Original Word: שָׂרַט
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: sarat
Pronunciation: sah-RAHT
Phonetic Spelling: (saw-rat')
KJV: cut in pieces, make (cuttings) pieces
NASB: make any cuts, severely injured
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to gash

cut in pieces, make cuttings pieces

A primitive root; to gash -- cut in pieces, make (cuttings) pieces.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to incise, scratch
NASB Translation
make any cuts (1), severely injured (1).

[שָׂרַט] verb incise, scratch (Late Hebrew id., so Aramaic סְרַט Pa (ᵑ7 1 Samuel 21:14), , scratch, hence write (= χαράσσω); Assyrian šarâ‰u, slit up, rend; Arabic slit ear of camel, , sign, mark (RS^{K 214 f.}); —

Qal Imperfect3masculine plural with accusative of congnate meaning with verb וּבִבְשָׂרָם לֹא יִשְׂרְטוּ שָׂרָ֑טֶת Leviticus 21:5 shall make no incision; Infinitive absolute with

Niph`al Imperfect3masculine plural שָׂרוֺט יִשָּׂרֵ֑טוּ Zechariah 12:3 those loaded with the stone shall be severely scratched, lacerated.

Concept and Scope

The verb describes the deliberate cutting or gashing of the body with sharp instruments. Scripture records the practice in connection with mourning rites, pagan worship, and prophetic metaphor. The act is uniformly prohibited for the covenant people and is ultimately turned into an image of divine judgment upon the nations.

Biblical Occurrences

• Leviticus 21:5 – “They must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or make cuts on their bodies.”
• Zechariah 12:3 – “All who would heave it away will be severely injured.” (lit., “will surely lacerate themselves,”)

The Zechariah passage contains the verb twice, accounting for the total of three uses.

Historical and Cultural Background

In the wider Ancient Near Eastern world, self-laceration accompanied funerary lamentation and ecstatic rituals. In Canaanite religion, devotees gashed themselves to gain the attention or pity of their deity (compare 1 Kings 18:28). Such acts were marks of hopeless grief, bargaining, or frenzied devotion—behaviors fundamentally at odds with Israel’s calling to trust the living God who forbids self-harm and provides redemptive hope beyond death.

Priestly Holiness and Corporate Witness

The prohibition given to the priests in Leviticus 21:5 stands within a larger holiness code. By forbidding the mutilation common among surrounding peoples, the Lord protected both the dignity of His image-bearers and the distinct witness of His priesthood. Bodily wholeness served as a visible reminder that Israel’s God is the God of life, not of self-destructive despair. The command also anticipates the New Testament doctrine that the believer’s body is “a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Prophetic Irony in Zechariah

Zechariah 12:3 transforms the verb into an ironic judgment. The nations that attempt to lift Jerusalem as though it were merely political weight will, in the effort, inflict the very wounds upon themselves that they once used in idol worship. What had been a voluntary sign of pagan devotion becomes an involuntary consequence of opposing the purposes of God. The picture underscores both Jerusalem’s ultimate security and the futility of resisting the Lord’s redemptive plan.

Theology of the Body

From these passages emerges a consistent biblical ethic: the human body is not a disposable tool for ritual manipulation but a gift to be stewarded. Self-harm, whether for cultic, cultural, or personal reasons, stands in opposition to the Creator’s design and the Redeemer’s work. Christ’s once-for-all wounds at the cross render all self-inflicted wounds unnecessary and spiritually empty.

Ministry Implications

1. Pastoral Care: Believers struggling with self-harm find in these texts a gentle yet firm reminder that God does not require self-destruction to prove devotion; instead, He invites them into the wholeness Christ provides.
2. Apologetics: The consistent prohibition against bodily mutilation supports the broader biblical narrative of human dignity and can inform Christian engagement with modern practices that trivialize or exploit the body.
3. Missions Context: Understanding the cultural background of cutting rituals equips missionaries to address similar customs today, showing how the gospel fulfills the deepest longings that such rituals attempt to express.

Summary

Hebrew usage of Strong’s 8295 vividly illustrates God’s rejection of self-mutilation and His commitment to the sanctity and wholeness of His people. From priestly regulations to prophetic visions, Scripture portrays the act as incompatible with faith in the covenant-keeping Lord and ultimately declares that those who persist in opposition to His purposes will bear in their own bodies the consequences of their rebellion.

יִשְׂרְט֖וּ יִשָּׂרֵ֑טוּ ישרטו שָׂר֣וֹט שרוט śā·rō·wṭ saRot śārōwṭ yiś·rə·ṭū yiś·śā·rê·ṭū yisreTu yiśrəṭū yissaRetu yiśśārêṭūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts