קַרְדֹּם (qar.dom)
qar.dom
axe
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 5 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The noun qar.dom refers simply to an axe, a fundamental tool for cutting wood in the ancient Near East. It appears five times in the Hebrew Bible, most notably in Judges 6:21 where the angel of the Lord strikes a rock with the end of the staff that happens to be an axe handle, and in I Samuel 31:9 where Saul’s armor is displayed among the idols of Ashdod after his death. The word denotes the metal head or the entire instrument used for felling trees or shaping timber.
Its usage is straightforward and functional, lacking the metaphorical weight found in some other tool-related terms. While it does not carry a specific theological symbolism on its own, its presence in narratives highlights the practical realities of daily life and warfare. In Judges, the axe head’s sudden loss from the handle becomes a moment of crisis for Jephthah’s men, underscoring the value of such essential equipment in their survival.
Translators consistently render qar.dom as "axe" or "head of an axe," preserving the concrete nature of the object. The word serves as a reminder of the physical tools that supported the Israelites’ agricultural and military activities, grounding biblical stories in the tangible world of iron and wood.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word qar.dom simply means axe. It appears in five verses of the Hebrew Bible. This tool was essential for daily work and survival in ancient times. It represents practical strength and the ability to shape one's environment through honest labor.
In Judges 9:48, Abimelech uses an axe to cut a branch from a tree. This act shows how tools were central to both construction and conflict. The text does not add spiritual symbolism here. Instead, it highlights the tangible reality of human action and consequence.
When you read about such items, remember that faith lives in real life. God cares about your daily tasks and responsibilities. Your work matters to Him just as much as your prayers. Trust Him in the ordinary moments of your week.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 5 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- the/ axes1×
- axes1×
- axe/ his1×
- and/ with/ axes1×
- and/ for/ the/ axes1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- קַרְדֻּמּֽוֹת\׃1×
- קַרְדֻּמּ֔/וֹ1×
- וּ/לְ/הַ/קַּרְדֻּמִּ֑ים1×
- וּ/בְ/קַרְדֻּמּוֹת֙1×
- הַ/קַּרְדֻּמּ֜וֹת1×
Key Verses
-
Judges 9:48
Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him; and Abimelech took an ax in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder. Then he said to the people who were with him, “What you have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done!”
This verse shows the axe used actively by Abimelech, linking the tool directly to his violent ambition and the destruction he brings upon Thebez.
-
I Samuel 13:20
but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, each man to sharpen his own plowshare, mattock, ax, and sickle.
Here the axe is listed among essential farming tools that Israelites must take to Philistine blacksmiths, revealing their military vulnerability due to lack of ironworking skills.
-
Psalms 74:5
They behaved like men wielding axes, cutting through a thicket of trees.
The psalmist compares enemies to woodcutters wielding axes, using the image of systematic destruction to describe the desecration of God's sanctuary.