiah 41:5; מְעִיל Job 1:20; Job 2:12; Ezra 9:3 (+ בֶּנֶד), כְּתֹנֶת 2 Samuel 13:19, קָרוּעַ כֻּתָּנְתּוֺ 2 Samuel 15:32 (Ges^{§ 121d}); שְׂמָתֹ Genesis 37:34; Genesis 44:13; Joshua 7:6; passive participle מַדָּיו קְרֻעִים 1 Samuel 4:12; (2) as symbolic act, שַׂלְמָה שְׁנֵים עָשָׁר ׳קְרָעִים ק 1 Kings 11:30; (3) absolute עֵת לִקְרוֺעַ וְעֵת לִתְמּוֺר Ecclesiastes 3:7.

b. tear away or out: veils Ezekiel 13:21, fillets from (מֵעַל) arms Ezekiel 13:20, mark of leprosy out of (מִן) garment Leviticus 13:56.

2 tear away sovereignty (under figure of garment), subject ׳י, מֵעַל person 1 Samuel 15:28; 1 Kings 11:11, also מִיַּד 1 Samuel 28:17; 1 Kings 11:12,31, מִן 1 Kings 14:8, absolute 1 Kings 11:13; with accusative ׳יִשׂ + מֵעַל 2 Kings 17:21.

3 tear, rend asunder:

a. book with (ב) knife Jeremiah 36:23.

b. = make wide, large, eyes, with (ב) stibium Jeremiah 4:30; windows, לוֺ ׳וק [ו]חַלּוֺנָ֑י Jeremiah 22:14.

c. rend open heavens, and descend of ׳י, Isaiah 63:19.

4 tear, rend, of wild beasts: ׳י as fierce bear Hosea 13:8 (object סְגוֺר לִבָּם); figurative of human foes Psalm 35:15 (accusative of person omitted), so Hup and others, but (from context) Ol Bae We and others malign, rail (compare Arabic above); > Gr and others קָרְאוֺ.

Niph`al be rent, of garment (מְעִיל), Imperfect3masculine singular וַיִּקָּרַ֑ע 1 Samuel 15:27, יִקָּרֵעַ Exodus 28:32; Exodus 39:23; be rent, split asunder, of altar 1 Kings 13:3,5.

Root Imagery and Theological Frame

קָרַע (qāra‘) evokes a sudden, forceful rupture—cloth split, flesh gashed, kingdoms divided. Behind every appearance lies the conviction that what God has joined or ordered can, in judgment or grief, be torn; yet He also alone can mend what is rent (Hosea 6:1).

Rending Garments in Anguish and Repentance

The most familiar use is the instinctive tearing of one’s own clothing in shock, mourning, or contrition.
• Patriarchs: When Joseph seemed lost, “Reuben tore his clothes” (Genesis 37:29); later all the brothers did the same before Joseph’s steward (Genesis 44:13).
• National Crisis: “Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown before the Ark” after Israel’s defeat at Ai (Joshua 7:6).
• Family Tragedy: Jephthah, realizing the cost of his rash vow, “tore his clothes” (Judges 11:35).
• Royal Distress: “Then the king arose, tore his clothes, and lay on the ground” at the report of Tamar’s violation (2 Samuel 13:31).
• Corporate Mourning: “Ezra… tore his tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat down appalled” at the people’s intermarriage (Ezra 9:3).

These scenes show that true biblical lament engages body and soul. Rending garments externalizes a heart laid bare before God.

Divine Tearing: Judgment and Sovereignty

The verb often passes from human action to divine agency, underscoring Yahweh’s absolute rule.
• Kingdom Torn from Saul: “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day” (1 Samuel 15:28).
• Robes Symbolizing Rule: The prophet Ahijah “took hold of the new cloak… tore it into twelve pieces” to announce the schism under Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:30-31).
• National Desolation: “I will be like a lion to Ephraim… I will tear them to pieces and go away” (Hosea 5:14).
• Cosmic Plea: Isaiah longs, “Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down” (Isaiah 64:1), expressing hope that the God who judges can also intervene to save.

Divine rending is never capricious; it is covenantal. God tears away what is unfaithful, yet His purpose ultimately drives toward restoration.

Prophetic Sign-Acts of Tearing

Prophets employed physical tearing to embody their oracles.
• Ahijah’s cloak drama, above, predicted political fracture.
• Elisha received Elijah’s mantle after Elijah was “taken up.” Before picking it up, Elisha “took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two” (2 Kings 2:12), dramatizing the end of one era and the beginning of another.
• Jeremiah, beaten and placed in stocks, lamented that terrible shepherds “have scattered them and torn them” (Jeremiah 50:17), picturing the flock ravaged by foreign powers.

These acts gave Israel a visible commentary on invisible realities.

Violent Tearing by Beasts and Warfare

קָרַע also describes literal mauling.
• David testified that the LORD “delivered me from the paw of the lion and the bear” that tore the flock (1 Samuel 17:37).
• The Law required shepherds to prove innocence by presenting remains of an animal “torn by beasts” (Exodus 22:13).
• Prophetically, Assyria and Babylon are compared to beasts that rip prey (Nahum 2:12; Jeremiah 51:34).

Physical tearing becomes a metaphor for geopolitical violence in a fallen world.

Supplication for Deliverance from Rending Enemies

Several psalms turn the imagery into prayer.
• “Lest he tear my soul like a lion… while there is none to rescue” (Psalm 7:2).
• “Consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you to pieces, and there will be none to rescue” (Psalm 50:22).
• “Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth” (Psalm 124:6).

