כָּתַת (ka.tat)
ka.tat
to crush
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 15 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb khatat describes the physical act of crushing or beating something into small fragments. It is a forceful word, appearing in contexts where materials like metal are hammered flat or enemies are shattered completely. With fifteen occurrences in the Old Testament, it carries a sense of finality and thoroughness, suggesting that what is crushed is not merely damaged but reduced to pieces.
This action often appears in prophetic judgments against nations. For instance, Micah 5:10 uses it to describe God’s destruction of horses and chariots, reducing military power to useless debris. Similarly, Isaiah frequently employs the term to illustrate the shattering of oppressors, emphasizing that human strength cannot withstand divine intervention. The imagery is concrete: just as a blacksmith hammers iron until it yields, so too does God break down proud structures.
The word’s intensity lies in its completeness. It is not about minor wear or tear but about decisive destruction. Translators often render it as "crush to pieces" or "shatter," capturing the violent finality of the action. In Chronicles, it describes the defeat of armies, reinforcing the theme that earthly power is fragile before God’s sovereignty.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word khatat paints a vivid picture of total dismantling. In the Old Testament, it describes the forceful crushing of metal into dust or the shattering of military chariots until they are useless. It is not a gentle repair but a decisive end to what was once strong and proud. When God uses this imagery, He reminds us that human power, no matter how impressive, cannot withstand His sovereignty.
For your daily life, this word offers comfort in times of fear. The same power that shatters the bronze serpent or breaks down idol altars is at work when you feel overwhelmed by circumstances. You do not need to hold onto broken things or try to fix what God has already judged as finished. His strength is shown most clearly when human efforts fail.
This completeness brings a strange peace. If God can reduce the strongest armies to dust, He can also handle the heavy burdens you carry. There is no situation so solid or so entrenched that it cannot be changed by His hand. You can rest in the knowledge that nothing stands against His will for your good.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 15 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- they will be crushed2×
- and/ they will beat2×
- they are crushed to pieces1×
- it will be crushed1×
- he crushed1×
- crushed1×
- and/ they will crush1×
- and/ they were crushed1×
- and/ they scattered/ them1×
- and/ they scattered1×
- and/ he crushed to pieces1×
- and/ [one which] is crushed1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- וְ/כִתְּת֨וּ2×
- כָּת֖וּת1×
- כִּתַּ֣ת1×
- יֻכַּת\־1×
- יֻכַּ֗תּוּ1×
- יֻכַּ֔תּוּ1×
- יֻכַּ֑תּוּ1×
- וַֽ/יַּכְּת֥וּ1×
- וָ/אֶכֹּ֨ת1×
- וַֽ/יַּכְּת֖וּ/ם1×
- וְ/כֻתְּת֥וּ1×
- וְ/כָתוּת֙1×
Key Verses
-
Deuteronomy 9:21
I took your sin, the calf which you had made, and burned it with fire, and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. I threw its dust into the brook that descended out of the mountain.
Moses crushes the golden calf into fine dust, showing how God’s judgment reduces idolatry to nothingness.
-
II Kings 18:4
He removed the high places, broke the pillars, and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because in those days the children of Israel burned incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan.
Hezekiah breaks the bronze serpent into pieces because it had become an object of worship rather than a sign of healing.
-
Isaiah 30:14
He will break it as a potter’s vessel is broken, breaking it in pieces without sparing, so that there won’t be found among the broken pieces a piece good enough to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.”
God compares His judgment to a potter’s vessel shattered so thoroughly that no shard remains useful for fire or water.
-
Micah 1:7
All her idols will be beaten to pieces, all her temple gifts will be burned with fire, and I will destroy all her images; for of the hire of a prostitute has she gathered them, and to the hire of a prostitute shall they return.”
The prophet declares that idols will be beaten to pieces, reversing the profit gained from prostitution back into dust.