The faithful cast themselves on God, not human strength, to escape the tearing jaws.

Rending Hearts: The Inward Call

External rites can deceive. Joel confronts empty ritual: “Rend your hearts, and not your garments” (Joel 2:13). The same verb shifts from cloth to conscience, demanding sincerity. True repentance is interior; outward tearing without inward contrition invites further judgment.

National Catastrophe and Future Hope

• Hosea unites judgment and hope: “Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us, but He will heal us” (Hosea 6:1).
• The tearing of the northern tribes away from David’s house (1 Kings 12) anticipates exile; yet prophetic vision foresees restoration under one Shepherd (Ezekiel 34), implying the torn kingdom will be mended in Messiah.

Messianic Fulfillment and New Testament Echoes

Though קָרַע itself appears only in the Old Testament, its theology culminates at the cross. The temple veil was “torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51), mirroring Isaiah’s plea for the heavens to be rent. God Himself enacted the final tear, opening unfettered access to His presence through Christ’s atoning death. What sin tore apart, grace reunites.

Pastoral and Homiletical Implications

1. Lament is biblical. Believers may physically express grief, yet must guard against mere theatrics; God looks for rent hearts.
2. Divine tearing warns of judgment on unfaithfulness—whether personal compromise or corporate apostasy.
3. Every tear also whispers hope: the One who breaks can bind up. Preach both edges of the sword.
4. The riven veil assures the torn sinner of reconciliation; every instance of קָרַע drives finally to the cross where wrath and mercy meet.

אֶקְרַ֤ע אֶקְרָ֔ע אֶקְרָעֶֽנָּה׃ אקרע אקרענה׃ וְאֶקְרַ֖ע וְקִרְע֤וּ וְקָ֤רַֽע וְקָרַ֣ע וְקָרַעְתִּ֞י וְקָרַעְתִּ֣י וַֽיִּקְרְע֖וּ וַֽיִּקְרְעוּ֙ וַיִּ֨קְרָעֶ֔הָ וַיִּקְרַ֖ע וַיִּקְרַ֣ע וַיִּקְרַ֤ע וַיִּקְרַ֥ע וַיִּקְרַ֨ע וַיִּקְרָעֵ֑ם וַיִּקְרָעֵ֖ם וַיִּקָּרַֽע׃ וַתִּקְרַ֤ע וַתִּקְרַ֥ע וַתִּקְרַע֙ וָאֶקְרַ֤ע וּבְקָרְעִ֥י וּקְרֻעֵ֥י ואקרע ובקרעי ויקרע ויקרע׃ ויקרעה ויקרעו ויקרעם וקרע וקרעו וקרעי וקרעתי ותקרע יִֽקְרָעֶ֙הָ֙ יִקָּרֵֽעַ׃ יקרע׃ יקרעה לִקְר֙וֹעַ֙ לקרוע נִקְרָ֔ע נקרע קְרֻעִ֔ים קְרֻעֵ֥י קְרוּעֵ֣י קִרְע֤וּ קָֽרְע֥וּ קָר֙וּעַ֙ קָרְע֖וּ קָרַ֖עְתָּ קָרַ֣ע קָרַ֤ע קָרַ֤עְתָּ קָרַ֥עְתִּי קָרַ֨ע קָרָ֑עָה קָרֹ֨עַ קֹרֵ֤עַ קרוע קרועי קרע קרעה קרעו קרעי קרעים קרעת קרעתי תִקְרְעִ֤י תקרעי ’eq·ra‘ ’eq·rā‘ ’eq·rā·‘en·nāh ’eqra‘ ’eqrā‘ ’eqrā‘ennāh ekRa ekraEnnah kaRa kaRaah kaRata kaRati kareU kaRoa kaRua keruEi keruIm kirU koRea likRoa liq·rō·w·a‘ liqrōwa‘ nikRa niq·rā‘ niqrā‘ qā·ra‘ qā·ra‘·tā qā·ra‘·tî qā·rā·‘āh qā·rə·‘ū qā·rō·a‘ qā·rū·a‘ qāra‘ qārā‘āh qāra‘tā qāra‘tî qārə‘ū qārōa‘ qārūa‘ qə·ru·‘ê qə·rū·‘ê qə·ru·‘îm qəru‘ê qərū‘ê qəru‘îm qir‘ū qir·‘ū qō·rê·a‘ qōrêa‘ tikreI ṯiq·rə·‘î ṯiqrə‘î ū·ḇə·qā·rə·‘î ū·qə·ru·‘ê ūḇəqārə‘î ukeruEi ūqəru‘ê uvekareI vaekRa vaiyikkaRa vaiyikRa vaiYikraEha vaiyikraEm vaiyikreU vattikRa veekRa vekaRa vekaraTi vekirU wā’eqra‘ wā·’eq·ra‘ wat·tiq·ra‘ wattiqra‘ way·yiq·qā·ra‘ way·yiq·ra‘ way·yiq·rā·‘e·hā way·yiq·rā·‘êm way·yiq·rə·‘ū wayyiqqāra‘ wayyiqra‘ wayyiqrā‘ehā wayyiqrā‘êm wayyiqrə‘ū wə’eqra‘ wə·’eq·ra‘ wə·qā·ra‘ wə·qā·ra‘·tî wə·qir·‘ū wəqāra‘ wəqāra‘tî wəqir‘ū yikkaRea yikraEha yiq·qā·rê·a‘ yiq·rā·‘e·hā yiqqārêa‘ yiqrā‘ehāInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts